If you’re still on The Force Awakens (TFA) come-down but can’t quite clear the sweats because you want Episode VIII to be here now, then we have an interesting theory for you. If, however, you want to avoid potential spoilers at all costs – or you haven’t seen TFA yet - then close this window now!
Rey (Daisy Ridley) is the new central character in the Star Wars saga
Gone?
Good, right. The biggest talking point after TFA was that of Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) parentage – well, after a lead-cast member met his end, of course. The mainstream theory is that she is the daughter of either Luke Skywalker or Han Solo and Princess Leia, but after watching the movie again, we’re not so sure.
The clues as to Rey’s roots are in the vision she experienced when she found Luke’s lightsabre in Maz’s basement. The vision features a recognisable voice: that of Obi-Wan Kenobi (the Ewan McGregor version). He calls out to her and that, really, can’t be random (we'd love to post a video clip but for some reason Disney have kept all TFA clips off YouTube, spoiled-sports).
Is it possible, then, that Rey is actually the grand-daughter of Kenobi? Too much time has passed for her to be his daughter, but there is a suggestion that she is of his lineage.
The facts: In the Star Wars books that followed Return of the Jedi, it is suggested that Obi-Wan Kenobi had a girlfriend (yeah we know that sounds wrong) while he was in exile on Tatooine. While a Jedi must take a vow of celibacy and to remain distant from love, Kenobi’s exile began after the Jedi was destroyed. He thus had no order for which to uphold his vow, and would have been free to cavort like raucous twenty-something on a Friday night.
Obi Wan Kenobi, played by Sir Alex Guinness in episodes four to six
Ewan McGregor played the young(er) Kenobi in epsiodes one to three
Director JJ Abrams has said that they are ignoring the canon laid out in the books, but that hasn't stopped them cherry-picking certain naratives from it – such as the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia turning to the Dark Side. So it’s plausible that Kenobi could have fathered a child during the intervening years between episodes three and four.
If Rey does indeed possess Jedi powers – which she clearly does – then it is possible that someone like Luke Skywalker hid her to keep her safe from the Dark Side. Abandoned on the Tatooine-like desert planet of Jakku, Rey was forced to look after herself, and all the while has been waiting for her “parents” to come back for her. Although she doesn’t remember who left her there…
Could it have been Luke, who at the same time was dealing the fall-out of Kylo Ren’s – Ben Solo’s – treachery? This becomes a credible idea at the very end of the film when Luke clearly recognises who she is.
Rey’s accent is similar to that of Kenobi’s, as is the way she fights – with a defensive edge.
But there is one more major hint that she is actually a decedent of Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor. It comes when she is held captive on the Starkiller base, tied-up in a cell. When Kylo Ren has gone, she summons the on-guard Stormtrooper (who is actually played by Daniel Craig, don’t you know) and uses the exact same Jedi mind-trick Kenobi used in A New Hope to set her free. Again, that is no coincidence. The writers have chosen it specifically and thus it only adds weight to the theory.
Could we be right? A Kenobi has defeated a Skywalker before, you know...
