The Rise of Skywalker or the Fall of Rey?

So how about that teaser, huh? Quite a curveball to say the least with that last shot of Rey looking like the second coming of Darth Maul. I must admit, I am pleasantly surprised with the reveals of both teasers for Rise of Skywalker. First, we learn that Palpatine is back, and now we’re given the impression that Rey may do more than just flirt with the dark side in this one. My question is: What is the connection between both reveals?

After the events of The Last Jedi (or TLJ for short), I was left with a strange feeling of uncertainty as to how the saga would progress from here. I say strange, because though the Skywalker saga is a great story, it is somewhat formulaic, and even predictable at times. This stems from the movies leaning on classic themes like “Good vs. Evil” and classic movie tropes such as “the final battle.” TLJ really strove to break this age-old formula that had been re-introduced by The Force Awakens (TFA for short).

The major indicator for this new direction was Kylo’s arc, and the conclusion he reached near the end of the film when he says to Rey: “Let the past die, even if you have to kill it.” These are some pretty strong words for a movie franchise that owes its success to the past. And not just because of the aforementioned “classic themes and tropes” it follows, but because of the source material that inspired George Lucas to write this saga. Characters and stories such as Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress were all great sources of inspiration from the past.

Now, I’m not criticizing TLJ for wanting to take Star Wars in a new direction, I am merely pointing it out because it seems this choice was made at an odd time in the saga. With this statement and the overall direction that TLJ took, the movie seemed to dramatically break away from and discard most of the setups established in The Force Awakens. At times, TLJ feels like a straight reboot/retcon of the franchise by killing off “the evil emperor” character (Snoke), and by drastically changing Luke’s perspective on the Jedi and the Force. Not to mention turning a powerful moment at the end of TFA into a punchline at the beginning of TLJ (Rey delivering Luke’s lightsaber). These choices by Rian Johnson leave the arc of this trilogy kind of in the air. Now that JJ Abrams is back at the helm, how will he conclude the trilogy and where does he take it from TLJ?

If the trailers have shown us anything, it is that Rise of Skywalker isn’t exactly going to let the past die. Especially since it was revealed that Emperor Palpatine will somehow be coming back after he “died” at the end of Return of the Jedi. I wonder how they will explain this? The easiest and simplest answer is that Palapatine has figured out how to become a “force ghost.” This would be unprecedented as he would be the first Sith (in the movies, at least) to gain this power. Which begs the question, why is he back? What is Palpatine’s endgame?

If I had to guess, I’d say that his plan is to basically continue his Empire in the form of the First Order by living vicariously through Kylo Ren. If you remember, when we last saw Kylo, he was the de facto Supreme Leader of the First Order after the death of Snoke. And if we know anything about Palpatine, it is that he likes to play the long game, and pull the strings from the shadows (remember Order 66?). It is possible that the rise of the First Order and the corruption of a member of the Skywalker family was part of the plan for his return. He could kill two birds with one stone if he gets to destroy the Skywalkers, and rule the galaxy once again. If it is true that the creation of Kylo Ren and the results of his actions were all part of Palpatine's plot from beyond the grave, then he’s already winning, and we don’t even see it. After all, it’s because of Kylo that both Luke and Han died. Not to mention, Leia almost died because of him. It makes a lot of sense that Kylo would be Palpatine’s puppet. Maybe Kylo even killed Snoke at the command or suggestion of Palpatine. Kind of like when Anakin killed Dooku at the order of Papatine himself. Palpatine is a master manipulator, and is perfectly comfortable with betraying his allies. Especially if they have outlived their usefulness and if it serves his purpose. In short, Palpatine used Snoke to lead the First Order and then, like Dooku, needed to be replaced by a younger and stronger apprentice. We can call his plan: “The second Revenge of the Sith.”

But what about Rey?

How does she fit in this plot? And why is she looking suspiciously like a Sith?

First, the short (and likely) answer. It’s another vision, like the one she had in Ahch-To and like the one Luke had in Dagobah. As for the reason she sees this in a vision, it could be that her struggle with the dark side is even more difficult than before, and she is dangerously close to crossing over.

Now, for my (unlikely) theory. If Palpatine’s “Second Revenge” is what is really happening, then Rey is just another piece in the chessboard for him. And here’s the twist: she’s his piece...

If you have read Aftermath: Empire’s End, then you know about Emperor Palpatine’s connection with Jakku.

(Spoilers for the book!!!)

It is there where he met his protégé and eventual successor, Gallius Rax. With Rax, he planned something called “The Contingency.” A plan to destroy the Rebel Alliance and the remnants of the Empire in a massive battle. This turned out to be the Battle of Jakku. Part of “The Contingency” was to destroy the planet with both armies still fighting through the use of “the Observatory,” a base built by Palpatine to house Sith artifacts among other possesions and weapons. This part of the plan failed, what didn’t fail however, was the escape of Rae Sloane and Brendol Hux (the father of the General Hux that we all know now) along with some child soldiers into the unknown regions of the galaxy. The intended purpose of “The Contingency” was not really the destruction of the New Republic, but rather the death of the old Empire, and its rebirth. Sort of like a Phoenix rising from its ashes. Once again, further evidence that Palpatine likes to play the long game. Now let’s get to Rey’s role in the villainous plot.

The First Order’s “recruitment and training” strategy has always been the same, the use of child soldiers. They “acquire” children and indoctrinate them to serve the First Order. It’s how Finn got to be a stormtrooper against his will. It’s how he doesn’t even have a name, nor does he have any memories of who his parents were...

No memory of who his parents were? That sounds awfully familiar...

Rey also doesn’t really remember her parents. Side note: in TLJ it is “revealed” that her parents were basically drunks, and Rey “admits” this. This revelation has to be taken with a grain of salt since it was Kylo that said it (he’s likely lying, c’mon he’s the bad guy) and Rey was emotionally vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation. Therefore, I refuse to believe this is how Rey ended up in Jakku unless it is confirmed in The Rise of Skywalker.

Anyway, it is possible that, influenced by Palpatine, Snoke placed a policy on Force sensitive child soldiers, and that they are to be taken to Jakku for special training. Jakku being a reasonable choice, as it is both remote (so the New Republic would pay it no mind), and it has an Observatory built by Palpatine to house Sith artifacts and weapons. This Observatory could have easily served as a training ground for Force sensitive children that belonged to the New Order. Rey, being one of these children, was trained in the ways of the Force in Jakku. As for the memory of her getting abandoned, that could’ve been a false memory implanted in her by Snoke or an acolyte of his. In both TFA and TLJ we have seen Kylo and Snoke use the Force to access memories or information from people’s minds. Because of this, it is certainly a possibility that they can implant them as well.

So what does this all mean? It means that Rey could very well be a First Order sleeper agent left on Jakku with implanted memories. Think of it as The Manchurian Candidate meets Star Wars. Her mission? To either infiltrate the Resistance, or to lure out Luke should he search for Force sensitive children like the Jedi used to do in the days of the Republic. Let me briefly elaborate.

First, to infiltrate the Resistance. One of the main complaints fans had of TFA was the similarities it had with A New Hope. But what if one of those similarities was on purpose. Rey and Luke have very similar backgrounds: both are orphans, both live on desert planets in the middle of nowhere, and both have raw power, as well as a sense of idealism and naïveté. Rey’s striking similarities to Luke could have been by the design of Snoke or even Palpatine to make Rey more likely to follow and assist the Resistance. To give you a better idea, let me use an example of something similar.

In the Justice League animated series, there was an episode titled “Epilogue” where Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond) confronts Amanda Waller about the fact that through some deception and genetic manipulation he is Bruce Wayne’s son. Amanda confesses to Terry that indeed he is the son of Batman, and that it was all part of a plan to create a Batman for the next generation. In order to ensure that Terry would become the next Batman, Waller decided to recreate the traumatic events that Bruce experienced as a child by ordering the assassination of Terry’s parents. However, this didn’t happen as the would-be assassin had second thoughts, and couldn’t go through with it. Terry ended up becoming the new Batman through a different path. So, in the same way Amanda Waller wanted to create a new Batman by giving Terry essentially the same origin, so too Snoke or Palpatine could have been pulling the strings in Rey’s life, so that she may become the next Luke Skywalker. The difference being that this “Luke” would be an oblivious sleeper agent for the First Order.

Next, her mission could have been to lure Skywalker as her searches for Force sensitive children for the new Jedi Order. This, mission is a lot simpler and less convoluted so I’ll be brief. Luke, in an attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order, searches the galaxy for Force sensitive children. Rey could have been planted in Jakku to be recruited by Luke. Her manufactured background could have been the connection to Luke that he could relate to. By empathizing with Rey, Luke could have been more willing to take her in and train her. During her training, she could have been under orders to betray Luke and destroy the Order from the inside before it even began. Now, for some reason, Luke did not recruit Rey in Jakku. This results in Snoke going with another plan, to turn Ben Solo and carry out the same mission. Also, it is possible that Rey wasn’t the only “planted” force sensitive child in the galaxy. There could have been many others spread throughout that Luke could have recruited. And these children could have possibly become the Knights of Ren. And there you have it, Snoke uses Ben (instead of Rey or any other force sensitive child) as well as other children to destroy Luke Skywalker and the new Jedi Order from within.

To summarize my theory, Palpatine has been pulling the strings this whole time with Snoke and Ren being his puppets. His plan also included using force sensitive children to infiltrate the new Jedi order and destroy it from within. Rey’s role in that plan is to basically be Palpatine’s own “Luke Skywalker.” I believe that this would be his way of adding insult to injury. Not to mention dealing a massive blow to the Resistance by having their hero revealed as the enemy. Admittedly, this theory is a bit of a stretch, and it might not completely fill in the blanks on Rey’s past and Palpatine’s plan. However, this theory is based on how good of a tactician Palpatine is, and also how patient he can be to have his revenge. We’ve seen how far he’s willing to go to ensure the survival of his Empire. Because of this, the idea that his Contingency would be both complex and ambitious doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

Hopefully, the shot of Rey with a red lightsaber is more than just a vision. To have a character who is often described as a “Mary Sue” flip and actually join the dark side or better yet, reveal that she was there all along would be greatly refreshing and add a really interesting twist to the saga. But alas, only time will tell if we will witness the Fall of Rey.