Another clip from the commentary track on the upcoming 3D blu-ray collectors edition of The Force Awakens featuring director of JJ Abrams made it’s debut on yesterday’s episode of ‘The Star Wars Show’.
In the clip, which begins at 1:54 into the episode, Abrams provides his insight to one of the more mysterious scenes in the film — when Rey discovers and touches Anakin Skywalkers original lightsaber, lost by Luke in The Empire Strikes Back — propelling Rey into her forceback vision, witnessing several moments in time from the Skywalker Saga.
In this scene, she is drawn to this place, almost like Cinderella. And she goes to this box, which, when she opens, she discovers something that of course has no meaning to her. She’s never seen this before — doesn’t know what it is, but has meaning to the audience. Touching the lightsaber triggers what we called 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.
What’s interesting here is that Abrams mentions how Rey saw Luke in his confrontation with Darth Vader — which was cut from the film, however. What he doesn’t mention was the young boy she also saw at the end of the corridor on Cloud City. While the book does not describe who he is, most fans assume it is a young Anakin Skywalker.
Due to these moments being cut from the film but still included in the novelization by Alan Dean Foster, the canon tends to get a bit murky specifically for The Force Awakens. But Lucasfilm has said that everything included in the novelization is in fact canon.
There are several other scenes that were cut from the film as well including Unkar Plutt catching up to Rey on Takodana which was revealed in a clip just the other day. In addition to that, Poe’s escape from Jakku was also mysteriously absent from the film but made it’s way into a DLC for the films Lego game. I myself was pretty confused when he popped up leading the Resistance into battle against the First Order smack dab in the middle of the film’s second act.
Lastly, when Rey began to overtake Kylo Ren in their duel she heard a mysterious voice egging her on to strike down Kylo. While it was not said who the voice belonged to, many fans assume this was Supreme Leader Snoke communicating to her as she no doubt channeled the dark side.
Time will tell whether we learn if any more of the film found it’s way to the cutting room floor (I’m looking at you Korr Sella).
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 3D blu-ray collectors edition hits shelves November 15, 2016.
Alternate World 