ST Wait...How did Rey know Leia?

Whenever Rey returns to the Resistance base at the conclusion of the destruction of the Starkiller base, Rey steps off the ship and makes eye contact with Leia; Rey tells Leia that she is sorry and embraces in a long hug.

At this point, Rey had never met Leia nor had Rey developed an emotional attachment to Han/Leia's relationship. How did Rey recognize Leia, and then hug Leia in a somber interaction?

Did the Force give Rey a connection to Leia, which allowed her to instinctively know who Leia was? (Since the movie does not imply this at all, I could consider this an idiotic explanation)

Did Rey use common sense by seeing an old lady who was sad? (Ehhhh, this is weak, but possible if Rey had been given more time to search the crowd for Leia).

The scene seemed off due to the fact that the two characters had never seen each other , but I would love to know what others think. It is even possible that Rey has a family-connection to Leia that may be explained in another film.

Overall, great film!!!!! Clearly, I have questions that were not specifically addressed in the film.

 

I would imagine Rey knew who Leia was. Leia was, at least, famous and recognizable. And Leia, despite not knowing Rey, saw that she was part of the mission.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Auntie Leia.

 

Well, they played Han and Leia's theme when they embraced (so I initially took it to mean that Rey finally recognised her mother, Leia) but I now think that it is probably because they both felt Han's death and loss and were brought together by the Force in that moment.

Rey could be Leia's niece, but then, it would've been odd for Leia to recognise her, and not Rey (unless she suddenly remembered the rest of her family after seeing Leia).

 

Rey has lived almost her whole life on a remote planet. The resistance is only a rumor in her world at the start of the movie (book), she knows almost nothing about what's going on in the galaxy. She does however know who Han Solo was, she thought he was a legendary smuggler and pilot. She COULD have heard of Leia, but I doubt she knew what she looked like.
pure speculation though

 

Leia is her mom

 

Leia is her aunt, I reallly really hope so.

 

she didn't know her. what film are you watching? leia was told about rey by han and finn.

 

The version of the film that I watched on preview night didnot include a scene where Han describes what Leia looks like or her physical features. I did aee the film on preview night, so it may have been a cut of the film that was not completed. Even if my preview copy of the film did not include the scene, I have never heard of a situation where strangers start describing the physical appearances of other strangers.

 

I think so. Although I'm not sure either knows it at that point in the film.

In terms of how they actually know each other? Much like how Poe gets off Jakku, who cares?

 

what are you talking about?

 

Ehhh, Poe getting off Jakku is trivial at best. However, one could question why Poe left Jakku without BB-8, but I will leave that for another thread. However, Rey and Leia sharing an emotional scene together in that context is very important.

Out of the Universe - I see why Rey and Leia embraced since Han Solo was an important individual to both of them. Han was a father figure to Rey, and Han was a husband to Leia.

In Universe - I am not sure how these two individuals knew to hook up immediately after the arrival from the Starkiller base. Since the two characters did not have an emotional connection with each other, it was odd that they were the two to embrace. I am sure that Chewbacca wanted to deal with his emotions on his own, but Rey and Leia embraced immediately.

 

I am not sure as the clarity in your post is lacking. Youasked which film I watched, but I am referring to "The Force Awakens" since I am on the Episode VII discussion board. You also stated that Leia was told about Rey by Han and Finn. How did Rey know Leia as soon as shearrived to the Resistance base?

Obviously everyone at the Resistance base knew who Rey was since she is the only female to step off of the Falcon.

 

answer my question about your assertion that i bolded. that never happened. how does rey recognize leia? she feels her sorrow.

 

Could it be that Rey knows who Leia is when she tapped into the mind of Kylo Ren?

In that scene, which I think is key to the story of Rey's awakening, she uncovers that Kylo is obsessed with Vader. She might have seen who Kylo was, who his parents are. I've only seen the movie once, so I'm not sure of this, but it's a possibility.

Also, right after she taps into his mind, she starts doing the Jedi mind trick, could she have learned this from Kylo's mind?

 

Exactly. The bolded statement did not happen in the cersion of the film that I had the pleasure to watch. So, how did Rey recognize Leia? Are you stating that "Rey felt Leia's sorrow"? How can Rey "feel" another person's sorrow? Leia was shown to feel the death of Han Solo from a far distance, but the preview-night version of the film did not offer any indication that Rey could feel sorrow from General Leia - a stranger to Rey up to the point when the two embrace. The film, in way way, established that Rey was able to feel sorrow from Leia.

 

the force, man.

 

This is actually the best in-movie explanation that I can think of since she also referenced Darth Vader as if she knew who he was.

 

I always think just because we don't see the exposition on screen doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

Finn would surely have spoken to Leia about Rey, Han and Finn may have spoken further about Leia on the journey to Starkiller Base, and on the journey back Finn would have spoken to Rey about General Leia.

 

As screwed up as the Skywalkers are, Luke is her father and Leia her mom. I swear that family is from GFFA Appalachia. So they banish her to a desert planet not known for its fertility.

In all serious, the character and actress are brilliant. Great emotional delivery and facial expressions. The look on her face as the approach Ileenum in a Spielberg inverse reaction shot that precedes what the character is looking at is incredible. And that last shot. Her character is the Luke of this generation. Her? The Natalie Portman?

 

In the version of the film that you watched, where did the film establish that Rey could feel sorrow for Leia through the Force? There would need to be some kind of hint other than obvious head-canon that we feel compelled to create in order to provide ourselves with satisfaction. Considering the fact that the movie EXPLICITLY showed Leia reacting to Han's death, we, as the audience know that Leia felt Han's death from a great distance. On the other hand, the film did NOT EXPLICITLY show Rey reacting to anyone such as Leia. Therefore, it is a weak argument to suggest that Rey "used the force to find Leia in orderto make an emotional connection to her" in order to justify the long embrace.

 

I feel the same way and I agree that it is the best explanation for her awakening, along with the idea of the light side of the Force itself pushing her forward, sensing her as one of the last hopes. But I'm with you here. To borrow a concept from a couple other sci-fi films, think of her moment with Rey almost like downloading Kung Fu in the Matrix, or a mind meld in Trek. As the two fought for control of the others mind she rapidly gained info that she never would have gained otherwise.

 

the force awakened in her. she had visions, read people's minds, mind tricked someone and called on the force to defeat kylo. she is force sensitive and very powerful. now that she knows this she can use it. that's how she knows leia. question answered.

 

Well, Han recognized her and I'm pretty sure there was some conversation off screen between them about Rey. Off-screen so they don't spoil her heritage.

 

Nailed it. If ever a scene needed explaining away due to the Force, then this is it.