The Star Wars franchise may have just unveiled the first student for Rey’s new Jedi Order. Rey’s loose-тιтled “New Jedi Order” Star Wars movie is one of the many theatrical projects expected from a galaxy far, far away in the coming years. Although the upcoming Star Wars movie has faced some production issues centering around its script and revolving door of screenwriters, Rey Skywalker’s return to the big screen is still expected in the future.

Theories about Rey’s New Jedi Order movie have been prevalent since the film was announced, with most surrounding possible students for the now-Jedi Master to train. Set long beyond the era of Star Wars’ New Republic that will be featured in another upcoming movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Rey’s Jedi Order will explore the franchise’s timeline after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While few updates have been provided regarding other cast members who could potentially be students of Rey, a recently announced Star Wars story may have confirmed exactly that.

Star Wars Is Introducing The First New Jedi Of The Sequel Era

A New Jedi Is Revealed

Firstly, it is worth exploring the story that could reveal one of Rey’s new students. In 2025, Lucasfilm revealed the first look at an upcoming manga comic set during the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The story, тιтled Star Wars: Path of the Lightsaber, will blend the sequel era with that of Star Wars’ High Republic. In this story, a young girl named Nioka dreams of becoming a Jedi like the legendary Luke Skywalker. When scavenging an abandoned High Republic ship, Nioka comes across the most coveted treasure of all: a lightsaber.

The story will explore Nioka attempting to harness the power of the lightsaber and fulfill her dreams. Interestingly, this tale is set during the reign of the First Order, marking Nioka as the first new Jedi of the sequel era after Rey Skywalker. Besides Rey, the only other sequel-era Jedi were Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo, both of whom have now become one with the Force. It is unclear when exactly Nioka’s story is set, but the premise is simple nonetheless: a new Jedi arises during the sequel trilogy’s timeline.

Nioka Needs A Mentor – Rey?

Nioka Cannot Explore Her Abilities Alone

What makes this premise all the more interesting is a line included in the plot summary for Star Wars: Path of the Lightsaber. As has been made clear in Star Wars, anyone can use a lightsaber, yet only the Jedi can wield one to its maximum potential. As such, the story could be one of Nioka fighting against the lightsaber’s Kyber crystal to become proficient with it. Intriguingly, though, the description seems to hint that Nioka will be a Jedi after all, likely with the Force powers needed to become one.

That said, it is clear that Nioka cannot unlock her potential alone. In the plot summary for the manga comic, Nioka’s plight against people coveting the lightsaber insists that “if she’s going to stand a chance, she’ll need someone to teach her the ways of the Jedi.” Nioka’s dream mentor is mentioned as Luke Skywalker, yet the sequel era saw him hide away on Ahch-To before becoming one with the Force. This means that there is no one available to outwardly train Nioka during this period of the Star Wars timeline besides one person: Rey Skywalker.

Is Nioka The First Recruit To Rey’s New Jedi Order?

With all of this in mind, it could be the case that Nioka is the first student as part of Rey’s new Jedi Order. Given the lack of Jedi at the time of Nioka’s story, it is likely that she will be forced to stand on her own against any forces that threaten her. Introducing a character in this way, giving them a compelling story, and tying them into the sequel trilogy is exciting enough, but Nioka’s tale could be left open-ended for a future Star Wars appearance in live-action.

Rey’s “New Jedi Order” movie is set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, yet Rey’s Jedi Temple could have been established five or even ten years before this. This would potentially allow Nioka’s timeline to align with Rey’s, making the former the latter’s first student. Star Wars has always been a franchise that ties disparate stories together nicely, and this would be no exception to that trend. In doing so, a compelling new Jedi in the Star Wars sequel trilogy would be tied to the only logical choice for a Jedi Master by the time of Rey Skywalker’s Jedi Order story.