Before Rey became Rey, she had many maybe-names, including Thea, Kira, and most notably… Winkie?
We all know her; some of us love her. Kylo Ren sure did…. good old Winkie Palpatine-Skywalker. Or, that would have been her name if the choice had been up to George Lucas. While Rey ended up with her now infamous name, there was a long list of options being considered before she gained the now famous moniker. Lucasfilm creative executive Pabli Hidalgo recently released his book “Star Wars: Fascinating Facts,” and the most fascinating fact is definitely this “Winkie” business.
In the book, Hidalgo reveals, “In George Lucas’ original outline, [Rey] was a 14-year-old girl named Taryn. In his subsequent iterations, she would briefly be named Thea and—believe it or not—Winkie. When writer/director J.J. Abrams came aboard, he simplified the names to placeholders… Thea became Sally… as the film neared production, Sally became Kira (which stuck as the production code name), then Echo, and finally Rey.”
We’re not going to lie, Kira and Echo have a real ring to them, but there’s something about Winkie. Maybe it could still debut in the Lucasverse as the name of The Child. That seems much more appropriate. What’s your favorite almost-Rey-name?
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
