Here's 3 things J.J. Abrams' big Dark Rey clue could mean for 'Star Wars 9'
There may be a sinister reason behind Rey's Force abilities.
Since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans have been speculating about Rey’s exponential Force powers. Rey was Force sensitive, yes, but she had never trained to be a Jedi. So, how did she become so powerful so quickly? Ahead of The Rise of Skywalker, director J.J. Abrams dropped a major clue about Rey’s Force abilities, teasing that her strength in the Force is more than what it seems.
When Rey fights Kylo Ren for the first time in Episode VII, he declares Anakin Skywalker’s blue lightsaber is his to take. Surprisingly, Rey is able to Force-grab the lightsaber instead. Recently, The Force Awakens co-writer Lawrence Kasdan confirmed how “full of the Force” Rey was to have done that. His comment seemed to put to solidify the idea that Rey was simply a powerful Force user and nothing more.
However, a new comment from Abrams offered a slightly different take. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Abrams said that Rey’s extraordinary learning curve is “spooky” and completely intentional.
Warning! Speculative spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Is something more sinister behind Rey’s Force powers? Abrams’ comments certainly help fuel the vast amount of theories surrounding her relationship with the Force. Here are three things it could mean for The Rise of Skywalker:
The dark robes are eerily similar to Palpatine's. A clone, perhaps?
3. Rey is a clone of Emperor Palpatine
Ever since “Dark Rey” made her debut in the D23 Expo trailer, fans have wondered who this badass version of Rey really was. It’s possible she’s so strong in the Force because she is actually a clone of Emperor Palpatine. Not an exact replica, mind you, but it could explain why her use of the Force is naturally so powerful. If Palps was using Jango Fett’s cloning blueprint and paired it with his Sith DNA, then voila! The manifestation of Dark Rey could simply be her embracing her true self in Episode IX.
If you recall, when Rey visits the cave on Ahch-To, she asks to see her parents in the reflection. To her disappointment, she only sees several reflections of herself. It’s possible that’s because she doesn’t actually have parents in the traditional sense. Yoda confirms the Jedi texts don’t contain anything Rey doesn’t already know about the nature of the Force: is it because all this information is already designated to her clone coding? Of course, Dark Rey could very well be a vision, but that’s looking less likely now.
Rey makes similar hand gestures as that of Mortis' immortal beings.
2. Rey is the Daughter from Mortis
Mortis is an ancient realm, home to three immortal beings tasked with maintaining the balance of the Force: the Father, the Son, and the Daughter. In The Last Jedi, Rey made a few hand gestures while in the cave on Ahch-To that looked fairly similar to the ones seen on Mortis. As such, one fan theory suggests Rey is actually a physical manifestation of the Daughter, who represents the peaceful side of the Force.
It may also explain why Rey appears to be carrying the Dagger of Mortis while destroying Darth Vader’s mask in the final The Rise of Skywalker trailer. The dagger can be used to kill immortal beings and, if Rey’s the Daughter, then her ancient Force powers may have given Rey that extra boost to kill Palpatine.
You'd describe Palps as spooky, right?
1. Palpatine is Rey’s grandfather
It’s easy to buy that Rey is powerful in her own right. Why does there need to be a reason behind her great strength? But, if there’s going to be one anyway, then perhaps the most logical reason is that she’s Palpatine’s granddaughter. Palps is, after all, one of the most powerful Sith lords in the galaxy. Even if he isn’t Rey’s ancestor, he could have manipulated her birth the way he did with Anakin, as implied in the Darth Vader #25 comic.
Daisy Ridley already teased that there’s more to the story regarding Rey’s parentage. Even if they were “filthy junk traders,” that just makes it even more possible that Palps is her grandfather and Rey’s murky backstory lends some merit to this idea. Sure, it’s also possible that Luke Skywalker is her dad, but Abrams’ use of the word “spooky” says otherwise and there’s nothing spooky about Luke, that’s for sure.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20.
