Rey Skywalker's next movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026. New Jedi Order will likely be a treasure trove of new information and lore about Rey, but it could also cause problems for an entirely different character who likely won't be in the film.

New Jedi Order presents a problem with the Jedi voice cameos in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, over 30 years after he died. The problem New Jedi Order presents for Obi-Wan's story isn't so much about when his story took place, but rather his appearance and age through it all.

New Jedi Order Will See Rey Barely Age In 15 Years

New Jedi Order is set to take place about 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. At that point in the Star Wars timeline, Rey will be about 35 years old, given she was born in 15 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). The problem is, Rey won't look much older in New Jedi Order than she did in The Rise of Skywalker. The new movie is set to release in 2026, meaning it will likely be filmed in 2025 at the latest, and Daisy Ridley will be 33 years old at the latest.

While Ridley's real-life age fits with Rey's age in New Jedi Order, Ridley will only be seven years older than Rey was in The Rise of Skywalker. She's also aged remarkably well, and she doesn't look significantly older than she did during her last Star Wars outing. Even though 15 years will have ed in-universe, Rey will look almost indistinguishable from her 20-year-old self. That in and of itself isn't a problem for Rey, but it is a problem for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Aged So Much More In A Much Shorter Time

In stark contrast to Rey Skywalker's graceful maturation, Obi-Wan Kenobi had a much rougher time entering old age. There were 19 years in-universe between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars, yet Obi-Wan appeared to age twice as fast in that time. The real-world explanation is, of course, that Alec Guinness originally portrayed Obi-Wan, and Ewan McGregor replaced him in the prequels. However, the McGregor was the same age as Guinness, he still looked significantly younger, and the show took place just nine years prior to the original Star Wars.

There have been theories that tried to address the mystery of Obi-Wan Kenobi's quick aging. Some have suggested that life on the harsh desert planet of Tatooine, with its twin suns, high temperatures, and sandstorms, simply wore people down quicker. Others have suggested that the stress of the Empire and watching over Luke Skywalker wore Obi-Wan down specifically. Rey's aging (or lack thereof), however, creates a problem with those explanations. Rey had just as much stress and anxiety while fighting the First Order and reestablishing the Jedi Order as Obi-Wan did, yet she didn't age nearly as fast.

Rey Has One Advantage Over Obi-Wan: The State Of The Galaxy

Luckily, there's one key difference in Rey Skywalker's and Obi-Wan Kenobi's respective stories that explains their wildly different aging. When Obi-Wan seemingly aged twice as fast as he should have, he was living under the shroud of the dark side. Obi-Wan's aging mystery may have been solved by the simple fact that the dark side was so strong, and it may have been taking a toll on him both spiritually and physically. Even if it wasn't the Force itself wearing Obi-Wan down, then trying to hide both himself and Luke from the ever-present threat of the Empire would have been a huge source of stress.

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  Rey Skywalker

  Created By

  Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt

  Cast

  Daisy Ridley

  Alliance

  Jedi

  Movies

  Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: New Jedi Order

  Franchise

  Star Wars

  Race

  Human

  Daughter of a "failed" Palpatine clone, Rey became part of a mysterious phenomenon known as the Force Dyad - a vergence in the Force that bound her to Kylo Ren. Trained by both Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, Rey fought against the First Order as an ally of the Resistance. She ultimately triumphed against Palpatine himself, channelling the full power of all Jedi.

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  Obi-Wan Kenobi

  Created By

  George Lucas

  Cast

  Ewan McGregor

  Alliance

  Jedi

  Movies

  Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

  Alias

  Ben, Rako Hardeen

  Franchise

  Star Wars

  The Padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Jedi Knight after his master's death. Obi-Wan trained Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi, with his own apprentice knighted after the Battle of Geonosis. The Jedi Master became a key player in the Jedi during the Clone Wars, and was heartbroken when Anakin turned to the dark side; Obi-Wan critically wounded Anakin before taking to the shadows, watching over the young Luke and Leia for years. He sacrificed himself for his two charges, becoming a Force Ghost and continuing to mentor them.

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Conversely, Rey defeated Palpatine and the dark side in The Rise of Skywalker, so she wouldn't have had such a negative influence. Rey's work in the following years would have been stressful and difficult, but without the dark side eating away at her spirit, she wouldn't have faced nearly the same negative effects Obi-Wan did, either from the Force or from regular stress. Rey's graceful aging makes sense given the galaxy at large was at peace, whereas Obi-Wan's less than graceful aging makes sense because he was hiding from a totalitarian regime and a Sith Lord who wanted him dead.

While the state of the galaxy does go a long way in explaining why Rey would age so differently from Obi-Wan, it still doesn't solve the whole mystery. Rey will likely have her fair share of stress in the years leading up to New Jedi Order, from trying to rebuild the Jedi to trying to wrangle a batch of younglings by herself. Additionally, Obi-Wan's change in appearance will likely always be a bit jarring, no matter what explanation the franchise comes up with. Obi-Wan Kenobi's aging, however, will likely be the least of Rey Skywalker's worries in New Jedi Order.