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Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!
It's been a few weeks since J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker arrived in theaters, and ended the Star Wars franchise as we know it. The movie was fast paced, wrapping up a ton of stories throughout the course of its 142-minute runtime. Abrams took the time to give endings to the characters he created in The Force Awakens, especially Daisy Ridley's Rey. The subject of Rey's parentage was one of the overarching questions of the sequel trilogy, one that got a false ending in The Last Jedi. Now The Rise of Skywalker writer Chris Terrio has addressed how that storyline was handled in the latest movie.
Rey's parents were at the heart of her introduction in The Force Awakens. She was waiting on Jakku for them to return, after being left as a child. Fans theorized about who she might be related to, especially given Rey's strength with The Force. Kylo Ren revealed that her parents were nothing but junk traders who left her in The Last Jedi, although fans doubted whether or not this was true. The Rise of Skywalker finally revealed the truth, and Chris Terrio explained why The Last Jedi didn't put the subject to bed.
Well, we weren't convinced that it had been cleared up, because there's still this highly troubling vision that Rey had in Episode VII, which is the shop with her parents leaving the planet. Also, the events of The Last Jedi are literally just after the events of Episode VII—within 48 hours, Rey has had a force-back to her parents and then the very next day is told ‘your parents were no one and they were junk traders. None of that matters.’ And we thought in a way that would be too easy because of the idea that Rey had been longing for her parents for so many years. We just felt like there was something more going on.
He's got a point. The Last Jedi was set almost immediately after the events of The Force Awakens. And as such, Kylo Ren had a limited amount of time to somehow find out who Rey's parents were. Besides, the real issue was related to who her grandfather was.
Related: Don’t Expect Any Palpatine Deleted Scenes From Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Chris Terrio's comments to GQ help to put context behind the narrative choices made in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The latest blockbuster jumped ahead one year, allowing the stakes to rise and for characters to finally settle within the trilogy. As for Rey, the answers about her mysterious powers and blood line were finally revealed.
Star Wars fans can re-watch the Skywalker Saga on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the new streaming service.
It turns out that Rey was actually the granddaughter of none other than Emperor Sheev Palpatine. It turns out that he didn't die onboard the second Death Star, after being thrown into a pit by Darth Vader. While it wasn't revealed exactly how he survived, he was the puppet master behind Snoke and the events of the previous two films. What's more, it turns out that Rey's power actually comes from the Dark Side of The Force.
And Kylo Ren wasn't wrong. Rey's parents did abandon her on Jakku, although it was to keep her safe and away from Palpatine and his followers. We got a flash back of that scene, including a quick cameo by Killing Eve's Jodie Comer. Ben Solo just didn't know about how deep her bloodline truly went.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
