A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away from the internet...
If you're one of the two people in the world who hasn't seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens then this article really isn't for you, because it contains spoilers.
Lots of them.
This being said, the burning question right now is "why haven't you seen Star Wars?"
Maybe you bought your ticket, accidentally wandered into The Good Dinosaur instead, stayed for the whole thing and thought that J.J. Abrams made a "really bold" choice.
Probably not.
A copy of Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt's screenplay has been released online and it offers a few interesting details.
To begin with, let's channel Rafa Benitez and talk only about the facts before giving you a few of our own JOE theories about Rey's parents, her background, Kylo Ren and a few others.
FACTS
The meeting between Luke and Rey
In the script, the scene reads as follows. There's "kindness in his (Luke's) eyes, but there’s something tortured, too. Luke "doesn’t need to ask her who she is, or what she is doing here... his look says it all."
The scene in the script finished with: "HOLD ON LUKE SKYWALKER’S INCREDIBLE FACE, amazed and conflicted at what he sees, as our MUSIC BUILDS, the promise of an adventure, just beginning…"
Basically, he knows who Rey is. A former pupil perhaps or is there an even closer bond? More on this later.
Kylo Ren's turmoil
So long, Solo. In the script, the infamous showdown between father and son on the bridge reads as follows;
"Kylo Ren is somehow WEAKENED by this wicked act... horrified". His "SHOCK is broken" only when Chewbacca "cries out".
Does this mean that Ben Solo/Kylo Ren thought that by killing his own father, his powers with the Dark Side would be enhanced, but it actually backfired?
Or does the term 'weakened' imply that he's still committed to the light, however his soul has now been tainted?
Rey's vision
In the script, the opening shot is set "deep within Cloud City" before focusing on a lingering moment between Luke and R2-D2 (is Luke relaying a message to his trusty droid about when he's to reactivate/power-up perhaps?).
The most pertinent details in the script concern an attack on his new Jedi training academy, written as "a BURNING TEMPLE AT NIGHT".
The identity of the person that was stabbed by Kylo Ren during this sequence? They're listed as nothing more than "A WARRIOR".
Oh yeah, those uber cool and menacing soldiers in the background are indeed the Knights of Ren.
The importance of Simon Pegg's junk trader Unkar Plutt
The scene when Rey is abandoned reads as following "A little girl. Rey as a child. She is sobbing, hysterical. Unkar Plutt’s meaty hand holds her thin arm. She is on Jakku, watching a starship fly into the sky, abandoning her".
A young child cast aside on a desert planet for reasons unknown.
Hmmmm, that's never been done in Star Wars before...
Anything else that was planned but didn't make the film?
Take a look at this video below that outlines some of the ideas and art work that were dropped. The juicy bits include an Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader force ghost appearing, Poe Dameron dying, Han Solo living and lots more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYLZhDTITr0
THEORIES
Now we're moving into the Dark Side of the internet. Let's start with Rey's parents and outline the pros and cons of each potential candidate.
Rey Skywalker
Did she actually meet her old man in Kerry?
Pros: 1) She grew up on a desert planet not really knowing her parents, just like the son of Skywalker. 2) Luke's lightsaber calls to her. 3) She's incredibly gifted with the Force. 4) Just like Luke blowing up the Death Star, Rey can harness Jedi powers with little or no training. 5) In the Expanded Universe, Luke married a character named Mara Jade, but the filmmakers have stressed that they're not including the canon of books in the new films.
Cons: 1) It undermines the mantra of 'A Jedi shall not know love', basically implying that Master Skywalker is a fraud. 2) It means her mother would have to be introduced at some point.
There's one big question for this theory to be true though. Did she know Luke when they meet and if not, why? Was her mind wiped (Kylo Ren has proven that Jedis/Siths have new powers) in an effort to protect her?
Rey Kenobi
Did Obi-Wan keep a big secret from Episodes III to VI?
Pros: 1) Force sensitive, 2) similar clothes, 3) extremely skilled when using the Jedi mind trick, 4) a talent for stealth, 5) both versions and voices of Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor) appear in her vision.
Cons: 1) Big narrative jump to imply that she's Obi-Wan's granddaughter, 2) breaking the 'no sexy time' laws of a Jedi but then again, Master Kenobi had to do something during those 30 years of exile on Tatooine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=128&v=4mjFfdrTJrQ
Rey Organa/Skywalker
Did Princess Leia have a fling with someone that wasn't Han Solo. Is Rey the daughter of Leia Organa/Skywalker?
Pros: 1) Explains why the usually grumpy Han instantly took a liking to her, maybe there's a bit of her mam's tough and clever personality in Rey, 2) there was a moment between Rey and Leia at the end, despite the two never even meeting each other, 3) Star Wars fans might know the story of Jacen and Jaina, Han and Leia's children in the books. One turned bad while the other remained loyal to the light. Sound familiar?
Cons: 1) Is Leia cold enough to send away her daughter? 2) did things between Han and Leia get so bad that she turned away from the lovable scoundrel and kept Rey a secret from him?
One question for this to be true, why was Rey exiled to Jakku? Maybe after the massacre at Luke's Jedi Academy, she's the last remaining hope for the Jedi. With her mind wiped, it's safer for her to live on Jakku with a protector watching on, Max Von Sydow's character Lor San Tekka perhaps. We know that he's trusted by Leia and knows Luke's whereabouts.
Another note, the word Rey means king in Spanish thus implying royalty. Queen Amidala - Princess Leia - Rey? Vader meant father in Dutch after all.
Rey (insert any random name)
Is she simply just a Force sensitive survivor from the Jedi Academy massacre?
Pro: Implies that her wild but powerful ability to use The Force has been used before while training with Luke, but she lacks direction and guidance. This approach would be handy if Disney wanted to avoid any association with the past films while introducing a new stand alone hero. Also, who says that the Force is the exclusive property of just three families in the galaxy?
Con: Star Wars loves symmetry because after all, it's the saga of one family.
Rey and Kylo's relationship
We've already covered the fact that they could potentially be from the same family, but is there anything else in The Force Awakens to suggest a stronger bond?
1) When Kylo finds out that BB-8 has escaped on Jakku with Finn and 'a girl', he instantly reverts to a hissy fit with his lightsaber and force grips the nearest guard upon the mention of the word 'girl'. Why the overreaction?
2) During the showdown in the forrest, Kylo Ren offers to train Rey (with a degree of empathy in his words).
3) During the flashback featuring the Knights of Ren, we see Kylo impaling 'a warrior' that's quickly approaching Rey with his lightsaber. He could very easily have been saving Rey from an imminent attack, if she was indeed present during this moment.
Who is Snoke?
Star Wars fans have been quick to point out the similarity between the new Supreme Leader of the First Order and a certain Dark Lord of the Sith named Darth Plagueis.
You may remember him from Revenge of the Sith, he was so powerful that he could cheat death. Maybe the Emperor failed in his assassination attempt?
Take a look for yourself.
What about the Knights of Ren?
We know that Kylo Ren studied and learned from Luke Skywalker. An incident involving the Knights of Ren caused Luke to go into exile but my question is this. How could a Jedi Master be beaten and unable to save his students from a mere novice of the Force?
My own theory, if the scene in the driving rain was actually set at Luke's Academy then maybe his students never died. They simply turned on him due to the influence and peer pressure of his young protege... a certain Ben Solo.
Cue Luke's exile until the Force awakened.
