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‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Spoilers: Rey’s Identity Could Include A Flirtation With The Dark Side, Connection To Han Solo

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 00:38 PST, Feb 20, 2016

The Star Wars: Episode 8 spoilers could be pointing to a dark lineage for Rey, with suggestion that the the mysterious hero of Star Wars: The Force Awakens may end up having a flirtation with the Dark Side in the coming movie.

The most recent movie in the Star Wars universe gave fans a glimpse of a familiar character with a shadowy past. Rey (Daisy Ridley) appeared an echo of Luke Skywalker, a young and somewhat reluctant hero living on a desert planet who begins to discover a deep connection to the force and a desire to fight the Dark Side.

Spoilers for Star Wars: Episode 8 indicate that the next movie will focus heavily on Rey’s journey, but some believe her path will actually include a flirtation with the Dark Side. MoviePilot noted that Rey appeared to struggle with her own anger and fear during the final lightsaber battle with Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“The possibilities are endless when it comes to Rey’s journey in discovering the Force. Yes, she could train with Luke Skywalker and follow the Jedi path. But while this would solidify Rey’s role as the saga’s new hero, we have seen this journey before in the original trilogy. So what if we see something different?

“The interesting thing about how Rey was tempted by the Dark Side in The Force Awakens, is that it wasn’t actually Kylo Ren who persuaded her. Instead, it was her rage and impulse which tempted her to kill him. This lines up with what Yoda tells us in The Empire Strikes Back: that fear and hate lead to the Dark Side.”

To this point, much of the potential spoilers for Star Wars: Episode 8 focused on Rey’s lineage and her potential parents. There had been two prevailing theories, the first that she was the daughter of Luke Skywalker. Those in this camp note that Rey was unusually drawn to Anakin’s lightsaber and that her background, growing up on a desolate planet, mirrors Luke Skwalker.

There are others who believe that she is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s granddaugther. The Huffington Post noted that both Ewan McGregor’s and Alec Guinness’s voices are heard during Rey’s flashback in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and J.J. Abrams made a suggestion that loneliness is key to Rey’s origin. Some believe this is a reference to Obi-Wan’s exile between Episode III and Episode IV.

As The Week noted, there is still another newer theory that Rey may actually belong to Han Solo and Princess Leia, which could be supported from some of the supporting books on the fringe of the Star Wars universe.

“While every possible permutation of Rey’s parentage is being explored, one idea proving more popular than others is the suggestion that rather than being either Snoke or Luke’s child, she will turn out to be the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia. In the many books and comics released after the original trilogy was complete, the couple had three children, one of whom turned to the dark side. Although those plot lines were subsequently declared non-canon after Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4bn (£2.7bn) in 2012, some believe the core relationship will be revived.”

But, other spoilers indicate that the reveal of Rey’s identity may not come in Star Wars: Episode 8 at all. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Colin Trevorrow dropped a major hint that fans won’t find all all about where Rey came from until his turn to direct in Episode 9. But, he did also suggest that her background could fit one of the major fan theories, saying that his movie won’t be introducing any major new characters.

[Image via Lucasfilm/Disney]

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