Breaking Down the Big Star Wars Theory About Rogue One's Jyn Erso and Rey

Updated on 12/17/2016 at 1:20 PM

With Rogue One out this weekend, we're not just excited about the next movie in the Star Wars universe — we're pumped because we may find out whether this suspicion about Felicity Jones's lead character, Jyn Erso, and who she might be in the Star Wars world — is true. I'm of course referring to the mystery of Rey's parents and the fact the Jyn may be Rey's mother. I'm not alone — the theory has already gained so much traction that star Daisy Ridley even addressed it. Though Ridley tried to shoot down the theory, all she did was give us a bit more material on which to speculate.

If you have seen the movie, then you know whether or not this theory is true, but if you want to know why we speculated on it in the first place, read ahead for the full breakdown.

Their Resemblance

Let's get this out of the way: yes, the first hint that these two might be related is thin. Felicity Jones and Daisy Ridley have a strong physical resemblance. They are both petite, British brunettes. Ridley was right when she told MTV, “I’m not being funny, you guys — but just because she’s white and got brown hair, it doesn’t mean she’s my mum.”

Or is it really so thin? In real life, the hint you get that two people are related starts with a physical resemblance. It's not crazy to think their casting deliberately points at a biological relationship. But still, we wouldn't write up an entire theory based on a hair color and an accent. Thus . . .

They Are Alike in Spirit

Jyn Erso has already summed up her role in the Star Wars universe perfectly. "This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel," she declares in the trailer. We know that she is tasked with stealing the Death Star plans so that Luke Skywalker can destroy it — translation: she is one of the good guys, a rebel fighting the good fight, no matter the consequences.

Sound familiar? Our beloved Rey herself is "a rogue one," a badass loner who we find making it alone on a distant planet as a scavenger. When the opportunity to fight for the right side lands in her lap, she is not only eager to pursue it — she is fated to. It's like it's in her blood, right? Hmmm . . .

The Timing Would Work Out

Ridley also questions the timeline for Jyn to be her mom. "I also don’t know if that would work out time wise” — so let's work it out. Rogue One is set before A New Hope, aka Episode IV, the first movie released in 1977 that introduced the world to Star Wars. It's also after the events of Episode III, aka Revenge of the Sith (the final movie in the trilogy released in the 2000s).

There are about 30 years between Episode VI and Episode VII, which is plenty of time for a character in Jyn's age range to have a child. It could make Jyn a really old mom, but it was noted that Rogue One takes place closer to New Hope at 2015's D23 (which makes sense, since Luke is involved in the stealing of the Death Star plans). Therefore, I think we can assume that Jyn is probably around the same age as Luke. And if she is the same age as Luke, she's the same age as Leia, who also had a child that is Rey's age: Kylo Ren.

Sorry Daisy Ridley, YA BURNT!

The Timing of the Movie's Release

There are five Star Wars movies in the pipeline. The last one memorably ended without telling us one of the most important things about a main character we became intensely enamored with.

What if the timing is more than arbitrary? We're not getting Episode VII until December 2017, and Disney must know that fans have already been tortured by this mystery's lack of an answer. Why lose momentum on the Rey question now?

What if we're not losing momentum at all — what if they're actually putting us out of our misery this December by revealing Rey's parentage in Rogue One?

So Then, Who's the Daddy?

So if Jyn Erso is Rey's mom, who's her father? There are a lot of hints that Luke Skywalker is Rey's dad, like her visions in the movie, the scene where he obviously recognizes her, and the music.

We like to believe the Rey Skywalker theory, but even if Luke is not the father, it's still a fact that Rey and Luke recognize each other in the final scene of The Force Awakens. Is it because she is the child of a friend with whom Luke once fought an Empire? That's just another case for Jyn being Rey's mother.