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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

ST Poll: Rey's Parents

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by ChewieWe'reHome, Dec 21, 2017.

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Who do you hope Rey's parents are?

  1. Important/pre-existing Star Wars characters

    25 vote(s)
    24.8%
  2. Filthy junk traders who sold her off for drinking money

    52 vote(s)
    51.5%
  3. I don't have a strong opinion either way

    24 vote(s)
    23.8%
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  1. Artoo-Dion

    Artoo-Dion Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2009
    Trainspotting 3: Back 2 Jakku.
     
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  2. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Problem... if the Sequel Trilogy is about Legacy (as some of the people at Lucasfilm have said), what about Rey?

    She's a nobody, she doesn't have a legacy? Hell... the only legacy carried forward at this point is that of Darth Vader. Ugh.
     
  3. Artoo-Dion

    Artoo-Dion Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2009
    Isn't the legacy of Darth Vader fitting as a coda to six films about Vader's rise and fall?
     
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  4. yanote

    yanote Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 1, 2016
    I thought the answer had already been given...
     
  5. ChewieWe'reHome

    ChewieWe'reHome Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2015

    It seems it was, but the question is being posed under the hypothetical that it isn't set in stone. Like "if YOU could choose the answer, which would it be".
     
  6. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Maybe, but denying or destroying the legacy of the OT characters... hurts.

    The New Republic is dead. The New Jedi Order is dead. Han and Leia's son is worst then dead. What was the point of any of it? Is the Star Wars galaxy doomed to forever be embroiled in darkness and war? Maybe that's the part that really pushed a lot of us to despise The Last Jedi. We finally know, that none of our heroes from the Original Trilogy have had a lasting legacy. Despite everything... nothing has changed.
     
  7. RogueZero

    RogueZero Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 17, 2009
    For almost a year now I have felt that Rey's parents were nobodies. Not only were they nobodies, they weren't even Force-sensitive. Just because the Force is strong with the Skywalker family and has been passed down from Anakin, it definitely didn't mean that every Force user had parents who were strong with the Force. The Last Jedi has confirmed that her parents were nobodies (though it isn't necessarily confirmed that they weren't strong with the Force). I couldn't be happier. As I said before elsewhere on these forums, I am 100% happy with my favorite character's journey in this movie, and this trilogy so far.

    I think it's neat that Kylo and Rey, always two sides of the same coin in many ways, have different backgrounds. Kylo is the one dealing with the legacy his family. That Skywalker blood, like Luke says. It'd been boring if Rey had the exact same or similar family legacy. He's the one who came from two legends of the galaxy, Han Solo and Leia Organa, AND he's the grandson/kinda sorta heir apparent (in his mind, anyway) to Darth Vader. She, on the other hand, comes from nothing but it's REY who will be a symbol of the Resistance, it's REY who will be the spark of light in the galaxy, it's REY who is the last Jedi, now that Luke is gone. Better than that, it's REY, nobody from nowhere, who will eventually pass on what she has learned. There's something about that I can't help but really love. Nobody from nowhere who has been left behind can be the savior of the whole galaxy.

    I seem to love this character more and more everyday.
     
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  8. ChewieWe'reHome

    ChewieWe'reHome Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2015
    New evil's rising doesn't kill the legacies of hero's past. Heck, it's even shown that the legend of Luke Skywalker still inspires hope in new generations.
     
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  9. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Then why do I feel hopeless after TLJ?
     
  10. Satipo

    Satipo Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2014
    Agreed. The only possibility of a lie that I can see (and I don’t think one is needed) is on the details as Kylo’s drives home the point. The answer - “nobodies” - comes from Rey anyway and it’s something she’s always known deep down but been unable to accept. So i think anyone holding hope for a related reveal is kidding themselves.

    Because you’re not seeing what the film is saying - I’m not saying that’s on your understanding of the film necessarily, I’m saying that the film’s messages are clearly not working for you whatever reason if you come away hopeless.
     
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  11. godisawesome

    godisawesome Skywalker Saga Undersheriff star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2010
    Personally, I'd prefer to see her parents revealed as someone significant (because, you know, it's me, the Rey Skywalker theorist who kept on working ways into my theories to imply Mara Jade.) But, I also feel it's worth saying that artistically, the moment for that reveal should have already passed; to imply a secret in new movie a tease, to make it a red herring in another an artistic statement, to reverse course and announce the most speculated answer was in fact accurate in film 3 is just diminishing returns. As much as I regard Rey Skywalker as being a superior concept to Rey Nobody, and even the execution of Rey Nobody in TLJ, it would undo the core drama of Rey in TLJ, leaving a bulk of her plotline just misdirection.

    Although, if I can be a little fanboyish die-hard, that does leave me the only Hopkins man in my family to not still believe that she's related to someon after TLJ: my uncle, dad, and brother all feel she has to be somebody still (my brother even used the f-bomb to gauge his incredulity). None of them are quite on my level of nerdy, and while I can evaluate the structure of the film for my above argument... I do kind of feel that just saying Rey has all this strength and skill after only a couple of days of even knowing about the Force because she's Kylo's opposite is a bit over-reaching for a series that got very subversive with its last Chosen One archetype.
     
  12. Satipo

    Satipo Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2014
    Sorry - just drifted beyond the edit window so apologies for double post.

    Just wanted to clarify my above comment about the film's message.

    I appreciate that no amount of viewings will work for some, and I totally appreciate there is valid criticism that can be made, as well as certain story choices being a kick for some. After the first viewing I felt a little like that too. I wondered if the film was sweeping away everything that had come before and replacing it with... I'm not sure? Everything I had been expecting to build up to something took a hard left. And Luke... Died? Did he really need to? What was was it all for?

    On second viewing, all those misgivings melted as what Rian was doing clicked for me. He wasn't burning it all down. He's stripping everything that's come before to their purest essence and breathing new life into those universal and primal concepts. Yes, he comments and challenges what's come before, but out of a place of respect and in a way that helps the characters come to their POVs at the end.

    The villain is the one that wants to burn it all down. The hero is the one who realise the past has much to offer, if infused with the spirit of the next generation, and if one doesn't fixate on the structures and dogma of that past. Rey makes the same "mistakes" as young Luke did. That fiery spit of hope is what the galaxy needs. Also, it feels a little "hopeless" intentionally. All three major plots involve failure and the apparent loss of hope at the end of act 2. That's a subversion in one sense of what we're used to (whilst at the same time great structural writing) so it feels like everything was for naught. But that again is intentional.

    On one level it's about the cynical nature of these struggles. On another it's about not letting our mistakes define and totally derail us. Each of our heroes fails. Each must rally themselves having learned a lesson and come back stronger. And it's also reflective of Leia's line (albeit told to us by Poe and Holdo) about holding onto hope even when you can't see it. If that's not quintessentially SW, I don't know what is. So, I'm not saying it's wrong to feel hopeless about the film. I totally get that, especially after just one viewing - a lot is buried (I missed Kylo setting up the fact that maintaining any level of Force Projection would kill you) in set up and pay-off and often scenes are more about character and theme which can make sub-plots seem to drift, especially when "failure" is their end-game. But I do think that there is a lot more going under the surface (intentionally so) than it initially appears. Anyway, apologies for the digression, I just wanted to clarify the point.

    Re Rey's parents - I think you need the hammer blow of them being not just kind nobodies but a-holes to make that punch land for Rey. There is not point softening the blow. She had a-hole nobodies for parents and stays right and true. Kylo has Han, Leia and Luke for family and still wants to burn it down. A great reflection there IMO. That would be weakened and as far as I can see, purely for providing comfort to the bloodline fans, if they were to reverse that.

    For me, while misdirection plays a big part, it's not about pure subversion. It's about making that moment land for the character. Had she been the daughter of Skywalker or Solo, it would have made sense of it all, and been an easy out for her. It's the opposite of why Luke finding our Vader is his father is so perfect, and just as right for that character.
     
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  13. dan1210

    dan1210 Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2015
    Terrible decision, totally unsatisfactory explanation in my opinion. Theres nothing clever about it, it seems the formula for tlj was to go against everything thats has come before purely for shock value.
     
  14. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    My personal hope is that Rey's parents actually are forgettable drunks as Kylo said. "Rey Random" as a name, is a flat out insult to the human spirit, suggesting she is only noteworthy if her lineage is noteworthy. Screw that! People are defined by their actions, not their family. Not only is it unimportant who Rey's parents are, but it's important that we *know* it's unimportant. Anakin was turned and Luke weakened because of strong attachment to family. It's important that Rey's attachment to family be minimal, so that temptation has minimal effect on her.
     
  15. moreorless12

    moreorless12 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 4, 2016
    For me though Satipo the issue is far less about any overriding intended themes and far more about how those themes are actually pulled off onscreen which I found often found lacking in depth.

    A big issue though is I think the character Johnson was handed down by Abrams. Whilst yes Abrams introduces the idea of Rey waiting for her family to me he does a really poor job at carrying this forward and building it into her story across the film and how she feels about the Force/Luke. The end result to me is that the twist about her family to me feels like its playing on audience expectations not the characters expectations, shooting down fan theories whilst Rey herself doesn't seem to be driven by a desire to be "special" merely to have a family. This was I think going to make any plot around her tough to give really strong drama to rather than just "shock twists".

    Still though I think TLJ's unfocused nature didn't help here, so much time spent on questionable sideplots rather than the central Rey/Kylo/Luke story, I think peoples reactions to Luke as well would have been far more positive if the character had been delt with in a more sympathetic fashion with more screen time. As it is he feels like he's reset far too much merely to give a simple dramatic arc.
     
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  16. ChewieWe'reHome

    ChewieWe'reHome Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2015

    First concerning your Rey comments: I agree that her desire to be "shown her place in all this" doesn't solely rest on her parentage. But we've seen how important that is to her. In TFA she tallies up the days they've been gone, consoles in BB-8 when they meet, reluctantly rejects Han's offer to work with him, and tries to run from Maz's castle to get back home. So when Ben finally confirms her "nobody" origins & uses them against her, it really hurts. What she held out hope for all those years may be the very thing giving her "no place in the story" (in her eyes).

    As for your thoughts on Luke: I personally appreciated the hard reset on his character. The OT Luke is still there, it's just buried underneath 30 years of added history. Which I find intriguing. And not forced. At least for me, drastic character changes (while not required; see Han & Leia in the ST vs OT) feel natural when it's been THIRTY YEARS.
     
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  17. GregMcP

    GregMcP Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2015
    To make Rey Luke's daughter would have needed alot of retrofitting. Putting a whole lot of flashback in place.

    Maybe that was simply too much. And people would still be upset about it.

    "Rey is nobody" gets that subplot done in a few sentences.

    It could have been done, if that was the story Rian wanted to tell, but it wasn't.

    And heaven help Rian trying to explain Obi Wan's granddaughter.
     
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  18. Jamtia

    Jamtia Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2016

    This. She doesn't need to be related but I did feel to that there were hints from other characters knowing something about her. Even the way Han looked at her on the falcon and then asked her to work for him on the ship. Felt like there was something more there.
     
  19. Unkar's Muffins

    Unkar's Muffins Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 4, 2002
    I think we're going to find out her parents were not junk traders. Remember, that idea came from Snoke implanting that into Rey and Kylo's minds. It is highly suspect, and Kylo is using that as leverage to get Rey to his side, just like Vader tried to use Obi Wan's "lie" to get Luke to join him.
     
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  20. jaqen

    jaqen Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2004
    RJ said he and JJ independently came to the same conclusion. He also hinted ages ago that the answer wouldn't be that important to anyone but Rey. Daisy said she's known the answer for years, which explains why she got clearly a bit annoyed several times that her character kept getting reduced by some to "but who are her parents??". We all know the stance Pablo was taking. And we also know that JJ's supposed "slip of the tongue" about how Rey's parents weren't in his film was not false at all.

    She is random. She was always going to be random. The reveal of that wasn't some throw away moment, it was vitally important to her journey in TLJ.

    Everyone that fans want her related too have been dead for ages, are newly dead, or are likely to be dead. The foundations for all related theories have been so decimated that they're basically non-existent.

    It's over folks. Move along.

    So when they announced a new Star Wars trilogy you expected it to be what? Three films showing superheroes Luke, Han and Leia doing nothing but winning and winning some more? No conflict? No loss? No war?

    What, exactly, do you think this series is about?
     
  21. nightangel

    nightangel Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2014
    undecided, but also don't care that much for it anymore. Won't change anything that happened in TLJ.
     
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  22. The Legions of Lettow

    The Legions of Lettow Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 14, 2015
    I wanted Luke. But I find RJ’s vision interesting.

    RJ said he thinks Ren thinks he is telling the truth. Notice his qualification. But if that’s because JJ can answer that question in IX. However, RJ earlier said his answer to the question coincided with JJ’s from VIII. Though that could change. Regarding VII, JJ had said her parents weren’t in the movie. She’s random after all.
     
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  23. jaqen

    jaqen Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the main reasons I love the reveal.

    It's so meta. Rey spent most of her life building up her family to be this big thing. Not so much their identities, but their character. They were loving people who left, for some reason, but she just knew they'd come back for her. Here she is, a grown woman, counting down the days until her family just swoops in, embraces her, and gives her life meaning and purpose.

    A lot of the audience did the same thing. They took Rey with conditions. She had to be related to someone, something, greater than herself. They ignored the most glaring part of Rey's vision; whomever left Rey behind left her with a horrible person, Unkar Platt. Instead of accepting what the vision was telling us, that good people would never have done that, these viewers blocked out the implications and created fanciful, increasingly implausible scenarios that would absolve her legacy parents of any real wrong doing.

    The truth was staring Rey in the face all along.
    The truth was staring the audience in the face all along.

    Rey coming to terms with the harsh truth mirrored a lot of the audience doing the same.

    The audience is Rey.
     
  24. Nate787

    Nate787 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 29, 2016
    Bravo, sir. Bravo.
     
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  25. Talos of Atmora

    Talos of Atmora Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 3, 2016
    This is literally a theme in the actual saga as shown by the fact that Luke and Anakin could not be more different. We've done this before. In a far better set of films. With far better characters.


    :rolleyes:
     
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