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Who is Rey? (my theory)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens gave us a lot of unanswered questions. A lot of people have complained about that, and to them I say…what in the name of Jabba’s diabetes did you expect?! That’s what movies of this calliber do, and have been doing since films BEGAN. Did we come away with questions after A New Hope? Yes, we bloody well did. We didn’t get the “I am your father” revelation until Empire, and didn’t find out Luke was teetering on an incestuous relationship until Return of the Jedi. Civil War will do the same, Batman v Superman will do the same, Star Wars Episode 8 will do the same. You already knew The Force Awakens was going to do this, and if you didn’t then…I dunno, stop watching films or something.

One of the biggest unanswered questions in the film is the background or heritage of Rey. There are hundreds of clues as to who she is the daughter of – some of them obvious, some of them kinda silly. So I’m going to break down each popular theory and explain why I think it’s possible or why I think it’s bullshit. Also – MAJOR spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen The Force Awakens yet, what the bloody chuff are you even doing here? Just go away.

First of all, I want to explain something about the lightsaber that features so prominently in the film, and where it comes from…
This is the lightsaber originally created by Anakin some time before Attack of the Clones. It’s been dubbed several times as the lightsaber of the “Chosen One” as Anakin was prophesized to be. This lightsaber was then picked up by Obi-wan after his epic fight with Anakin/Vader. It was then, 30 years later, given to Luke, who had it for a short while before losing it on Bespin. The reason I’m saying this is to clear up the people calling it “Luke’s lightsaber”. It was never his, it’s Anakin’s lightsaber prior to turning to the darkside. Luke merely picked it up, and did nothing of any note with it before losing it. I’d also like to point out that Obi-wan owned it for 30 whole years – longer than both Anakin and Luke owned it combined.

1. She’s Luke Skywalker’s Daughter

This is definitely the most popular theory out there, and it’s clear to see why – the film is FULL of references and clues pointing to this fact. That’s precisely the reason why I think it’s bullshit though…because that’s precisely the kind of thing JJ and Kasdan would want to do. The entire marketing of TFA has been built upon false presumptions. Most of us were wrong about a LOT of predictions that we had. Aside from Han dying – everyone knew that. If Rey is Luke’s daughter, why was she left on planet Jakku as a child? At the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke has completely emraced the Jedi way and code. We learn in TFA that he attempted to start a new Jedi Council. One of the prime rules in the Jedi code is that relationships are forbidden and Jedi can not raise their own children. Why – having fully embraced the Jedi code and even become a Jedi Master – would Luke abandon this rule and bump uglies with a character we as the audience have never met? It also goes completely against his character to abandon his own blood on a far away planet. Luke, if anyone, should know how much it sucks to be a child growing up on your own on a desert island. Also, if she’s Luke’s daughter, why didn’t Han and Leia recognise her? We’re led to believe Luke, Han and Leia remained close friends right up until Ben/Kylo went batshit crazy, so surely Han or Leia would have at least SEEN Rey as a child at some point. Sure, she’s grown up, but Leia being proficient in the Force means she would have been able to sense her. She sensed Han dying from a completely different planet for crying out loud! One of the main reasons I don’t think this is true though is down to what I said earlier: JJ and Kasdan aren’t that stupid. They’re obviously going for a big “I am your father” revelation in Episode 8, and this isn’t it. It would simply be lazy writing for Rey to turn out to be “just another Skywalker”. We have a young Skywalker, his name is Ben/Kylo. Sure, Rey has a connection to Anakin’s lightsaber, but that has nothing to do with Luke as (as I stated earlier) it’s not his fecking lightsaber!

This is Anakin’s lightsaber (and the one featured in The Force Awakens)…

This is Luke’s lightsaber (the one he builds prior to Return of the Jedi)…

Got it? Good, let’s move on.

2. She’s Han & Leia’s Daughter

Just as with Luke, there is a plethora of evidence to suggest she is Han’s daughter. First of all, there is her proficiency as a pilot – this could also be evidence towards her being Luke’s daughter, but I’m talking specifically about her affinity with the Millennium Falcon. She knows instantly exactly what she’s doing. Also, one of the complaints some people have is how coincidental the placement of the Millennium Falcon is. But what if that’s intentional? (more on that later). Han also seems to share a natural bond with her, even taking her on as a crew member. Also, the expanded universe books (set after episode 6) tell of Han’s son who turned to the darkside, and a daughter who became a Jedi. Sure, these stories are no longer canon, but it’s still something to ponder. However, surely if this was true they would have revealed it in TFA prior to Han dying? Revealing this in episode 8 after Han’s death would hold almost no impact. Also, why would Han & Leia not recognise their own daughter? Again, she’s grown up around ten years, but like I said earlier Leia would have at least sensed it’s her daughter, and Kylo would have sensed she’s his sister.

3. She’s Obi-wan’s Grand Daughter

This is a new theory that’s gained a lot of ground thanks to a recent video by Mr Sunday Movies (see that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mjFfdrTJrQ). The various clues he’s spotted are actually rather striking. The voice that says “Rey, these are your first steps” is a mixture of Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor. In order to get an audio clip of Guinness saying “Rey”, they took a clip of him saying the word “Afraid” and cut it down. Why would they go to such lengths if she wasn’t connected to the character in some form? Also, back when they were still in the casting process, there was a report from the Hollywood Reporter stating that Abrams was searching for an actress to play Obi-wan’s daughter or grand daughter. Rey also speaks with a British accent. This may not seem like much, but take note of the fact that John Boyega, the actor who plays Finn, is from Peckham in London. So why was Boyega made to speak with an American accent, and yet Rey was left with her British accent? Neither Luke, Han nor Leia are British, whereas both Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor are very British (well, McGregor is Scottish, but you get my point). On the subject of Anakin’s lightsaber – it’s said that a lightsaber gains a connection to someone who is force-sensitive through the crystal inside the hilt. That lightsaber was in Obi-wan’s possession for 30 whole years, so it’s possible that over time it felt a stronger connection to Obi-wan than it did to Anakin or Luke. Luke only had it for a couple of years max before losing it on Bespin, so it wouldn’t have built up a connection to him at all, particularly because he’d had next to no training until he visited Yoda. Rey is also incredibly (almost instantly) proficient in Jedi mind tricks – a skill that both old and young Obi-wan used in abundance. She also wears very similar clothing to Obi-wan…

Also, some have pointed out how this struggle from the Rey vs Kylo fight…

…mirrors this struggle from the Obi-wan vs Anakin fight…

Again though, I find it hard to believe that Obi-wan would break his Jedi vows. Also, it’s almost impossible to determine exactly *when* he would have started a family. The only possible explanation is that he gave up on the Jedi code and settled down with a family after Revenge of the Sith, but then why is he a Force-strong recluse when Luke eventually meets up with him? Again, the main reason I don’t support this claim is because Abrams has made it almost too obvious. In fact, I dare say there’s more evidence to support this theory than there is the Luke theory.

My Theory
So what is my theory exactly? Well, after seeing the film three times I am almost convinced she is Han and Leia’s daughter. “Wait, that goes against everything you’ve said in this article” I hear you say? Hear me out…

Firstly, let’s talk about Rey’s proficiency with the Force…it comes out of fucking nowhere! It’s also one of the biggest complaints that the haters have with the film, with many people going so far as to call her a “Mary Sue” (a term given to a female who can do no wrong). She nails the Jedi mind trick with almost no practise, and she instantly becomes a badass with a lightsaber as soon as she picks one up. My theory for why this happens is that she was a young Jedi student (or “youngling” as they were called in the prequels) of Luke’s prior to Ben/Kylo loosing his shit.

Adam Driver (Ben/Kylo) is around 30 years old, Daisy Ridley (Rey) is around 20 years old. Lets say their corresponding characters are also around 30 and 20 respectively. Let’s also say (for arguments sake) that Ben turned to the darkside and became “Kylo” around ten years prior to the events of The Force Awakens, when he was around 20. Rey would have been around 10 years old, which is the age she looked in her vision when she is dumped on planet Jakku. See where I’m going with this?

I believe Han and Leia had a second child – a daughter, Rey – around ten years after having Ben. Being Leia’s daughter, she is also Force-sensitive, so Luke begins training her at a young age. I think Luke sensed something in her fairly early on…she’s the new “chosen one”. This is why Anakin’s lightsaber is drawn to her. It’s the lightsaber of the chosen one, and she is the new chosen one.

Note this shot for a second…

This is a shot from Rey’s vision. I have no doubt in my mind that this is the moment Ben turned against Luke and became Kylo Ren. Those are the “Knights of Ren” stood behind him, and those dead bodies scattered all over are no doubt Luke’s various padawans, killed by Kylo. Take note of those dead bodies; they’re all a little…short. Now, at this point in the story, 20 years have passed between Return of the Jedi and Kylo’s massacre. That means Luke has had 20 years to establish a new Jedi Council. It took around a thousand years to fully establish the original Jedi Order/Council, and that was with the help of several other Jedi. Luke was just on his own, possibly with help from Leia. This means the padawans he would have gathered will *mostly* be children. Remember when Qui-gon brought Anakin before Yoda and Mace Windu in Phantom Menace? Mace Windu said “He’s too old to train”. Then, In Empire Strikes Back when ghost Obi-wan introduces Luke to Yoda, Yoda says “He’s too old”. This means, traditionally, Jedi train from a very young age. I think Kylo wiped out all of Luke’s youngling padawans as a further attempt to mirror the actions of his grandfather, Darth Vader. He believes he is the new chosen one and can master the darkside a lot easier than his grandfather did.

However, Rey is the new chosen one, and Luke has sensed it. In early interviews, various people working on The Force Awakens said that Luke is thought to have transcended to an entirely new level of power. He’s basically like a wizard-Jedi. Imagine a Jedi/lightside version of the Emperor. One of the interviews (I forget which) said something to the effect of Luke unlocking Force powers that we’ve never seen before. I think this includes the ability to affect one’s memory, as in wipe someone’s memory. I think Luke sent Rey to planet Jakku to protect her from both Kylo and Snoke. He wiped her memory, along with the memories of Han, Leia and possibly even Ben/Kylo. However, I believe that before their memories were wiped, both Han and Leia were aware of – and in on – Luke’s plan.

The bulking hand you see holding young Rey in her vision is most definitely that of “Unkar Plutt”, the oversized alien that Simon Pegg plays in a cameo (the guy bartering with Rey during the opening scenes). When Rey and Finn take off in the Millennium Falcon, Unkar Plutt shouts “That’s mine!” I think Han gave him the Falcon both as a way of bargaining with him and also ensuring Rey has a way to escape Jakku should the shit hit the fan. With Han, Leia, Rey and Kylo’s minds all wiped, Luke went into exhile on the myserious island seen in the closing shot (I have a theory that is the location of the first ever Jedi temple).

This fully explains Luke’s expression in the final scene.

That’s not the face of someone who’s seeing his daughter for the first time in around ten years…that’s the face of someone who’s formulated a complex plan and is finally seeing it come to fruition. He’s frightened. He knows exactly what he has to do, but he’s terrified to do it. He doesn’t take the lightsaber because it’s not his, it never was.

So, that’s my (admittedly long winded) theory. Do you agree with parts of it, or disagree with all of it? Let me know in the comments below!