'Star Wars: Episode IX' May Undo 'Last Jedi's Most Controversial Plot Twist

Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to wrap up the entire Skywalker saga, but will it also change one of the biggest reveals from the previous movie? Recent reports, including a statement from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, offer conflicting information about how Episode IX will handle the issue of Rey’s parents. Here’s what you need to know.

First, a bit of background. In case you somehow forgot, The Last Jedi featured a thrilling scene where Kylo Ren tells the truth about Rey’s parents right to her face:

“They were filthy junk traders. Sold you off for drinking money. They’re dead in a pauper’s grave in the Jakku desert. You come from nothing. You’re nothing.”

It was a powerful moment, but for fans who had spent two years speculating if Rey could be a secret Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi’s daughter, it was a bit of a disappointment. (This also fed into that whole terrible online campaign against The Last Jedi and its more racially diverse stars, but let’s ignore that ugly mess for now and focus on Rey.)

After J.J. Abrams took over Star Wars: Episode IX, some fans speculated that he could retcon The Last Jedi to give Rey a more complicated backstory. It sounds unlikely, but in a recent interview, Johnson suggested this might actually happen.

In an interview with MTV, Johnson said he’d be ok with Abrams undoing some of his decisions as long as it makes for a good story.

“Like I said, man, I want to let go of all my expectations,” Johnson said. “I want to sit back. I want to be entertained. I want to be surprised. I want to be thrilled. I want him to do stuff I wasn’t expecting him to do and just go along for the ride.”

It’s unclear if Johnson has any inside knowledge about Episode IX, though it’s not impossible. He is working with Lucasfilm on an untitled new series of Star Wars movies set far away from the story we’re familiar with, so he might be in the loop about some of the bigger plot details. In that case, Johnson could be preparing us for an unexpected twist in Episode IX.

On the other hand, another recent Star Wars: Episode IX rumor suggests Abrams won’t be messing with the Rey origin story established in The Last Jedi. According to a tweet from Geeks WorldWide editor-in-chief KC Walsh, anyone who’s hoping Episode IX won’t retcon Rey’s parents can breathe a sigh of relief.

Walsh seems to have some legitimate sources in the Star Wars industry, but his track record is still a bit hazy. So we wouldn’t take his tweets as fact. For now, it’s unclear exactly what will happen with Rey in Episode IX, but based on everything we’ve heard so far, whatever Abrams does have planned for Rey should come as a huge surprise.

Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019.