The question of Rey’s family lineage has been one of the biggest mysteries in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. In The Force Awakens, Rey is introduced as a seemingly random scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku with no known origins. However, as the trilogy unfolds, there are hints and revelations about her potential connections to some of the saga’s most prominent characters.
In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren tells Rey that her parents were “nobody” junk traders who sold her off for drinking money. This implies that Rey came from humble, unknown beginnings. However, in The Rise of Skywalker, it is revealed that Rey is actually the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. This shocks fans and raises many questions about how and why Rey ended up hidden on Jakku.
Evidence For Rey’s Relation to Palpatine
There are several key pieces of evidence that point to Rey’s lineage as a Palpatine:
– In The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine openly declares that Rey is his granddaughter. He tells her “Your coming together will be your undoing” and “The bloodline ends today.” This clearly establishes their familial connection.
– Rey begins exhibiting powers from the dark side, including Force lightning. This ability is a signature of the Palpatine bloodline.
– Leia reveals to Rey that Luke trained her as a Jedi before she exiled herself to Ahch-To out of fear of the darkness inside her. This alludes to her innate connection to the dark side through her Palpatine lineage.
– The hidden planet Exegol is a Sith stronghold containing massive Palpatine and Sith loyalist resources, implying Palpatine was readying it specifically for Rey’s arrival and succession.
– In flashbacks, Rey’s father (Palpatine’s son) is depicted sacrificing himself to protect Rey from abduction by her evil grandfather’s forces. This firmly cements the father-son-granddaughter relationship.
Counter Evidence Against the Relationship
However, there are also notable clues arguing against Rey being a Palpatine descendant:
– In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren insists Rey comes from nothing and junk trader parents, suggesting no relation to Palpatine. However, Kylo could have been manipulating Rey or simply been unaware of her true origins.
– Rey’s memories of her parents leaving her on Jakku as a child do not indicate any knowledge of her Force powers or evil heritage. But it’s possible they were hiding it from her to protect her.
– If Palpatine knew Rey’s location all those years, why wait until The Rise of Skywalker to pursue her again? Though he may have simply been unable to act until his return.
– Rey rejects her Palpatine lineage and declares herself a Skywalker in the end. But this could just be seen as a symbolic choice and does not biologically change her bloodline.
Origins of Rey’s Parents
Very little is definitively known about Rey’s parents themselves. Here are some key possibilities:
– They could have been aware of Rey’s lineage but rejected the dark side and went into hiding to protect Rey from Palpatine.
– They may have had no idea of Rey’s heritage if they were more distant descendants or Palpatine kept their lineage secret.
– Her mother could have been the daughter of Palpatine’s son, while the father was an average citizen, keeping Rey’s background obscured.
– Rey’s father may have been a failed or weak clone created by Palpatine, making Rey a partial clone descendant.
– They might have been random junk traders who adopted Rey as an orphan, fully disconnected from her Palpatine bloodline.
Reasons for Hiding Rey on Jakku
Several logical explanations exist for why Rey was hidden away as a child on the desolate world of Jakku:
– To conceal her from Palpatine and his forces who wished to abduct or corrupt her to the dark side from a young age.
– To shield her from her own destructive dark side powers which could draw unwanted attention.
– To remove her from the wider galactic conflicts between the fallen Empire and rising New Republic.
– Jakku was remote but had enough traffic to potentially reunite with her someday.
– Her parents may have traded Rey to Unkar Plutt for money or supplies and he stranded her there.
– It may have been a temporary hiding spot but her parents were killed before returning.
– To give her a normal, quiet upbringing away from her infamous lineage.
Palpatine’s Potential Awareness of Rey
It is unclear to what extent Palpatine knew of Rey’s existence over the years:
– He may have been fully aware of her location but unable to reach her until his resurrection.
– He could have lost track of her whereabouts after his apparent death in Return of the Jedi.
– As a powerful Force user, he may have sensed her existence but not known details.
– Possibly learned of her heritage as his power grew but allowed events to play out.
– Alternatively, he may have been entirely unaware of Rey until encountering her.
– He could have foreseen her coming in visions without specifics.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while some questions and doubts linger, the preponderance of evidence presented in The Rise of Skywalker firmly establishes Rey as the biological granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine through his son. This surprise lineage connects the sequel films directly back to the original trilogy in a poetic way, with the heroic Palpatine descendant helping defeat her evil predecessor once and for all. However, Rey transcends her bloodline by choosing the Jedi way, proving one’s family does not have to define one’s destiny.
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