Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

Here’s What Rian Johnson Thinks Of The Revelation About Rey’s Parents In The Last Jedi

Ever since the multi-talented Rey first dropped into the Star Wars universe back in 2015's The Force Awakens, fans have been theorizing about just who her parents could be. I mean, obviously she had to be related to some sort of established character, right? Is she really Luke's daughter? Obi-Wan Kenobi's? Kylo Ren's secret twin?
This article is over 6 years old and may contain outdated information

Ever since the multi-talented Rey first dropped into the Star Wars universe back in 2015’s The Force Awakens, fans have been theorizing about just who her parents could be. I mean, obviously she had to be related to some sort of established character, right? Is she really Luke’s daughter? Obi-Wan Kenobi’s? Kylo Ren’s secret twin?

Recommended Videos

In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we finally get our answer – and it comes as quite a shock. In a climactic moment of the movie, Kylo Ren reveals that Rey’s parents were… no one important at all. Just some lowlifes on Jakku who sold their daughter in exchange for money to fuel their various vices. Kylo uses the info as a tool to break Rey’s spirit, in hopes of getting her to come to the Dark Side. Rey proves stronger than him though and stands her ground.

Still, it’s got fans wondering what they’re to make of the revelation. For instance, is Ren just making this up to tempt Rey? Director Rian Johnson spoke to EW at a Q&A following an AMPAS screening of the film and explained his thoughts on the matter, saying that while J.J. Abrams could retcon it away in Episode IX, this is definitely the truth about Rey’s origins. At least, for now.

“I can’t speak to what they’re going to do. And there’s always, in these movies, a question of ‘a certain point of view,’…But for me, in that moment, Kylo believes it’s the truth. I don’t think he’s purely playing chess. I think that’s what he saw when they touched fingers and that’s what he believes. And when he tells her that in that moment, she believes it.”

The director also took the time to clarify that he had free reign from Lucasfilm to do with the character’s backstory what he liked, so it was totally his decision to explain Rey’s parentage the way he did. Johnson revealed that he wanted to find the most dispiriting answer to that question, one that would really be the “hardest thing” for Rey to hear.

“I was thinking, what’s the most powerful answer to that question? Powerful meaning: what’s the hardest thing that Rey could hear? That’s what you’re after with challenging your characters.

“The easiest thing for Rey and the audience to hear is, Oh yeah, you’re so-and-so’s daughter. That would be wish fulfillment and instantly hand her a place in this story on a silver platter…The hardest thing for her is to hear she’s not going to get that easy answer. Not only that, but Kylo is going to use the fact that you don’t get that answer to try and weaken you so you have to lean on him,”

As with much of The Last Jedi, explaining Rey’s parents away as nobodies is a bold move for the franchise as it knuckles down on the fact that the films will move away from familiar characters and their families moving forward. Unless that is, we get another “Did I say Darth Vader killed your father?” moment in Star Wars: Episode IXFor all we know, Abrams could have a grand plan to make Rey the offspring of that stormtrooper that bumped its head. Now wouldn’t that be something.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Christian Bone
Christian Bone
Christian Bone is a Staff Writer/Editor at We Got This Covered and has been cluttering up the internet with his thoughts on movies and TV for over a decade, ever since graduating with a Creative Writing degree from the University of Winchester. As Marvel Beat Leader, he can usually be found writing about the MCU and yet, if you asked him, he'd probably say his favorite superhero film is 'The Incredibles.'