Daisy Ridley states fans will know the full story behind Rey’s parentage by the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The topic of the young scavenger’s bloodline has been a hot discussion point ever since before The Force Awakens premiered back in 2015. Moviegoers developed a plethora of theories about Rey’s heritage, suggesting she could be a Solo, Skywalker, Kenobi, or even a Palpatine. They had to wait until 2017’s The Last Jedi to get answers, in a scene where Kylo Ren informed Rey (and the audience) that her parents were two junk traders who sold her off for drinking money and are dead in the Jakku desert.

Like many of the other creative choices Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson made, that revelation proved to be divisive. While some fans were pleased to see Star Wars finally move away from its long-established tropes, there were just as many disappointed Rey was a “nobody” with tremendous Force abilities. It’s for that reason The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams raised several eyebrows when he said December’s film adds more to the story of Rey’s parents. And per Ridley, it sounds like audiences will learn everything.

In an interview with USA Today, Ridley was asked about how Rey’s parentage will be addressed in The Rise of Skywalker. Of course, Ridley couldn’t reveal too much, but she did reiterate what Abrams said a few months ago:

Last year, Simon Pegg went on record to say Abrams had a different idea for Rey’s parents before Johnson started work on Last Jedi, but that’s probably a moot point now. In the same interview where he first mentioned Star Wars 9 adds more to the story, Abrams made a point to mention he “honored” what The Last Jedi did. So, at least for now, there doesn’t appear to be any major franchise-altering retcons in order (i.e. Rey being Luke’s estranged daughter or Han Solo’s lovechild). Perhaps Abrams is simply going to flesh out the backstory of those aforementioned junk traders and dig deeper into why they gave up on Rey so early on and what happened to them afterwards. This has the potential to be similar to Return of the Jedi’s verification of The Empire Strikes Back’s Darth Vader reveal; Jedi added more to the story by revealing Anakin fathered twins that were kept hidden from him.

(Director J.J. Abrams) did say the question is answered. So at the end of the film, you do know what the dealio is.

After The Last Jedi seemingly answered the question about Rey’s parentage, some viewers might prefer if Abrams just left this topic alone and let it be. However, it’s best not to rush to judgment right now. As long as what Abrams came up with stays true to The Last Jedi and fits organically into the narrative, things should be fine. All fans can do is sit and wait until The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters later this year.

More: Rey’s Parents May Be Hidden In The Star Wars 9 Trailer

Source: USA Today

  • Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20