SPECULATION The Official Rey's Parents in Ep. IX Thread

I am fine with her parents slumming it up in a bar somewhere, but I get the feeling we will see that Ren was lying and her parents are some sort of force user. I hope not.

 

I would agree with you in terms of future SW movies (post Episode 9), but this is the Skywalker Saga and the family IS the central theme.

The only reason Vader’s redemption works in ROTJ is because it’s his son that believes in him. You would question why a character like Han Solo would want Vader redeemed because he has no ties to him. But you totally get why Luke feels that way because blood is thicker then water.

The same goes with the ST in that it makes a lot more sense in terms of Rey’s motivations if she ends up as Kylo Ren’s half sister theory that is going around. I watch TLJ now (and she is nobody) and ask why she should care so much about redeeming Kylo Ren as there is very little motivation. But if they are related, then you can understand the connection and it gives a certain theme to this Trilogy to stand next to the PT/OT.

-The PT was about a Skywalker falling to the dark

-The OT was about a Skywalker redeeming him back to the light.

-The ST would be about 2 Skywalker/Solo bridging the gap of light and dark.

If Rey is a nobody then this Trilogy didn’t need to be called 7,8,9 cause thematically it really doesn’t have much to do with 1-6 other then the characters from the OT appearing.

 

I'd argue it's about finding family and not about one particular family.

 

But consider that Padme was "nobody" in a way- she wasn't a Skywalker, at the least. If Kylo and Rey are paralleled with Anakin and Padme, then it would create a really nice theme to bookend the OT with the PT and the ST via that relationship. In the PT Anakin goes light to dark because of love, in the ST Ben goes dark to light because of love. In the PT Padme becomes a victim who can't save Anakin, in the ST Rey becomes a hero who can save Kylo. The parallels are actually already there, the TLJ throne room scene is very Mustafar platformish with the ash raining down and the splitting of the ways between the two. Kylo is obssessed with "finishing" what Anakin started, what if that thematically moves into, having a family? Anakin started a family but didn't finish that. Instead he turned to the dark side and destroyed that possible future. What if Kylo turns to the light side and creates that possible future for himself, thus "finishing" what Anakin started, and didn't finish. I think the idea works pretty well in relation to the overall story.

But, I do think Rey being related to him also works really well. The only plotline I think seems problematic is if Rey is nobody, and Kylo turns due to, some reason other than love, be it familial or romantic. That seems problematic to me in many ways, not only the reasons you bring up in your post. In the end, I hope everyone can look at the story for what it is, and not through the lens of, what they wanted it to be. That's where the problems really start coming in.

 

i guess i don't really understand this rationale.
seems to me it has everything to do with the legacy of Darth Vader. that's Han and Leia's son and Luke's nephew/pupil who's wrecking the galaxy.
they were never going to be able to fix this problem on their own. enter Rey.

~ * ~ * ~

also, just some food for thought for the people who still think Ben was lying to Rey in order to "gaslight" or manipulate her in some way:

Ren Ben's only value (or lack thereof) to Snoke was always about his family/bloodline: heir apparent to Darth Vader, too much of your father's heart in you, etc.
what he says to Rey in the throne room (in the worst way possible) is that her bloodline is worthless, but that's okay because it's not what matters.
he's trying to tell her the opposite of what he's been told about himself.

it's about the most maladroit moment in a history of awkwardness for this character (intentionally so), and he may even be wrong (though i doubt it), but he's absolutely earnest. if he actually wanted to manipulate Rey, he would tell her what she wants to hear and rope her in before he starts tearing her down.

 

It wasn’t Kylo who told her her parents were nobody, it was Rey herself it was who admitted it. Kylo just called them “filthy junk traders her sold her off for drinking money” after she admired they were nobody. He could have been insulting them and embellishing her “nobodyness” to make her more upset but it does not take away from the fact that she herself admitted her parents were nobody.

I still don’t quite understand the sentiment that Rey needs to be of Skywalker blood for the ST to be part of the Skywalker saga. Kylo is a Skywalker and his fate will determine the fate of the Skywalker Saga no matter who is the one to deliver his fate.

Why would Rey want to redeem Kylo if she is not a Skywalker/Solo? Because, she is a good hearted person with sympathy for him. The same way people in this world help people who are in need of something even though they are not related to them.

Sorry if I rambled some.

 

well said, @Jedi MD!

and regardless of whether they "deserve" it.
the world needs heroes.

being a Skywalker, having the Force, and wielding a light saber is not what made Luke a hero.
nor will it be the case for Rey.

 

She is a good person who saw him kill his father and essentially her mentor for a good part of TFA. Let me repeat that, she saw him kill his father in cold blood, this isn’t like helping the poor or the unfortunate. Why would she want to redeem him if she is Rey Nobody? Why would she want to redeem him at all? I can maybe buy it if she is Rey Solo.

And don’t get me started on Rey-Lo if they are not related.....

 

She wants to redeem him because she can relate to his loneliness. Although there loneliness is from a different source she can be empathetic towards it. She understands that his fall to the dark side came when he perceived his uncle, mentor and master tried to kill him. She also had a deep Force connection with him that had allowed her to see that he still had some good in him.

 

Maybe I’m just out of the mainstream of SW fandom, but this constant ‘redeeming’ narrative just seems weird to me. He tried to kill Luke AGAIN on Crait, and you’re saying she still wants to redeem him? I don’t know, but there has to be another story that this franchise can take other then redeeming cold blooded murderers.

Are people really looking forward to that type of story for Episode 9? Again, maybe I’m in the minority on this one and this type of story appeals to the mass fanbase?

 

not sure why it's weird. we just want what Han, Leia, and Luke want.

 

I think that shot of Rey closing the Falcon's door while Kylo's trying to communicate says it all. The way I see it, she's done trying to redeem Kylo and moves on with her own story.

That's also why Luke's saber is broken now. Rey has to construct her own, which also adds to her forming her own story. In epIX, she has styled her own saber, (probably) using Luke's crystal. New hilt, old crystal. In other words, taking what came before and doing something new with it. Symbolism baby !

 

I think the overall theme of SW is one of redemption. I don’t have a problem with it. I think it would be good if they could find a new and interesting way to do it.

If they decided not to redeem Kylo I would be fine with that too. If the story is good and compelling I’ll be happy.

 

thank you. this is what iv'e been trying to say.

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 12, 2018, Original Post Date: Aug 12, 2018 ---

You can argue that but the fact is the both George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy stated that its about the skywalker family.

“The Saga films focus on the Skywalker family saga,” she explains. “The stories follow a linear narrative that connects to the previous six films. The Force Awakens follows Return of the Jedi and continues that generational story. The Anthology films offer opportunities to explore fresh characters, new storylines and a variety of genres inside the Star Wars universe.”
http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2015/10/kathleen-kennedy-confirms-saga-films.html

 

She doesn't want Kylo Ren but Ben Solo. She closed the door on Kylo. That's the message I guess.

No, she will fix the Skywalker saber and then Ben will use it again, because he'll be fixed too. This is real symbolism.

Yeah, and it pretty much is about the Skywalker family. In the ST we have even more Skywalkers than in any other trilogy.

 

The Costco quote has been beaten to death and been spun to mean way more than it says. Much like Obi-Wan (a non-Skywalker) had a final confrontation against Darth Vader in the PT we have Kylo Ren who is going to face of a Rey in the ST. This trilogy is full of people related to Anakin Skywalker. That quote doesn't say "the hero has to be a Skywalker." These films connect to the previous films. The quote is simple.

The Last Jedi is about Luke Skywalker. These films continue the Skywalker generational story.

 

Obiwan was not the Protagonist of the PT, the story was about the downfall of Anakin. Rey is the Protagonist of this Trilogy, so they easily could have made this Trilogy set 200 years later about her and Kylo Ren (who would not be related to a Skywalker), and it would have been just fine. In fact, I would venture to say the Trilogy would have been better without the OT Skywalkers because they pretty much overshadow everything in this Trilogy. But Disney wanted to beef up the box office by bringing back Han, Luke and Leia (hence why they are bringing back Luke/Leia/Lando for Episode 9 along with a possible 2 parter) when they could have had a really good Trilogy about Rey, Finn, Poe, BB8, Hux, Kylo Ren, Snoke that wasn't limited in their storytelling because it had to jive with 1-6. Every rumor I hear about is Force Ghost Luke, Is Luke alive, what footage are they going to use for Leia, what will be Lando's role, as the OT characters are overshadowing everything again.

 

I'm yeah ... pretty much

 

No, what people are wondering the most about is: will Kylo be redeemed? will we find out more about Snoke? Are Rey’s parents really nobody, or dead? The problem some people are actually having with this trilogy is that the OT are not overshadowing the new characters but quite the opposite. Han, Luke and Leia have become secondary characters and some don’t like it.

As for Kylo’s redemption ark, it seems to me that the Skywalker/OT connection was mainly used to make Ben Solo/ Kylo Ren someone to root for in the ST in spite of his being a villain. Also his acts of villainy are profoundly connected to his problem with authority and a probable sentiment of inadequacy at the brilliance of all his relatives. All of this hints towards, if not redemption, a desire from the creators to theorise about the root of evil. Kylo in this set is not “just a murderer” but “a victim and a murderer”.

 

I don't think there's any way of knowing what the majority of fans want, but my feeling is that Kylo doing a miraculous 180, suddenly being good, and riding off into the sunset with Rey would not go over well with the general audience. He's a mass murderer who butchered his own father and is now the Supreme Leader of the FO. I cannot see any way in the course of a 2 1/2 hour movie to successfully redeem him and have him continue to live. Yes, Vader was redeemed in the end, as people like to casually throw around like it would be the same thing, but he was redeemed in death while saving his son. He then died and didn't go onto hang out with his kids, walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding and then bounce some grandkids on his knee. If Kylo is redeemed, it has to be in death after making a sacrifice to save someone.