From when we first encountered the young scavenger on the sands on Jakku, a mystery had surrounded the character that would go unanswered for four years and leave fans guessing and theorizing to no end.
Rey, the central character of the sequel trilogy, undertook a journey of self-discovery throughout the trilogy’s three chapters. Her quest forced her to accept the reality that her time spent waiting on Jakku for her parents to return to her was fruitless and that no one was simply going to hand her the identity she sorely craved.
Instead, Rey was forced to awaken from her shell and discover who she was for herself. By the end of The Last Jedi, she was confronted by the knowledge that instead of her parents being imagined legendary figures like she had fantasized about, they were in fact, no one.
Who was revealed to be Rey’s ancestors?
This is what Kylo Ren told her after betraying his master and taking control of the sinister First Order. The reveal came as a true surprise to fans. Some had theorized that she was the lost child of Luke Skywalker or even Han Solo, adding her to the lineage of powerful force users in the family.
Instead, The Last Jedi revealed that Rey’s powers didn’t come from some genetic lineage but simply from herself. She had no legacy upon which to build from and was now free to be whoever she chose.
However, the story of Rey’s family didn’t end there. In The Rise of Skywalker, more develops about that story. After his confrontation with the phantom Emperor Palpatine, the new Supreme Leader learns that she is in fact the granddaughter of the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. And in a way is also his daughter.
Rey’s father was a genetic clone of the Emperor himself. Her mother was the woman he loved on Jakku before hiding Rey away from the Empires agents. This reveal, too, was a shock to fans who were largely not expecting any more information on the subject as it had been put to rest in the previous film.
This was not the end of it for Rey. By the end of the saga, she had chosen her family by taking for herself the name of Skywalker.
Did you have your own theory on Rey’s parentage? Let us know in the comment section below. For all things Star Wars, make sure to check out Dork Side of the Force!