Jess Pava was one of the heroic pilots that we go to know in The Force Awakens, diving into the Battle of Starkiller Base and helping Poe, Snap and the rest of Black Squadron destroy the former planet Ilum. With J.J. Abrams returning to the directors chair for The Rise of Skywalker, bringing back many of the elements he created in episode 7 it was somewhat surprising that Pava – and actress Jess Henwick – didn’t return, and she explained why to Comic Book Movie while promoting her new film Love and Monsters.
“I was supposed to come back for the last film. I don’t actually remember what I was filming at the time, but I wasn’t available.
“It did suck because I would have loved to come back for that small piece but she lives on in the comic books and I think there’s a couple of spin-off books as well that she’s in.”
“It’s kind of fun for me to Google ‘Jess Pava’ and check in with her. It’s like seeing an old friend and finding out what she’s been up to. It’s just weird because she looks like me.”
With her star in the ascendancy with roles in The Matrix 4 on the horizon, perhaps Pava not being in the final film and presumably surviving the Battle of Exegol will see a return in some form or fashion down the line; we will see.
