Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!
Maybe the biggest mystery leading up to The Force Awakens was “How are Rey and Kylo Ren related to the Skywalkers?” Speculation ran wild based on old Expanded Universe stories, toy descriptions/voice boxes, and extremely brief moments from the trailers. Are the two siblings? Cousins?
Here’s what is now known: Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo. He seemed strangely interested in this girl from Jakku, even before he saw her or learned her name. Most importantly, Rey is strong in the Force, and has some skill in wielding it without any training (that’s been seen).
She’s not originally from Jakku, so where is she from? Time for the top five theories:
1. Rey Skywalker
The biggest and most likely theory is that Rey is the daughter of Luke Skywalker. Now, Jedi aren’t supposed to have partners or procreate, but Luke has never been the typical Jedi, having come around decades after the fall of the Jedi Order. He could have had Rey, trained her partially, and then hid her on Jakku to protect her from her cousin Ben. Or maybe he felt his emotions clouding his judgment, similar to why Anakin ultimately fell to the dark side, and stashed her away until he could learn to better control them.
The big argument here is that Rey would have remembered Luke being her father, or that Han and Leia would have recognized her. But what if Luke used the Force to fudge her memories a little? This would also help explain why she’s suddenly so good with her powers; her training is slowly coming back to her as she comes in contact with the Force. As for Han and Leia, no one is saying that Luke had Rey before going into exile. He could have had her later, and his friends would have never known. Then again, maybe they do know the truth and are just waiting to see how events turn out. It’s happened before in the Star Wars Universe (looking at you Obi-Wan, knowingly letting Luke fall for his sister).
And what about Lor San Tekka, the elderly man who gives Poe the map to Luke’s whereabouts? He just happens to be living on the outskirts of Jakku where this Force strong girl lives? And Luke (presumably) gave him of all people the final piece of the map? Sounds like there might be another Ben Kenobi situation happening here. An old man, living a peaceful existence, keeping an eye on his friend’s offspring from afar until the time is right.
Finally, there’s the lightsaber, the strongest argument for Rey being Luke’s offspring. The Skywalker lightsaber calls to Rey from Maz Kanata’s basement. She answers the call, and upon touching the saber, awakens something in the Force (heh). Maz Kanata tells her explicitly, this was Luke’s lightsaber, and his father’s before him, and now it’s calling to Rey. That sounds pretty on-the-nose. Star Wars has always been the story of the Skywalker family trying to bring balance to the Force. Is Rey the next chapter in that story? And who’s her mother?
2. A Promising Padawan of Luke’s New Jedi Academy
What if Rey was just another very promising student of Luke’s new Jedi Academy, second only to his nephew? The Force Awakens alludes that Kylo Ren decimated Luke’s plans for a new Jedi Order, and possibly killed all of his pupils. Master Skywalker may have taken his last hope for the Jedi and hidden her for later use. This could also explain why Kylo Ren is so fixated on Rey; she’s the one that got away. And again, similar to the previous theory, Luke may have blocked certain memories of Rey’s until he chose to retrieve her.
So her family may not be of any importance after all. Similar to Anakin, maybe she was just a youngling given to the Jedi so that she may have a better life. Her story could be more important than just what her last name is. Are fans really going to try and track down the family history of each and every child that Luke trained? This is Star Wars, so the answer is “probably, yeah.” But no one is saying that they’re going to find anything.
3. Rey Solo
Do twins run in the Skywalker family?
The Lucasfilm Story Group has shown that they’re not afraid to borrow concepts from the old Expanded Universe. Kylo Ren is a dead ringer for Jacen Solo, son of Han and Leia, and pupil of Luke who ultimately falls to the dark side. Jacen had a twin sister in those E.U. tales, Jaina, who inherited both her mother’s Force sensitivity and her father’s mechanical prowess. These traits sound very familiar in light of The Force Awakens.
Rey does not seem to be the same age as Kylo Ren; he appears older. But even if they aren’t twins, they could be siblings. This would again explain why Kylo Ren looks shaken when he’s told that Finn escaped Jakku with a native girl. He remembers his sister, who maybe he could not bring himself to kill when he was wiping out Luke’s students. Maybe Kylo was even the one who left her on Jakku, not her parents, as an alternate way of taking her out of the picture.
The idea of a Force mind wipe is once again in play, explaining why Rey doesn’t remember Han and Leia as her parents, only as legends. Perhaps the reason they don’t reveal themselves to her when they meet is a matter of timing. They didn’t want to overwhelm her with this news on top of the burden she took on bringing the map to the Resistance, and now bringing the lightsaber to Luke.
Jaina Solo ultimately had to put her brother Jacen down, so it will be interesting to see just how much Lucasfilm ends up borrowing from the E.U.
4. A Descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi
What was Obi-Wan up to for those 19 years on Tatooine?
Almost nothing is known of old Ben during these years in the new canon. Marvel’s Star Wars comic features Luke finding his mentor’s journal, and a whole issue is dedicated to telling just one tale. Will future stories reveal a tryst resulting in pregnancy?
Obi-Wan wasn’t a stickler for Jedi law; he was more of a big-picture guy than one to get lost in dogma. He even reveals in The Clone Wars that he once considered leaving the Order to be with Satine Kryze of Mandalore. He has known love, so who is to say that he couldn’t fall victim to it once more? Especially in the aftermath of Order 66; the Jedi are dead, and so are their rules. Taking it even further, maybe he was never aware of his child, which means he couldn’t be aware of a granddaughter. But when Luke was tracking down the next generation of Jedi, he probably would have been drawn to the familiar presence of a Kenobi.
The similarities are there. First, there’s the Coruscanti accent (though any true Star Wars fan knows Obi-Wan comes from Stewjon), which neither Luke, Leia, nor Han have. Then there’s the obvious Force sensitivity, but more specifically there is the aptitude for the Jedi Mind Trick, which Rey seems to pick up on very quickly. Finally, there is the fact that Obi-Wan actually spoke to Rey via the Force in Episode VII. It would be very fitting for Luke to have trained his friend and master’s grandchild, and it would explain why he was protective enough to hide her from Snoke and the First Order. This theory may not be as outlandish as it sounds.
5. Female Clone of Luke Skywalker
Ah yes, the dreaded “C” word of the Star Wars Universe.
Like it or not, clones exist in this galaxy, and have played a major role in the canon. Not only that, but Jedi clones in particular have already been established in Star Wars video games. Perhaps Luke cloned himself to give the Jedi hope once he was gone (a bit egotistical, but perhaps). Or perhaps he cloned himself to have a child, similar to how Jango Fett had Boba Fett. Rey could be Luke’s vision for the future, the last chance for peace in the galaxy, stored on Jakku for when she is needed most. It would best explain her natural capacity for using the Force: it’s literally ingrained in her DNA. Kylo Ren also mentions the Republic’s old clone army, showing that the technology has not been forgotten 50+ years post-Revenge of the Sith.
Spider-Man fans can attest that clone stories can be very detrimental to a franchise. But, if told right, they have great potential, and gender-bent clone stories have especially proven popular (X-23 and Ultimate Spider-Woman are just two fan favorites). If Rey is Luke’s clone, it could add layers to her character as she strives to find meaning in her life, and fights to become her own person over the upcoming films. Suddenly the clone theory doesn’t sound so bad.
Bonus Theory: Force Baby
This one is for fans of the prequels. Remember how The Phantom Menace revealed that Anakin had no father? He was some sort of immaculate conception, supposedly created by the Force, explaining his increased sensitivity to it. Maybe Rey is another case of Force conception, explaining her increased sensitivity and powers. This would actually tie in nicely with the theory that Supreme Leader Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis, who not only strove to conquer death through the Force, but also wanted to be able to create life. Though it’s hard to believe Lucasfilm would want to mirror one of the most hated plot points of the entire Star Wars saga.
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Rey says she’s no one, and some audience members are hoping she’s right. But too many breadcrumbs have been left by the filmmakers; she’s someone with a backstory worth telling.
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