Maybe this needs to be said by someone who loves and will always love the idea of Ray Skywalker…I didn’t think it for years, but after @lj-writes made a damn good meta, I think my mind has changed. Rey’s heritage was solved way back in TFA. I want to start off by saying this isn’t me acknowledging TLJ as a good movie/sequel, it’s making a theory that if JJ Abrams was the executive producer of TLJ, than regardless of how much power Ruin Johnson said he had, JJ would’ve had to had at least a minor input on some things due to the fact that Bob Eiger more than likely hired JJ to do episode XI way before it was announced to the public and they had already lost 3 directors to creative differences.
Let’s begin
Rey was told back in TFA that whoever left her on Jakku was never coming back. Now Kylo knows this, we as the audience know this. We know Kylo Ren was lying about her parents being junkies, but that’s not the point of the scene. The point of the scene is once again Rey was telling herself something that wasn’t true. Rey can’t keep relying on others to fix her problems for her and has to start looking at the life realistically.
If whoever left her on Jakku still hasn’t come back after all these years, they are never coming back. If Luke Skywalker, the man who turned Vader, couldn’t turn his nephew, and if Han Solo couldn’t turn his very own son himself, and there was nothing Rey could’ve ever done. Kylo Ren killed his father in cold blood to achieve his mission, he wasn’t going to stop now and he’d do whatever it took to finish the mission.
But just as Maz said: there is someone who still could come back for her and that person is Finn. The young man who had fallen from the sky and who had journeyed with her through an ocean of stars. Finn Head rest his life to keep her safe. He had gone back to face the very people who had taken everything from him, who were the biggest threat to the galaxy, who would kill him on sight. Finn went through all of that just to come back for Rey.
It didn’t matter where she came from, because Finn didn’t care who she was or where she came from, he just cared about her.
It might not of been immediately, but Rey knows that she needs to find a purpose in life. She needs to define herself by her actions and move forward. Rey goes to Luke. Now that Finn’s out of commission, she goes to the only other person who may be able to understand what she’s going through.
Whether it was intentional or not, Luke becomes a father figure, a mentor, and a friend to Rey. Metaphorically or literally, Rey is Luke Skywalker’s legacy. Not a legacy of a God or of a fighting machine, but the legacy of a person who always had done the right thing for the people they loved. Thanks to Luke he showed her that nothing will ever stop her from fighting for the people that she loves. She belongs somewhere and that is with Finn and their friends.
Who Rey is or where she comes from, doesn’t change who Rey is. Skywalker, junkie kid, or a daughter who was loved by good people that died. Rey’s purpose was finding herself and she did. Now ahead of her is a future that she is choosing to fight for alongside Finn, the person who never wanted anything from her, treated her with respect, and always came back. Rey I think Rey’s smile after Finn is realizing that she is finally home and has found her family.
I’m not saying that Rey is or isn’t anything. I’m saying that these theories shouldn’t be brought into Ep 9 regardless if Rey was a junkie kid , random daughter, or a Skywalker.
What matters now is the future she’s choosing with Finn and the cause they are both fighting for.
I’m not saying Ray can’t be anything, I’m saying I doubt they’re going to return to it in the movies at least. At best things will probably just be left ambiguous or implied.
At this point I’m fine with Rey being a Schrödinger’s Skywalker, basically, and for there to be enough holes in her “official” origins for people to headcanon whatever they like. It may be the only way to be make everyone semi-happy without having the issue become distracting. Like Daisy said, it doesn’t matter. Rey is not defined by her family but by her choices, and by the people she has chosen to belong with.
I’m already tired of fandom screaming “Rey’s mom!!”
@beyourowndensity I thought it was very likely at that point, too. What passed between Luke and Rey in TLJ is, at the very least, not commensurate with all the foreshadowing of their connection in TFA or even just the resonance of that final shot.
I wonder also what prompted Daisy to say RJ may have thrown out JJ’s outlines even while she professed not to know their contents–could she have had discussions with JJ about the parts that pertained to her character? Writers do that with actors sometimes, giving them spoilers so they can act the part right. JK Rowling privately gave Alan Rickman (rest in peace) spoilers about Snape (rest in pieces) because the 7th book was not out at the time the first films were coming out. Geoge Lucas had a fake line spoken on set at the parentage revelation in ESB, “Obi-Wan killed your father!” Instead of “I am your father!” to prevent leakage, but told Mark the real line to get the appropriate reaction. So if anyone would be given that kind of secret tip, particularly at the last shot of TFA, it’s Mark and Daisy, making Daisy one of the few people who could possibly tell RJ had deviated from the outline for VIII without having read it.
That said, I believe that train has left the station and there’s almost no way to make Rey a Skywalker or Solo without making the revelation weirdly cursory and abrupt or, alternately, making it so big as to swallow up all of Episode IX. I’d really prefer if the matter were laid to rest and I’m not at all adverse to the Skywalkers dying out with a genocidaire and patricide. The blood worship was my least favorite part of the franchise and fandom anyway, let the Skywalkers die and stay dead.
Personally I don’t see why Rey’s parentage would need to be addressed again. Rey was old enough when left to have memories of her parents and Kylo pulled those memories from her mind thanks to the Force Skype connection. End of story.
Is it a good explanation? Maybe not, but it’s no worse than so much other in Star Wars’ history. Does it cover everything? No, but again that’s an old Star Wars tradition harking all the way back to ESB.
And even RJ doesn’t stand by Rey Random, saying it was what worked in the moment rather than the last word. I can see why ReySky still has currency, but after the way Rey and Luke parted I’d rather have Rey be a Solo if she HAS to be from the Skywalker line. At least she had positive interactions with both Han and Leia, and I’m always up for Reylow tears. It seems quite a few members of the audience left theaters believing Rey and Kylo are siblings, too.
That said, I still like Rey Random better because it sets up a nice opposing dichotomy with Kyle, the elitist neo-Nazi. If Rey was meant to be a Skywalker or Solo I believe the best time for that revelation, which was in Episode VIII, has passed. Plus I’m tired of how Rey’s parentage gets so much speculation and Finn’s almost none, and would find it sweet if it’s Finn who gets the parentage reveal in IX and not Rey.
“I know what JJ kind of intended or at least was being chucked around. I think that’s kind of been undone slightly by the last one. There was some talk of a relevant lineage for her.”
Errr, pardon me but to my ears taht doesn’t sound like a hardline confirmation. Also, “relevant lineage” covers a hell of a lot of ground.
Finally, a Reysky or even Reysol retcon in EpIX would take up the majority of the movie and completely sideline Finn’s story as most of it would have to be about Rey getting to terms with her family (and how shittily they’ve all treated her) so I really do not want to see it happen.
So at this point I have some real issues with the people who argue that this must be retconned, because that will inevitably be to the detriment of Finn’s story. (And also funny how this crowd never considers that Finn might be the Skywalker.)
Reblogging myself because I have one thing to add.
What would being a Skywalker or a Solo add to Rey’s story at this point? Rey’s character and storyline was never about legacy, it was about having people who loved her and who cared about her. So far the only one of the OT trio she’s got that from remotely is Han, but he’s dead and can contribute nothing further to her progression except one more absent dad with no ability to explain why she was dumped on Jakku.
Luke is dead and treated her deplorably – he had his reasons but that doesn’t change anything for Rey – and Leia is gone too and the two of them barely interacted.
With the OT trio gone Rey cannot be offered what her character wants – love and care – from being a Skywalker or a Solo. It gives her character nothing at all and at this point is really just the determination of some really stubborn fans that can’t handle that a) the Skywalker legacy may be passed on by deed rather than bloodline (talk about some destructing mentality here that blood weighs more than deeds and choices) and b) that the legacy if continued by blood must be kept white (aggressively points to Finn who is also without family at this point and to who’s character being a Skywalker would actually contribute something contrary to Rey).
Rey Skywalker or Rey Solo could have worked if done in TLJ while two thirds of the trio still alive and two whole movies to build a relationship between Rey and her family, and deal with that. Now, that boat has sailed unless people are happy to see Finn sidelined yet again for a storyline that would offer the white character nothing important to her, but merely make the Skywalker bloodline rule by divine supremacy again and keep it acceptably white.
When I mull over Finn’s parentage, I have two specific ideas with one
being more likely than the other. Since there are hundreds of
ways to handle Finn and his origins, I don’t really hold myself to these
theories, especially after the disaster that was the Rey parentage
reveal.
So, I’ve broken my ideas down into two theories.
1) Finn Kyrell/Ree:
This could easily be a crack theory, so I won’t be one to
say that I am convinced that this is correct. I really liked the novel Lost Stars and the love story between
Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree. If you
have not read the book, I recommend it. There is also a manga version out
now, but there are some key differences in the stories.
Finn Meta Week Day 1: Finn’s Family – Finn of Taris?
The above picture is of Senator Tynrra Pamlo, who represented the planet Taris in the Galactic Senate pre-Empire and was shown in Rogue One. The actress, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, has said that she was initially just going to be in the background of this scene, but her part was expanded to a minor speaking role.
I think this was deliberate. I do not think Senator Pamlo is Finn’s mother. But I do think that there may be a hint that Finn is from the planet Taris. Taris is described as being a planet in the Outer Rim whose prosperity soon led to overpopulation. Then when the trade routes proved no longer to be profitable, civil disorder and social unrest rose, the environment suffered, and it led to civil war. It’s also mentioned that there was a huge issue with classism, and that the society was very stratified, with the alien underclass being crushed under the heels of the wealthy human nobles at the top of the food chain. Jedi and Sith struggled for dominance there, but Taris ended up being abandoned by both groups, and unrest, rampant crime, poverty, and lawlessness reigned, even though it was able to retain some of its former glory during the Galactic War.
It would have been easy for an organization like the First Order to swoop onto a shattered planet like Taris and scoop up children who were members of the lower strata. Maybe even the parents felt that the First Order was a better option than having their children stay on a world where there was no real future for them. While I’m not super-thrilled with some of the stereotypical “inner city” signalling of Taris, when I think about how Finn could have been stolen from his family, it makes sense to me that he would come from a world that was either broken by the First Order or was in such disarray itself that the snatching of children was relatively easy.
Finn’s desire to escape to the Outer Rim could be some ingrained memory that he has of his home planet or possibly the Force guiding him there. Taris has a lot to offer, but has been through hell and back. It would be interesting, if Finn really is from Taris, to see him return home and help rebuild.
That’s brilliant, that Finn was drawn to the Outer Rim for subconscious reasons–somewhere he felt safe for reasons he couldn’t explain and rationalized as getting away from the First Order, even though the Outer Rim could be pretty wild and lawless itself.
inverted gender roles – rough bruiser girl, kind gentle boy
lots of love and respect
it’d just be adorable okay
pros of stormpilot becoming canon:
canon gay interracial couple! in star wars!
endless jacket-sharing jokes
the gays would probably not die, which is always nice
also extremely adorable
pros of reylo becoming canon:
there aren’t any
As a damerey shipper, I agree with this
I’m a Finnnrey shipper, but I’d rather see Damrey happen than Reylo.
Interracial couple
Positive and healthy relationship
Piloting jokes for days
The han/luke fans get their outlet
They might still get some Finn love
Damrey is like Rey Kenobi or Rey Solo. We different but we love y’all!
Damerey is partly like Rey Kenobi – there were basically no true hints for Rey Kenobi anywhere but people wanted it bc they love Obi Wan or didn’t want Rey to be related to the Skywalkers to avoid incest in R*ylo. Damerey is basically a crack ship for people who either like both characters, have the hots for Oscar and don’t want the gay, can’t imagine Finnrey due to antiblackness… and it would be LF‘s way to claim they aren’t racist bc they wrote an interracial relationship that wouldn’t even be considered one in Europe for instance … so Damerey is the easy and biased way out … mixed with some antiblackness, homophobia and hot Latino stereotypes for many shippers… while Rey Kenobi was the biased and less impactful version of Rey Skywalker/Rey Solo … oops..
Is Damerey a lot better than R*ylo? Of course but then do you know how low the bar is here???
Pretty much, yeah. Doomerey is one of those things that are cool in theory but make no canon sense and only look good in comparison to the abyss that is Reylow.
Also while there’s no harm in enjoying it as a fanon ship, it’s been spoiled for me because of jerks who keep being anti Finnrey and went so far as to send me and other Finnrey shippers weird passive-aggressive asks about how their ship is already canon and how Rey and Poe’s 10-second greeting trumps everything that happened between Finn and Rey. Not to mention the asshats who take over Finnrey and JediStormPilot posts and turn them into Doomerey, excluding Finn.
Having looked at a number of pictures of both women, my money is on Ella Rae Smith. Cheekbones and chin looks far more like her than Erin Kellyman.
If it’s either of them that is. The same argument is ongoing in the reddit thread, with people arguing for both of them. It’s hard to tell from one grainy picture.
When that is said, watch me make “Enfy is the rebooted Mara Jade and Finn’s mom” theories for the next year and a half. Not that I believe them – and if she is Finn’s mom the actress really shouldn’t be so light skinned and no, not because of science – but lets be real, if Enfys had been played by a white woman we’d already be hip deep in “Enfys is the new Mara and Rey’s mom theories”. Heck, we’re already hip deep in “Qi’ra is Rey’s mom” theories.
Am I the only one who thinks Ella-Rae Smith looks a lot like Natalie Portman? I thought it was just that one picture but there are others where I get Portman vibes. Granted, it’s probably because they both fit into a narrow range of industry-preferred looks for actresses, but now I’m stuck headcanoning Finn as a Naberrie rather than a Skywalker, with Enfys being one of Padmé’s nieces Pooja or Ryoo. This is what Pooja looked like as a child, by the way:
Okay she’s obviously a white child, but I’m choosing to run with the hair.
Of all the Finn parentage theories, I like son of Sana Starros or son of royalty we haven’t met yet (though the Prince Finn “leak” was a case of wookiepedia mistaken identity).
Sana seems plausible because she was introduced after Finn in the comics, similarly to how Poe’s parents were introduced. And, as I’ve seen Finn Starros proponents point out, LF made sure the fans heard about Sana by introducing her as Han’s wife, which was guaranteed to cause a newsworthy stir.
Finn’s father, I don’t know. I thought Sana and Luke had a shippable thing going in the comics, but if Finn’s a Skywalker and Rey is a Solo, they’re first cousins, which seems like a copout way to avoid Finnrey controversy (though Finn being Luke’s biological son would be at least as controversial). But, at least, if Finn and Rey are related, Rey and Kylo are too by default, so it wouldn’t be all bad. But a bit too convenient.
Lando, no. Just because when John was announced, people were like, “he’s prolly related to Lando.”
And it’s not Han. Even if Han and Sana’s past was sexual, the past was before A New Hope, long before Finn was conceived.
Doctor Aphra? Yes! But not likely. Or is it…?
Another reason to root for Rey Solo: TLJ will be Leia’s last appearance in a Star Wars movie and I want her shown in a tender mother/daughter relationship with a child she can love whole-heartedly.
L.J.'s Obsessions 