The closing scene of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featured an old woman who's been theorized to have been Luke Skywalker's secret wife. Episode IX marked the end of Star Wars' sequel trilogy. Following a climactic battle against Emperor Palpatine that resulted in Ben Skywalker/Kylo Ren's death, Rey embraced her role as a fully-fledged Jedi. The movie's closing scene saw the hero visiting Luke Skywalker's childhood home on Tatooine. There, she buried Luke and Leia's lightsabers as a tribute to her former teachers. After burying them, an old woman (played by Annie Firbank) approached her. It's this interaction that has prompted numerous theories as to her identity.
During their interaction, Rey identify herself as "Rey Skywalker," and while the woman was not given a name, only being identified as "Tatooine Elder" in the credits, her appearance nonetheless raised some serious questions. Her presence in the middle of the Tatooine desert, for instance, seemed quite random, possibly hinting at her own separate connection to the Skywalker clan. Her undisclosed identity prompted an interesting theory, which proposed she was actually a character named Camie Marstrap, who had become romantically involved with Luke Skywalker following the events of Return of the Jedi. Given the character's history coupled with the potential significance of the old woman's climactic Tatooine appearance, it's possible that the "Tatooine Elder" actually hinted at a greater narrative significance concerning Luke.
Luke Skywalker's Wife: Camie Marstrap Explained
In the canonical Star Wars universe, as far as it's been revealed, Luke Skywalker never married. However, Jason Fry's novelization of The Last Jedi featured a Force-induced dream where the Jedi saw the life he would have had if he had given up R2-D2 and C-3PO to the Empire and had never joined the Rebellion. In the dream, he married Camie Marstrap, with whom he lived out his life on Tatooine in a universe where Leia was executed and the Empire wasn't brought down. Camie herself began as an obscure character who first appeared in a deleted scene from A New Hope.
The sequence showed Luke going to Tosche Station to tell his friends—Biggs, Camie (Koo Stark) and Laze "Fixer" Loneozner (Anthony Forrest)—about a space battle happening above Tatooine (the fight between Leia's Tantive 4 and the Empire that ended with her being taken prisoner by Darth Vader). Camie and Fixer didn't appear in the final cut of A New Hope, but their names were revealed in the movie's 1976 novelization (via Slash Film). They were later introduced into canon via episode 2 of The Book of Boba Feet, with Camie played by Mandy Kowalski and Fixer by Skyler Bible. The episode showed them being assaulted by a Nikto gang before being saved by Boba Fett. As such, Camie Marstrap has a surprisingly rich Star Wars history that wouldn't necessarily preclude a Last Jedi cameo.
Rise of Skywalker's Old Tatooine Woman Is Luke's Wife - Theory Explained
Seemingly originating on Reddit, the "Luke's Wife" theory proposes that the woman at the end of The Rise of Skywalker was Camie. Using Luke's vision as inspiration, the post states that, following the events of Return of the Jedi, Skywalker returned to Tatooine to the Lars homestead, intending to live a normal life as a moisture farmer. There, he reconnected with Camie, whom he likely married. However, Camie became uncomfortable with Luke's Force abilities and ultimately left him. That prompted Skywalker to leave Tatooine to continue his Jedi journey, going down the path that led him to Ahch-To.
Camie, on the other hand, stayed on Tatooine, becoming a farmer in an area that the theory suggests could have been close to the Lars house. Being around the property, Camie was able to see Rey as she buried Luke and Leia's lightsabers there, explaining the old woman's seemingly random appearance in The Rise of Skywalker's ending scene. Lastly, the theory implies that, assuming Camie had married Luke, Rey sensed her connection to the Skywalkers. This encouraged her to adopt the Skywalker moniker to gain favor with the woman and thus, open the possibility of her caring for Rey if she opted to reside on Tatooine.
The Problems With The Rise of Skywalker Old Woman Theory
Though the concept of Luke having found love prior to his death is interesting, the theory doesn't fit the current Star Wars status quo. Firstly, it proposes that the hero returned to his family home after Return of the Jedi seeking a quiet life. Yet, in The Book of Boba Fett, Luke was shown to have been firmly focused on rebuilding the Jedi Order following the Emperor's defeat. Another questionable point is Rey's reasoning behind her adopting the Skywalker name. Throughout the sequel trilogy, Rey is established as a self-sufficient individual who's used to surviving alone. As such, changing her name simply for the possibility of getting help from a stranger doesn't fit the character.
The theory is also made unsustainable by the context of The Rise of Skywalker's final scene. Rey's interaction with the old woman was meant to punctuate the hero's newly embraced identity, which effectively separated her from Palpatine's dark legacy. Thus, the old woman appears to have simply been a vehicle for Rey's "Skywalker" name reveal. Admittedly, the idea of a person randomly walking by Luke's long-abandoned childhood home right as Rey buried his lightsaber is somewhat convenient. Yet, it's that convenient nature that makes it likelier for Annie Firbank's character to have been strictly meant to accentuate Rey's next chapter, as opposed to secretly being a major figure in the Star Wars tapestry.
On the other hand, however, the Star Wars franchise is well-known for employing retcons to retroactively give importance to seemingly minor story beats and characters. Taking that into consideration, though the mysterious woman doesn't seem to be an important character, she could theoretically be established as such later on. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featured various promising lore-building elements, such as the Sith dagger and the revelation of Finn being Force-sensitive. The final chapter in Star Wars' latest trilogy opened many potential storytelling avenues for the universe, and the woman at the end of the film could theoretically become an example of that down the line.