Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now out in the wild and spoilers are flying around thick and fast. There are a lot of big talking points so far but one of the more controversial decisions in the movie is that they officially reveal who Rey’s real parents were.
If you’ll recall, in The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren informed her that “they were filthy junk traders. Sold you off for drinking money. They’re dead in a pauper’s grave in the Jakku desert.” It was one of my favorite moments in the film, proving that Rey’s talents and bravery aren’t simply because she was born into a special family, but because of who she is. After all, if a complete nobody can save the galaxy, then anyone can.
The Rise of Skywalker reveals that this isn’t the full story, though. According to multiple people who’ve seen the film, Rey is actually *drum roll* Rey Palpatine, the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine (which We Got This Covered first told you months ago). The explanation the movie gives is that her parents were Palpatine’s hitherto unmentioned son and daughter-in-law, who anonymously sold their child into a life of misery on Jakku because they believed this would protect her from becoming caught up in her family’s dark lineage. However, by the final scene of the movie, she’s adopted Luke and Leia as her parents, rechristening herself Rey Skywalker.
Most fans still haven’t seen the film, but those who’ve braved the spoiler threads haven’t exactly reacted well to this and the general sentiment is that this plot development is “completely ridiculous.” Also, many are wondering in bemusement who this mysterious son of Palpatine is that’s never been mentioned before. I have to agree with the negative reactions, too, as this sounds like a real mess and shows that Disney and Lucasfilm were running scared after fans turned on The Last Jedi.
Perhaps the film itself will handle things a bit more gracefully, but with negative reviews already emerging and it looking like it may be certified Rotten on the Tomatometer, there will most likely be some soul-searching at Lucasfilm over what they could’ve done differently with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
