[This post contains POSSIBLE SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Force Awakens]
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Much of the excitement longtime Star Wars fans have for the upcoming The Force Awakens stems from the fact that this film sees franchise veterans Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher reprising their iconic roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia for the first time in over three decades. There's a reason that instantly famous shot of Captain Solo and his trusted pal Chewbacca was used as the money shot for the film's second teaser trailer.
But J.J. Abrams' installment will also be setting the table for what's to come in the years down the road. Hamill himself admitted that the new characters The Force Awakens is introducing will be the primary focus, and much of the marketing so far has placed Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Rey (Daisy Ridley) front and center. The lady of the group is the subject of the latest Star Wars rumor, which pertains to her parentage in the film.
One of the prevailing theories about The Force Awakens is that Rey - whose last name has not yet been revealed - is the daughter of Han and Leia. In the two trailers, there has been small amounts of circumstantial evidence that supports this, such as Rey displaying a "rough and tumble" scavenger persona and that she lives on the planet Jakku, where the heavily publicized air chase between the Millennium Falcon and the TIE fighters takes place. Based on that, it would certainly seem like she's the offspring of the two Rebellion heroes.
But what if that belief was misguided? That's the latest update from Making Star Wars (who, we should say, is one of the premiere outlets for The Force Awakens news). They were in contact with multiple anonymous sources close to the production (including one from the recent musical scoring sessions), and they all say the same thing. None of the new hero characters are Solos or Skywalkers. Perhaps the most telling quote is this one, which suggests the answers to the questions we're all wondering about aren't Abrams' biggest concern:
"It would not knock me on my knees to learn she [Rey] is a Solo. VII does not answer that question. It just presents it."
Abrams, of course, has a fickle history with trying to keep character names a secret from the moviegoing public. After so many people in the Star Trek Into Darkness camp vehemently denied that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan... Benedict Cumberbatch played Khan. So one would be justified in raising an eyebrow and suspecting some misdirection in this case. However, Making Star Wars has been on point with their reports before, and with a handful of different people saying the same thing, it's safe to assume there is some fire to this smoke.
An important bit of clarification in the one source's quote is that The Force Awakens doesn't answer the daughter question, meaning that it can be a plot thread explored in the sequels. As we all know, the original film from 1977 did not make any mention that Darth Vader was Luke's father, so any family secrets could be explored in Episode VIII. Granted, seeing as Han and Rey will share at least some screen time together, it would be difficult to see how the characters may keep their (potential) relationship under wraps, but we're not sure how the movie will play out, so anything is possible for now.
The other interesting thing the sources revealed is that none of the "heroes" are a Skywalker or Solo. We could be reading too much into this, but that specific classification leaves the door open for one of the film's villains to be related to a member of the old guard. Previous rumors (also from Making Star Wars) have indicated that Kylo Ren has some sort of sentimental connection with the Millennium Falcon, meaning he could very well be Han's son. Time will tell of course, but for now we just have to go by the rumor mill.
All the speculation and unconfirmed reports about the film have certainly been frustrating for fans to endure, but hopefully some clarity is on the way. Disney is bringing Star Wars to San Diego Comic-Con next month, with a Hall H panel for The Force Awakens as part of their big plan. So perhaps we will learn some more official details from Abrams there, including who Rey's parents are or aren't.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens opens in theaters December 18, 2015; Star Wars: Rogue One on December 16, 2016; and Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26, 2017.
Source: Making Star Wars