SPECULATION "Mara" Pulls It All Together

I’m talking about when Rey was left on Jakku. How old is Rey in TLJ?

--- Double Post Merged, Apr 25, 2018, Original Post Date: Apr 25, 2018 ---

I didn’t mean this thread to become a Rey Skywalker debate but since it keeps being brought up, I think TLJ was designed to challenge the characters. Rey hearing she is from Nobody is the hardest thing she can hear. It is by no means settled though. She grew as a charcter in TLJ whether Luke eventually is revealed as her father or not. I personally think Rian did a marvelous job setting up the true Rey parentage twist for Episode IX. Look how many fans believe this issue is settled even though there is still much more to the story. Kudos Rian.

 

"Mara" Pulls It All Together: PART II

Kylo Ren storms into the main prison gates inside the old Rebel base of Crait. Chaos is everywhere. A full scale prison riot is taking place. Prisoners and First Order prison guards are fighting in every direction.

Kylo marches through the prison corridors, slashing anyone in his way (prisoners and FO guards included). With a scowl on his face, Kylo is determined to find the one who says she is his aunt.

Turning a corner, Kylo pauses to peer down a hallway of a long cell block catwalk. A number of prisoners are engaged in combat in front of Kylo. Looking beyond the melee, Kylo spots an older, but very spry, female prisoner. She is dispatching FO guards with little effort. Her long red hair whips and whirls as she disarms and disables anyone who attacks her. After tossing yet another FO guard over the catwalk ledge, the prisoner turns to catch a glimpse of Kylo. She raises her head slightly toward Kylo, clearly recognizing him. Kylo begins to march toward her but she quickly ducks around a corner.

Kylo slashes his way down the catwalk to the corner where the prisoner fled. He descends a long set of stairs into a dimly lit basement area, lights flickering enough for Kylo to make out the red walls of Crait's underbelly. A voice calls out to Kylo.

Mara: (from a far corner, away from Kylo) Ben!

Kylo spins around to make eye contact with a prisoner he recognizes as "Mara" Skywalker, his aunt.

Mara: Ben Solo. Come back to us.

Kylo looks visibly shaken. His emotional face then turns to a grimace. Kylo thrusts out his hand to force freeze Mara. The camera quickly pans to Mara who re-actively crosses her arms in front of her to block Kylo's power. A gust of energy bounces off of Mara deflecting back to knock Kylo to the ground. Kylo, picking himself up, sees Mara flee into the cave tunnels of Crait, shutting and locking a cave door behind her.

Kylo storms back up into the main prison area, marching out of the prison exit into the bright salt flats of Crait. Adjusting his eyes to the light, he peers off into the distance to see Mara dispatching Kylo's crew outside his shuttle. Mara yells across the salt flats to Kylo.

Mara: It's not too late for you Ben! It's never too late!

Mara runs up the ramp into Kylo's shuttle. Kylo watches the shuttle blast off into space. He tightens his grip on his saber and grinds his teeth, a tear dripping down his face. Kylo glances over to a charred hole in the ground where a few years earlier he had ordered FO walkers to fire upon a projection of Luke Skywalker.

 

“Mara” Pulls It All Together: Part III

The camera pans up from the lava streamed planet of Sullust to a Resistance Fleet. About a dozen random-styled cruisers and battleships are scrambling into attack positions. The camera focuses on the largest starship.

We cut to General Poe Dameron sitting center screen in a captain’s chair aboard the Star Cruiser Organa. Resistance Officers scurry about the bridge, manning the many stations surrounding Poe.

Officer: General Dameron, We’ve received word that three dozen First Order Star Destroyers have jumped to hyperspace and are approaching our coordinates. They are accompanied by an extremely well armed Super Star Destroyer--I could be General Hux’s ship. Estimated 25 seconds to arrival.

Poe: Open a channel to our fleet.... This is General Poe Dameron of the Star Cruiser Organa. First Order Destroyers are en route, arrival in seconds. Remember to dispatch all fighters as soon as they arrive so we have time for the fleet to make an about-face. Everyone strap in!

May the Force be with us! We’ll see you at the first jump point.

FO Destroyers appear out of hyperspace followed by a massive Super Star Destroyer. Swarms of fighters launch from the Resistance starships to engage the FO Destroyers at close range. They are met by a flurry of Tie Fighters and surface cannon fire from the Destroyers. The scene cuts to the bridge of the SSD where General Hux stands with his arms folded behind his back. Hux glares out the observation window, light from blasts and explosions flickering off his determined scowl. A FO Officer approaches Hux's side.

FO Officer 1: General. Their Fighters are engaging at close range. They won't last long.

Hux: They're on a suicide mission. Keep a scan out for any Resistance bombers.

FO Officer 2: (from her station) Sir, the Resistance cruisers are turning around, I believe they are going to jump to hyperspace.

Hux: (looking confused but pleased) They're abandoning their Fighters. Begin tracking their main cruiser, they cannot escape.

The Resistance fleet turns away from the FO onslaught, jumping to hyperspace. The abandoned Resistance Fighters continue their charge at the FO Destroyers. The Fighters blast away at the Destroyers at close range, flying over the top of their surfaces. Once the Fighters fly past the Destroyers, they make a right angle drop below them. The Fighters fly away below the Destroyers, grouping close together. Then, in front of the Fighters, four additional Resistance starships appear out of hyperspace. The Fighters quickly board these ships and they all jump away into hyperspace.

Hux: (watching with displeasure as the Fighters disappear into the newly arrived Resistance ships and then jump away) Follow those ships!

FO Officer 2: They've jumped to the unknown regions, sir.

Hux: (whirling around to the officer, face distorted and screaming) I don't care where they went! They cannot hide any longer! Enter their new coordinates and jump our fleet to hyperspace!

The scene cuts to the initial group of Resistance starships arriving out of hyperspace into a massive nebula. Waves of pink, purple, and orange energy swirl around the fleet. Alarms are at full blast aboard the Resistance ships as they take damage from the chaotic power of the unstable nebula. Cutting to the bridge of the Star Cruiser Organa, a few loose items on the bridge float as if to suggest the gravity abroad the ship has been knocked out. These items fall up and down as the gravity shifts in and out. All of the Resistance crew in the shot are strapped tightly into seats at their stations.


Poe: (Communicating with the fleet over the alarms of the ship). Exit the nebula as planned! We'll see you at the rendezvous point.

Ships from the Resistance fleet spread out in different directions from the center of the nebula, shields flickering on each ship. As the ships approach the edge of the nebula, the FO fleet arrives in the center of it. The FO ships are rocked by waves of energy from the nebula. One by one, the Resistance ships blast into hyperspace in different directions as soon as each exits the cloud of the nebula. The scene cuts to Hux's bridge where alarms sound. FO Officers float and are tossed about as the gravity aboard the ship fades in and out. The ship rocks and jolts as the bridge is filled with flashes from the nebula and small explosions from inside the room.


FO Officer 2: (scrambling to man her station) General! Our ships are taking considerable damage! Shields are not responding. The nebula is interfering with our gravitational systems! Weapons systems are inoperable! We have minimal power to our main thrusters!

Hux: (holding tightly to a nearby control panel) Move all ships out of the nebula!

FO Officer 1: (screaming from across the room to Hux, gripping a railing as his body flails about) The Resistance has fled! Our tracking systems are down sir! (The officer lets out a Wilhelm Scream as a large crate flies across the room smashing the officer against the back wall of the bridge).

FO Officer 2: (Looking shocked the death of FO Officer 1, then turning back to her station panel) Additional Resistance ships approaching just outside the nebula!

The four additional Resistance ships upon which the Fighters had earlier boarded jump out of hyperspace, surrounding the nebula. Resistance Fighters and Bombers scramble out of these ships, unloading their payloads into the nebula. FO Destroyers are blasting apart all around General Hux's SSD. The SSD slowly exits the nebula cloud, taking considerable damage. A massive number of Tie Fighters and Bombers exit the SSD blasting away at the Resistance ships.

General Calrissian: (Communicating from the bridge of the main cruiser in the Resistance's second fleet) Calling all fighters and bombers, return to your ships at once! Congratulations - you've destroyed over half the First Order fleet! Now get back home before that SSD's tracking system comes back online.

Finn: (Flying a tie Fighter) Aye, aye, General Calrissian. Scavenger Squadron, return to your hangers.

Rose: (Flying an A-Wing) Fathier Squadron, return to your ships.

The Resistance Fighters and Bombers disappear into their respective starships. The four remaining Resistance starships then blast into hyperspace in different directions. Hux looks out his bridge window as the ships disappear. He grinds his teeth and screams in anger. The bridge and his ship smolders from the onslaught it just underwent. The camera pans out to show his badly damaged SSD surrounded by only a handful of FO Destroyers that made it out of the nebula, damaged badly.

The scene cuts to Poe aboard the Cruiser Organa traveling through hyperspace. He receives a report from an Officer.

Officer: (handing a tablet to Poe) General Dameron. The mission was a success. Preliminary reports from General Calrissian indicate that 70% of the fleet was destroyed. Hux's ship was one of the few that made it out of the nebula. The surviving ships have fled to an unknown location.

Poe: Excellent, excellent. (to everyone on the bridge) Great job everybody! The First Order fleet has been crippled! (cheers all around.)

Officer: (leaning in to whisper to Poe) Sir, there's one more thing. We received a distress transmission from a First Order shuttle, originating near Jakku. The transmission requests to speak at once with ... General Leia Organa.

Poe: (Looking confused) What? It must be a trap. Did the pilot send a Resistance identification code?

Officer: (looking left and right and then leaning in even further to whisper) Yes.... It's an old code but it checks out. The pilot is ... Mara Jade Skywalker.

 

“MARA” PULLS IT ALL TOGETHER: Part IV

The scene begins with Finn sitting abroad the Falcon, reading one of the ancient Jedi texts. He looks up from the book, deep in thought. He then looks over his shoulder to where Rey and Rose are fast asleep in bunk beds. Finn turns back to the book. He lifts his left hand up toward a Jedi training remote laying on the table across from him. Finn winces and contorts his face, desperately trying to move the remote with the Force.

Finn is suddenly startled when Rose makes a noise in her sleep and rolls over in her bed. Finn glances around, looking a bit embarrassed. He recollects himself and calmly raises his left hand toward the remote. Finn closes his eyes. His hand trembles ever so slightly. The camera slowly zooms in from his hand toward the remote....

The camera suddenly cuts to Finn's eyes jolting wide open. Rey is panicking in her sleep behind him. Finn rushes over to Rey's side. Rey is tossing and turning, mumbling "no!" Finn figures Rey is struggling through what appears to be a nightmare. He caringly dabs her forehead with a nearby wet rag.

The scene cuts to black. We are inside Rey's mind/dreams.

Hazy images begin flashing — most are of Rey’s visions and past experiences. Many images we’ve already seen from the movies and Rey's past Force visions in TFA. We see the Knights of Ren standing in the rain, Luke’s Academy burning, Rey’s fight with Kylo on Starkiller, the dark hole on Acht-To, Kylo telling Rey here parents were drunken nobodies....

Then, the images fade away and reappear as something less dark. We see sunshine and sand panning down to an image of a mysterious woman. The woman is looking away from us, her face unrevealed. She kneels down in front of a young Rey who is facing the camera....

Mysterious Woman: Rey, listen carefully. I have to keep running. The bad people are following me. They are going to find me. I cannot outrun them.... But I can get you away from them. They won't be able to find you like they can find me.

(Leaning closer, wiping Rey's tears and whispering softly to her) You are very, very special. The Force is strong in you. They--the bad people--they fear our powers. But you must not use them. If you do, they will find you.

Rey nods tearfully. The woman then reaches out both her hands holding them just above Rey's forehead.

We hear the woman chant something indecipherable.

Then she says "sleep."

The tearful Rey looks down, confused.

Mysterious Woman: (Putting her hands down on Rey's shoulders) Rey, the Force will always be inside of you. It will awaken in you when you need it most. The Force will protect you. You will survive. I will come back for you Rey.

The mysterious woman hugs a tearful Rey. She stands up turning to her right facing another person. The camera stays focused on Rey who we see in tears looking up at the mysterious woman who is talking to the other person. While the camera slowly pans in towards Rey's tearful face, dramatic music soars as we can barely hear the mysterious woman talk in the background: "This is all the money I have. Keep her fed. Give her a shelter and a job to do. She'll protect herself from there. I will pay you ten fold this amount when I return."

We see the other person's hand reaching down into the screen and grabbing on to Rey's arm. Rey is held back as the mysterious woman quickly runs away toward a starship. We then see the scene from TFA where young Rey is being held by Unkar Plutt as the starship blasts away from Jakku.

From the view of Rey and Unkar, we next see the mysterious woman's starship flying away into space above Jakku. It then disappears as it jumps to hyperspace. From Rey's vantage point, still focusing on the now empty sky above Jakku, we next see Snoke's ship (the First Order Supremacy) appear, coming out of hyperspace. It pauses a moment high above Jakku. Its massive size startles Rey. Then, the Supremacy jumps into hyperspace in the same direction that the mysterious woman's starship had just traveled.

The camera cuts back to the Falcon. Rey gasps as she jolts awake from her sleep. Quickly sitting up, Rey clanges her head into Finn's.

Rey: (To Finn) Ouch!
(Rubbing her head, then looking over to a smarting Finn, flashing him a smile) Finn -- were you watching me sleep?

Finn: (Sheepishly) Nooooo, no, no. Ah... You were having a bad dream.... I was.... um... (Looking around not knowing what else to say. Finn notices Rose is now awake too, who is looking up from her bed, confused at Rey and Finn's interactions).

Chewy: (Entering the room from the cockpit area) Rrrorrraw, rrowar, roaarrrow.

Rey: (Responding to Chewy's statement) Excellent.
Alright everybody, Chewy says we've made it. This is our last hope of finding one of Luke's students. If our intelligence is correct, she may be the only surviving student left. She is likely unstable and paranoid, fearful that the First Order is still trying to track her down. We must approach her very, very carefully.

 

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