Star Wars - The Skywalker Identity, and the case for Rey

With the release of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, the recently dubbed Skywalker Saga of Star Wars has long since come to an end, after roughly 44 years of aggressive negotiations, Death Stars, and dyads in the Force. Needless to say, the final trilogy has left a sour taste in the mouths of many long-time Star Wars fans, a song and dance that has been tangoed and waltzed ever since the night of even the seventh episode's release in 2015, reigniting the spirit of live-action Star Wars once again, after some 10 years of near radio silence.

Good things never last, and the aging of the sequel trilogy was proof of that. From then, it seemed as if there wasn't a moment to be enjoyed of modern Star Wars. Everywhere you looked -- The Force Awakens was a rehash of A New Hope, The Last Jedi ruined Luke Skywalker, The Rise of Skywalker is an all-around mess with a shoehorned villain and convoluted plotlines that make everything more difficult to understand -- you get the picture, hell, you might have even argued it.

Needless to say, the new era was trashed quicker than it was welcomed, but that is not to be dwelled on any longer than it already has. What's interested me in the bigger picture was the case of the sequels' protagonist, Rey, and her role in The Skywalker Saga.

But that's just it! The Skywalker Saga -- something about the naming feels hollow, less genuine than what could have been. Yes, it is blatant that the name is derived from the saga's central figures -- Anakin, Luke, and Rey -- but it is Rey's case that makes the naming and, frankly, the saga itself, feel a bit strange. What feels like a concentrated bloodline sort of stumbles and falls towards the end, before standing back up and hobbling to the finish line. To better understand it, maybe it's best to understand the Skywalkers themselves.

The story, put to screen, begins as most grandiose sci-fi stories often do: with a prophecy. That is the destiny of Anakin Skywalker, the center of the prequel trilogy, who chronologically kicks off the legacy. Son of Shmi Skywalker, Anakin was a child strong in the Force, foretold to be the forever mentioned Chosen One, who would bring balance to the Force, ending the reign of the Sith once and for all. It was a grand idea to be thrust onto a 9-year-old at the time of The Phantom Menace, but nonetheless, a prophecy's purpose is to be fulfilled, and over time, Anakin would become one of the greatest Jedi Knights to grace the galaxy.

But Anakin's story has no happy ending -- despite his compassion and loyalty as a knight, his capacity for caring was his greatest weakness, especially when it came to caring those he cared about. Influenced by Darth Sidious and the knowledge to cheat death, Anakin went rogue and flipped the entire prophecy on its head, becoming the galaxy's worst nightmare.

Prophecy destroyed, and Palpatine risen, things became bleak for the Jedi. It was difficult to believe that in Anakin's time, he was held in such high regard -- a Commander for the Republic, a legendary Knight, the husband of a Senator -- his life was extraordinary, his power unmatched in the galaxy. It was more difficult to believe that Anakin's life was hard at any point, given how he was born into the idea that he was meant for greatness, already equipped with a knack for one of the most useful tools to exist. The Empire erased any hint of that...though not for long.

The Skywalker bloodline would live on, even if it was meant to be extinguished, in the original trilogy's Luke Skywalker. He lived a life that was the near opposite of his father's growing up, spending most of his adolescence as a farmer on Tatooine, a life of sand and binary sunsets -- a simple life.

His father might have hated it.

All was normal for Luke until the appearance of Ben Kenobi, formerly Obi-Wan, Anakin's old master during the age of the Republic. It was no difficult task to convince Luke, who had always longed for an off-planet life of excitement, to join the Rebellion. Motivated by the legacy of his father, as told by Ben, Luke fought for the Rebel Alliance and aided in the destruction of the Death Star, helping progress the fight against the Empire. Determined to pursue his father's path, Luke would later decide to train as a Jedi Knight, "like his father before him".

Some Wampas and backpack Yoda training sessions later, Luke would confront Vader himself, only to find that his father, hailed as a great Jedi and a "good friend", was the most dangerous Sith in the galaxy. Yet despite this, Luke didn't lose hope that his real father was still within the suit. He would confront him again on Death Star II, and before he could be destroyed by Sidious, Anakin would show himself once again, tossing him down the hatch before succumbing to his injuries. In death, Luke's father was redeemed, and the prophecy was fulfilled...several years late.

Having brought down the Empire, brought victory to the Rebellion, (temporary) peace to the galaxy, and restored his father as the loyal man he was, Luke Skywalker became one of the greatest heroes of the Rebellion. Yet he had no prophecy to guide him -- only the righteousness of his heart and the support of his friends. Of course, he had his brushes with the dark side in his anger, but it never consumed him as a person. In a way, he had become the hero his father was meant to be.

And with such an achievement, and a bright future ahead of him, the next installments would look promising for Luke, if he were to ever continue. And then, Episode VII: The Force Awakens answers the question for us in the opening title crawl:

"Luke Skywalker has vanished."

On a not-so-unfamiliar looking planet of sand and merchants trading for one-quarter portions lives Rey, a scavenger girl who fends for herself in the middle of nowhere, space. Immediately, her circumstances are different: no mother, no father, only a keen ability to survive. Life is mundane as always for Rey -- selling scraps for less than they're worth and working day in and day out -- until two First Order TIE Fighters and a runaway Stormtrooper, Finn, come knocking at her door. Thrust into a life on the run without warning, Rey embarks on a journey through space with the droid, BB-8, containing a map with the location of now mythical Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.

Rey eventually indirectly joins the Resistance to find Luke, brushing with the First Order and meeting the face of the dictatorship, known as Kylo Ren. Kylo is immediately a proven threat, even from the first minute of the movie itself, far more impressive in the face of Rey -- though not for long.

Over the course of the trilogy, Rey is demonstrated to be a Jedi of surprisingly quick skill, strong in the Force and talented as a pilot. After defeating Kylo, revealed to be the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, on Starkiller Base, she finds an old, rather jaded Luke Skywalker on Jakku and, after rather difficult conversation, manages to train under him.

Eventually, Rey would learn that her powers and her heritage extend even farther, after Luke's sacrifice to save the Resistance by stalling his former apprentice. After seeking out Kylo again some time later, she would learn of her heritage as the granddaughter of Palpatine, who would return on Exegol thanks to...clone technology.

Rey's outrage and sway to the dark side due to her anger would motivate her to find Palpatine and kill him once and for all, only to realize that should she do so, he would only leave his body and continue to live on in her as a Sith. Though she seemed out of options, she would be aided by a restored Kylo, now Ben Solo, and together, they vanquished Palpatine (again) and brought peace to the galaxy. Before all could settle, Ben would sacrifice himself to prevent Rey's death.

Now that that's all been established, the question has probably become: why the history lesson? Why map out what we already know, what has already been told? But the answer is easy, for me at least: it can put into better perspective the decision Rey makes when she travels to Tatooine, and explain why it may not have been as effective as she believed.

After reuniting with the Resistance and celebrating their victory over the First Order, Rey travels to Jakku to bury Anakin's lightsaber for good, revealing her own. She is discovered by an elderly woman, who asks her name: her full name. After a pause, Rey turns to see the force ghosts of Luke and Leia greeting her. Thinking for a moment, she turns back to the old woman and responds with pride: "Rey Skywalker", and with a final shot of the binary sunset, both the film and the saga are finished.

The spark that would light the fire that would rage against the mouse-eared machine. Rey's decision to take up the Skywalker surname was not met kindly, for various reasons, all of them boiling down to her character being a disgrace to such already cherished other ones. As if Disney could displease their fans any more, the very last line of the movie was enough to send them catapulting into a blind rage.

At first, I didn't think much of it. I'm naturally a Star Wars fan that is quite easy to please, and I thought it was a nice touch for Rey to decide to take up the name. In a way, it just felt wholesome. But while I think about it, as even as I explain all of this, I realize that even if emotionally, I resonated with the decision, there could have been so much more to fulfill Rey as a character and make her greater than she could be, in a simple choice.

First, it's better to try and understand Rey's choice, which really isn't that difficult -- it was made to honor the legacy. The Skywalker name is synonymous with heroes across the ages, mythical or not, who have served the galaxy greatly in their time.

Before his turn to the dark, Anakin was a great deal of help to the Republic, making his role as the Chosen One look incredibly promising. He was one of the most talented Jedi of his time, kind and compassionate towards those he had met during the Clone Wars, staying strong even during his arduous influences with the Dark Side, which was brought on by his desire to save those he cared about. Anakin served the council well, and still fulfilled the prophecy even after his turn, with the help of his son, by destroying the Sith that had coerced him in the first place.

Luke was a self-made hero rather than a man of prophecy, joining the Rebellion out of his own volition and defeating the Empire through his determination and strength as a leader. What had seemed like an impossible task in defeating Darth Vader was made easier by his heritage, and even with his skills as a Jedi Knight, it was his strength in connecting with his father that was instrumental in bringing the regime to its knees. Even in his days as a jaded hermit on Ahch-To, he was able to find inspiration through Rey and prevent the Resistance's destruction, and in the most Jedi way possible -- through pacifism rather than violence. Luke is the textbook definition of a hero, exemplary among others in fiction, and was recognized for it even after his death among the few that remained.

Taking up the Skywalker name was also a testament to how much of an impact Luke, Leia, and even Ben had on Rey's life. Without Luke, Rey may never have found the correct guidance as a Jedi, and would have struggled a bit harder to find the strength in her to confront the First Order. Without Leia, the hole in Rey's family tree where her mother should be would never have been filled, and Rey would be left to wander with an eternal innate need to find her parents and figure out who she is, consuming her personality entirely. Even Ben Solo, the last of the Skywalker blood, in his final moments, managed to change for the better and prove himself a good person in Rey's eyes, even sacrificing himself in the end for her.

But this brings us to Rey herself, who shares the determination of Luke and the emotional tendencies of Ben...and not much else. The others of the Skywalker bloodline, barring Ben, had what Rey did not: some kind of advantage. Anakin was practically born into greatness, promised a life of heroism if he were to fulfill the prophecy, and already a person strong in the Force. Luke was the son of said Chosen One, even if he became a Sith, so he would inherit his father's strong connection and become an incredible force of good with his learned skill. Rey has no Skywalker blood: she is merely a scavenger whose parents were insignificant in the grand scheme of the saga, and suddenly become the granddaughter of Palpatine.

Rey's origins, like the stories of many in the sequel trilogy, had the potential to tell some of the greater stories in all of Star Wars, especially in The Last Jedi. She is living proof of the idea that the Force does not belong or is exclusive to people born into a powerful bloodline or a destiny like Anakin and Luke have, that it truly does flow through every living thing like it has been told to by any and every wise figure in the universe. The Last Jedi pushed that idea even further, with the ending scene of the boy on Canto Bight casually using the Force, as if it were something common in just about anyone.

There is a lot of interesting material to be found in the idea of Rey being a nobody, coming from and belonging to no one important, and that is erased with Rey claiming herself a Skywalker at the end of Episode IX. Understandably, she would be remiss if she weren't to honor her legendary mentor in Luke, her mother figure in Leia, and even her dyad partner in Ben, and her intentions are well. But to remove it, and her heritage as a Palpatine, and for Rey to embrace being a nobody in the end, would be a greater service not only to her, but to the overall world.

With the Force, it has always been something mythical: dreamt of by commonfolk and wielded by the Jedi. But to remove it from the exclusivity of the Jedi is an honest lesson in inspiration, that anyone can become greater than themselves so long as they choose to seek it. It was an idea born in Anakin, who wanted nothing more than to protect others in his life as the Chosen One. It was an idea in Luke, who sought the Force to find the good in his father, lost to the dark.

And it would have been a tour-de-force (pun intended) in Rey, who came from nothing with little hope of finding her parents, yet persisted in order to find her place in the world and eventually, could have learned that her place is not as someone else, someone with an important surname: just a Jedi with an overwhelming urge to do right by those less fortunate. Symbolic of the inner hero in all of us, it was the intention of the Rey pushed in The Last Jedi, who was determined to be a hero regardless of status, that put her on the precipice of something almost beautiful.

But hey, I'll admit one thing about it: Rey Skywalker does have quite the ring to it.