5 Theories That Could Explain Who Rey's Parents Are in Star Wars

Updated on 1/23/2018 at 4:50 AM

We came away from watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens with more questions than we can count, but the one that hasn't stopped itching our brains since we left the movie theater all the way back in 2015 is the matter of Rey's parents. While the character, played by Daisy Ridley, is unquestionably the hero of Episode VII, much of her past and familial lineage is shrouded in mystery.

J.J. Abrams shed some light on the topic during an appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016 that seems to have ruled out the biggest theories about Rey's parents, saying, "Rey's parents are not in Episode VII, so I can't possibly say in this moment who they are. But I will say it is something that Rey thinks about, too." Is Abrams just trying to throw fans off the scent of Rey's real parents? Now that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is about to come out, we're revisiting our major theories.

Jyn Erso Is Her Mother

After the exciting trailer for Rogue One dropped, we got a taste of Felicity Jones's badass new character, Jyn Erso. Immediately fans hopped on the idea that Jyn could possibly be Rey's mom, for a number of reasons. We've unpacked that theory in full here, but now that we've seen Rogue One we know it can't be true. Having said that, here are the reasons it could have happened (even though it didn't):

Jyn does not appear in The Force Awakens, which would support Abrams's statement that Rey's parents are not in Episode VII.
Jyn and Rey (a.k.a. actresses Daisy Ridley and Jones) have a strong resemblance. Admittedly, this hint was pretty weak. So much so that Ridley herself even shot it down. Still, it's not exactly crazy to think that their casting was done on purpose to help bolster the idea of Jyn being Rey's mom later on in the franchise.
They both have a striking, fighting spirit. In the movie, Jyn declares, "This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel," before being tasked with stealing the Death Star plans to aid the rebellion. Rey also leaps at the chance to fight for the Rebel's cause, heading off in search of General Organa with BB-8, Han Solo, Chewie, and Finn.
The timeline works out — Jyn would be about the same age as Luke and Leia in The Force Awakens, so she would totally be in the age-range to have had Rey at some point.

Likelihood that Jyn is Rey's mother: ⭐️

Han Solo and General Leia Organa Are Her Parents

Abrams's statement also now rules out Leia and Han as Rey's parents, but it's worth noting the connections between them and Rey regardless. While much of the evidence points directly at Luke being Rey's dad, writer Helge Kåre Fauskanger — one of the most prolific experts on Star Wars theory — thinks Rey is General Organa's daughter. “Vader fanboy Kylo Ren was originally Ben Solo, the son of Han and Leia, who fell to the Dark Side,” he writes. “This sounds like a reimagining of the fate of Jacen Solo from the no-longer-canon novels. Jacen had a sister called Jaina, and it would be tempting to assume that if Kylo/Ben is the reimagined Jacen, Rey is the re-imagined Jaina who will eventually turn out to be the sister of Kylo/Ben. If so, she is the daughter of Han and Leia."

This theory would certainly be an interesting one since it would make her Kylo Ren's sister, but the idea that Han and Leia either 1.) refuse to tell her they're her parents throughout all of The Force Awakens, or 2.) didn't recognize their own daughter, seems highly unlikely.

Likelihood that Leia and Han are Rey's parents: ⭐️

Luke Skywalker Is Her Father

Despite Abrams's assertion that Luke is not Rey's father, this theory has always seemed like the strongest thanks to the film's heavy-handed hints that Rey is indeed connected to Luke in some way. One of the key moments comes during the scene at Maz Kanata's watering hole, when the lightsaber that belonged to Anakin and Luke Skywalker calls to Rey from the depths of the castle. After she touches it, she's instantly inundated with images from the past, and possibly the future, featuring Kylo Ren, Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. Is her connection to the weapon because it once belonged to her father? It's definitely possible, although nothing like that has really ever happened in the series before. Maz also tells her, “I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people. I see your eyes . . . I know your eyes!” Are they Luke's eyes, Maz? ARE THEY?!

The second big clue happens when villain Kylo Ren reads Rey's mind while she's being held as a prisoner of the First Order, and sees water and an island. After watching the movie, it's clear that was a direct reference to the island Luke has been hiding out on. The real question is whether or not that was a glimpse into Rey's future (which we see at the conclusion of the film), or a moment from her past, possibly suppressed, memories with Luke.

The third thing that really sticks out is Rey's intense Force sensitivity. With seemingly zero training, our heroine is able to push Kylo Ren out of her mind, expertly use Luke's lightsaber, and perform Jedi mind tricks on Daniel Craig. These are the kinds of things we've come to expect from experienced, highly trained Jedi, not people who've spent the entirety of their adult lives scavenging for scraps alone in the desert. Being a Skywalker would explain this.

Likelihood that Luke is Rey's father: ⭐️⭐️

She's Just Luke's Former Padawan

Another theory that hinges on the connection between Luke and Rey postulates that their relation is not genetic, but a closeness borne out of him being her Jedi teacher early on in life. We know that Luke was leading and training a new era of young Jedi before Kylo Ren was seduced to the Dark Side and slaughtered them all. Was Rey one of them? Did someone help her escape the First Order's wrath by hiding her on the desert planet of Jakku in the same way Luke was sent to Tattoine as an infant? In the flashback showing a young Rey, we see her sadly looking up at what we think is her family's spaceship disappearing into the distance while she's left behind with someone (something?) just out of view.

Is her "family" actually just fellow Jedi students who luckily escaped Kylo? Is it Luke? We can't know for sure, but one thing to remember is that during Rey's chat with Maz Kanata, the wise, old alien tells her, "Whomever you are waiting for on Jakku, they're never coming back."

Likelihood that Rey is Luke's former padawan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rey Is a Kenobi

There are a lot of convincing points in the case for Rey being a Kenobi, and the biggest tenets of that theory are as follows:

Rey hears the voices of actors Alan Guinness and Ewan McGregor — who both played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the previous films — when she picks up Luke's lightsaber in the basement of Maz Kanata's castle. Could that be because Obi-Wan had the lightsaber in his possession for far longer than Luke did, and it's calling for its next rightful owner?
Rey and Obi-Wan's characters are also very similar merely on a surface-level: their clothing, their British accents, their lonely, desert homes.
Since not much is known about Obi-Wan's backstory, there could easily have been a wife or girlfriend that no one ever knew about, who eventually gave birth to one of Rey's parents.
Rey's use of the Force while being held prisoner by Kylo Ren in episode seven is extremely similar to Obi-Wan's classic line, "These are not the droids you are looking for," in A New Hope.
The final showdown between Rey and Kylo Ren at the conclusion of The Force Awakens deeply mirrors the epic fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in A New Hope. If we retrospectively discover she's a Kenobi, her duel with Kylo would hold much more significance given the two are basically reviving the battle their grandfathers once fought.

Likelihood that Rey is a Kenobi: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️