Daisy Ridley hints at how 'Rise of Skywalker' retcons Rey's "parents thing"
They might be more than junk traders, after all.
Ever since the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fans have questioned whether there was any truth to Rey’s parents being “filthy junk traders.” Was the line meant to be taken at face value? Per Kylo Ren, Rey’s parents are nobodies, but the reveal left plenty of wiggle room. Daisy Ridley recently suggested there’s still more to learn about Rey’s backstory in The Rise of Skywalker.
Some speculative spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The Last Jedi has not stopped fans from speculating about Rey’s parents. Some have suggested Rey is the daughter of Han and Qi’ra (the latter only appeared in Solo and was revealed to have ties to Darth Maul), while others have argued her mother is Zorri Bliss.
This might be Rey's expression when she finds out who her real parents (or grandparent) really are.
At the end of the day no one really knows for sure. Except, of course, the cast and crew of Rise of Skywalker. Here’s what Ridley said to EW about Rey’s parentage:
“The parents thing is not satisfied — for her and for the audience. That’s something she’s still trying to figure out — where does she come from? It’s not that she doesn’t believe it, but she feels there’s more to the story. And she needs to figure out what’s come before so she can figure out what to do next…”
It sounds like Rey is also not ready to believe what Kylo said about her parents. We know that there’s a substantial time jump between Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, and it’s possible her new command of the Force has given her new insights.
Ridley’s observations are strikingly similar to what J.J. Abrams said about the identity of Rey’s parents. Back in April, the Episode IX director opined that “there’s more to the story” about Rey’s parentage, but that it still “honors” what was done in Episode VIII.
The question of Rey's parents continues into 'Star Wars 9'.
Abrams’ comments raised eyebrows among fans, though Johnson’s been asked about the possibility of a “Rey retcon,” and he’s been relatively blasé about it. It’s likely Johnson would have known in advance about upcoming tweaks to Rey’s backstory and already prepared his answers for it. Since none of the Star Wars films are fully in the control of individual directors, The Last Jedi’s reveal about Rey’s parents may not have been final.
Perhaps both things are true, from a certain point of view. Rey’s parents could indeed have been nobodies, but that doesn’t mean she completely lacks notable blood ties. Either way, the Star Wars franchise has twisted information before — and made things up on the fly — so we shouldn’t take The Last Jedi as the last word on the subject.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20.
