During the chat, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and director JJ Abrams discussed shooting in Jordan, in some of the same spots as Lawrence of Arabia. Kennedy even called out “Wadi Rum!” like Anthony Quinn’s character, Auda abu Tayi. To that end, it’s no surprise that Abrams pays homage to David Lean’s classic, with a long shot of something emerging from the haze of the desert. But whereas TE Lawrence only had a sack of well water, Daisy Ridley’s Rey has the Skywalker lightsaber.