In the generation-spanning conclusion to the Skywalker Saga, The Rise Of Skywalker, writer/director J.J. Abrams, in roughly two-and-a-half hours, combined retcons, original story ideas, and a handful of EU concepts to make the final film as thrilling as possible.
The result was a film that disappointed fans and critics alike, as it, understandably, felt slightly overstuffed. And though the film answered many questions about Rey's past, it is possible that Abrams raised more questions than he resolved. Here are the top 10 unanswered questions that we still have about Rey.
How Were Children Of Palpatine Allowed To Be ... Not Evil?
A flashback sequence shows Rey's parents dropping her on Jakku and then escaping the desert planet, only to be killed by the emperor's agents, whose real target was, in fact, Rey. But this raises something of a plot hole. How were Rey's parents allowed to, presumably, escape Palpatine, in order to hide Rey away? As one of the most powerful force users of all time, the ruler of the entire galaxy, with an army and Darth Vader at his disposal, it seems unlikely that one (or any) child of Palpatine would be allowed to escape. It's only further perplexing that they could be anything but users of the dark side, whether or not that is a choice they themselves made.
Will Rey Finish Luke's Work?
Before Luke Skywalker attempted to murder his nephew, and subsequently marooned himself on a deserted planet and cut himself off from the Force (Before The Last Jedi, in other words), Luke had begun to re-establish a new Jedi Order. His adventures in this area are covered in several EU novels; it is clear that this was, at one time, his mission. Now that Rey is truly the last Jedi, will she take that idea and attempt to begin her own Jedi Order? If she does attempt to do this, will Finn be her first student?
What Is Her Mission, With The First Order Gone?
The Rise Of Skywalker concluded with an epic and destructive space battle, presumably destroying any last remnants of the First Order. With the Imperial-like rule gone, what is Rey's mission now? Will she work with the New Republic as a peacekeeper? Will a New Republic even be established? Will she try to build a Jedi school in seclusion? Will she hunt down and destroy any remnants of the First or Final Order?
Was She Damaged By Kylo's Death?
One of the most interesting things that Abrams incorporated into the finale is the concept of a Force Dyad; a never-before-seen intergalactic connection between two especially linked Force Users that allowed us to see the Force used in a way that few could have predicted or imagined.
Because this connection was so powerful between Rey and Ben Skywalker, does his death affect Rey? On the assumption that the Dyad ends with the death of one of its members, would that make Rey less powerful than she was with the connection?
How Did She Build A New Lightsaber?
A deleted scene from The Return Of The Jedi saw Luke at Ben's hut on Tattooine, finishing the construction of his new lightsaber. In the novel "Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke built the lightsaber based on detailed instructions left behind by Ben. He built his crystal artificially, which proves that it is possible, but he would have been at an absolute loss if not for Ben's notes.
"Although Ben's instructions were clearly written, it seemed the entire process was an inexact science, and possibly dangerous."
As far as we know, Rey had neither instructions nor materials; she would have had no clue how to successfully build a lightsaber. Were Ben's notes somehow preserved and given to Rey? Does that mean Leia had the notes or some other form of instruction? Or, did Rey receive instruction from some other source -- Maz Kanata, perhaps?
How Did She Get A Yellow Crystal?
The power-source of a lightsaber has always been a Kyber crystal. These crystals were commonly found on Ilum, where it was a rite of passage for young Jedi to journey to Ilum and find their crystal, which would be shown to them through the Force. Largely, these crystals would be blue or green; purple and yellow are two of the rarer colors.
But, by the time Rey builds her new lightsaber, the planet Ilum has been destroyed, as it was here that Starkiller Base was built after the Empire mined the planet to the brink of destruction. In that case, how did Rey acquire a crystal at all, let alone a yellow one? Did she take one from a different lightsaber and use the Force to 'bleed' the crystal, thereby changing its color? Or, did she find a new location where potential Jedi can harvest crystals?
Who Was Her Family?
In a twist that turned out to be a little too recalcitrant of the original trilogy, Abrams brought back Emperor Palpatine and then proceeded to finally give a clear answer on Rey's lineage, making the Sith Lord her grandfather. This raises more than a few questions, the least of which are relatively simple. Who was her grandmother? Who were her parents? Did she have any other siblings; did Palpatine have any other children? Is there a whole complicated line of Palpatines out there that we don't know about? Were her parents and grandmother also force sensitive?
Is She A Gray Jedi?
Explored largely in the Old Republic video games, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Knights Of The Old Republic, is the concept of a Gray Jedi, a Jedi dedicated neither to the light, nor the dark, but only to the Force. This concept is one of balance, and it is one of the more interesting things to come from the Old Republic.
"There is no light without the dark. There is only the Force."
Generally, the few Gray Jedi that we know are signified by the rare, yellow color of their lightsabers. While it has long been debated if certain known characters, such as Qui-Gon Jinn or Ahsoka Tano, can be considered Gray Jedi, Rey's name must now be thrown into the debate. Does the simple color of her lightsaber mark her as a true Gray Jedi? Is she truly dedicated to the balance of the Force?
Why Was Rey Able To Heal With The Force?
Another interesting power that Abrams pulled from The Old Republic era is Force Healing, where a Jedi can use the Force to heal himself or someone else. But even in the Old Republic, this is a rare ability. Why was Rey able to use this ability when so many other powerful Jedi couldn't? Did other Jedi (i.e. Master Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi) simply not know about it? Or is Rey just far more powerful than any Jedi we have yet seen? If the reason behind her new ability is simply because of her unmatched power, does her power come from the fact that she is related to Palpatine?
Is Rey The Chosen One?
The crux of the Prequel trilogy was this idea of the Chosen One. An ancient Jedi Prophecy claimed that a fatherless Force user would bring balance to the Force. Upon stumbling across the slave boy, Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn became convinced that he was the child of the prophecy. This was later confirmed in the Mortis arc in The Clone Wars. But the fact that Emperor Palpatine came back to life, with a new army bent on conquering the galaxy, combined with the fact that Rey is the one that prevents this, brings the prophecy into question. Is Anakin truly the Chosen One, or is Rey? Are they both Chosen? Is that possible, or do Rey's actions make Anakin's null and void?