Star Wars Ep. VIII: What Will the Big Twist Be?
Earlier this week we learned that the next Star Wars film will be titled The Last Jedi. You know what that means, right? Time to speculate endlessly. GET HYPED!
Anyway, I want to throw out my own pointless conjectures just so I can say “I KNEW IT!” next December. And if I’m wrong then I will never mention them again.
The biggest mystery of the new trilogy is Rey, played by the lovely Daisy Ridley. Who is she? More specifically, who are her parents? Let’s go through the main theories.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
This one is really absurd, although a lot of serious people (as serious as you can get when speculating about a character in a space fantasy movie) have thrown it out there. There are a lot of problems with this one, but the biggest issue is that Obi-Wan died 40 years prior to the events of The Force Awakens. Rey would have to be at least that old to be his daughter.
- Han And Leia
I suppose this one is plausible. The problem is that neither Han nor Leia give any indication during the movie that they knew who Rey is. They speak about their son Kylo Ren, but never mention any other children. If Leia and Han also had Rey, then that might explain her extraordinary powers and would also link her with the Skywalker family.
- Luke Skywalker
Most fans seem to agree that Luke is Rey’s father. This would explain her ability with the Force, talent for flying, and that strange vision when she found Luke’s lightsaber. But I still don’t find it believable. Why would he have abandoned her on Jakku for no reason? Kylo Ren is about 30 years old in the film and Rey is about 20. Kylo most likely went berserk in his mid-20s, but Rey was left on Jakku long before that. Kylo’s turn to the Dark Side and the First Order’s rise wouldn’t explain her predicament. Maz Kanata also said that Rey’s parents were “never coming back,” which doesn’t fit the profile of a guy who risked the fate of the galaxy to save his father.
And even if Luke is Rey’s father, then who is her mother? The fans don’t have an answer for that one, but I think I do.
My Theory
The problem with the above theories is that they are too obvious. Nobody is going to be surprised at a Luke-Rey or Han/Leia-Rey reveal. Could these theories just be red herrings? Is Rey’s parentage something totally out of the box? I think that one or both of Rey’s parents will come from nowhere, and there will be a mind-blowing revelation akin to the “no, I am your father” moment. Doing so would add layers to Rey’s character and make the plot far more interesting.
Ready for my theory? *drum roll*
Snoke is Rey’s father.
In a flashback we see that Rey is left on Jakku as a little girl by some unknown person. I think that this person was in fact Luke. Could it be that he wanted to hide Rey from a fanatical powerful Dark Side adherent? Obviously Snoke possesses a deep knowledge of the Force, as there is a line about how it is “time [for him] to complete [Kylo Ren’s] training.” The Supreme Leader also shows an awful lot of interest in Rey when Kylo brings up her incredible powers, clearly enunciating the words “bring her to me.” This would explain why Luke willingly left Rey on remote desert dump, because…wait for it…
…Snoke isn’t Rey’s father, but her mother.
Stay with me here. The title “Supreme Leader” is gender-neutral, unlike “emperor” or “king.” The “Snoke” hologram could very well be a giant smokescreen à la the Wizard of Oz. Even if it does show Snoke’s true appearance, the character apparently suffered a disfiguring injury that could have resulted in a male appearance.
Rumor has it that Abrams originally wrote Snoke as a female. What if that never changed, and Supreme Leader Snoke is in fact still a woman? Now ponder this: what if Snoke is both Rey’s mother and Luke’s former flame? Now that would be the twist to end all twists.
I can see the setup now. Luke reveals that he is Rey’s father, lying (and thereby repeating Obi-Wan’s mistake) that Snoke killed her mother. Later Rey confronts Snoke, who taunts her with knowledge of her true origin.
Snoke: “Skywalker never told you what happened to your mother.”
Rey: “He told me enough! He told me you killed her!”
Snoke: “No. [voice suddenly becomes female] I am your mother!”
*cue massive gasps*
Okay, so maybe this all a bit far-fetched. Han does call Snoke a “he” during his confrontation with Kylo Ren, although Star Wars isn’t beyond changing reality ex post facto (Obi-Wan’s “certain point of view” copout comes to mind). Whatever the case, I still think Snoke somehow factors into Rey’s parentage. Just imagine the reaction in the theater. People would go absolutely ballistic! Rey revealed as the spawn of evil would shatter her naïve innocence once and for all. The drama would be unbearable. Will Rey choose her father or her mother? Will Luke be forced to kill both his wife and his daughter?
Or maybe, just maybe, I’m wildly overthinking this.
