By Ryan Rigley
Looks like somebody finally let the cat out of the bag. While there have been a number of big name actors rumored to have auditioned for a role in "Star Wars VII," nobody has officially confirmed whether or not they have read for a part. Until now, that is. Last week, Saoirse Ronan ("Hanna," "The Lovely Bones") spoke to Empire Podcast about auditioning for a role in "Star Wars VII" that required using a lightsaber.
"I'd imagine J.J. is probably just scanning the earth to find the people that he needs," Ronan muses. "But nobody has a clue what it's about, and nobody's read the script. Even if I don't get it, I had so much fun auditioning, pretending to take out a lightsaber. That was great. A lightsaber! Star Wars!" So which lightsaber-wielding female did Ronan read for? Jedi? Sith? Or perhaps both, as is the case with one Tahiri Veila.
Who?
Born on the desert planet Tatooine, Tahiri Veila is the descendant of a Jedi that existed during the Old Order. After her moisture farmer parents are killed, she's taken in by the leader of the Tusken Raiders and raised amongst the Sand People. Soon, Jedi Master Tionne Solusar sensed Tahiri's innate Force-sensitivity and personally enrolled her in Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4.
During her time in Jedi training, Tahiri would become close friends with Anakin, Jaina and Jacen Solo. Eventually, Tahiri would find herself falling in love with Jacen even following him over to the Dark Side for a time when he transformed himself into the Sith Lord known as Darth Caedus.
Why?
Tahiri has a rich and unusual backstory guaranteed to gain the interest of any "Star Wars" fan. I mean, it's not every day that you hear of a young girl, raised by Tusken Raiders, who would go on to become both a Jedi Knight and a Sith apprentice. Not to mention the fact that she was turned into a Jedi/Yuuzhan Vong hybrid during the infamous Yuuzhan Vong War.
How?
Rumor has it that the children of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo will be the main focus of the upcoming "Star Wars" trilogy, and if these rumors are true we don't see why Tahiri Veila wouldn't pop up as well. After all, she's a close friend and classmate to the both of them. Maybe we could even get a glimpse of her Tusken Raider past via flashback!
