Fan theory: Could Qi’ra and Han be Rey’s parents?
Parentage is a big deal in a galaxy far, far away. From evil Sith Lord fathers to Nightsister mothers, family isn’t what you think it should be in Star Wars.
Since the unveiling of Daisy Ridley’s Rey as the protagonist of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, fans have tried to work out who her relatives are. Given the lack of surname and the British accent, theories have gone in other directions.
Clues pointed to everyone from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Duchess Satine Kryze. Others pointed to Rey being Luke’s daughter with an unknown woman. There’s speculation she’s a manifestation of Anakin Skywalker.
The online publication, Esquire has come up with a whole new theory surrounding Rey’s parentage. This hypothesis begins during Rey’s confrontation with Kylo Ren during The Last Jedi. Ren tries to take a jab at her by mentioning the reason her parents abandoned her. He claims they sold her so they could collect drinking money.
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Fans became outraged when they heard what Ren told Rey about her parents. The theories kicked into high gear and Esquire took an alternate approach.
The theory begins with Han having an affair while married to Leia. So, what if he fathered Rey and didn’t realize who she was? Here’s how the theory works:
Han turned not to a random stranger, but his first love, Qi’ra. She was the only other woman (on-screen) he has had romantic feelings for until she betrays him.
We first meet Qi’ra in Solo where she’s Han’s girlfriend, years before he meets and marries our favorite princess. For a time, Han and Qi’ra are separated but later reunited.
Han and Leia’s marriage became rocky. Han goes to a local cantina without Chewie and sees Qi’ra there after years. They spend the night together.
Han realizes his mistake, he returns to Leia but doesn’t mention the affair to her or Ben. Nine months later, Qi’ra contacts him and shows he fathered a child within the form of their daughter, Rey.
Han panics and tells her to raise the girl on her own as Leia and Ben can never discover the truth. Though, he promises to watch over her. When Rey is 9, bounty hunters come after her and her mother. Qi’ra drops her daughter on the safest planet possible, in this case, Jakku and abandons her.
photo cred: Lucasfilm
Leia and Han understood the risk of having a child born into the Skywalker line. They had Ben and tried to keep Leia’s paternity a secret. The younger Solo discovered who his grandfather was and idolized Darth Vader, not Anakin Skywalker.
Regarding Rey, Qi’ra worked for Maul and the former Sith Apprentice was a dark side user. It makes sense for Qi’ra to have a child who channeled the light side of the Force to rival her half-brother. If Rey does have Qi’ra for a mother, it resolves why Rey has a British accent.
To answer whether Leia found out Rey’s paternity, the assumption would be yes, she knew once she met Rey. It may explain why she hugged Rey instead of Chewbacca when they returned to D’Qar after Han’s death at Ben’s hands.
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If Rey worked out for herself why she and Han became so close in a short time is unknown. If she understood Han was her father, she didn’t want to upset Leia because of the kindness the general showed.
Do you think this theory is possible? Sound off below in the comments!