'Rise of Skywalker' Theory Posits "Dark Rey" Has a Secret Identity
It might tie into her connection with Kylo.
With Rey’s Force-connection with Kylo Ren set to play an even larger role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, “Dark Rey” might also share in that connection, though in a completely different way.
The only information we have about the Knights of Ren, an elusive group that first appeared in Rey’s vision during Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is that they report to Kylo. But, what if we’ve already met one of their members? An intriguing new theory proposes that Dark Rey’s secret identity is actually one of the Knights of Ren.
Redditor u/contrabardus theorizes that Rey belongs to the mysterious Knights of Ren, and that they are all essentially clones… but let’s skip that last part because, while Dark Rey could absolutely be a clone, it’s doubtful and a bit ridiculous to think Kylo’s been working with a bunch of clones this whole time. (After all, the Knights of Ren follow him and they’re more than likely former Jedi trainees who also went rogue after Kylo’s fallout with Luke. )
"They have to fit the Knights of Ren into the storyline somehow
“They have to fit the Knights of Ren into the storyline somehow and make them relevant within a movie where they are seemingly not the primary antagonists. I think this is how they are going to do it,” they write, and adds that the knights are “Rey’s ‘family’.”
While Emperor Palpatine is set to return as the franchise’s big bad, one group of people will finally be getting a bit more attention. The elusive Knights of Ren have appeared only once in the new sequel trilogy, showing up briefly and unexpectedly in Rey’s vision during Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Additionally, Kylo was seen murdering them in the first Episode IX trailer, so if Dark Rey is one of its members, then that doesn’t bode well.
Knights of Ren, remember these guys?
The theory makes sense on some level, even though The Rise of Skywalker would have to explain a lot of things to make it work — like how Rey ended up joining them and, of course, whether Dark Rey is actually even Rey. However, if Dark Rey is a Knight of Ren, it would explain how she “had at least some training and how she is able to pick up things related to the Force so fast”. Though these reasons can be connected to the fact that Rey is Force-sensitive, it also fits within the scope of this theory. The theory ties Rey back to Kylo and having have another connection besides that of the Force could prove interesting.
At Disney’s D23 Expo last week, Daisy Ridley revealed that Episode IX will avoid a lot of fan discourse by having a “less controversial” ending than that of The Last Jedi. This implies that the film could play it safe and that J.J. Abrams never had any intention of making Rey go to the Dark side permanently. If that’s the case, then the mysterious Dark Rey could prove to be nothing more than a brief blip on the radar.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20, 2019.
