General Star Wars Thread

Just remember, while she's almost certainly Luke's kid, we already know for a fact that she's somebody else's kid too.

edited 30th Jul '16 2:56:41 PM by TheAirman

Apparently she picked up her Core accent (in Earth terms, British accent) from being "raised" by Unkar Plutt so that's not her birth accent.

Many theories can be said to be more interesting when considering the potential, but only if it truly works within the context. The main issue is that the Saga is stated to be about the Skywalkers in a linear fashion. And thus, a Skywalker is the natural (even if cliche) choice for Rey. To divert from that narrative is going against George Lucas has established and given that the Sequel Trilogy wants to be part of his six-part saga, there are certain boundaries it must respect.

That's why the Snoke is Darth Plagueis theory was a popular one. Because of Plagueis's alleged involvement with the birth of Anakin as mentioned in Episode III, making Snoke Plagueis can theoretically still fit within the narrative of the Skywalker and thus won't come off as a cheap twist like Snoke is really Darth Maul all along.

Making Rey a Kenobi or a Palpatine just simply raises confusion as neither Obi-Wan nor Sheev are known to have families at all in the film. Obi-Wan is more of surrogate uncle to the Skywalker family and he never bonded with his own biological family or even noted to have found love (that wasn't killed off) before his death in Episode IV. Sheev is essentially an evil version of Yoda, complete with a mysterious past that wasn't even fully elaborated upon in the films. Did Yoda need to have descendants?

Also considering how much this new saga take from the old one them Rey not being skywalker come as weird, "let recreate OT...except Rey isnt luke daughter for....reasons"

The thing that has always bothered me about this line of reasoning is, beyond taking general Word of God from years ago as the gospel, it very specifically defines those general thematic statements from "the Star Wars saga is the story of the Skywalkers and their legacy" to expressly mean "only Skywalkers can be the focus characters of Star Wars movies" in order to justify the point, even though that's not the same thing.

Even if Rey turns out to be unrelated to the Skywalkers completely (which admittedly is less likely than the alternative), Episode 7 would still be about the Skywalkers' legacy and their continued impact on the galaxy. There's a noticeable "epic story witnessed by bystanders" vibe there (a la The Hobbit, especially the movie version), at least until the end, and there's little reason to assume that the continued narrative of the Skywalkers hinges entirely on Rey being one.

edited 30th Jul '16 5:35:05 PM by KnownUnknown

Them Rey is unrelated girl who have to clean the mess of emo boy and is space hbo uncle while the galaxy plunged into the same war before having her being skywalker a less give more of a link

It took me a while to decipher that, but I don't think so. That's assuming that the plot of the sequel series will hinge around Rey fixing everything, but there's little reason to assume that either - not when the movie does a very good job of showing both the Resistance and the Jedi as institutions centered almost wholly around the wills of the Skywalkers that uphold them.

It is, again, perfectly possible to tell the story of something important from the perspective of someone who doesn't a personal connection to it, even without necessarily using Supporting Protagonist.

Luke and his potential as the hope for the Jedi is so thematically present that he drives the whole plot of Awakens despite having no lines and about a minute's worth of appearance. The plot involving Han, Leia and Ben drives the last half of the movie far more than anything involving Rey and Finn, who are more in the movie than driving it - part of the point of Rey's plot is that she doesn't actually have a stake in what's going on but still has the will to act, inspired by all the great people around her. And then there's the heavy influence of Vader's legacy on Kylo. Not to mention that the movie gets a lot of usage out of multiple protagonists who all have a stake in the plot (though, to be fair, even our trope pages sometimes run with the interpretation that Rey is the only protagonist of importance).

Rey and Finn might be the main (though not only) focus characters, but Awakens is very much about the Skywalkers. I don't see much reason why that would have to change, especially given that we'll be starting the movie with the Resistance (and by extension) introduced this time, and of course the fact that Luke's (presumably) coming back.

edited 30th Jul '16 6:15:15 PM by KnownUnknown

The issue is that they made Rey's backstory a deliberate mystery and a mystery that begs for a resolution. A resolution that can complicate the focus on Rey and the Skywalkers. What is the Sequel Trilogy about? The Skywalker family? Or some random girl with some mystery that is unrelated to the Skywalkers. If Rey be the eyes of a newcomer to see the saga of the Skywalkers instead of THE Skywalker, she could have easily had deceased parents whose identities should have been shown from the beginning. It would have the save the trouble of trying to explain Rey's origins and just get on with Luke and Rey relationship.

And I recall George Lucas always wanted a happy ending for his Star Wars saga. That's why he vetoed any bittersweet moments in Return of the Jedi like Han dying or Luke wandering into the distance alone. And if his successors want have the sequel trilogy be a worthy installment to the Saga, then they should at least keep in mind of that. I'm of course talking about the future of the Skywalker family. As I've stated before, Kylo Ren does not deserve the name Skywalker and having him be the last descendant is a sour note to the grand focus of the Star Wars saga.

" That's assuming that the plot of the sequel series will hinge around Rey fixing everything"

she dosent have fix everything, but the mayor conflict? it will be her, take that for granted

" part of the point of Rey's plot is that she doesn't actually have a stake in what's going on but still has the will to act, inspired by all the great people around her"

And yet she IS important consider the lenght Kylo go for her and how much he since to know thing she dosent as biggest moment is when lightsaber go into her hand, that cant happen with her being a random girl alone, she HAVE stakes, is only she dosent know it yet.

Along these lines when you compare Rey to Ezra from Rebels, there are a lot of similarities in the sense that they are both force-sensitive and both are living on their own. However in Ezra's case there is never any implication that his parents are anything other than some dissenters who were arrested by the Empire and that he's force-sensitive because force-sensitive children just happen sometimes.

If Rey isn't part of any important lineage (Skywalker or otherwise), then they would of been no point to keep the identity of her parents ambiguous. Even something as simple as showing a brief glimpse of them in Rey's vision sequence would of been sufficient.

edited 31st Jul '16 7:41:12 AM by Falrinn

That just leaves them with a different conflict, however - developing it as a mystery is going to backfire, because there's no real way it can be dramatically satisfying.The mystery angle doesn't add much to the plot as a whole, and its different resolutions don't have the payoff of others this series has gone (not to mention it runs the risk of getting in the way of the Character Development Rey started in this one) - unlike with Vader, a resolutions where she's a Skywalker adds nothing, because there's no layers it can add that don't already exist within the plot already: she's already (presumably) Luke's apprentice, Kylo's enemy, and close to Leia - she's already involved in the Skywalker family's story and has everything a revelation like that would bring - which would make it unfeasible as the resolution of a mystery. It'd be The Un-Twist.

Meanwhile, if she's someone like Obi-Wan's kid, then we have to force in characters who aren't part of the narrative back in just to justify or explain it. And if she's the kid of nobody important, then the mystery angle will just make people think they've wasted their time.

If they're going to use it as a mystery (which I doubt, see below), their only real option is to just use it in marketing and then answer who she is early in the movie without much fanfare. It's transparent yes, but they're really going to get disappointment if they try to stretch it out for more than one movie.

But to be clear, I don't think the series sets up her parentage is a mystery - or at least, or to be precise it don't think it has to be one. The series could end without ever answering who they were and not get in the way of any of the things set up by her origin - the idea of it being a mystery is something the fans blew up about, but which the movie itself actually blatantly said (including thematically, which is more important than saying it explicitly) multiple times is not that important.

edited 31st Jul '16 8:19:18 AM by KnownUnknown

Oh no, they most definitely set it up as a mystery. A mystery they said it would solve. To deny that is to ignore what directors and writers have said about Rey's heritage. Supposed to be "satisfying" according Colin. And thus, I am inclined as a viewer to follow her story as she's the main character, not Luke or Kylo. But it distracts from the main story of the saga, the story of the Skywalkers.

When Lucas was making Revenge of the Sith, he had two parallel plots going at the time, the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the foundation of the Rebellion. He ended up cutting the Rebellion foundation as a means to primarily focus the narrative on Anakin's fall (and cut down some politics talk), believing that is the crucial aspect for saga he must emphasize above all else. Ever notice how all the episodes revolve around the Skywalkers in some and form? You bring in random parents, it detracts from the narrative for some cheap attempt on progression and twists.

edited 31st Jul '16 10:17:25 AM by Shadao

Wasn't there already a comment made by someone that Rey's father does not appear in Episode 8? Meaning it isn't Luke?

Something to watch.

IIRC it was more like "The secret of Rey's parents won't be revealed in VIII".

They can't drag that mystery to final episode of this trilogy. It creates Arc Fatigue AND detracts from the focus on the Skywalkers. I did not came to watch the Sequel Trilogy for The Search for Rey's Parents. I came because of the story of the Skywalkers. That's the thing that many writers of the old EU forget. The story overall is not about Luke, Han, or Leia, but the Skywalker family as a whole. It should have been a Passing the Torch moment from one generation to another. Likewise, there better be a reason why this is called Episode VII. Episode VII implies a linear progression of the story (which is why Phantom Menace is not Episode IV), and that story is the Skywalker family.

Otherwise, they might as well call this Star Wars: The Next Generation Episode I: The Force Awakens.

edited 31st Jul '16 12:41:31 PM by Shadao

There's no reason "the Skywalker family saga" needs to be only about biological relatives of the Skywalkers. Thus far, Luke has no children. If Rey isn't related to him, it doesn't really matter at all: he'll serve as a father figure for her as a mentor. She'll be a part of the "Skywalker family" anyway, just an adopted member rather than a biological one.

My issue with an adopted Skywalker is burden. The burden of knowing you are related to Darth Vader. Doesn't matter if he was once a powerful Jedi and The Chosen One. His crimes as Vader haunts the family to this day. It's something that torments Luke till he witness his father's redemption and it's something that inspires Ben to become an evil Psychopathic Manchild. How would an adopted Rey feel that burden if she is not related to Vader by blood?

And not mention that an adopted Skywalker could work without the mystery of her parents. Just have her parents be revealed (and dead) in Episode VII and simply focus on her mysterious connection with Luke (like she was a former pupil of his). And bam! Have Luke decide to adopt her (although that works better if she was a young teenager) as a Skywalker.

Though really, if Rey is going to take a last name and be adopted, it's going to be Solo not Skywalker. Not to mention the discussion on whether or not Rey adopting the name of a famous person instead of forging her own name would bring up an Unfortunate Implication.

edited 31st Jul '16 12:58:02 PM by Shadao

I assume by "adopted" he didn't necessarily mean literally adopted, but more becoming a non-related character who is essentially a member of the family. Which becoming Luke's apprentice would effectively do.

And what is the focus of the Sequel Trilogy then? The Skywalker family or this new character Rey with her own origins to explore? You can't eat cake and have it too with Random. Is she a Skywalker or is she not? Does she inherit the Skywalker name or does she not? Such questions simply asks what is the focus on the Sequel Trilogy. And more importantly, why should this be the continuation of what Lucas has started?

In the grand scheme of things, the best answer is the one with a simple one if somewhat cliche. People responded to Revenge of the Sith better than the previous two prequels because it doesn't go overly complex with plot. Darth Sidious really being Palpatine all along is a cliche, but it's better than Palpatine and Darth Sidious are two different people but are really clones because of Dark Empire (which few people know about) and Palpatine somehow...

I think my mind broke by all the theory convolutions. The point is that Rey's backstory has to be connected to the Skywalkers in a major way or otherwise this mystery ends up being a waste of time, and no amount of justification in terms of "sending a message" and "mystery box" can change that.

edited 31st Jul '16 9:12:47 PM by Shadao

I definitely agree that it's very easy to overthink things to the point where any answer that actually makes sense seems "too obvious to be right".

Now given that it is the obvious answer, if Rey is indeed Luke's daughter then it would work best as an Act 1 reveal. Actually given that Episode 8 is supposed to pick up right where Episode 7 left off, I think it's not unreasonable to believe that the reveal will happen in the first few minutes of the movie.

If nothing else there have to be morally good Skywalker descendants out there somewhere, else the family's legacy, the legacy of all six original movies, ends with... that jerk. Speaking as someone who loved TFA, that would be nothing less than insulting to the originals.

That is also something to take into consideration.

And in that Rey is basically the only viable candidate. She's the only one who is the right age, ethnicity, with unknown parents, and not already a member of The First Order (and thus likely ineligible to be a "good" Skywalker).

edited 31st Jul '16 6:32:20 PM by Falrinn

I know Daisy Ridley's resemblance to Pernilla August, aka Skywalker matriarch Shmi, has been much remarked upon.

You know, after reading the spoilers for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, suddenly the idea of Palpatine having children has become a card in the playing field. I still think it's ridiculous and out of character for the incarnation of pure evil that is Sidious to ever have kids. And the fans apparently think the same as well for Lord Voldemort and backlash very harshly. I'm just amazed that this script got approved at all since it seems to sound like really bad fan fiction brought to life. I hope Star Wars doesn't do the same...

For Voldemort and Valor!