At one point in time, I deeply cared about who Rey’s parents were. I had theories. Multiple theories, to be exact. Then, Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out and I stopped caring, because Rian Johnson answered the question and because the fandom had made me thoroughly not care. There are good arguments for why Rey should’ve been a Skywalker, and there are great arguments for why her being no one works out beautifully.
And yet, the discourse persists. Director JJ Abrams, who will tackle the Skywalker Saga’s final film, has said to ABC News (as reported by Slash Film) that “I will say that we knew, going into this, that this movie, it had to be a satisfying conclusion. And we were well aware that that’s one of the things that’s been out there. I don’t want to say that what happens in Episode 8 [didn’t happen]. We have honored that. But I will say that there’s more to the story than you’ve seen.” Now Daisy Ridley has chimed in on her character’s origins.
When asked by USA Today about Rey’s parents in the final film, Ridley said “(Director J.J. Abrams) did say the question is answered. So at the end of the film, you do know what the dealio is.”
There’s nothing here we don’t know already but goodness, I wish people would stop asking Ridley about Rey’s parents, and that we’d just leave the entire subject matter alone. The Rey’s parents discourse is only topped by the who should Rey end up with debate. There is more to Rey that her parents and her romantic life, and if the final film in the Skywalker Saga that features her as the lead is entirely centered on her ability to either redeem the male villain or find out she matters because of a male relative, I’ll be a little cheesed.
If the only new addition to Rey’s history is that her parents were former Dark Side acolytes or something else small, that’s okay. It keeps the importance of her being unrelated for the narrative they’re trying to tell while still adding a new layer to it. But if they retcon it all somehow to reveal that Rey is rey-lated to Luke, or Obi-Wan, or Palpatine? That’s a whole other ball game of nope.
I understand why people wanted her to be a Skywalker or Solo. It would be nice to see a female character be the secret heir to a family that gets to wield the family sword. But at this point in time, as we close out the saga, we’re going to focus on the heroes not from the Skywalker bloodline who’ve come to carry on the legacy of the Rebellion before them. There’s a future there, beyond the cycle of each generation of Skywalkers flipping a coin to see if they go to the Dark or Light.
At this point, I’m still excited for The Rise of Skywalker, but I dread the Internet discourse around it like it’s the second coming of the plague. The spoiler culture of Star Wars means we can’t confirm or deny any fan theories until the bitter end, so get ready for a lot of angry people online come December.
(via USA Today, image: Lucasfilm)
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