'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' Spoilers: Theory Explains Rey and Kylo Bond

Star Wars: The Last Jedi explored Rey and Kylo Ren’s Force-connection, but new evidence may make us rethink their entire relationship in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The key to understanding their mysterious link might lie in the flashbacks. A brazen new theory posits that Rey and Kylo trained together as Jedi, and she was even there the night Luke attacked Kylo.

Rey is the hero of the new Star Wars trilogy, but there’s also a lot about we don’t know. Her past is still shrouded in mystery and, while many have speculated that she and Kylo may be related, the two characters may have developed a unique connection through completely different circumstances.

Redditor u/findmywallet poses a well-thought-out theory that Rey was studying to become a Jedi and it was Luke who sent her to Jakku after sensing her connection to the Dark Side. Flash forward a few years later and Kylo brings her back to train. Luke, sensing the Dark Side once again, then attempts to attack Kylo, but (plot twist!) Rey is there as well.

Yup, u/findmywallet may have discovered that Kylo is indeed protecting someone behind him. In a video edited to include all three flashbacks from The Last Jedi, u/findywallet slows the third flashback down and provides the most intriguing bit of evidence.

slow down the final part of this scene. It ends with someone (Rey) screaming NOOOOOOOO. This is part of the flashback. If you go back to the Force Awakens flashback it starts out with Rey screaming NOOOOO in the mysterious ship her flashback starts at (you have to slow it down in speed but in the closed captions audio it catches that someone screams Noooo).

To clarify, this isn’t referencing the moment when Luke shouts “Ben, no!” Rather, it’s that high-pitched scream we hear right at the end of this video. One that almost sounds inhuman but could very well be Rey (or someone else) also present in that tent just slightly offscreen.

This theory is interesting for many reasons and offers a completely new take on all of the information provided in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. It’s also plausible considering the nature of flashbacks, which can be misleading if the narrator himself is unreliable. The idea of the unreliable narrator premise shows up in Episode VIII, when three different versions of Luke and Kylo’s fallout are shown. All of the flashbacks are different, depending on who happens to be telling the story and when. The theory would also help to explain why Luke didn’t want to initially train Rey and why she and Kylo are connected to begin with.

However, if Rey was inside the hut with Kylo, why doesn’t she remember being there? Perhaps one of the stones knocked her out and resulted in a memory wipe. Or maybe Luke somehow erased her memory after shipping her off to Jakku. Regardless, this theory definitely reframes what we already know about Kylo and Rey’s relationship.

So what does that mean for their future in Episode IX? Well, Rey’s flashbacks might finally provide some answers in terms of what they mean and why she’s been seeing certain things like the Knights of Ren. It may even provide answers as to whether she’s been seeing visions of the future or past memories.

Kylo might also continue to pursue Rey — whether to convince her they should work together or to explain exactly why he keeps trying — while Rey might take a step back and resist his efforts. She has a lot to deal with in the next installment and unless she has reason to suddenly turn to the Dark Side, her Force-connection with Kylo may just reinforce her commitment to the Resistance and the Light Side of the Force. 

This Force-connection between them will likely be further explored in The Rise of Skywalker, and the reveal that they’ve been connected all along because they were both Jedis in training might prove to be a game-changer for the franchise. Either way, the flashbacks have to mean something and tying them back to Rey and Kylo’s bond may finally provide some answers.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20, 2019.