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Ok, I thought maybe somebody had said something in an interview and I missed it. I'll admit, the main reason I think she might be a Skywalker is simply because the saga movies are supposed to be focused on the Skywalker family, and it seems unlikely to me that our only Skywalker would be the villain.
Why not? Afterall, the original Saga is about Anakin and his return to the Light Side. That's what the series was always supposed to be about.
It's also possible that Rey's backstory will never be explained.
And I kind of hope that it is never explained.
 
Not explaining Rey's backstory would be the worst thing Star Wars ever did. It would make the prequels look like masterpieces. Luckily, I think there is a better chance of Rey being revealed as Jar jar's daughter then there is of Rey's backstory not being explained (I also think she is related to the Skywalker's somehow, and the odds of it being likely, but regardless I think the odds of her backstory being left a mystery are as close to 0 as you can get).
 
Not explaining Rey's backstory would be the worst thing Star Wars ever did. It would make the prequels look like masterpieces
How do you make the conclusion? If Rey's parents are nobodies from a previously unnamed planet, what does that add?

Secondly, what is added if she is Skywalker, something that I honestly think would do more damage to the story than enhance it.

Finally, the only thing I don't want for Rey's background is her to be a Skywalker. Beyond that, they can explain it, not explain it or what-have-you. It isn't critical for me to understand her character.

Certainly not "worst thing ever" level critical.
 
Why not? Afterall, the original Saga is about Anakin and his return to the Light Side. That's what the series was always supposed to be about.
Nope. It was always about Luke. Anakin's purpose was to show the dangers of what Luke could become if he made the same poor choices his father did; his redemption didn't become a narrative focus until the prequels started kicking into gear. Before then, it was only important because it was the key to Luke's truly becoming a Jedi.
 
Nope. It was always about Luke. Anakin's purpose was to show the dangers of what Luke could become if he made the same poor choices his father did; his redemption didn't become a narrative focus until the prequels started kicking into gear. Before then, it was only important because it was the key to Luke's truly becoming a Jedi.
Uh...weird. It's like GL made it all up ;)
 
Ok, I thought maybe somebody had said something in an interview and I missed it. I'll admit, the main reason I think she might be a Skywalker is simply because the saga movies are supposed to be focused on the Skywalker family, and it seems unlikely to me that our only Skywalker would be the villain.
Was Leia a villain? Was Luke? They're both Skywalkers, are they not?
 
Was Leia a villain? Was Luke? They're both Skywalkers, are they not?

But the new trilogy is not their story. Its Rey's story. Or at least it seems to be her story at this point in time. The PT was Anakin's story as well as Obi-wan's story. The OT was Luke's story for the most part but also Leia's story. If the central story is suppose to be centered around a Skywalker....and the story isn't about Kylo Ren, but instead it is about Rey....than if these stories are following the pattern that the Saga is about the Skywalkers generationally....the logical conclusion is that Rey is a Skywalker. At least at this point in time. The story of The Last Jedi might shift that all around so we are making a different conclusion by the time we get a title for Episode IX.
 
But the new trilogy is not their story. Its Rey's story. Or at least it seems to be her story at this point in time. The PT was Anakin's story as well as Obi-wan's story. The OT was Luke's story for the most part but also Leia's story. If the central story is suppose to be centered around a Skywalker....and the story isn't about Kylo Ren, but instead it is about Rey....than if these stories are following the pattern that the Saga is about the Skywalkers generationally....the logical conclusion is that Rey is a Skywalker. At least at this point in time. The story of The Last Jedi might shift that all around so we are making a different conclusion by the time we get a title for Episode IX.

Yes it is Rey's story. It is also Finn's story and and Kylo's and Leia's and Luke's...and BB-8's?
That's three Skywalkers to two not-Skywalkers (and one droid.) I'd call that very much centred on that family. It doesn't need Rey to be one of them, anymore than it need's Finn to be.

Look at it this way: the PT was about where the Skywalkers' origins. The OT was about their destiny, and the ST is about their legacy. Rey may be that legacy, as in what's left when they're *all* gone.
 
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The protagonist's story usually. That would be Rey and Finn, so far. Kylo Ren is not the protagonist of the story (so far). Poe might gain more as we go on. These stories are likely not Leia or Luke's story, as they are supporting characters.
The PT that is basically Obi-wan, Padme, and Anakin (aside from The Phantom Menace...where it is difficult to find the protagonist, since it seems to be Qui-Gon and Padme, then Anakin pops up, and Obi-wan is sidelined for half the film). Anakin, even when he falls, is still the protagonist of the story as we watch the hero fall to darkness.
The OT it is Luke mainly, with Leia and Han. Darth Vader is not the protagonist at all.
 
Didn't GL once claim the two trilogies were all about Anakin?

Which doesn't make sense in hindsight, because at the time of ANH Vader wasn't Anakin yet.
 
He usually says something like "It's a story about fathers and sons." or to that effect
 
The protagonist's story usually. That would be Rey and Finn, so far. Kylo Ren is not the protagonist of the story (so far). Poe might gain more as we go on. These stories are likely not Leia or Luke's story, as they are supporting characters.
The PT that is basically Obi-wan, Padme, and Anakin (aside from The Phantom Menace...where it is difficult to find the protagonist, since it seems to be Qui-Gon and Padme, then Anakin pops up, and Obi-wan is sidelined for half the film). Anakin, even when he falls, is still the protagonist of the story as we watch the hero fall to darkness.
The OT it is Luke mainly, with Leia and Han. Darth Vader is not the protagonist at all.

The protagonist is just the character the audience follows around. Who's story it is is simply a matter of perspective. In a sense, yes it's the story of how Luke Skywalker rescued a Princess, saved the galaxy and became a Jedi. But at the same time it's also the story of how Anakin Skywalker was brought back to the light by his son. It's also the story of diversity overcoming oppression. It depends on how you look at it. There's this quote from Terry Pratchett's 'Thief of Time' that sums the concept up quite nicely: -

"Supposing an emperor was persuaded to wear a new suit of clothes whose material was so fine that, to the common eye, the clothes weren't there. And suppose a little boy pointed out this fact in a loud, clear voice...
Then you have The Story of the Emperor Who Had No Clothes.
But if you knew a bit more, it would be The Story of the Boy Who Got a Well-Deserved Thrashing from His Dad for Being Rude to Royalty, and Was Locked Up.
Or The Story of the Whole Crowd Who Were Rounded Up by the Guards and Told 'This Didn't Happen, OK? Does Anyone Want to Argue?'
Or it could be a story of how a whole kingdom suddenly saw the benefit of the 'new clothes', and developed an enthusiasm for healthy sports in a lively and refreshing atmosphere which got many new adherents every year, and led to a recession caused by the collapse of the conventional clothing industry.
It could even be a story about The Great Pneumonia Epidemic of '09.
It all depends on how much you know."

In TFA it's as much about Finn as it is Rey and for the first half of the movie and he's the only one of the pair with any real agency. It's not until Takodana that Rey takes her destiny into her own hands (an hour in!)
Finn and Rey may be the protagonists, but their story is only tangential to this chapter in the Skywalker saga. That's not to say they're not important (far from it) it's just that they're our window into it this time round. They're a witness to what Ben has become. First Finn at the village and later Rey in the cell.

Here's the bit a lot of people miss the significance of: Rey doesn't wield the lightsaber until *after* Finn is cut down. It's not that it's the Skywalker sabre that's significant ro Rey, it's that she's taking up his cause as he took up Poe's.
The significance of the blade itself isn't about Rey, it's about Kylo. That it goes to Rey doesn't mean that she's a Skywalker, it means that Kylo is no longer worthy of the name. So that scene is playing on at least two distinct levels.
 
I disagree, TFA was very much squarely Rey and Finn's story with the last generation taking a back seat.
Was Leia a villain? Was Luke? They're both Skywalkers, are they not?
They were Skywalkers and they were not the villains, which is exactly my point. In all of the saga movies so far, we've always had at least one heroic Skywalker, so unless Ben is redeemed Rey seems like the most likely character to be our heroic Skywalker. I guess it could be Finn since we don't know his about his parentage either, as far as I know, but Rey still seems more likely. Poe is probably ruled out since we saw his parents, and possibly even the morning after his conception, depending on exactly how old he is, in Shattered Empire. I guess they could always reveal that he was actually given to Kes and Shara to raise for some reason, but that seems unlikely to me.
But the new trilogy is not their story. Its Rey's story. Or at least it seems to be her story at this point in time. The PT was Anakin's story as well as Obi-wan's story. The OT was Luke's story for the most part but also Leia's story. If the central story is suppose to be centered around a Skywalker....and the story isn't about Kylo Ren, but instead it is about Rey....than if these stories are following the pattern that the Saga is about the Skywalkers generationally....the logical conclusion is that Rey is a Skywalker. At least at this point in time. The story of The Last Jedi might shift that all around so we are making a different conclusion by the time we get a title for Episode IX.
Exactly.
Now, I'm not going to be upset or anything if she's not a Skywalker, it just seems like a very, very likely to me based on what's been said about the saga's story.
And I kind of hope that it is never explained.
After setting it up as a big mystery, I can't see them not exploring it before the end of the trilogy. Even if she's not a Skywalker, I still think her true identity will have some kind of significance to the story and mythology of the universe. If the reveal wasn't going to have some kind of impact then they probably would have just told us that she's the daughter of a couple nobodies from some planet we've never heard of.
 
I disagree, TFA was very much squarely Rey and Finn's story with the last generation taking a back seat.

1) I never said it wasn't their story (quite the opposite in fact.) Just that there's a difference between the narrative focus and an overarching plot.
2) Kylo was not in the back seat and he's a Skywalker. That's your "this generation" in the driver's seat. That he's the villain is just them changing it up a little.

They were Skywalkers and they were not the villains, which is exactly my point. In all of the saga movies so far, we've always had at least one heroic Skywalker, so unless Ben is redeemed Rey seems like the most likely character to be our heroic Skywalker. I guess it could be Finn since we don't know his about his parentage either, as far as I know, but Rey still seems more likely. Poe is probably ruled out since we saw his parents, and possibly even the morning after his conception, depending on exactly how old he is, in Shattered Empire. I guess they could always reveal that he was actually given to Kes and Shara to raise for some reason, but that seems unlikely to me.

And in TFA we had General Leia as the heroic Skywalker. Quite literally in this case because everyone in the Resistance is there precisely because that's how they all see her. In TLJ we'll have both her and Luke. By Episode IX, who knows, maybe Kylo will be Ben again. Maybe not. Way too early to make an intelligent guess.

Look at it this way: if this trilogy is meant to be the end of the Skywalker saga, then it makes sense that the new hero having the torch passed on to her isn't one of them. If she's going to be there when they're all gone, then she really can't be.

Anyway, as has been argued over and over again for the last 18 months, Rey *can't* be a Skywalker. It makes no sense. Why would they have abandoned her on Jakku so long ago? Why wouldn't Han realise who she is? Even the timing of events simply don't work. All of the major precipitating events: Ben becoming Kylo, Leia forming the Resistance, the new Jedi being wiped out, Luke disappearing off the edge of the map, all of it happened as little as five or six years ago. Rey was abandoned a decade or so *before* that. There's absolutely *zero* connection there.
 
Your right, it wouldn't make sense. Hopefully that's enough to have stopped them from doing it anyway.
 
Curveball:

LEIA: NO, I am your mother.

FINN: Why are you telling me this. I didn't even ask. All I said we should probably get off this planet.
 
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After setting it up as a big mystery, I can't see them not exploring it before the end of the trilogy. Even if she's not a Skywalker, I still think her true identity will have some kind of significance to the story and mythology of the universe. If the reveal wasn't going to have some kind of impact then they probably would have just told us that she's the daughter of a couple nobodies from some planet we've never heard of.
I like the idea of a nobody background, because it fits with the "Hero's Journey" mythology. But, as I said, the only reason why I care is if she is a Skywalker. That will make me angry beyond reconciliation.

Which leads me to:
Anyway, as has been argued over and over again for the last 18 months, Rey *can't* be a Skywalker. It makes no sense. Why would they have abandoned her on Jakku so long ago? Why wouldn't Han realise who she is? Even the timing of events simply don't work. All of the major precipitating events: Ben becoming Kylo, Leia forming the Resistance, the new Jedi being wiped out, Luke disappearing off the edge of the map, all of it happened as little as five or six years ago. Rey was abandoned a decade or so *before* that. There's absolutely *zero* connection there.
And, yet, people keep looking for that connection. But, all of these questions are completely legitimate, and undermind the theory, but the theory persists.
 
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