Since the day that the movie came out, people have been clamoring to try to explain who their new leading lady is, who her parents are, the missing pieces of her past, and decipher the hints from the movie itself.

… And since I’ve never been one to back away from a good theory war… Let’s explore the most popular theories, why they may or may not work, and which ones are the most likely.

1. Luke Skywalker is her father…
   In my opinion, this is the most likely. The story pretty much hands this theory to us on a silver platter. It would explain why her father and grandfather’s lightsaber called to her. Upon touching it she’s haunted by visions of Kylo Ren, Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. The saber also obeys her over the known Luke relative.

   Her back story is also very similar to Luke’s; abandoned on a desert world in the middle of nowhere with no real knowledge of her parents. She a natural pilot and strong with the force.

   Why we want this one to be true?
   Well for starters, it could open the door to one of the most badass female antagonists turned protagonist in the Star Wars Universe; Mara Jade. Also though, it just makes the most sense!

   Why it might not be?
   It’s obvious. Yeah that’s pretty much the main argument. It’s the most obvious course the writers could take. In this age of plot twists and short attention spans, that may not be the way they want to go to keep fan attention.

2. Rey is Obi Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter
   This is a more recent theory and granted, it’s probably one of the more unlikely ones, but it does have a few things going for it. Perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence is her accent. Yes, I know it’s a little tripe, but ask yourself this question: How many primary good guys had British Accents in Star Wars? Pretty much only Kenobi. She also wears white Robes, like he did. She’s quite skilled in the Jedi Mind trick, just as he was!
   I know what everyone’s thinking, Jedi are celibate. Well… apparently that rule isn’t strictly enforced as it was fairly obvious who Padme’ was with. Also in the Clone Wars cartoon, we see a few women that Kenobi has a ‘history’ with. Keeping in mind that we know very little about his padawan days.

   Why we want this one to be true?
   Good storytelling? It would be a nice twist to have a Skywalker train a Kenobi given that it’s been the other way around for 6 movies.

   Why it might not be?
   Evidence? Well… there really isn’t much else connecting her to Kenobi. It would be an unexpected twist, but there would be some retconing that would be needed.

3. Rey is Anakin Skywalker Reincarnated.
   Okay no! No no no no no no!!! All though… #$%& it actually kind of makes sense. Her story matches Anakin’s just as it does Luke’s. She’s naturally gifted, her lightsaber called to her and responded to her command. Perhaps the most compelling evidence of this is Maz’s words; “I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people. I see your eyes . . . I know your eyes!”
   … Anakin’s eyes?

   Why we want this one to be true?
   Do we want this one to be true? Readers, can someone explain that to me?

   Why it might not be?
   This would really stretch the fans’ suspension of disbelief to the limit. There is no precedence for this and it’s not even something that’s been established as possible in the Star Wars Universe.

4. Rey is not related to anybody, at most she’s a former Skywalker apprentice and you’re all just insane conspiracy theorists.
   All right, perhaps this one is another logical one. Perhaps we’re all thinking way too much into this. Perhaps her connection to Luke is in her early training and nothing genetic at all. In fact, the images she sees in Luke’s saber are the Knights of Ren standing over bodies… which could be the former apprentices.

   Why we want this one to be true?
   Star Wars fans don’t typically like story lines that are unnecessarily complicated. This direction would keep things linear and keep the story going.

   Why it might not be?
   Ehhh… It would be a major letdown and I have a feeling that you’d be pissing off a lot of fans who are expecting something a little more.

5. Rey is another Solo child.
   Okay… this is another popular theory. This would add a rival sibling dynamic to the movies and bring back the family feud theme. The evidence here works the same as it did with the idea that she’s a child of Luke.

   Why we want this one to be true?
   Again, the family dynamic, this time being sibling rivalry instead of Father vs. Son.

   Why it might not be?
   Where do I start? There’s no mention of another Solo child, Leia and Han split after what happened with Ren, and neither of them recognized her later. This one would strain credulity at best! Also, why wasn’t it the Millennium Falcon flying away in her flashback.

6. Rey is a descendant of Emperor Palpatine.
   … Okay words cannot describe how badly I want this, admittedly far-fetched theory to be the one they go with. Like you do not even know how badly I want this to be the story. The evidence here is her unbelievable strength in the force and the fact that her vision contained Palpatine’s voice. It also makes sense that after the fall of the Empire, any relation to Palpatine might need to go into hiding. Which would explain Rey being abandoned. Plus we don’t really know much about Palpatine’s pre-senate days.

   Why we want this one to be true?
   Um… because it would be awesome? This would add a whole new dark aspect to Rey’s character. It would also present a grave danger for Luke, training someone as a Jedi with such a dark past and so much raw power.

   Why it might not be?
   Complete lack of evidence? This would be out of the blue, but it is doable and I’d love to see it.

7. Rey is Anakin’s… really late force twin.
   … I’m not even touching this one. Take your midi-chlorian, counting butts and SHOVE IT!!!

Anyway, did I miss any thing? Let me know about any wild theory I may have missed above! Thanks everyone!!!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim