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Daisy Ridley thinks Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker gave her character, Rey, the perfect ending. J.J. Abrams' 2019 The Rise of Skywalker wrapped up the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which began in 2015, and also wrapped up the Skywalker saga. Disney and Lucasfilm's sequel trilogy not only saw a return of the legacy characters like Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), but also introduced a new set of characters. The films followed the stories of orphan scavenger Rey (Ridley), former Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and First Order leader Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver). The trilogy saw Rey's journey from Jakku scavenger to Luke's final Jedi apprentice.
One of the big mysteries throughout the trilogy was the truth about Rey's family. While Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi supposedly resolved the mystery when Rey's background was said to be insignificant, it was finally revealed in The Rise of Skywalker that Rey is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. After learning this news, Rey chooses to embrace the light side and remain committed to the Skywalker family. After she buries Luke and Leia's lightsabers on Tatooine, she pronounces herself "Rey Skywalker." The film's ending received polarizing reactions from audiences, as some felt the whole trilogy did not live up to the rest of the nine-film saga and Rey's family reveal was rushed. However, others felt it was a satisfying ending for Rey's narrative, including Ridley herself.
In an interview with IGN, Ridley shared her thoughts on Rey's ending in The Rise of Skywalker. Calling it the "perfect ending" for her character, Ridley also discussed the possibility of Rey's story continuing post-Rise of Skywalker. Read Ridley's full comment below:
download (1).jpg"I think for me the beauty of Episode IX is it ends with such hope and such potential. I just feel like that was Rey's perfect ending. The big battle was in Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. I think really she's probably running around the forest somewhere having a great time [following the events of The Rise of Skywalker]. I feel totally, totally satisfied with how that story finished. I just don't know what else she could do that I didn't have to do. Also, there are so many amazing characters in Star Wars, that it's sort of an amazing thing. I was watching the new episode of Mandalorian, and it's just like the places it can go beyond even where it is now is so exciting."
Ridley previously spoke about whether she would ever play Rey again in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, saying that it wasn't completely off the table, but she felt that Rise of Skywalker wrapped her character's story up well. While Ridley seems like she's ready to leave her Star Wars role behind, she recently admitted that she was not getting much work after she first wrapped up the series. However, she has since been able to break out of her character, soon appearing alongside Tom Holland in the upcoming sci-fi film Chaos Walking.
The final scene of The Rise of Skywalker shows Rey and BB-8 walking off into the sunset on Tatooine, implying both an end to Rey's story and a beginning. With her newfound commitment to continuing the Skywalker family legacy, there's clearly so much left of her journey to be explored. The film certainly left things in a place where Rey's story could continue to be told, but Ridley has a point in that there are so many other characters and events to tackle in the Star Wars universe.