SPECULATION Do Rey's Parents Matter?

That is your prerogative.

 

“Swallow”? A tad condecending, don’t you think? I get that you DO NOT like these new films, but is it really necessary to say that “I loved every bite”? I think not. Let’s just agree that all this is a matter of taste and liking or not liking something doesn’t make one any less.

I do not share your understanding of “cool plot point”. For me, things either work or don’t work in storytelling, and so far Rey’s story works for reasons I’ve explained above.

I’d never understand this obsession with strength by numbers: “many of us”, “for me and many”... Why can’t people just speak for themselves? That imaginary “many” does not make your point any stronger...

 

Swallow is something you do when you consume something. Not meant to be condescending, just using the comparison between your acceptance of everything RJ and JJ have told story wise and eating. To further that comparison, my plate would be half eaten. Your's (based on your responses and defense of the ST stories) would be empty.

I use the "many of us" because it's true. Solo saw the repercussions of a fractured fan base at the box office. Retail sales have seen this as well. I'm NOT a hater. I enjoy these films for the moments they give me. There are things I love about TLJ. There are things I love about TFA. I am disappointed however that we got more of the same in this trilogy.

As for the "cool plot point", I think it's pretty self explanatory. Cool = original and works in the context of what was setup. I don't believe Rey's parent's plot line has turned out to be a "cool plot point". Why? Because like you said, it has to work. Having JJ show a forceback of Rey seeing a ship leave her while yelling "come back" and having Kylo tell her that "she was sold for drinking money" and her parents are dead back on Jakku (did they leave and come back?) doesn't wash for me.

 

Ok, I accept that. Thanks for taking your time to explain it. I appreciate that.

As for the follow up of JJ's force back about Rey yelling "come back" in TLJ, I personally don't have any problem accepting its meaning. If we are objective in TFA this force vision tells us, in a short yet visually telling scene, the truth about Rey being in Jakku: she has been abandoned (prior to that we thought she was just waiting for her parents to come back to Jakku, because that's what she said to BB8). The problem, I think, is that this vision, intentionally or not, has made many of us think that Rey being in Jakku was accidental... That she must have been left there for some important reason... We convinced ourselves that there was a mystery to it... JJ payed that possibility too, I think and why not? why shouldn't he add some suspense to the story?

But after TLJ we come to realise that this vision is just what it is: an abandonment, probably not a memory, but just an echo of her trauma or an expression of her fear or a collage of disjointed events, just like dream (well in this case a nightmare). I can accept that interpretation. After all it was a force vision, not a memory. I think that's the way RJ wants us see it.

 

the story to me does not age "Well" based on being timeless like the OT, of which it has taken a major inspiration from. I think that Who Rey really is matters simply and only because of that flashback scene in the TFA. Regardless of who is telling the story, it has to be somehow addressed in IX
.

 

Yes it is hedged a bit, but that's JJ being JJ. Everything is hedged and left sort of ambiguous.

The idea is there but it's just never given any commitment, like anything in TFA, because it's hedged.

The reason Luke is punted is obvious as we all know is because he would outshine any new characters and it leaves 0 chance for them to grow.
That said, the way he was punted (no concrete reasons for anything) means he couldn't have, as you pointed out, felt Han's death or been connected to the rise of Snoke/Ren.
How does Luke Skywalker not sense this and show up? Well, he couldn't sense it is the obvious answer.

It is probably the best drama in Star Wars since....Luke/Vader throne fight?

 

Yes, they do matter; but not in the way some fans want them to. Rey desperation to discover her past is her main motivation throughout both TFA and TLJ, and the realization and acceptance that they are no one is a truly defining moment for her character and the end to that particular character arch.

 

Luke cutting himself off from the force instead of using the force to find hope and answers is a big issue.

Luke saying "you don't need Luke Skywalker" after hearing his sister is about to be annihilated by the First Order is an issue.

Luke not seeing the force guided Rey to him with his old lightsaber and asking her who she was and why she was there and instead throwing the lightsaber over his should is an issue.

Best drama since Luke/Vader? Not even close.

 

Those are a lot of issues.
it's almost like "issues" drive drama and create tension.

 

Issues with the writing. Issues with portraying Luke so far out of character even Hamill hated it. But you knew that already.

 

I would have been happy if they had just started this adventure after Luke, Leia and Han passed away, possibly leaving that to the books. They really messed up Luke imo and only way to save him is if he has a child. Rey or not.

 

I'm open to the possibility that this trilogy, unlike the PT and OT, will have threads spanning throughout all three films. The other films didn't really have that, though it was manufactured in the OT with Vader being Luke's father. I think it's likely we will get more on Rey's parents in IX. Many viewers, even in the GA are expecting more there because it seems and feels incomplete. A reason it feels incomplete is because we still have a whole other movie to go, and I accept that. Maybe JJ doubles down on what RJ brought forth and it becomes settled, but I have a feeling he'll want to make use of it for a big reveal. Parents are an interesting thing, because as a child, who really knows their parents?

We know a version of our parents, the every day and often loving, mundane, caring, instructing person. We often don't ever think about what their life is like, how they see themselves as the main character of their own story. The struggles they've had and had to overcome. Some of us are fortunate enough to hear those stories when we're older and learn a great deal about our parents through their eyes by their stories. It often makes us re-evaluate them, either propping them up, or rarely (because they'd be less likely to share shameful acts) tear them down.

It's very human and relatable, so I can see JJ going this route. To Kylo, Rey's parents can seem very mundane and useless, but it's unlikely he knows much about them other than what he's been told by subordinates in their research. Most people seem that way until you put yourself in their shoes and face their challenges without immediately knowing the outcome. It's quite possible JJ introduced that mystery box to spark our imagination, and RJ squashed it deliberately so it's no longer front and center so that it has greater impact once we get a reveal.

Or maybe it's nothing, but with a whole other movie, that just seems like a bland way to finish off that thread to me. I think it's possible they seem like nothing to Kylo, and be something very special to Rey and the audience. Maybe they drink because they abandoned their daughter. Maybe they never come back to keep Kylo and Snoke from finding her. Maybe their whole life is a sacrifice to keep her safe, allow her to grow up and finger her way. Head canon to be sure, but to Kylo that would make them seem weak, not being a parent himself, he wouldn't understand that sacrifice on the part of her parents. I'm not stuck to this particular idea, but merely offering one possibility.

Another would be maybe Rey's parents were on a mission or adventure where having their child would be too hazardous. Rey is trying to reconstruct their lives in IX, and Kylo is chasing some secret weapon or Jedi knowledge, and they both meet because that is what Rey's parents were protecting and exploring. This would have the added benefit of explaining why Kylo knew of Rey in TFA and hated them enough to make them seem insignificant to their daughter. It could make for an emotional confrontation and climax.

Possibilities are endless.

 

Issues with you liking it, is not the same as issues with writing or portraying Luke "out of character"
Hamill has said he was wrong, many times and regrets saying it. But I'm sure you know that and wouldn't keep using something the guy has since recanted on just to keep belaboring your point....


Luke blamed the force and the Jedi. Why would he use it?

Because he thinks he'd only make it worse. Since he feels responsible for Kylo Ren.

You just said he was cut off from the force so how would he know what the Force wanted?

 

Like Daisy Ridley spoke of TLJ made it clear to her who Rey's parents were. I think we should also look at QuiGonns parental role to Anakin on his retreat to Tattoine, and why Ben Kenobi owes this lige debt to his former deceased Jedi Masyer. It all comes together! Me thinks!❤

 

you are not alone in thinking that Kylo knew less than sod all about Rey's parentage. He may have been able to 'tap' into what Rey secretly feared may be the truth, or he may have been able to put that idea in her head. Either way.. he needed Rey to feel abandonment like he did to convince her to join him. "Hey Rey.. we're the same you and I. we need to stick together and look after each other".

i'm not in the least bit bothered about who her parents are.. i like the character or Rey and i'm content with just seeing what happens next, BUT.. i do think that JJ still has a surprise in store for us. it's set up beautifully now.

 

It seems as if the story arc makes the story And the plot centered action leaves the fans dazzled by the most amazing special effects ever seen with all the wars the laser guns and the lightsabers that gives the fan all the bang for his buck you would expect from a Star Wars film! And leaves the fan eagerly awaiting wanting more!

 

what?

 

Maybe Kylo is Rey’s father. Went through the WBW looking for gramps, made a baby and left her on Jakku and came back to the future.