Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is finally here. Not only have we been waiting since The Force Awakens came out to reach this point, but the movie has been billed as the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. This has been more than 40 years in the making. As such, director J.J. Abrams had a lot to handle, not the least of which being Rey’s parents. That’s something that was certainly addressed and we now know the truth about where Rey came from.
Warning: massive spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Read on at your own risk. In The Last Jedi, it’s explained to Rey by Kylo Ren that her parents were nobodies. Scavengers who sold her off for drinking money. In Episode IX, we learn that, from a certain point of view, they were, indeed, nobody. But her grandparents? That’s a different story entirely. As we come to find out, Rey’s grandfather was none other than Emperor Palpatine, and her father was Palpatine’s son.
This opens up a whole host of questions, especially given where this plot thread goes in the movie. We see that Rey’s parents left her on Jakku, hoping to protect her from Palpatine, who wanted her for his own evil reasons. All of it has to do with the resurrected Sith hoping to reclaim power, using Rey as a vessel for that power. Ultimately, Rey’s parents were murdered when they refused to give away their daughter’s whereabouts. We didn’t explore much about who her parents were, precisely. Especially Rey’s mom. How does one come to cross paths with the son of Palpatine and strike up a relationship? As Maz Kanata once said, “A good question. For another time.”
Another massive point here is that this means Palpatine had a son. When did this happen? And more importantly, who did he have a son with? Is Rey’s grandmother someone of importance? Or did Palpatine create his son through other means? As we see in the Sith temple, Palpatine and his loyalists were doing all sorts of experiments and conjuring an entire fleet. They even created Snoke. So there’s always a chance that there was no real grandmother in this scenario. Undoubtedly, this will be explored elsewhere, be it in a novel or comic perhaps, down the line.
When The Force Awakens came out, one of the biggest topics of fan discussion was who Rey’s parents were. For two years, there were near endless theories put forth online debating that very topic. Director Rian Johnson’s answer as to who Rey’s parents were in The Last Jedi was a divisive one. Some loved it. Some hated it. Depending on which side of the line one falls on, the reveal that Rey is a Palpatine is sure to be one of the most controversial plot points in Episode IX. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is as divisive as any movie could be and some Twitter users just aren’t happy about this “Rey is a Palpatine” reveal, as you can see.
palpatine from the grave when his granddaughter takes the skywalker name and all the real skywalkers are gone pic.twitter.com/YHnxYmVUaZ
— téa ❦ witcher hypebot (@freyasolo) December 20, 2019
So since #NotMyLuke was wrongfully a thing after The Last Jedi can we start #NotMyRey about this dumb Palpatine business?
— Patrick Gill (@p_gill21) December 20, 2019
i hate to write “the rise of skywalker” every time i tweet about that movie
that movie isn’t about any rise
that movie isn’t about any skywalker
but that movie definitely has not one but TWO palpatines rising so
yeah the rise of palpatine it is.
— BlackDiamond TROS SPOILERS (@_BlackDiam0nd) December 20, 2019
#trosspoilers
WAIT…i just realized something that makes jj’s ending even worse. so rey’s parents really love her. then why does she adopt luke and leia (who are also dead) as her parents?& isn’t her father FS? where’s his force ghost? why is luke more important than him?— G✨explicit tros spoilers (@Ieiarey) December 19, 2019
remember when everyone joked around and called rey a palpatine pic.twitter.com/XcmyqAE44O
— dalita: battle angel (TROS SPOILERS) (@bIaderunnerss) December 17, 2019
You’re trying to tell me that Luke and Leia knew that Rey was a Palpatine all along, yet they still trained her, while Luke tried to kill Ben in his sleep as soon as he had a suspicion that Ben was turning to the dark side? The clownery
— 𝕋𝕖𝕣𝕚😪TROS SPOILERS (@Reylosymphony) December 20, 2019
Rise Of Skywalker being the way it apparently is isn’t surprising when you remember that people saw Rian Johnson make a movie where the final shot was a signal that the spark of hope was restored throughout the universe & everyone’s reaction was “So who is broom kid related to?”
— Not Even Old Enough To Fucking Drink Kid (@DanDoherty_7) December 19, 2019
When Rey turned out to be Palpatine’s granddaughter but announced her name was Rey Skywalker at the end like she had any real connection to them besides knowing them for 2 years pic.twitter.com/rN2OGEnZa7
— madi ʬ⁸⁴ (@stallidiana) December 20, 2019
What I liked about Rey Nobody was that it was the hardest thing for her to hear. Her parents were filthy junk traders who sold her for drinking money. That’s HARD. That’s compelling. I CARED.
Rey Palpatine is somehow both lazy and an INCREDIBLE leap#trosspoilers
— Violet Wilson (@ViWiWrites) December 20, 2019
Better call “the rise of palpatine” 🤮 #BenSoloDeservedBetter
— eban (@DarthSandLater) December 20, 2019
