That ‘Star Wars’ Fan Theory About Rey’s Parents In ‘The Last Jedi’ Has Been Debunked

Star Wars: The Force Awakens set up Rey’s parents as a huge mystery (she’s a Skywalker! She’s the daughter of a Sith lord! She’s actually Nien Nunb’s seventh cousin!), only for The Last Jedi to reveal her mom and dad were “filthy junk traders” who sold her for drinking money. “They’re dead in a pauper’s grave in the Jakku desert. You come from nothing. You’re nothing,” Kylo Ren tells Rey, but because Kylo is a bad guy, and bad guys are lying liars who lie, there’s still the possibility that he was, well, lying. That’s the fan theory being passed around this week from Film Threat, at least, which claims Rey’s parents are Han Solo and Qi’ra, the character played by Emilia Clarke in Solo.

If Han and Qi’ra are Rey’s parents, that means that Rey and Kylo Ren are half-siblings, sort of mirroring Luke and Leia’s relationship. Plus, this would mean that Kylo and Rey both come from the same father and a mother who’s connected with the opposite side of the Force.

Rey/Light Side : Qi’ra/Dark Side

Kylo/Dark Side : Leia/Light Side (Via)

There’s only one problem with this theory: it’s (probably) not true.

We can assume that Qi’ra would already have to be carrying Rey by the end of the events of Solo, considering it’s unlikely she and Han got friendly, in the biblical sense, ever again (she does betray him, after all). Solo takes place around 10 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), but Rey wasn’t born until 15 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). That’s one long pregnancy… Either that, or he and Qi’Ra reunited years later, while he was married to Leia Organa, which would make one of the most beloved (if also stupid) Star Wars characters an adulterer. I’m guessing family-friendly Disney might have something to say about that.

One of the main themes of The Last Jedi hinges on the parents being nobody. The message that a hero could come from anywhere and isn’t defined by their past was one of the greatest ways to celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary. Episode IX director J.J. Abrams has already stated Last Jedi backlash isn’t influencing his next film, so the odds of him retconning anything [Rian] Johnson did (in a film Abrams executive produced) are slim. (Via)

Star Wars: Episode IX comes out on Dec. 20, 2019. It’s going to be a long wait.

— Mikey Neumann (@mikeyface) August 9, 2018