Look, I don’t love Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and I really don’t love the idea that Rey is a Palpatine—not when my beloved Expanded Universe from decades of Star Wars novels was erased by Disney’s continuity and I didn’t get to see my twins take over the Star Wars Saga (justice for Jaina and Jacen). But there were just so many better options for Rey. She could have been a Kenobi, and even that would have been better than what we ended up getting.
Now though, as Star Wars always does best, we’re getting some more information, through the books, that make Rey’s parentage a little more interesting, which is, honestly, a good thing given that we know very little about them, and it’s about time we give them names (at least).
In Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher (released on June 28, 2022), we get a bit of a backstory for Rey’s parents, including their names. Dathan and Miramir are the two people we get a brief glimpse of in The Rise of Skywalker—Rey’s parents, the key to the rebirth of Palpatine. And according to ComicBook.com, we get a look into how Darth Vader helped Dathan and their connection with the Empire/Rebellion, prior to what we see in the sequel trilogy.
Revisiting Rey’s parentage
For so many of us (myself definitely included), it’s been hard to revisit The Rise of Skywalker because there is a lot in that movie that is frustrating, and the parts that are good are overshadowed by the fact that the things that fans hated are … well, bad. It was a very clear example as to why it’s important to plan a story from the beginning, and while Star Wars has continued to rework itself with the shows on Disney+, it doesn’t change the fact that The Rise of Skywalker isn’t the best.
But learning more about Rey’s parentage and the sacrifice that her parents made to keep her safe is a bit exciting because we don’t know that much about them. All we know is that they tried their best to hide her away to stop Palpatine from coming back. Still, we know that they weren’t successful, given the iconic Poe Dameron line.
This is, honestly, the first time I have been excited to know more about Rey’s parents. I want to see them meeting up with characters we know throughout the galaxy. I want to see their connection to Darth Vader. It’s exciting to know that they’re not just two people who we briefly see in a flashback, meant as an “answer” for Rey but ultimately no more than that. And I hope that Shadow of the Sith gives Dathan and Miramir their own story and a bit more to do, because while I might not love that Palpatine returned, I do think that these two are fascinating for their sacrifice.
(featured image: Lucasfilm)
