Why Rey Might Not Be Who You Think

Once the Internet met Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Rey, it immediately formed multiple elaborate theories about every little thing she does. While that's certainly a fun way to pass the time until we can actually watch the movie, it's important to remember that we're not the storytellers here. So there's a real good chance that just about every theory surrounding her is dead wrong.

Let's start with Rey secretly being a Solo, as theorized by iDigital Times. After all, trailers show us Han and Leia as a couple still, so it makes sense that they've produced at least one child in that time. But is it Rey? Probably not, despite her being extremely adept with a blaster, much like Han. Remember, Rey's a lone scavenger on the planet Jakku. This isn't Han's home planet (Corellia) and it's certainly not Leia's (a giant pile of space debris once known as Alderaan). If she were their kid, they wouldn't likely strand her all alone on some remote, desolate world. Han's not the selfish rogue he once was, and Leia especially would take great care to not abandon her children as she was by her father. So unless Leia files adoption papers sometime during Act II, she's probably not Rey's mom.

Luke Skywalker has received just about zero screen time in any trailer released thus far. We know nothing about him, which makes it entirely possible that, as theorized by Movie Pilot, he will wind up revealing himself as Rey's papa soon enough. After all, mysterious buildup leading toward surprise patronage runs in the family. Except, this theory has nothing at all to support it besides Disney sticking Rey in the center of the official Force Awakens poster, right where Luke was on the New Hope poster. That's not nearly enough to overcome one damning fact: Luke's a Jedi who can't fall in love, so he shouldn't have a child at all. Doing so would invalidate everything that he fought so hard against the Empire over, and though the temptation of the Dark Side may never fully dissipate, we really can't see Luke giving in after all these years.

According to Star Wars News Net, when Maz Kanata says "I see your eyes... I know your eyes," she's likely talking to Rey. And, since Kanata is a thousand-year-old pirate, she's likely seen those eyes in a shady place. Perhaps on the face of the new Sith, Kylo Ren? In addition, there's apparently a Topps trading card set pairing Luke and Leia with Ren and Rey. To some, this suggests Ren and Rey are siblings, and that they will kiss before figuring this out. But is it true? Probably not. Remember, we don't know if Kanata is actually addressing Rey, and trading cards aren't exactly clue central (were you even aware they still existed)? Also, we don't know if Kylo Ren will survive beyond this film, so if he dies, why bother relating him to anybody?

The Rey theories don't exclusively debate her bloodline—some concern her powers, namely that she might actually be a Jedi. According to Over Mental, another set of trading cards identify Rey as a Jedi, and people are naturally taking this as a huge hint that she is Force-sensitive. Except, the fact that nothing thus far has shown her wield a lightsaber makes us wonder how much weight this theory truly holds. And honestly, even if new footage appears where Rey uses one, that's still not enough evidence of her Force-sensitivity. Remember, Han Solo once wielded one, despite having less connection to the Force than that Tauntaun he splits open. So if we see Rey use a lightsaber, that doesn't suddenly mean she's a Jedi. It might simply means she's good at learning new weaponry.

Rey might well be a major hero—possibly the major hero—of the new trilogy. But she might not stay that way. A Reddit theory points out that, because Rey's staff somewhat resembles that of Darth Plagueis's (Emperor Palpatine's old master), she might wind up joining Kylo Ren in helping the Sith take back the galaxy. Remember, a big part of Star Wars concerns the seductive pull of the Dark Side—just ask Anakin and Luke. In fact, even if she doesn't wind up Force-sensitive, she could still say yes to the Sith. Several Star Wars characters have gone to the Dark Side despite not having, as Admiral Motti foolishly said to Darth Vader's face, a "sad devotion to that ancient religion." So why couldn't Rey be next?

Just about every theory the Internet's excitedly put out there ignores one major fact: Rey's tale almost certainly won't be told in just one movie. We're getting two more Saga films after this, so there's an incredibly good chance that after The Force Awakens, we'll continue to know next-to-nothing about Rey's origin, ambitions, Force-sensitivity, and even what side she's on. Did A New Hope tell us anything about Vader and Luke's relationship? Of course not! They strung the story along until the big reveal at the end of Empire Strikes Back and, while that might have been a happy accident on George Lucas's part, it very clearly worked. So why wouldn't Disney do the same thing? Don't expect to know much of anything about Rey until Episode VIII, or possibly even Episode IX. Hers is going to be a long, epic story, one our coffee-fueled shower theories can't possibly hope to match.