'Star Wars: Episode IX' Leak Reveals Rey's Shocking Connection to Palpatine

There are so many theories regarding Rey’s parentage ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but amid all the speculation, we may have found a major clue hinting at Rey’s family. The mystery of Rey’s parents has gone from one extreme to the other, with fans speculating that her mother could be bounty hunter Zorri Bliss or even Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Qi’ra, while her father might be Han Solo himself. But no one’s ever ventured further back into her family tree, and that’s where Rey’s potential connection to Emperor Palpatine comes in.

Warning! Potentially huge spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ahead.

Ever since it was confirmed that Palpatine would be making his grand comeback in Rise of Skywalker, the idea that Rey is a clone of Palpatine, or is at least connected to him in some way, has been prevalent. Redditor u/JediPaxis offers a twist on this potential connection by claiming that Rey is the former emperor’s granddaughter. It sounds pretty wild, but we’ve heard stranger things.

“[Kylo] maintains that while her parents are nobodies, her grandparents (more specifically her grandfather) wasn’t. Kylo tells Rey that she is the granddaughter of Palpatine,” they write.

Let’s backtrack, shall we? It’s important to note that this leak has some merit, considering its origins. U/JediPaxis is a fairly reputable source who moderates the Star Wars Leaks subreddit and doesn’t usually release leaks unless he knows there’s some semblance of credibility. This also comes on the heels of the post from MakingStarWars, which claimed that Rey is indeed a “product of Palpatine”, even if the reasons as to how they’re connected remain a secret. It definitely adds fuel to the fire.

This leads right back into the notion that Rey and Palpatine are actually related and, honestly, having them be blood relatives would be reason enough for their connection’s existence and could also tie into how Palpatine returns. Does Palps need a successor? Will he use Rey as a tether to draw himself back to the galaxy? There are a lot of questions that would come with this revelation, but nothing Episode IX can’t handle in a nicely-timed expository scene.

The reason this information stands out is because it’s completely sound. After all, the Star Wars franchise has never delved very deep into Palpatine’s personal life, so there’s a chance he had a wife and kids that the audience wasn’t aware about. Plus, if this leak turns out to be true, it serves as a good workaround for Rey’s parentage and backstory without taking away from her parents being nobody junk traders.

Additionally, it would be a great twist. And as the hero of the new sequel trilogy, being related to the big bad of the entire Star Wars saga would definitely put Rey front and center and raise the stakes. It would also parallel Luke’s realization about Darth Vader’s identity in Return of the Jedi, and this franchise loves its parallels.

On the other hand, it doesn’t explain how Kylo could have known this information. Did he know that Palpatine was her grandfather the whole time and just failed to mention it to her? Did he gain the information from Supreme Leader Snoke or Hux? To fully wrap our heads around this leak, we have to understand Kylo’s motivations, which, admittedly, remain fairly murky. Still, given where the leak comes from, the Palpatine/Rey connection could play a major role in the film whether or not they explain how Kylo came by this information. Rey could have her entire world turned upside down in Episode IX and it’s honestly about time she faced a new kind of villain.

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