Star Wars almost made Rey a Kenobi before sequel plans changed, then changed again

"Who are you?" "Rey." "Rey who?" It sounds like it could be the beginning of a bad knock-knock joke, but the answer to this question (asked during the finale of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) was a giant behind-the-scenes hurdle for the Star Wars team.

First, there were hints and teases in The Force Awakens. Then, filmmaker Rian Johnson blew it all up by making Rey an icon for the Force's presence in everyone by, effectively, making her "no one." The Rise of Skywalker gave an even more bonkers answer for her past. Now the actress behind the role has spilled the secret that there was another famous franchise family name she might have borne.

Speaking to Josh Gad as he guest-hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live, Daisy Ridley chatted about all things Star Wars — specifically about Rey's last name. Her reveal? That she could have been Rey Kenobi — a direct descendent of Obi-Wan. That would've made the prequel series a bit more interesting, right?

Take a look:

“At the beginning, there was toying with like an Obi-Wan connection," Ridley said. "And then it really went — there were different versions, and then it really went to that she was no one. And then it came to Episode IX, and JJ pitched me the film and was like, ‘Oh yeah, Palpatine is granddaddy.’ And I was like, ‘Awesome.’ And then two weeks later he was like, ‘Or we’re not sure.’

Even during production, Ridley explained, she had no idea who her character was supposed to be. “So it kept changing. So then even [Ridley’s audio drops out] we were filming, and I wasn’t sure what the answer was gonna be,” she said.

But now fans know that Ewan McGregor won't be seducing anyone or fathering any secret children during his Disney+ miniseries...which would have been kind of great, come to think of it. Now Rey goes down in history as a Palpatine granddaughter that takes on the name Skywalker, leaving fans with the endless possibilities of what could've been.

At least she didn't turn out to be Rey-Rey Binks.