Surely no one thought that any Star Wars movie could be more divisive than Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, and yet here we are. JJ Abrams’ finale to the nine movie Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker has garnered just as divisive a response from audiences and critics alike, with fans now taking to social media in an attempt to laugh through the tears by mocking the movie’s last line, and ultimately, the last line in the saga.
This moment in particular has been the subject of much derision due to the laughably pandering fan service that it involves. For those who still have not seen it and want to remain spoiler-free, look away now. At the end of the movie, Rey returns to Tatooine. There, she will bury the two Skywalker lightsabers belonging to Luke and Leia.
A woman walks out of the desert sunset. She asks Rey her name. The infamous ‘Rey Who?’ line is answered by our main character, who in response to being asked who she is, replies with Rey Skywalker, whilst basically winking at the camera.
Okay, so maybe the wink does not really happen, but it might as well have. The moment left many Star Wars fans scratching their heads in confusion over why she would pick this name considering the several other options that make more sense. Well, it did not take long for the internet to respond in the way only the internet can, with mockery.
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who?”
*Rey looks around for a moment, then smiles*
“Rey Star Wars.”
DIRECTED BY JJ ABRAMS”
Then we get this one, poking fun at The Phantom Menace and the prequel trilogy.
“Rey who?”
*Rey looks around for a moment, then smiles*
“Meesa Rey Rey Binks.”
Despite that second suggestion being a complete nightmare, the first suggestion is a particularly reasonable jab at the overly sentimental ending to the movie, as well as Abrams’ reliance on hollow nostalgia. Rather than a fitting tribute to the iconic Skywalker family, a lot of fans saw it as a bizarre attempt at stirring up feelings that just were not there. It did not take long for others to respond in kind, even taking the opportunity to pick on another movie in the francise, that of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who? Who are your people?”
“I’m alone.”
“Rey… Solo.”
Some people even dragged Titanic into the mix, with some fans joking about Leonardo DiCaprio’s sacrificial Jack Dawson character from James Cameron’s beloved blockbuster.
“Can I take your name please, love?”
[pauses]
“Dawson. Rey Dawson.”
[gazes at the Statue of Liberty]
DIRECTED BY JAMES CAMERON”
Despite the savage mocking, The Rise of Skywalker co-writer Chris Terrio has come out in defence of Rey’s last line, saying that the moment is important in the way it encapsulates Rey’s journey from her dark background to finally finding freedom.
“You get to choose your family, and really, you get to choose your ancestry.”
To Terrio and his fellow writer JJ Abrams, it made sense for Rey to choose her own identity, and cement it in her heroic beliefs and the people that helped her reach her true potential.
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who?”
“Rey’s Not Here, Man.”
Sadly, it does not look like the fanbase agrees. This mockery comes courtesy of a template created by user @dhafintyanoorca and was made popular by Chris Evangelista on Twitter.
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who?”
*Rey looks around for a moment, then smiles*
“Rey Star Wars.”DIRECTED BY JJ ABRAMS
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) December 22, 2019
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who? Who are your people?”
“I’m alone.”
“Rey… Solo.” pic.twitter.com/7nALS6Lz5p
— Fruhmann (@Fruhmann1) December 23, 2019
“Rey who?”
*Rey looks around for a moment, then smiles*
“Meesa Rey Rey Binks.”— The Dead Tweet! (@Derpo366) December 23, 2019
“Can I take your name please, love?”
[pauses]
“Dawson. Rey Dawson.”
[gazes at the Statue of Liberty]DIRECTED BY JAMES CAMERON
— Fake Noose (@LetItBurnUSA) December 23, 2019
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who?”
“Rey’s Not Here, Man.”DIRECTED BY CHEECH MARIN.
— Power Girl (@NealPage14) December 23, 2019
