As with any fan theory: possible spoilers ahead…but we won’t know for sure until December 2017.
As we get closer to the release of “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi“, more and more theories are coming out about Rey’s lineage, Benicio Del Toro’s character’s backstory, who Emperor Snoke could be and so on.
Just for fun, let’s take a look at some of these theories and estimate the likelihood of them coming true!
Today we will look at a couple theories regarding Rey’s parentage.
We have plenty fan theories to choose from about this topic. Some are as old as the first release date of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and some are as recent as the release of Benicio Del Toro’s photo.
Let’s break a few of these down:
A. Rey is a Skywalker?
This makes a ton of sense on multiple levels. The foremost being that the first two Star Wars trilogies have been centered around a Skywalker’s path from upbringing on a desert world, to discovering the Force, to trying to bring order (or peace depending on your point of view) to the galaxy. Both trilogies were incredible financial successes and, as my grandfather used to say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
This would also coincide with Disney executives previously referring to anthology or “A Star Wars Story” movies as being non Skywalker stories.
Clues to believe Rey is a Skywalker:
- Luke’s lightsaber did call out to Rey
- Rey is naturally an excellent pilot (which, in fairness, could also point toward a “Solo” lineage)
- Incredibly powerful in the Force without structured training
- Kylo Ren knew who she was right away
- Maz Kanata’s prophecy that “the belonging you seek is ahead” before she visits Luke
Reasons to doubt Rey is a Skywalker:
- Where is the plot twist in this? We are led straight forward to believe she is a Skywalker so easily, there must be a better plot twist or reveal than this.
- If she does turn out to be a Skywalker, doesn’t that make Luke out to be the absolute worst dead beat dad in the history of the galaxy? He would have had to have left his own daughter on a poor desert planet for years while he went off to live on a Hawaiian island. No birthday cards. No child support payments. Simply cut all ties to his only (that we know of) daughter. Wouldn’t that completely tarnish the reputation of the great hero we grew up with?
- Or is this what Mark Hamill was referring to when he recently said that he “fundamentally disagreed” with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson’s vision of his character?
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 70%
B. Rey is a Solo & Kylo Ren’s Twin?
There were lots of subtle hints in The Force Awakens to lead us to a connection between Rey and Ben Solo.
Why did Kylo flip out into a toddler-esque temper tantrum when he heard the mention of “a girl”? It was obviously a revelation he had been anticipating and dreading for some time.
The Force awakened within her (see what I did there?) after Kylo started probing her mind. Did he perhaps unwittingly unlock her Force potential? Maybe even broke through some type of mental Force barrier Luke put in her mind years ago?
What is the story behind the look Han throws her way after she says “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy.”
The look could be a couple different things. It could simply be pity for a poor, naive young girl forced to grow up in a hard desert life. Could it be more?
Could the look be regret? Is Han feeling remorse for leaving his daughter on Jakku with Unkar Plutt? I always thought it was a little too convenient that the Millennium Falcon was that close to Rey and in the possession of the same person Rey was left with. Did Han leave the Falcon for Plutt as payment for agreeing to watch over his daughter?
With all the other similarities “The Force Awakens” draws from “A New Hope“, hiding Rey on Jakku would parallel hiding Luke on Tatooine.
What mostly discredits this theory for me (aside from not wanting to believe Han Solo would abandon his daughter) is the hug shared by Rey and Leia at the end of the movie.
So many fans think that this hug represents a mother reuniting with a long lost daughter. I don’t think so.
Momma Leia would be shedding tears if this was the case. I think that Leia looked at Rey and knew that she just saw Han die and they shared a mutually consoling hug.
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 40%
C. Is Rey the daughter of another Skywalker?
I believe this theory has been born out of a flat out editorial mistake. And as my wife will tell you, if there is one thing I know, it is typing mistakes!.
The opening crawl of “The Force Awakens“ features a mention of Leia and “her brother Luke,” which should actually be written as “her brother, Luke.” Was this a editing mistake or did Leia possibly have more than one brother?
Anakin was never known for strictly following the Jedi code for celibacy (or not slaughtering children for that matter). Is it possible that he got himself a little “strange” on one lonely night during the Clone Wars? Do Luke & Leia have another brother running around the galaxy (possibly looking like Benicio Del Toro)?
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 10%
D. Is Rey a Kenobi?
There were quite a few clues throughout The Force Awakens to point towards a Kenobi lineage.
J.J. Abrams had actress Daisy Ridley keep her British accent and yet had John Boyega work hard to lose his? Why have her keep the same accent as Kenobi (portrayed by both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness) if not to draw parallels between the two?
Rey’s outfit, both in fabrics and colors, is very similar to the Jedi robes worn by Kenobi throughout his appearances.
Most importantly is the scene in “The Force Awakens” where the lightsaber first calls out to Rey, resulting in her lightsaber-induced vision. In the sound effects for that scene, you can hear both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness’s voices speaking to her.
For the late Guinness, Skywalker Sound engineers actually took an old clip of Guinness saying the word “afraid” and shortened it down to sound like “Rey”. That is a lot of time, effort and money to invest in a brief voice over effect if it is not a foreshadow of greater things.
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 35%
E. Is Rey a Palpatine?
This theory I am not a big fan of, mostly because the idea of Emperor Palpatine having sex makes me think of an elderly dude prowling the hallways of an assisted living facility for hook-ups. Nasty. But this is a popular theory so let’s give it some thought.
Did Luke sense the dark side in Rey at an early age? Could that be why she was left on a distant planet and kept away from training in the Force?
There have been parallels made between her lightsaber fighting technique and Palpatine’s, but that seems like a bit of a stretch for me.
I did notice some similarities between her music and Palpatine’s. That was obviously intentional on the part of the producers, but why?
Could this be our first glimpse into what Luke is referring to in the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” teaser trailer when he says “It is time for the Jedi to end”? Are we going towards a universe where Force users are no longer divided by “Light side” Jedi and “Dark side” Sith and are all simply “Gray” Force users?
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 10%
F. Rey is the daughter of Ezra Bridger?
This makes sense multiple ways, one being cross promotion of other Star Wars products (something of which Disney excels).
Ezra Bridger is the main character in the successful cartoon on Disney XD: Star Wars Rebels and Disney would like to make sure that all the new ‘canon’ Star Wars franchises tie in together to make one cohesive universe. We have already seen Disney tie Rebels together with the previous Star Wars cartoon The Clone Wars with the continuation of the clone trooper Rex’s character.
In the Rebels series, we have seen how strongly the Force was awakened in the orphan Ezra Bridger, similar to Rey. We have also seen Ezra being trained by the Jedi Kanan as well as being tempted by the ways of the Sith by Darth Maul and the Sith Holocron.
Could Ezra have been the first of the “Gray” side Jedi?
Many believe Ezra Bridger is the secret role “DJ” that Benicio Del Toro will be playing in the Last Jedi. Could this be Rey’s father?
What better way to tie Rebels into the cinematic Star Wars world than by having its main character Ezra transition into flesh and blood on the screen?
Star Wars Rebels will be airing its final season this Fall and will be wrapping up around the release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi“. Could this final season reveal Ezra taking on a mantle of “DJ”? And what does “DJ” stand for? Dark Jedi? Dreaded Jokes? Maybe he drives a “doubtful jalopnik”?
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 15% (but 60% chance that DJ is Ezra)
G. Rey is both a Skywalker & a Kenobi?
Full disclosure: I love this theory!
(I first heard this theory from Chris Michael Stolle of Realm of the Mist so I want to make sure I give him his due credit.)
Is it possible that Rey is both the daughter of Luke and the granddaughter of Ben Kenobi?
This would explain all the similarities we already discussed between Rey and Kenobi while keeping this new trilogy centered around a Skywalker.
We know that Obi-Wan had a lot of free time on his hands after the events of “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and I imagine the deserts of Tatooine get mighty lonely . Is it possible that he found himself a girlfriend to snuggle up with on the cold desert evenings?
And what would his Tinder handle be? SaberMaster?
We do know that Kenobi and Mandolorian duchess Satine Kryze shared a special connection during the Clone Wars. Is it possible that she gave birth to a daughter by Kenobi prior to her death? If so, she would have been of Luke’s similar age and the galaxy is a very small place (with apparently very few females).
A step further with this theory is that this daughter is actually Captain Phasma, making her Rey’s mother. (Update: This is no longer a possibility with the release of the canon novel Phasma)
While I am not quite ready to make that leap of faith yet, I do find it peculiar how easily she capitulated to Finn and Solo’s demands for her to drop Starkiller’s shields. Double agent maybe?
Her chrome armor is crafted from the melted frame of a Naboo Yacht once owned by Emperor Palpatine. Could this be a nod to the Naboo heritage on her paternal grandmother’s side? Or does this lean towards her being a Palpatine, who is also from the planet Naboo?
Likelihood: 70% (that Rey is a Skywalker & Kenobi), 10% (Phasma is Rey’s mom)
H. Rey is a Skywalker and a Palpatine?
Another theory that I am not a huge fan of but some international promotional material for “The Last Jedi” are teasing about the greatest reveal in Star Wars history. This would be it!
Is it possible that, while training Rey, Luke discovered the true parentage of her mother somehow tied to Palpatine and Luke just could not bear it? Maybe he saw a darkness in her that he knew could not be controlled.
This would help explain away how he could jettison his own child to live as far away from him as possible.
This could also lead us back to the path of “Gray” Force users with a blurring of the “light side” Jedi and “dark side” Sith.
This also plays into why Kylo tried so hard to recruit Rey initially and not fight her.
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 10%
What are you thoughts on Rey’s parentage?
In our next update on Star Wars: The Last Jedi theories, we will look deeper into Snoke‘s character and his possible other identities.
Please comment with any other fan theories (Star Wars or otherwise) you would like us to explore.
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Geeky Daddy 
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