Despite having a fairly straightforward story,
Star Wars: The Force Awakens still had its fair share of mysteries by the time the film ended; chief among them was the cryptic "force vision" experienced by
Rey.
In a new commentary excerpt from the upcoming Blu-ray Collector's Edition of the movie, director J.J. Abrams has provided some context on the scene, along with a pivotal moment that was cut.
In the film's final sequence, Rey discovers
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in Maz Kanata's castle, and upon touching it, is beset by a vision that includes the hallways of Cloud City, the Knights of Ren, a hooded Luke Skywalker, and a flashback to being left on Jakku as a child. According to Abrams, the scene originally was supposed to feature Rey witnessing the epic battle between Luke and
Darth Vader (from
The Empire Strikes Back) in the deep passages of Cloud City.
"Touching the lightsaber triggers what we call the 'Forceback.' There were many iterations of this. In one, from the Cloud City Corridor, she looked down and saw Vader fighting Luke, which we ended up cutting. We wanted it to be a more personal story, something that she couldn’t comprehend, that was overwhelming to her, frightening to her, that was taking her through all of these elemental experiences, of fire, of rain, snow, wind. But also that she was being confronted with truths about the Force, about the past. The Knights of Ren here, the past for herself. She realizes that the cries she heard were actually her own cries as a young girl being taken away from her family. And then she hears a voice, 'Rey,' and that’s Obi-Wan Kenobi."
If you'd like to watch the commentary scene, check out the video below, where the clip starts at 1:54.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Blu-ray Collector’s Edition releases internationally on October 31 and in the United States and Canada November 15.
About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.