J.J. Abrams finally explains why Leia hugged Rey instead of Chewbacca in 'Force Awakens'

You can never dissect Star Wars enough, right? (But just in case: There are spoilers from here on out.)

One of the baffling inconsistencies that's been bugging fans since The Force Awakens came out in December is this question: Why does Leia Organa hug Rey at the end of the film, passing right by her friend Chewbacca -- who's presumably even more upset than Rey that Han Solo has just been killed?

Thankfully, Slashfilm broached the subject with J.J. Abrams this week -- and finally got some answers

When Leia and Rey hug, they haven't even formally met yet. Leia has known Chewbacca for decades, and they're both reeling from Han's death -- but even so, Rey's the one Leia hugs.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of," Abrams told Slashfilm. "So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey.

"The idea being that both of them, being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other — that Leia would have been told about her beyond what we saw onscreen, and Rey, of course, would have learned about Leia.

The idea being that both of them being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other

"And that reunion would be a meeting and a reunion all in one, and a sort of commiseration of their mutual loss."

That said, Abrams acknowledged Leia overlooking Chewbacca was not intentional -- and said the decision to have her do that was probably a "mistake."

"Had Chewbacca not been where he was, you probably wouldn’t have thought of it," he said. "But because he was right there, passed by Leia, it felt almost like a slight, which was definitely not the intention."

As Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta notes: "If the shot had been blocked in a different way, with Chewbacca running with Finn in his arms to awaiting medical personnel, no one would have thought any differently."

Though the moment rankled fans, there is good reason to show these two characters embracing: The hug establishes a clear connection between Leia and Rey, and a powerful moment tying the old Star Wars to the new through their strong female protagonists. As emotional as it would have been to see Leia hug Chewbacca, in that moment, like Rey, we all needed a hug.

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