Opinion: Why Rey Deserves the Skywalker Name

She's More Than Just A Scavenger

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 3 min read

The Star Wars sequels. Probably some of the most divisive content in all of Star Wars. Some people love them, and some people hate them. Some say, “you’re not a real fan if you like the sequels.” Whatever you may think about them, they did give us some great moments and characters. One of those characters is Rey. (And yes, she is a great character). Throughout the movies, she tries to figure out who her parents are and who she is. It isn’t until The Rise of Skywalker that she finds out she is the granddaughter of the one and only Sheev Palpatine. However, she doesn’t let this define her and fights against him and the dark side and eventually wins against him. After everything is over, she honors the Skywalker legacy one last time and takes the name Rey Skywalker - which she deserves.

Yes, Rey deserves the Skywalker name. Luke and Leia knew she was a Palpatine, yet trained and supported her anyway, even though they knew she could turn to the dark side. They accepted her for who she was. Rey took the name Skywalker to honor their legacy. Palpatine spent all three trilogies trying to turn the Skywalkers to the dark side (he was successful with one of them). You could even go as far as to say that Luke and Leia gave her permission to take the name. When she’s asked her name by the woman on Tatooine, she sees the force ghosts of Luke and Leia and says, “Rey Skywalker.” I understand her being a nobody is also important because it shows that anyone can be a Jedi, but this was a beautiful way to wrap up the Skywalker saga, and someone like Rey deserves the name and honors the legacy.

Rey was the strongest character in the sequel trilogy. Her story was consistent - she wanted to find out about her past and who she is. But, of course, training to be a Jedi and defeating the First Order are also part of her mission. Both JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson knew who Rey was, and they showed that in their movies. She starts out as a poor scavenger in The Force Awakens and is thrust into adventure. Rey meets her friends in the Resistance, and her journey goes on from there. In The Last Jedi, she meets a reluctant Luke Skywalker, who she convinces to train her in the ways of the force. Then, in The Rise of Skywalker, she finally unlocks her full potential and defeats Palpatine with the help of all the Jedi that came before her.

Rey could’ve chosen to call herself anything, and she chose Skywalker. She chose it to honor the Skywalker legacy and those who believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself. She is one of the most important characters in Star Wars because she did what no one else could do - she brought balance to the force. Rey was the hero of the Skywalker Saga, even if it was reluctantly. Both Anakin and Luke left their home on Tatooine to become Jedi and for adventure. Rey left to find a place to belong and find out who she is.

Rey taking the Skywalker name proves that your birth doesn’t define you. Rey could’ve gone to the dark side and embraced her Palpatine lineage, but she didn’t. Instead, she accepted the ways of the light side of the force with the help of a whole team of people - especially Leia. Rey is a Skywalker, just like Anakin and Luke are because the Skywalker name is more than a name.

Thank you for reading our article today. If you want to keep up to date with our latest stories, please consider becoming a pledge or, alternatively, please consider leaving a tip. This will help us continue to keep bringing new and interesting content. You can also check out our video content on the following YouTube channels, where you can subscribe to keep up to date: Star Wars Culture, Eye On Canon, The Star Wars Underworld, Chatter Squadron.

Written by Anna Grimm

Source(s): ScreenRant

Syndicated from Culture Slate

Join The Team

star wars