Daisy Ridley says her Star Wars character Rey was ALMOST descended from Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley just revealed her character Rey was almost related to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Ridley, 28, explained how Rey’s family backstory shifted during the making of the films while talking to Josh Gad during his guest hosting stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The English talent said that creators were ‘toying with an Obi-Wan connection,’ before going on to make Rey the descendant of sinister Sith Lord/Galactic Emperor Palpatine.

Rey’s lineage was central to the sci-fi saga’s story arc, which saw the Force-gifted orphan grapple with her past all while caught up in the middle of a galactic power struggle.

But there was never a solid plan for her family tree. 

‘At the beginning, there was toying with like an Obi-Wan connection, and then it really went — there were like different versions — and then it really went to that she was no one,’ Daisy dished.

‘And then it came to episode nine and [director J.J. Abrams] pitched me the film and was like, “Oh yeah. Palpatine’s granddaddy.”‘

But things were never settled for long, as Ridley explained.

‘Then two weeks later, he was like, “Oh, we’re not sure.” So it kept changing. So then, even filming, and I wasn’t sure what the answer was going to be.’

Abrams was at the helm of the first two chapters of the trilogy – The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi – but Episode IX, The Rise of Skywalker, was directed by Rian Johnson, pulling the story in a yet another direction. 

Ridley’s reveal caused an uproar on the internet, prompting ‘Rey Kenobi’ to start trending on Twitter. 

Fans were less than thrilled. 

‘Daisy Ridley was supposed to be Rey Kenobi, then Rey Nobody and then Rey Palpatine in the worst planned and written trilogy in the history of cinema,’ one fan tweeted. 

‘Kathleen Kennedy, @rianjohnson and @jjabrams, everyday more proof is surfacing on how you blew it.’

Another Twitter user echoed the sentiment, writing: ‘I knew this garbage wasn’t planned. How can you play so fast and loose with a billion-dollar franchise? It’s inconceivable.’

Ridley’s comments came after co-star John Boyega called out the franchise for boasting about a diverse cast while ‘pushing’ his character Finn ‘to the side.’ 

‘They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley,’ he told British GQ. ‘Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.’