If you hated that bullsh** explanation of Rey‘s origin in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, then ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ may help ease that pain a little.
After teasing, flickering flashbacks, there was a build-up that Rey’s parents left her on Jakku for a reason– to keep her safe or to hide her from something– and that she had some great unfulfilled purpose. (She’s one “Tomorrow” away from being the ‘Star Wars’ version of Little Orphan Annie.) But then Kylo Ren dumped on her the revelation that her parents were “filthy junk traders [who] sold you off for drinking money.”
It seemed that this was an attempt to show that a person doesn’t need to come from a powerful lineage to become great themself, which is not a bad idea. ‘A New Hope’ seemed to cast Luke in that same sort of role as a poor moisture farmer from a backwater planet who rises to greatness. But that was thrown out the window when it was revealed in ‘Empire’ that he was the son of Darth Vader. And after all the teasing of Rey’s past and her ultimate fate, it not only felt unsatisfying, but contradictory.
RELATED: Daisy Ridley Has Shot Down One Fan Theory Of Rey’s Parents
It’s possible that something similar will transpire in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ in regards to Rey. While the ‘Star Wars’ actors are sworn to secrecy, Daisy Ridley did offer a hint that there is more to Rey’s story than what has been revealed up to this point. As part of Entertainment Weekly‘s cover story for ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, Ridley stated:
“The parents thing is not satisfied — for her and for the audience. That’s something she’s still trying to figure out — where does she come from?… It’s not that she doesn’t believe [what Kylo Ren told her], but she feels there’s more to the story. And she needs to figure out what’s come before so she can figure out what to do next…”
Fan reaction to ‘The Last Jedi’ was mixed. Some liked it just fine, but others kind of hated it. So it sounds as though certain steps are being made to rectify that.
What do you think? Does Rey need to be related to a previous ‘Star Wars’ character, or is it okay if she’s just some scavenger from a hole-in-the-wall planet?
‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ opens on December 20, 2019.
