did abrams always know rey’s origin story since force awakens
? it seems like the most obvious choice.
shareI highly doubt it. I get the sense he was dropping clues that she was related to Obi Wan Kenobi, though those may have been meant to hide a different origin. I don't believe he had any intention of making her a Palpatine, and that storyline was likely developed after Rian Johnson took the story off the rails in part 2.
It's pure speculation of course, but Rey hearing Obi Wan speak to her when she touched Luke's light saber, as well as the moments where she appeared confused, and then after a moment where it seemed a voice was speaking in her head, she opened her eyes with a newfound understanding of the Force, suggested to me that we were meant to think she was a Kenobi. He's the one who speaks from the dead to guide Jedi, and I would not have been surprised if it were later revealed that when she used the Jedi mind trick on James Bond it was after Kenobi told her how. Same with the moment at the film's climax, where she seems perplexed and defeated, before suddenly finding the resolve to fight back against Kylo Ren-- again after a moment with her eyes closed, seeming to hear some sort of guide speaking to her.
I also got the sense that Han Solo was meant to have purposely sacrificed himself in order to help Ben maintain his cover as a bad guy, and remain close enough to Snoke to take him down. That may just be wishful thinking on my part, but there are multiple ways to interpret their final scene together, and Han Solo seemed to know what was coming and embraced it, which suggests to me that he and Ben were acting in tandem. Who's to say?