I think she is either Luke's daughter that he didn't know he had, or a student he trained that survived Ren's tantrum of death. If the second case it wasn't actually her parents dropping her off there.
I think "The Force Awakens" is a bigger deal than just Rey. I think that Luke is involved, and the temple is a key part of it. I think he has triggered something, maybe an ancient prophecy or something that is strengthening the force in people.
I really hope Po is using the force, otherwise WTF. In one short sequence he shoots 9 Tie Fighters and a bunch of storm troopers? I mean James Bond didn't go that ridiculous. It was just over the top, and would rate worse than the "Now this is podracing" sequence from Episode I. I don't believe a single shot missed in that sequence. They need something to explain that, because it wasn't awesome, it was unrealistic and ridiculous.
Finn has some force sensitivity, he has too as well. Otherwise he's a bit too "OMG I never used this before, but look what I pulled off."
The light-saber countering weapon the storm trooper pulled out?
No thank you. It had arcs of electricity on it, so now electrified things can stop lasers? Things like these issues relegate the movie to the level of Return of the Jedi or maybe a bit below. If these guys were caught by a battalion of Storm Troopers, they'd just be even more awesome and win. Because JJ Abrams.
I agree Finn has force sensitivity. If nothing else, the Millenium Falcon chase couldn't have been pulled off without both him and Rey having Force connections. Also, he's far too good a shot to be a stormtrooper.
You know, it might be cool to have Force sensitive characters who aren't Jedi. It would be a unique twist on the story to see people who don't all adhere to the same religion use the same power differently.
Have you ever played X-Wing, TIE-Fighter, or X-Wing Alliance and been in the zone? It is exactly like Poe did. You just fly and blast each thing as it comes into sight. I have done this before, so it's not unrealistic or ridiculous. And that's what I thought of when I saw Poe's flying. If it turns out he's Force sensitive, then that's okay, too, by me.
I like the idea that Luke has unlocked something at the Jedi temple which causes a bunch of people to awaken, it will be good to see if that goes anywhere in the next one.
There are arguments already out there that Han, Lando, and Boba Fett are all force sensitive to a certain degree, even one that Jar Jar uses the force (okay, it's played for laughs, but is quite the compelling argument). Supposedly though, everyody is tanked up on the force and only a few individuals who are very strong in it are capable of developing Jedi powers, so technically Poe is using the force when he pulls off those ridiculous stunts. Poe's assault on the jungle world was a bit too far over the top, even for the Resistances best pilot, but I didn't mind too much as it was good to have this notion that the Resistance are far from being a scrappy 'rag-tag fleet' like the Rebellion used to be. This is a well funded and highly trained force that are far from hiding in the shadows. If anything, the First Order have taken on the role of the Rebellion by being the secretive power that strikes out against the galactic rulers in the senate.
Yes, and that is a video game. I also have played Star Wars Battlefront and taken out multiple Jedi as a stormtrooper. I try to hold blockbuster films to a higher degree of reality than a video game.
They're obviously keeping the identity of Rey's parents under wraps, similar to who Luke's father was. I'm going to venture to guess that they aren't who we'd immediately guess. The obvious candidates are Luke/Mystery Mom and Leia/Han. In short, that she's a Skywalker in some way. However, I'm really hoping it's someone we wouldn't suspect. I'm thinking she's a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Think about it. It was his voice she heard when experiencing past and future memories during the scene in which she touched Luke/Anakin's lightsaber (correct me if I'm wrong.)
Also, it would form an interesting parallel. Obi-Wan trained Anakin, but failed to curb him from the dark side. But later on, he succeeded with the son, Luke. What if this is a way to allow the student to become master? Luke then went on to train Ben Solo, but failed. However, in episode 8 we are setting up a training scenario with Rey, in which she will surely succeed.
I'm particularly drawn to this theory because it allows Star Wars to become more than just about the Skywalkers, but other factions and families as well.
While I like the idea it would be hard to imagine unless Rey is much older. I forget where it's stated but Rey is only supposed to be a teenager and this movie occurs 30 years after Return of the Jedi.
Rey is not Luke’s daughter. Her conversation with Maz seemed to put “Rey’s family” and “Luke” in separate buckets.
Han, Maz, and Kylo Ren know who Rey is and why she matters.
I also think The Force Awakens would have been better without the rathgars and if they’d come up with a better third act conceit than Starkiller base. For example, they could have sent Kylo Ren and some infiltrators to undermine the Republic government through assassinations, and had the confrontation with Han and Rey there.
That said, “oh, we’ll build a thing like the Death Star, only bigger!” sounds an awful lot like a military-industrial complex I know, so maybe it isn’t so unbelievable after all.
It is entirely possible that since the Jedi Order was wiped out (though a number of Jedi survived), there have been a lot more untrained Force Sensitive kids in the universe. It also wasn't unusual for there to be Force Sensitives in the Expanded Universe, since it basically came down to a character apparently having incredible luck. That being said, I am all for a new Trio all being FS. I mean, only Han wasn't in the original…
That's a cortosis-weave weapon! They've been in the Expanded Universe for ages, but this is the first movie display of one. I can't remember if The Clone Wars or Rebels has talked about it. Cortosis, depending on source, can block or short out a lightsaber.
Alternatively it's phrik or Mandalorian Iron (Edit: those are two separate materials that are also lighstaber resistant), but I'm going with cortosis as that would reconnect with Riot Stormtrooper electrostaffs, which is likely what that was a reference to.