Much like with little Anakin in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the looming shadow of Darth Vader seems to be standing behind Rey, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens…
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Remember one of the first marketing posters for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace? The one with a young Anakin Skywalker standing outside of his home on Tatooine with the shadow of Darth Vader looming larger than life, behind him. The shadow served as a menacing clue to what Anakin would eventually become. Well, thanks to some eagle-eyed fans, we may have a clue to Rey’s lineage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and to her possible future in the new Star Wars trilogy.
Here’s the Phantom Menace poster, with young Anakin Skywalker preparing to leave his mother and his home with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn to join the Jedi Order. The Darth Vader shadow is a clear clue from George Lucas to the fans that while Anakin the boy had the best of intentions, he would one day become a Dark Lord of the Sith, and easily the most recognizable villain in the history of cinema.
Now here’s Rey and her shadow from The Force Awakens. Clearly the shadow is not as defined as with the Phantom Menace poster, but it still leaves one wondering if this is some sort of sly wink and nod from director J.J. Abrams who is notorious for leaving Easter Eggs and clues to much larger puzzles, in his films.
Comparing the two, Anakin’s shadow has a defined Vader helmet shape for the head, while Rey’s shadow could be construed as a flared helmet, but it’s definitely not as defined. Another thought is that the shadow could be the spectre of Kylo Ren looming over Rey, as they may in fact be related. If Luke is Rey’s father, and Leia is Kylo’s mother, then Rey and Kylo Ren nee-Ben Solo are cousins.
Could the shadow behind Rey portend of a darker future for Rey? Or is it simply her shadow, and we are literally looking for any and every clue we can find, in order to figure out the real story of Rey’s parentage? Let us know in the comments and on social media.