Rey Is at the Center of Star Wars’ Future | OOF!

To be clear, these are rumors, not confirmations…. yet!

The latest rumblings are coming from posts on X (Twitter), specifically from Josh over at The Den of Nerds, who has been hearing chatter about where Lucasfilm wants to take the Star Wars saga. And if what he’s saying is true… it’s not exactly the most inspiring direction.

According to Josh, Shawn Levy’s upcoming film Starfighter isn’t just some fresh, standalone Star Wars story. Instead, it’s allegedly being used as a setup or a primer of sorts to funnel a new Force sensitive character directly into Rey’s orbit.

In other words, the big plan is to make Rey the centerpiece of the franchise moving forward.

And honestly? That’s disappointing… Unless this kid is Luke Skywalker’s son. 😲

Why Fans Are Concerned

We have all heard whispers for years that Disney wants Rey as the face of Star Wars’ future.

And if this rumor pans out, then instead of expanding the galaxy, Lucasfilm seems determined to narrow it down even further. With one of their most divisive characters… And, this just feels like the wrong call.

So why is this a terrible play?

• It feels forced and inorganic

  • As Josh states. There is no chance Shawn Levy organically came up with a story that “just so happens” to deliver a character to Rey. This is 100% studio driven drivel, not storyteller driven.

• It reeks of damage control

  • Instead of moving beyond the sequels, this strategy feels like a corporate attempt to fix Rey’s divisive reputation and validate old decisions… YIKES!

• The galaxy shrinks instead of expands

  • Star Wars used to feel big with galactic wars, dynasties, and sprawling mythologies. Now it’s all about narrowing everything to one character… Although, I do believe that Star Wars is SKYWALKERS first and foremost. But they can still build on that lore while also expanding the universe. Using Rey, at least in this setting from what we know isn’t doing that.

• It risks alienating fans further

  • Many fans already walked away from the sequels because of Rey. Making Rey the center risks pushing even more people out of the fandom instead of bringing them back in.

What This Means for Star Wars

The frustrating part?

Starfighter could still be an awesome movie on its own.

Shawn Levy is capable of delivering something exciting. But if the entire function of his film is to serve as a stepping stone to Rey, then it’s not really his film, is it? It’s just corporate scaffolding dressed up as storytelling.

That’s not how you build a universe. That’s how you patch one.

Star Wars deserves more than corporate clean up jobs. It deserves new stories, fresh characters, and that feeling of limitless possibility that once made the galaxy far, far away so special.

If these rumors are true, though, the saga risks being defined by the same mistakes that divided fans in the first place.

And that’s not a new hope. That’s just sad.