12/10/2019
'The Rise Of Skywalker': JJ Abrams On Whether Bloodlines Matter To Gaining Force Powers
One of my favorite themes across Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi, seen in both Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the young orphan Temiri Blagg, is that anybody can wield the powers of the Force. It's an integral message, one that expands on the Star Wars mythos which George Lucas kept very isolated for far too long. With JJ Abrams returning for The Rise of Skywalker, it's possible he could overturn that idea and keep those with Force abilities limited to very specific bloodlines. Fortunately, Abrams has no plans to do that.
The info comes from a Twitter user who translated portions of a Premiere Magazine interview with Abrams, in which he says that bloodlines don't matter whether someone can gain Force powers...
“Yes, of course keeping that message has been a priority. It is an absolute mistake to say that you have to be related to a particular person or blood line to have power with the Force. Since I was a child, one of the most moving things for me was to know what anyone could be a Jedi.”
I hope this is accurate because it's one of the main things I've been worried about Abrams overthrowing as he takes over from Johnson. Hopefully, his statement applies to Rey, as well, in keeping her lineage as distant as possible. She doesn't need to be related to the Skywalkers, or Palpatine, or any of the major Star Wars figures to still be someone of prominence.
I guess we'll find out what Abrams has planned when The Rise of Skywalker opens on December 20th!