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The Force Awakens goes to great lengths to keep Rey's parents a mystery.
But it also goes to great lengths to give us hints -- not unlike the clues to finding Luke! And what a coincidence because I believe the clues regarding Rey's parents also lead to Luke!
Rey, Luke is your father! And here is a full compendium of reasons why Rey is Luke's daughter. (Thought of a reason I missed? Leave a comment below!)
While this is interesting because Maz is identifying Rey as important and she seems to know that Rey is Force-sensitive, it's also interesting that she points this question to Han and the camera immediately pans away. We can expect Han to answer "just a scavenger from Jakku," and maybe he does. But when Maz asks the question, it seems like she's expecting more.
However Han answers, Maz knows where to find Rey, for she soon finds her downstairs, clutching the lightsaber that had previously belonged to both Anakin and Luke. Upon touching this lightsaber, Rey had a vision (see below). Maz tells her who the lightsaber had belonged to, and then she says, "And now it calls to you."
Han asks Maz how she came upon this device, last seen at the end of Empire Strikes Back, when Vader cuts of Luke's hand. She says that's a story for another time. The movie is going out of its way to emphasize the importance of this lightsaber. It would have been much easier for Maz to have had any lightsaber. She's been around for 1,000 years, so it's entirely possible that any number of them could have crossed her path at some point. Had they wanted Rey to be "no one," just a new Jedi, then why go out of their way to connect her with this lightsaber?
Later, when dueling on Starkiller Base, both Kylo Ren and Rey struggle to pull the lightsaber to them. Ultimately it whips past Kylo and flies into Rey's hands. Kylo is surprised; he had earlier claimed the weapon belonged to him when talking to Finn. He believes this because it belonged to his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. Yet it goes to Rey--it belongs to Rey (though she had not used it yet at this point). If there was any other person with more a right to this saber than Kylo, it would be Luke's daughter, since he also wielded it.
But no. Leia waits for Rey, and the two hug.
Why?
Rey has not met Leia at this point. Leia arrived on Takodana after Rey had been kidnapped by Kylo. Also, we have not seen Han talk about Leia at all, so there's no reason Rey would think this person waiting for her is Han's widow. Yet immediately upon meeting her, Rey hugs her.
Is it possible that Leia and Rey recognize each other? Perhaps Leia knew Rey as a child. Han doesn't seem to recognize her, but then maybe it takes him some time to realize. Maybe he never met Rey but Leia had. If Han and Leia knew Luke had a kid, perhaps they assumed he'd taken her with him, never believed he could have left her behind as well. Perhaps it was understood that Rey needed to be kept secret, so they never openly told anyone else that Luke had disappeared "along with his daughter."
Why Rey is NOT a Solo
One of the main arcs of TFA is Kylo Ren's struggle with the Dark Side and the Light Side. Snoke tells him he must kill his father, Han Solo, in order to become more powerful. Leia tells Han to bring their son back. You would think they would have mentioned, some time in one of those scenes, that they also have a missing daughter.
The possibility that Han and Leia forgot about their long lost daughter because of a memory rub is low. This ability has yet to be demonstrated in actual canon. Plus, the memory rub couldn't be limited to two people. Depending on when this memory rub supposedly occurred, you would have the team of doctors who delivered the daughter, any one in contact with the Solos around that time, etc. "Hey, where's your daughter?" "Uh, what daughter?" I think they'd figure that out pretty quickly.
I'm hopeful that there will be another Solo child; I don't think that's been fully eliminated. It's easier to say "sure they didn't mention so-and-so because they were safe doing x-y-z over here." But you can't really say they didn't bring up a missing daughter when they spend so much time talking about their (sort of) missing son.
Eliminating the memory rub, lack of mention, there's also this: if they remembered their daughter and she was missing, you would think Han and Leia might suspect it when they each first meet Rey. Han especially, as he spends quite a bit of time with her. Yet he makes no effort to even broker the subject. If they forgot about her and she was missing, you would still think that meeting her might trigger something.
Why Rey is NOT Related to Obi-Wan
While this might be an interesting storyline, pitting Anakin and Obi-Wan's descendants against each other, I struggle with the idea that Obi-Wan would have children. It's made clear in Episodes I-III that the Jedi are not permitted to have relationships and that their training begins from a young age. Anakin struggles with many aspects of the Jedi training, probably because his training began so late in life. He meets Padmé long before he is told he won't be allowed to love. It's clear he's thought about her since he first met her.
But a child who is told from a young age that he cannot marry seems less likely to change.
Still, let's entertain the idea that Obi-Wan, after seeing what happened with Anakin, nevertheless decided to forgo the ideology that had been shoved down his throat for 30+ years. He retires to Tatooine, meets a nice girl, one thing leads to the other. The girl has a child.
The next question is: does he know about the child? Situation 1: No, he doesn't know. But if his grandchild, supposedly Rey, is as strong in the Force as she clear is, then presumably Obi-Wan would be able to send his child living very nearby. A child who is strong in the Force would gather his attention. He would probably investigate, and ultimately discover the child was his. Situation 2: Yes, he does know. Then why does he leave Tatooine behind without a second thought in A New Hope? That's cold, Obi-Wan.
Why Rey HAS to be a Skywalker
I get that it might be cool to see some non-Skywalker Jedi kick some butt. Not a bad story. But that's not what the core Star Wars storyline has been about.
Star Wars is about a very special family and always has been. It is about the family patriarch, who falls to the Dark Side. It is about the son, who saves his father and helps him find redemption. And in Return of the Jedi, we discover that another of the main characters has been a Skywalker all along and that she is the "back up hope," so to speak.
Check out this quote from Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm:
“The Saga films focus on the Skywalker family saga,” she explains. “The stories follow a linear narrative that connects to the previous six films. The Force Awakens follows Return of the Jedi and continues that generational story. The Anthology films offer opportunities to explore fresh characters, new storylines and a variety of genres inside the Star Wars universe.” (The Force is Still With Them, Costco Connection)
If TFA covers the next generation, it seems likely that there would be more than one person in that generation. Kylo/Ben cannot be the only one. "There is another..."
If there is more than one person in that generation, it has to be someone introduced in TFA. Is Poe a Skywalker? His backstory is pretty firmly established. Is Finn a Skywalker? Well... I'm not going to say no, but it seems less likely than Rey being a Skywalker. Those are the only main characters that are the appropriate age.
Rey Is More than "No One"
In one of the trailers, Rey says that she "is no one." If that is true, why go out of the way to say so? They don't spend much time on Finn's back story; that makes it more believable that he is 'no one,' at least in terms of where he comes from. But they are going out of there way to establish Rey as "no one".
Also, Rey has no last name. We never see her parents. She never names them or describes them. Again, they are going out of their way to be very mysterious about this. If it all turns out to be true, it's quite a bit of a let down. In storytelling, if the teller makes it a point to establish something, there's a good reason and a good payout for it. There's no point in wasting screentime otherwise. This would be different if The Force Awakens was a parody film, but it's not.
Light Side vs. Dark Side
In the original trilogy, there are two Skywalkers who each represent the Light and the Dark (Luke and Vader). It seems likely that there would be a similar dichotomy in TFA. Somebody needs to counterbalance Kylo. Somebody needs to save him. It's clear that that somebody is not Luke. If Luke could have saved him, he would have already. Plus, Luke already saved Vader. Have Luke save Kylo would be rehashing a similar story (not that it isn't already, but that's a story for another day).
TFA already pits Kylo and Rey against each other. And Rey is tempted by the Dark Side -- in the novelization, she has the opportunity to "finish" Kylo and kill him. But she doesn't. Only after she makes that decision does the ground rip apart and separate them (10 things we learned about 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' from the novelization -- #7).
Plus, an important theme of the Star Wars story is redemption through family. As Luke's daughter, Rey would be Ben's son. Perhaps she is better equipped to help Ben deal with Vader's legacy, as a member of the next generation, in a way that Luke could not.
Kylo Recognizes Her
First, when he is told that BB8 is in the hands of a "girl" from Jakku, he reacts very strongly to this, despite the fact that it's a piece of rather vague information. Remember, too, that the Empire has the rest of the map leading to Jakku. If he knows that Luke has a daughter and that Luke was at Jakku, he realizes what this could mean.
This is made more apparent in the novelization, in which Kylo spends some time trying to figure out who Rey is:
[Kylo] can't believe that [Rey is] just a random scavenger. When she retrieves Luke's lightsaber with the Force to commence their duel, he mutters to himself, "It is you."
This disturbs Rey, who observes to herself that Kylo "seemed to know more about her than she did about herself." (#8)
Kylo has suspicions about who Rey is that are confirmed for him later. Plus, the symbolism of this confirmation occurring with Luke's lightsaber seems significant.
Second, I noticed Kylo didn't make a strong attempt to injure Rey when he first captured her. Yes, he knocks her unconscious using the Force, but his only 'attacks' on Rey are to capture her and for defense. If he's curious she may be his cousin, this would make sense. (But I admit he may have just been curious about another Force user and would want to attempt to turn them to the Dark Side.)
Third, why is Kylo so confident that the BB8 is not necessary? He knew that Rey had seen the map inside the BB8. But does that mean she would remember it distinctly? I am not certain how his mind-reading Force power works. Perhaps he could recall something more clearly and accurately than Rey herself could were she to attempt to remember on her own. Maybe the map is not that complicated. But the conviction seems fueled by his suspicions about her identity. He may be assuming that Luke told Rey where he was going. He may be certain that Rey "knows" for this reason, and not just because she has looked upon the map.
Finally, the parallels to TFA and the original trilogy are clear. Kylo tempts Rey to the Dark Side, just as Vader tempted Luke. While I'm sure Snoke would love for Kylo to recruit any and all Force users, from a storytelling standpoint, there just seems to be something poignant about this scene.
Later we find out that Luke has been living on an island surrounded by a large ocean. The way that Kylo describes it, it does not sound like one dream Rey had. She dreams of it often, this place she has never been to, this place where Luke Skywalker is.
Is she merely glimpsing the future through the Force? Or is she so strongly tied to Luke that she can tell where he is? Using the Force, Luke is capable of both Farsight and Telepathy, skills that are enhanced when there is a strong bond between the users. It seems reasonable that Rey's connection to Luke are causing the dreams.
Rey's Dreams of Oceans and an Island
When Kylo is torturing Rey, he finds out that she has trouble sleeping. He says that she sees oceans and an island. Keep in mind that she has grown up on a desert planet, that has no oceans. Plus, she is amazed when they first arrive at Takodana and she sees how green it is. It seems clear that she has no memory of having ever left Jakku, a theory reinforced by her desperation to return there.Later we find out that Luke has been living on an island surrounded by a large ocean. The way that Kylo describes it, it does not sound like one dream Rey had. She dreams of it often, this place she has never been to, this place where Luke Skywalker is.
Is she merely glimpsing the future through the Force? Or is she so strongly tied to Luke that she can tell where he is? Using the Force, Luke is capable of both Farsight and Telepathy, skills that are enhanced when there is a strong bond between the users. It seems reasonable that Rey's connection to Luke are causing the dreams.
Takodana & The Lightsaber
In her castle on Takodana, Maz meets Finn and Rey for the first time. After Rey realizes Finn intends to flee, Rey chases after him. The first words out of Maz's mouth are, "Who's the girl?"While this is interesting because Maz is identifying Rey as important and she seems to know that Rey is Force-sensitive, it's also interesting that she points this question to Han and the camera immediately pans away. We can expect Han to answer "just a scavenger from Jakku," and maybe he does. But when Maz asks the question, it seems like she's expecting more.
However Han answers, Maz knows where to find Rey, for she soon finds her downstairs, clutching the lightsaber that had previously belonged to both Anakin and Luke. Upon touching this lightsaber, Rey had a vision (see below). Maz tells her who the lightsaber had belonged to, and then she says, "And now it calls to you."
Han asks Maz how she came upon this device, last seen at the end of Empire Strikes Back, when Vader cuts of Luke's hand. She says that's a story for another time. The movie is going out of its way to emphasize the importance of this lightsaber. It would have been much easier for Maz to have had any lightsaber. She's been around for 1,000 years, so it's entirely possible that any number of them could have crossed her path at some point. Had they wanted Rey to be "no one," just a new Jedi, then why go out of their way to connect her with this lightsaber?
Later, when dueling on Starkiller Base, both Kylo Ren and Rey struggle to pull the lightsaber to them. Ultimately it whips past Kylo and flies into Rey's hands. Kylo is surprised; he had earlier claimed the weapon belonged to him when talking to Finn. He believes this because it belonged to his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. Yet it goes to Rey--it belongs to Rey (though she had not used it yet at this point). If there was any other person with more a right to this saber than Kylo, it would be Luke's daughter, since he also wielded it.
Rey is Powerful
Despite have very little experience, Rey quickly learns to use the Force. She uses the Jedi Mind Trick to escape Kylo's torture chamber. She picks up lightsaber dueling pretty damn quickly (ANH!Luke would be super jealous... or would he be proud papa?!). She is the only person who can resist Kylo's mind-reading trick. And she uses the Force during her duel with Kylo.
How is she so good at using the Force when she's barely used it?
I'm not saying that the Skywalker family is the strongest family of Force users. But well, I think the trailer says it best:
The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power, too. (Official Teaser #2)
It's clearly Luke speaking here. Who is he talking to? These lines don't actually occur in TFA. It's possible it could be for a flashback scene where he is talking to young Ben. But it's strange to explain something so formally when Ben likely knew that his Uncle Luke was strong in the Force. Also why would he say "my sister" instead of "your mother"?
Eliminating Ben, it seems likely these words are spoken to Rey. And if Rey is a non-Skywalker Force user, why would Luke go to the trouble of explaining that the Force is strong in his family? "Look, that's a great back story, Master Luke, but can we get back to my training now?
Lor Sen Tekka Knows Much about the Skywalker Family
Who is Lor Sen Tekka? We're given very little information about a very important man. This is the man who has the final piece of the map to the Jedi temple and therefore Luke Skywalker. This is also a man who knows Kylo Ren's true identity. Based on the fact that he brought this up at all, it would seem that few truly know this. Plus, apparently Han and Leia are almost mythological by this point.
How did he obtain this piece of the map? It's possible that Luke left it with him. If that is the case, why would Luke choose this man? Why wouldn't Lor Sen Tekka contact the Resistance earlier? Why would Luke trust him with that information?
No, I don't think Luke ever gave this information to Lor Sen Tekka. I think Lor Sen Tekka gave it to Luke. Jakku is a remote planet. Luke had to track Lor Sen Tekka down in order to get this information. Jakku was the last planet Luke visited before he went to the Jedi temple.
Thus, what does it mean that Rey is on the last planet that Luke visited before he abandoned his entire life? If Luke was on Jakku at the same time as Rey, he would sense another Force user there.
Yes, I cede that it's possible he sensed this anonymous Force user and ignored it because he felt he had failed at being a teacher. But then, why exactly is he searching for the Jedi temple originally? If he was so forlorn at what he had done, why retire to that specific place, and not Dagobah, Tatooine, or any other random planet in the galaxy? I'm suspicious that Luke may be searching for some answer and some way to balance the Force, the way that it was promised Anakin would do. He is looking for a way to help his nephew.
If Rey is an anonymous Force user who happens to be on Jakku, and the above hypothesis is true, why leave her behind? He could train this person as well. A new opportunity in a new place. Perhaps it would be a distraction, fine.
But if Rey is Luke's daughter, would he bring her to the temple with him? What if he is afraid of Vader's legacy in his bloodline? An anonymous user may not be so easily tempted to the Dark Side as Anakin's grandchildren might. But after Ben, Luke may be afraid to watch his daughter walk down the same path. Furthermore, bringing Rey along could put her in further trouble. If he trains his daughter in the Force, it increases the odds that she will face Ben some day. Perhaps that is a confrontation Luke wants to protect his daughter from. It would be dangerous, for one thing, plus it would be a great pain for Rey to bear, to go up against a family member -- a pain that Luke is very familiar with.
What I propose is this: Jakku was Luke's last stopping point. He brought Rey with him as long as he dared, unable to say goodbye but knowing he would have to. Jakku was a safe place due to its remoteness; it even sadly reminded Luke of his own childhood home. After spending some time with Lor Sen Tekka (obtaining the map and mentioning what had happened with Kylo), Luke trusted Lor Sen Tekka to watch over Rey, in the same distant way that Obi-Wan watched over Luke, he bid a tearful goodbye to his five-year-old daughter and left, believing and hoping that he had ensured his daughter's safety.
More Reasons Luke is Rey's Father
These don't necessarily fit into neat buckets like the reasons above, but I feel they are all noteworthy!
Rey's Vision
Rey sees a number of images when she touches Luke's lightsaber. This includes a vision of Luke touching R2D2, as well as a vision of Kylo Ren. It's unclear if this is supposed to be in the past or the future, but as the vision draws to a close, we hear Obi-Wan's voice say, "These are the first steps."
Nothing in the vision definitively appears to be a "step" of any sort; there's no instructions or directions. There isn't even a vision of the ocean and the island that Kylo later sees in her mind. Perhaps it is simply telling her the first steps to--something--are to find Luke and to face Kylo Ren. Yet it's not clear what path these first steps would lead to.
I also think it could be possible that remembering these events in her past are the first steps to Rey accepting who she is and what may have happened to her. If Rey has any previous training as a Jedi, regardless of whether she is directly related to Luke or not, then she likely would have been present when Kylo killed Luke's other students. On top of that, she was abandoned to a stranger at a young age. It seems likely that she would have repressed these memories.
Consider her reaction to the vision and to Maz's revelation that the saber that belonged to Luke Skywalker now calls to her. She is upset, she rejects it, and runs away. If she didn't care so strongly about these visions, she could have said no and returned upstairs to Han. But instead she runs away. Why would these visions spark so volatile of a reaction to her if she had never seen Kylo and Luke before?
Nothing in the vision definitively appears to be a "step" of any sort; there's no instructions or directions. There isn't even a vision of the ocean and the island that Kylo later sees in her mind. Perhaps it is simply telling her the first steps to--something--are to find Luke and to face Kylo Ren. Yet it's not clear what path these first steps would lead to.
I also think it could be possible that remembering these events in her past are the first steps to Rey accepting who she is and what may have happened to her. If Rey has any previous training as a Jedi, regardless of whether she is directly related to Luke or not, then she likely would have been present when Kylo killed Luke's other students. On top of that, she was abandoned to a stranger at a young age. It seems likely that she would have repressed these memories.
Consider her reaction to the vision and to Maz's revelation that the saber that belonged to Luke Skywalker now calls to her. She is upset, she rejects it, and runs away. If she didn't care so strongly about these visions, she could have said no and returned upstairs to Han. But instead she runs away. Why would these visions spark so volatile of a reaction to her if she had never seen Kylo and Luke before?
Rey and Leia Meet -- And Immediately Hug
When the Millenium Falcon returns to the rebel base at the end of the movie, after Starkiller Base has been destroyed, Rey is one of the last to leave the ship. Yet Leia is waiting there for her. You would expect Leia to grieve with Chewbacca--their hug previously in the film indicates closeness, and they were the two people in the world that Han loved the most (aside from Ben).But no. Leia waits for Rey, and the two hug.
Why?
Rey has not met Leia at this point. Leia arrived on Takodana after Rey had been kidnapped by Kylo. Also, we have not seen Han talk about Leia at all, so there's no reason Rey would think this person waiting for her is Han's widow. Yet immediately upon meeting her, Rey hugs her.
Is it possible that Leia and Rey recognize each other? Perhaps Leia knew Rey as a child. Han doesn't seem to recognize her, but then maybe it takes him some time to realize. Maybe he never met Rey but Leia had. If Han and Leia knew Luke had a kid, perhaps they assumed he'd taken her with him, never believed he could have left her behind as well. Perhaps it was understood that Rey needed to be kept secret, so they never openly told anyone else that Luke had disappeared "along with his daughter."
Leia Sends Rey to Bring Back Luke
Seems like kind of a big, important mission for a new recruit to the Resistance. Yes, her abilities as a Force user may have influenced this decision, but I could see other Resistance officials arguing about this. If anything, they'd want to send Leia, Luke's sister.
But Leia may have suspicions of her own regarding Rey's identity. And perhaps Leia believes that Luke's daughter would have a better chance of bringing him home.
The Way Luke Looks at Rey
At the end of the movie, they spend a lot of screen time staring at both Rey and Luke's faces when they finally meet. I fully admit I could be looking too hard, but I swear when Luke turns around, he looks at Rey, and then he kind of looks up a little more. I think it's fair to guess he would know that it was Rey the second she landed, or even sooner, given his abilities with the Force. But he wouldn't know exactly what she looked like; fifteen years have gone by. Could this be a reaction of a father looking upon his daughter for the first time? (Or maybe he is just surprised by the saber, I'll admit. Still, it seems they went to extra lengths to make this scene particularly poignant.)Rey Looks Like Padmé
I think this is more of a pleasant coincidence. If this casting call for Episode VII is true, it calls for any ethnicity for Rey's role. Nevertheless, the similarities between Rey & Padmé are eerie. And girls inheriting their grandmother's traits is totally a biological thing. I have absolutely no evidence to back that up, but it's totally a thing.
Convinced? Not convinced? Did I miss something important? Let me know below!
Updated: 12/26/2015. Added bit about Rey's dreams, the importance of Luke's lightsaber, and Rey's vision after seeing the movie a second time.
Updated: 12/26/2015. Added bit about Rey's dreams, the importance of Luke's lightsaber, and Rey's vision after seeing the movie a second time.
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