'Star Wars: Episode 9' Spoilers: Rey Could Return to a 'Rogue One' Location
The final film of the third Star Wars trilogy might return to a surprising location prominently featured in Rogue One, at least if recent set photos from Star Wars Episode IX are any indication.
One redditor from Jordan going by YenaMagana shared a series of photos on Monday, claiming they were taken at a filming location for Star Wars: Episode IX in the “large nature desert reserve” of Wadi Rum. The area was previously used as the principal shooting location for Jedha, the desert moon in Rogue One that served as the base for resistance fighter Saw Gerrera. YenaMagana also notes what looks like “Rey’s orange creamsicle speeder” and someone who looks like Daisy Ridley getting some kind of tour.
The Star Wars franchise uses desert terrain in almost every movie, most notably Tatooine and in The Force Awakens with Jakku. It’s entirely possible that the scenes being filmed could take place on these or any other planets in that very large galaxy, but this heavily implies a return to Jedha. That could potentially mean huge things for what Rey does after The Last Jedi — she’d need somewhere to build a new lightsaber.
Historically, Jedha was considered a sacred place by those who worshipped the Force because of its rich kyber crystal deposits. Jedi used these crystals as power sources for lightsabers, and the same minerals were used to power the Death Star’s superweapon. Considering that the only lightsaber Rey currently has is Luke’s busted blue one, she might need to journey to a place like Jedha to find a new kyber crystal and build a saber of her own.
There is the obvious issue with all this that the Death Star performed a “test” directly on Jedha City during the events of Rogue One roughly 34 years prior to The Last Jedi by blasting the huge laser directly at the moon. Grand Moff Tarkin made it a point in Rogue One to destroy only Jedha City and not the entire moon, and it’s possible they didn’t destroy the entire moon for this very reason: So Rey could return there decades later.
Perhaps Rey heads to the opposite side of the moon where it still looks like a regular desert and that’s where she goes hunting for kyber crystals?
Whether the set is meant to be Jedha or not, Rey does need to go somewhere to learn more about the Force now that Luke’s dead. Even more importantly, she needs supplies to build a new lightsaber. Jedha’s as good a place as any for both those reasons. Maybe Episode IX will actually fulfill my dream of Rey wielding a yellow double-sided lightsaber.
Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for release on December 20, 2019.
