The debate of Rey’s parentage/lineage raged on for years in the Star Wars fandom. The main hero of the sequel trilogy had a phenomenal arc throughout the said trilogy and a lot of it boiled down to her journey to find her place in the universe and come to terms with who she is while she trains in the Force and discovers herself.
This journey came to an end in The Rise Of Skywalker where it was revealed that she was a Palpatine. The only issue is that The Last Jedi answered the question which was posed by The Force Awakens first, citing Rey’s parents as being no-one. So, knowing this, here are 5 reasons we love that Rey is a Palpatine and 5 reasons why it is better than Disney/Lucasfilm should have kept her like no one.
LOVE IT - IT LEADS TO REY OVERCOMING FEAR & CHOOSING HER PATH
Luke Skywalker came to Rey in The Rise Of Skywalker and told her that “Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi. Your destiny.” From there Rey goes on to destroy Palpatine and choose her path.
Given the circumstances, it would have been better had Rey taken the name Palpatine, owned who she is and changed the meaning. But, by choosing her path and choosing Skywalker it allows Rey to break free of any assumptions around her, of any confines and glass ceilings she would find herself under. Even if the scene played off a bit cheesy.
NOBODY - IT IS A BRILLIANT TWIST
The age we live in has given way for theories and speculation oozing out of the Star Wars fandom over the past half a decade. From the identity of Snoke to the fates of our heroes, there has been a tonne of debate, not least of all surrounding Rey’s parentage.
There were theories that she was a Skywalker, Kenobi, or a Solo, people correctly theorized she was a Palpatine, while others said she was a product of the Force. What not a lot of people thought about was the twist Rian Johnson presented, that she was no one, she was Rey. Shocking and brilliant in terms of a twist, and great for the reasons detailed in this list.
LOVE IT - ITS DEVASTATING
This is the reason J. J. Abrahms give for his choice to have Rey be of Palpatine descent, and in all honestly, we see where he is coming from with it.
Abrahms claims that the reveal in The Last Jedi is not as devastating as coming from the worst possible place. He says that being haunted by your true identity and having to overcome that with the message of there are things stronger than blood is a better journey for our hero.
LOVE IT - A BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE
The only issue with that is the message is not well put into action, whereas the message that Johnson is conveying is beautiful. The message is not put forward well in The Rise Of Skywalker because there is no time and the Rey Palpatine reveal feels more like a retcon than a furthering of her arc, despite its moments.
Rey being a no one gives the idea that anyone can achieve anything and it does not matter where you come from or who your parents are, even if they are junk traders who sell you on for drinking money. Abrahms may say that is not devastating enough because it is better if your bloodline sucks than if they are not anyone but the fact is Rey still overcame immense odds and that her bloodline at that point sounded pretty sucky just help to make nobody as the better option for her parentage.
LOVE IT - EXPLAINS HER POWER
Not everyone cares about this, some people have not even given a thought to it. But, the fact is Rey is more naturally powerful than most Jedi we encounter throughout the series of films has been a hot topic of conversation since The Force Awakens.
The fact Rey is a Palpatine does offer some explanation as to her power. Even though it appears her father was not powerful, the lineage itself offers an insight into the deep power Rey possesses. Rey being nobody offers no explanation into her immense talent and connection with the Force, the true reveal does.
NOBODY - FITS REY’S ARC BETTER
One of the great things The Last Jedi did was further along Rey’s arc based on her parents being nobody, an idea which is built on in The Force Awakens. Rey keeps looking for parental figures, in Han, then Luke, and Leia.
On top of that, the combination of the two movies show Rey as being in complete denial of her family, rather than being in the complete unknown. While Rey may not know exactly who they are, Kylo tells her and she is not surprised, in fact, Kylo even says Rey knows deep down. Ultimately, it leads to better conflict within herself as she comes to terms with it all, as well as just being a better fit for her story.
LOVE IT - CREATES CONNECTIVITY
The sequel trilogy had the job of tying up not only itself but the entire Skywalker saga. This would involve an all-encompassing story, as well as having connections between all three trilogies.
The sequel trilogy did not achieve this specific feat brilliantly, but Rey’s lineage does connect her to both previous trilogies. Palpatine has been a constant in Star Wars since The Empire Strikes Back and having him alone in the film connects it to the wider story and brings Rey into that fold as well.
NOBODY - TIES UP NICELY
The answer to Rey’s parentage A) being nobody and B) being revealed in The Last Jedi was a genius move. It was something that had been festering for enough time for one and a half movies, Johnson executed it at the perfect time. It allows for that specific rumor strand to be done in the knowledge of her parents being nobody.
While the rumors would persist that perhaps this would be a lie, it would be a backseat focus allowing the scrutiny to fall on another topic. Out with that though, it ties up well, her parents being nobody is a twist yes, but makes sense and so allows you to move on from it. This means The Rise Of Skywalker did not need to focus a subplot on it, rather just confirm that indeed they are nobody, which would allow for more time to be given to other stories and overall create a better, more cohesive story.
LOVE IT - IT WILL LEAD TO MORE INTERESTING CANON MATERIAL
Rey being nobody ties up that story, which is great. However, what the Palpatine reveals does, for the more hardcore fans who care, is create an avenue for a slew of fascinating canon stories explaining it all.
Palpatine’s children/Rey’s parents, fans need to know about them. The same goes for Ochi. On top of that, there is a lot of explaining to do regarding Palpatine himself, regarding his return, survival, creation of the Final Order, and a plethora of other unanswered questions which Lucasfilm and Disney can now answer in various canon media.
NOBODY - A MUCH BETTER EXECUTION
Overall, what all this adds up to is that the reveal we are given by Rian Johnson is far superior in terms of its execution than that presented by J. J. Debating the quality of the movies is fine but it seems clear who gave the better answer to the Rey parent question.
Rey being nobody had a beautiful, festering build-up leading to what was a sensical, smart and overall beautiful reveal which led to great character moments and confrontation and needed nothing more than a confirmation to be tied up completely. The Palpatine reveals leaves so many unanswered questions, a lot of it does not make sense, and in all honesty, felt massively shoehorned.
