SPECULATION Why are Rey and Ren so powerful?

Some very good questions you raise. My guess is as good as yours. I don't know. The basic explanation is an out-of-universe one. They wanted to have a new story that differs itself from the stories of the OT and PT. So they needed new heroes, or chosen ones if you will. It could be a play at the Dark/Light metaphor - like ying and yang. But this alone sounds too cheesy.

As for in universe:

Ben's Force powers can be explained by his Skywalker heritage to a degree. I was long conviced Rey was a Skywalker too. But in the trailers so far, Luke seems to treat her like a complete stranger. And even if Luke wanted to hide his daughter for a reason, I don't think he would give her this cold welcome. At this point, it would be idiotic of him to be so grumpy at her, if she was his daughter. She could still be a Skywalker though, even if Luke's not her dad...However, I digress.

Probably Snoke and Luke both know something about this awakening. Just like Snoke, Luke must have felt it. Snoke wants to use it to his advantage, but Luke is freaked out by it and also depressed about his students getting murdered, making him question if it was right to start a new order. I don't think, however, that he has lost his connection to the Force. Luke is still very much in the game, if he wasn't, he would not be hanging out at an ancient Jedi temple surrounded by Porgs and Caretakers, guarding the Force Tree. I think he is trying to figure out this endless cycle of the light/dark fighting, because he is well aware of Anakin's path, then his and now Ben's. The Journal of the Whills will probably connect to this story arc. Luke may after all stop whining, if Ben turns back to the light (which I now think will happen), or at least abandons Snoke, thus showing him that not all is lost. This would also be a good opportunity to definitively set up Rey and Kylo (Ben) as the new heroes, because they would now be on one side - confirming JJ's words they are two sides of the same piece. It may after all be Rey who helps Luke, just like he helps her, by training her, after initial doubts.

Maybe also Maz Kanata knows something, as she was very quick to point out to Rey that the Lightsaber was talking to her. I'm glad we still have something to wonder about and it's not at all clear. I think we will get a satisfactory partial answer to all of this in TLJ. I think we will see the vision from TFA completed by adding new shots to it (Luke rising from the rubble with his robotic hand visible), when Rey touches the Force tree. The imagery from the trailer was very similar to the one from ESB, when Luke enters the cave. This might give us more hints to Rey's identity, her connection to Kylo and her relevance for the Awakening.

 

As Lucas said, the new trilogy would be about the next generation of Skywalkers and the theme of moral ambiguity and choice. The two young Skywalker's are confronted with their own overwhelming power. How will they use it? For good? For bad? What is good and bad?

I also think that the idea of the chosen one might be interpreted differently after The Last Jedi: more like chosen ones. Ying and Yang........ a balance.

 

I think this mainly serves for story purposes and more as a way of linking Rey and Kylo together, than distancing them from everybody else up to now. We may be over-analyzing this. We want to know all the Force lore. But millions of casual fans will just be happy with an explanation of why Kylo and Rey are related (not necessarily in the genetic sense). For example, many non-hardcore fans disliked TFA because they could't fathom how some girl from a garbage planet could beat this intimidating red-lightsaber-wielding masked dude. So this might attempt to solve this discrepancy, rather than explaining how this fits into the overall meaning of the Force.

 

Hi folks. I'm new to this forum (first post, long time lurker) but I've been thinking about this one.

It could be as simple as the fact that they both have the dichotomy of light and dark in them genetically. Ben has the good side of Leia/Skywalker, but also dark elements of Anakin/Vader and even Han Solo (whilst a hero, not exactly the most upstanding member of society). This is probably what Snoke sensed in him, a potential to be much bigger than someone born totally from either light or dark.

I think when we get Rey's backstory she'll be a similar thing. Born of a dark-side and light side combination. Probably more dramatically even than Ben somehow. Making her potentially hugely powerful. E.g. if its the 'Rey made in a lab theory' then elements of Good and Bad DNA. maybe Skywalkers hand mixed with Palpatine (that would make her pretty strong, no?). Maybe Palps discovered this secret to 'unlimited power' and thats what the research facility on Jakku was. I think the reference to "raw strength" is Ben, and its his combination of dark/light that was so potentially powerful, but it would a much better twist imo if he was actually talking about a young Rey.

Anyway, just food for thought. and happy to be here!

 

Thank you! yes, i agree, and that would be really interesting. I think the theme of Light/Dark combined is huge to this ST, so i'd be amazed to learn Reys origins to be as simple as Skywalker/Kenobi/Random. I suspect there will be a combination of dark and light in there somewhere... With Snoke a similar being from a time before the direct split between jedi & Sith.

 

@master_shaitan

so i've watched the trailer another 50 squillion times..

Snoke says:
"When I found you, you had raw, unlimited power... and beyond that, something special."

at first i assumed he was talking to Kylo, but then the last bit made me wonder if he was talking to Rey...

then i came full circle.. what if Snoke is talking to Kylo, but the 'something special' is the bond that Snoke could see in Kylo with another person? Rey
or even.. that he could sense the person he was really after through kylo's bond?

worth a thought?

 

Because that's what Hollywood does. They love to make movies about people who are more powerful than anyone else. The thing to keep in mind though is anytime you seek power you will lose a part of yourself. Kylo killing his father is losing a part of himself. Palpatine, Snoke, and Vader looked less human as they seeked more power. Dark Phoenix of the X-Men which was my favorite was all powerful, but also was losing her humanity Didn't we have something similar with Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen? Just keep that in mind with all this power stuff.

 

Anakin>Luke>Leia>Ben>Rey...

There kick ass for one reason, there all chosen from blood.

 

Now this is a GREAT observation. It's one thing to pursue a goal and in the process attaining power, it's another to make the goal attaining power. And it almost always comes at a cost when it is pursued that way.

Can never guarantee that pursuit of any particular goal will be a noble one and the power attained in that pursuit is wisely used, but when power is the pursuit, it is almost always detrimentally used and destroys the pursuant. And just as you observed this theme is repeated across movies (and if we look closely probably across real life)

 

When power is the only thing that matters, you become blind to everything else around you. A lot has to be sacrificed. You are so right when it comes to real life. How many people have lost family and friends along the road to power?