Star Wars boss Kathleen Kennedy addresses the Rey Kenobi theory – and why it couldn't happen

Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has explained why the Rey Kenobi theory couldn't happen in the Star Wars sequel movies.

Following The Force Awakens, speculation was rampant about whether Daisy Ridley's Rey might be a descendant of one of the saga's main characters. One of the main theories was that she would be related to Obi-Wan Kenobi, but, as Kennedy explains, it just wasn't possible – and was never on the cards.

"The bigger issue is talking about Obi-Wan as a Master Jedi, and the issue of attachment and selflessness," she told Vanity Fair, when asked if it was true that the plan was for the two to be related. "In order for Obi-Wan to have a child, you are really, really impacting the rules around the Jedi. What does that mean? If that were explored – and certainly there were a lot of ideas being thrown around – but anything to do with Obi-Wan in that regard was pretty much off the table because it flies in the face of everything George created in the mythology."

She added: "We're not rigid about it. It's certainly open for discussion all the time. But that's a pretty significant tenet in the mythology of the Jedi that we'd be reluctant to mess with."

While The Last Jedi revealed Rey's parents were nobodies, The Rise of Skywalker changed the story to Rey being the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine – though, at the end of the final movie, she took the name Skywalker.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows on the way from the galaxy far, far away.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.