Star Wars is one of the (if not the) most popular science-fiction franchises in the whole world. Sprawling over half a dozen movies and countless adaptations in other media, the franchise that started in the height of the ‘70s in the US has now become a global phenomenon.
Its latest trilogy of films focuses on Daisy Ridley’s character Rey as the central protagonist. And to no one’s surprise, Rey has been at the center of the mystery surrounding her parentage ever since she has been introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Big Reveal of Star Wars: Who Are Rey’s Parents?
It seems that Kylo Ren’s declaration that Rey’s parents were far from being legendary stalwarts and just nobodies instead was true. In The Rise of the Skywalker, it is revealed that Rey’s father was a clone of Palpatine and her mother was a simple woman whom he loved on the planet of Jakku.
Who Is Rey?
First introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey is depicted as an orphan who was living alone on the desert planet of Jakku as a scavenger. Later on, she joins the Resistance and trains to become a Jedi under
Introduced as an orphan along with the film portraying her longing for her parents and her wait for them as she scavenged through spaceships, details about her parentage become a buzz as soon as it was apparent that she was the central character of the sequel trilogy.
Ever since her introduction, the Star Wars fandom has gone into a spiral of meandering paths trying to figure out the significance of the newly introduced protagonist of such a cult franchise.
In the years leading up to the release of the film and thereafter, there have been numerous fan theories as to who could have been the parents of Rey.
Before we get any further into the article, this is a spoiler warning ahead of time so that you do not come and blame us if we have spoiled anything for you with regards to the timeless classic sci-fi series.
If you have already watched the series or simply do not care about spoilers then go ahead. But first, we take a look at the numerous fan theories about Rey’s parents.
The Other Fan Theories
Han Solo and Princess Leia
One of the most popular and well-known fan theories is that Rey is the secret child of Han Solo and Princess Leia. In the old Expanded Universe of Star Wars, Han and Leia had a pair of twins called Jacen and Jaina Solo.
During the time of the release of the sequel trilogy, it was a popular belief that Rey and Kylo Ren are, in fact, Jacen and Jaina Solo and that the trilogy would eventually culminate in this revelation. However, the publication of further canon material on Rey and Kylo Ren refutes this theory.
Luke Skywalker
Another popular theory is that Rey is the daughter of none other than
The consensus around this theory began to gain hold during the reveal of the name of the last film titled The Rise of the Skywalker with believers in the theory advocating that she was a long-lost daughter of Luke.
The proponents of this theory harked on the fact that the preceding film The Last Jedi focused majorly on Luke’s disillusionment with the Jedi Order and its principles.
One of the Jedi principles is not able to engage in romantic relationships and Luke being the archetypical rebel. The fans were sure that Rey was the daughter of Luke.
However, like the previous theory, the bulwark of this theory also falls short of justifying itself against the contradictions of published canon material that suggest very different trajectories for the character of
Qi’ra
A less popular but slightly plausible theory is that Rey could be the daughter of Qi’ra. A character introduced in the prequel trilogy as a former love interest of Han Solo, Qi’ra’s character definitely fits the bill to be the mother of Rey and such a storyline would not break the already existing canon.
Whether Rey could be portrayed as a child of the union of Han and Qi’ra or someone else with Qi’ra is a different issue altogether. However, this does go with the declaration of Kylo Ren that Rey’s parents were nobodies, given Qi’ra’s own struggles with poverty and lawlessness.
The Clone Theory
As the name suggests, this theory which has multiple variations argues that instead of having real parents, Rey is but a clone of one of the several major or minor characters that have been introduced in the universe.
While some have gone on to suggest that she might be a clone made out of
Several variations of this theory exist and this seems to be another of those explanations which could be true and go within the canon information already available.
Palpatine
Around the time the details of the third film came to be in the light, the information that Emperor Palpatine would be a part of the sequel trilogy has left some fans wondering if the Emperor indeed is the father of Rey or if she is one of the several clones that Palpatine has made.
Final Word
Although the reveal seems like an anti-climax of sorts when seen in the context of the sequel trilogy, it makes perfect sense. The last three films focus on Rey’s journey of discovery and her coming into her own. The fact that she could be what she is without a grand parentage is a testament to that journey.
Brad Burnie is the founder of Starships.com. He loves all video game genres. In his spare time, he loves reading, watching movies, and gaming