Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a similar twist to Darth Vader being Luke’s father, but the reveal of Rey Palpatine doesn’t work in the same way. Directed by J.J Abrams, who co-wrote the script alongside Chris Terrio (Batman v Superman), The Rise of Skywalker brings the story of Rey to an end - for now, at least - and answers one of the biggest mysteries about the character.
Even before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans had been wondering who Rey was. No last name was revealed, and fan theories before and after Abrams’ first sequel trilogy movie considered the full roster of notable Star Wars families: Skywalker or Solo? Kenobi or Palpatine. In the end, it turned out to be the latter - via the reveal her parents were nobodies in Star Wars: The Last Jedi - with Rey the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine.
It’s an echo of The Empire Strikes Back, and perhaps the most famous twist in movie history: Darth Vader is Luke’s father. However, while that went down as a game-changer for the franchise, a genius move for character and story, and an all-time great plot twist, Rey Palpatine just doesn’t offer the same thrills, emotion, or satisfaction. Here’s why.
Why Star Wars’ Darth Vader Father Twist Is So Good
Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father is, 40 years on, something so accepted it’s almost not even thought of as a plot twist. It just is. It’s an intrinsic part of the franchise, key to its themes and overarching narrative; “Luke, I am your father” is considered an iconic movie quote, and it isn’t even accurate. So it’s worth at this point looking at just how big a deal this was (and is). It’s true that it wasn’t George Lucas’ original plan, and so there aren’t exactly clear hints of it in Star Wars (although there’s enough to work in hindsight). That means it comes as a total shock to viewers, but one that still makes sense. So much so it’s impossible now to imagine Star Wars without it.
Luke thought Vader had killed his father - and yes, from a certain point of view, he did - so learning instead that his dad is actually the monstrous creation before him is the most crushing thing possible. The pain of losing a hand is nothing compared to that of gaining a father. This goes for the audience too: the everyman hero being the son of the masked villain raises the stakes massively; our emotional investment in the story soars, and a whole new dimension is added to the saga’s key rivalry. It’s shocking, intense, and devastating, but also leads to an ultimate story of redemption too. It’s the key moment in the narrative, and about as perfect as a plot twist can be.
The Problems With Rise Of Skywalker’s Rey Palpatine Twist
Rey being a Palpatine isn’t quite a direct parallel of Luke being Vader’s son. It’s less a “rhyme” and more just “sounds like”, and it’s certainly not poetry. Admittedly it’s hard to compete with such a beloved twist, but there are a variety of reasons why this big reveal falls flat. Firstly, there’s a problem with how little Palpatine has been established in Disney’s sequel trilogy. Kathleen Kennedy may have once claimed it was the plan all along in some form, but it’s since become apparent that Palpatine’s return was J.J. Abrams’ idea after he came back for Star Wars 9. Darth Sidious is mentioned in The Last Jedi, but there’s nothing in that or The Force Awakens to even hint he’s still alive. Similarly, The Rise of Skywalker cannot explain his return either, which weakens his position in the movie.
Because he hasn’t been established, there’s then no relationship between Palpatine and Rey to draw upon. When Kylo Ren tells Rey she is Palpatine’s granddaughter, it’s a less tangible gut-punch because she knows of his deeds, but has never experienced them. There’s nothing personal there, contrast to Luke/Vader: Luke believes Vader killed his father, has witnessed him help rule the Empire, and watched up close as he killed his mentor Obi-Wan, and later captured his friends. There were layers upon layers of personal animosity between them that made the reveal all the more painful, whereas for Rey it’s more like some vague notion of being descended from evil.
There are also questions of logic too: it goes against what we heard in The Last Jedi, regardless of whether that means Kylo was lying or simply didn’t have the information then. There’s little in The Force Awakens to back it up either, and it makes fans consider the notion, perhaps (one should hope, anyway) for the first time ever, of Palpatine as a sexual being capable of procreation. You can imagine Abrams and Terrio concocting the plan of Rey Palpatine in their heads and thinking it a great twist after the former made her a mystery box, but it fails on every level: story, character, thematic, emotion, logic; it doesn’t work.
Rey Being A Nobody Was A Much Better Plot Twist
What makes Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s Rey Palpatine twist all the more frustrating is that The Last Jedi has already delivered the best Rey parents twist possible. For two years fans had theorised about her being a Solo, a Skywalker, a Kenobi, or, yes, a Palpatine. But more than that, so too has Rey: maybe not on such an overt level, but she longed for belonging. She wanted to find her place, and quite clearly believed that lay with finding out her identity and family.
This was effectively the Rey equivalent of the Luke/Vader twist. It’s the world-shattering news delivered by the arch-nemesis, that goes against everything she believes in and yet makes total sense. Luke thought he was from nothing and found out he was the son of the worst thing imaginable; Rey thought - or at least willed - to be from something, and found out she was nothing. It’s the most devastating thing to hear at that point, and worse than learning she’s a Palpatine.
Rey No One isn't just a great twist about it being brutal in the moment though, but also because of what it signifies going forward. Rey being a Palpatine, or a Skywalker, Solo, Kenobi etc, serves to make the galaxy smaller; that to have great power, you must yourself come from great power, good or bad. Kylo Ren was already the lineage of both Skywalkers and Solos, and now the other main character is a Palpatine, which means that the two key figures in the sequel trilogy are descended from most of the major players in the original trilogy.
Rey being a no one, on the other hand, suggests that anyone can be great, and it really doesn't matter where you come from. She was powerful because the Force chose her, not because she was a Palpatine. That fits with the broader themes at play in Star Wars: The Last Jedi - through the Ticos, and Broom Boy - and is what The Rise of Skywalker seemingly rejects in favor of another parental dynamic like we've already seen with Luke and Vader and then Kylo and Han. Rey is so shockingly powerful because she's a Palpatine, because apparently that's how the Force works. But Rey discovering she's a no one, but becoming someone great all the same, feels more inspirational, more special, and more purely Star Wars.