7 Legit Possibilities for Rey's Parents in 'The Last Jedi'

After two years of thinking about Luke Skywalker standing of the most literal cliffhanger in all of movie history, Star Wars fans will finally be able to stop debating one topic, forever. Unequivocally, The Last Jedi will explain who Rey is related to and, presumably, why her family kept her a secret on the backwater planet of Jakku.

Bizarrely, despite countless cast and creators interviews, comic books, novels, and video games we don’t know much more on this subject than we did two years ago. But unlike Luke Skywalker having to navigate a web of lies from his uncle and mentor about his real father, we can assume Rey’s situation is going to be a little more straightforward. In The Force Awakens Maz Kanata tells Rey “Whoever you’re waiting for on Jakku, they’re never coming back.” Rey also brightly tells BB-8 that her family will “come back for me.”

In two weeks, we will have an answer to this question. But for now, here’s the likely candidates to select for whatever betting poll you’re involved with where people are putting real money on who Rey’s parents are in The Last Jedi.

7. Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade

In the expanded universe of Star Wars books and comic from the olden days of the ‘90s and ‘00s, Luke Skywalker eventually married a woman named Mara Jade. Without a doubt, Mara Jade is the most popular Star Wars character who is technically not a canonical Star Wars character. And though, the chances of her becoming canon retroactively are slim, some fans still believe Luke is standing over a headstone at the end of The Force Awakens, indicating someone — perhaps his wife — is buried there. In the old Star Wars books, Mara Jade was killed by Han and Leia’s son, Jacen Solo. Just like Ben Solo turned into Kylo Ren, Jacen became Darth Caedus and killed Mara Jade. Maybe Kylo Ren did the same thing?

6. Han and Leia

This one is almost too simple. But, from a storytelling point of view, it might be the simplest. Let’s say Rey is ten years younger than Kylo Ren, and that she was dropped off on Jakku ten when she was ten or so. Why did they leave her there? Well, maybe because their son, Rey’s brother, Ben Solo had just become Kylo Ren and started killing people strong with the Force. If Rey was Han and Leia’s daughter, certain things would start to make sense. But, it would be weird that Han pretended not to recognize her in The Force Awakens.

5. Snoke and the Dark Side

Because the latest trailers for The Last Jedi draws a connection between Rey and Supreme Leader Snoke, some fans are wondering if perhaps Snoke isn’t Rey’s father in a similar way Darth Vader was Luke’s. Or, to put it another way, Snoke used the Dark Side of the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life. Kind of like what Palpatine said was possible in Revenge of the Sith. If Rey only had a dad, and not a mom, it would make her a bizzaro Anakin Skywalker.

4. Iden Versio and Del Meeko

This one is the hottest new fan theory, and it comes to us from the canonical video game Star Wars: Battlefront II. Long story short: these two former Imperial Officers, turned Rebel sympathizers hook up, and decide to live on the planet Jakku where they have…a daughter. If this had happened to Rebels and not a video game, we’d already be putting all our money on this being the answer. But, because it’s a video game, it still seems far-fetched. Still, a daughter living on Jakku? That seems pretty significant.

3. Ezra and Sabine (via Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Since The Force Awakens tons of fans have decided that if Rey is related to anyone, it’s going to be Obi-Wan Kenobi. The problem is, as far as we know, Obi-Wan doesn’t have any children. Or does he? In The Clone Wars cartoon, Obi-Wan had a heavy-duty romance with the Duchess Satine of Mandalore. Some fans think that perhaps the Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren on Star Wars: Rebels is her and Obi-Wan’s daughter and that at some point in the future, she and Ezra Bridger hook-up and have Rey. The ages of Ezra and Sabine check out, but the Obi-Wan connection is tough. Satine — Rey’s grandmother in this scenario — was killed by Darth Maul, and as far as we know, she didn’t have any children hidden anywhere. Still, Star Wars loves hiding children and not explaining their family history.

2. Luke Skywalker’s Hand

While this is theory might seem off-the-wall, it’s weirdly the simplest. Rey is a female clone of Luke Skywalker. This is why she looks a little like his twin sister, Leia, and also explains why she’s so strong with the Force. There’s a precedent for cloning badass people in Star Wars, too. In Attack of the Clones, we learned Boba Fett was the genetic clone — and son — of Jango Fett. Meaning, no mother was necessary. The final reason why this theory is so great is if Rey is cloned from the DNA in Luke’s severed hand, all the visions she has when she touches the lightsaber in The Force Awakens make sense, too. The last thing Luke’s hand was holding before it was sliced off by Darth Vader was that lightsaber. Meaning, Rey’s vision could have weirdly been about her own “birth.”

1. The Force

This final candidate is a little bit of a cop-out, but again, there’s a Star Wars precedent for this kind of nonsense. If Rey was simply born out of the Force, then its possible she is the real Chosen One, who is destined to balance the Force out in contrast with all the bullshit created by Luke Skywalker’s family. Granted, this would render some of the Skywalker stories a little moot, but it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that Rey simply exists because the universe needs her.

Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi opens everywhere on December 15. Check out all of Inverse’s coverage on the film right here.