5 Theories On How Rey and Kylo Ren Are Connected In 'The Last Jedi'

Star Wars fans are eagerly anticipating the latest movie in the series, which premieres on Friday, hoping they'll finally get some answers to questions that have been driving them crazy since The Force Awakens debuted in 2015. Perhaps the most burning question is, how are Rey and Kylo Ren connected in The Last Jedi? The new movies take place decades after the original trilogy, in an age when few people even know about the Force, much less use it. But these two characters both have unusually strong powers. Is there meaning behind that?

Kylo Ren's strength in the Force is easy to understand; he's the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, one of the most gifted Force users in the series, and he was (partially) trained by Luke Skywalker, who's no slouch, either. But Rey, who's never even heard of the Force, was still able to use it to resist Kylo Ren when he attempted to get inside her mind. That's unheard of. So does that mean that Rey also comes from a powerful Jedi bloodline? Not necessarily, because The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams scrapped that midi-chlorian nonsense from the prequels (thank the maker), which means anyone, regardless of genetics, has the potential to harness the powers of the Force.

But that doesn't mean that they're not related, either. Why else would the filmmakers go out of their way to hide Rey's origin in The Force Awakens? We don't even know her last name! Fans have some pretty interesting theories, from plausible to ludicrous, and they're all hoping that The Last Jedi will clear things up once and for all. Let's examine some of the possibilities.

They're Twins

In an interview with USA Today, actress Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, played coy regarding her character's relationship with Kylo Ren: "These are two people who represent two very different sides of life, good and evil," she said. "That's going to be explored more in this." But are they two sides of the same coin? We know Kylo Ren's mother, General Leia Organa, is a fraternal twin, and they do run in families. Actor Adam Driver acknowledged to Rolling Stone that although he's 34, his character is younger. And tellingly, he added, "I don't want to say how much younger, 'cause people will read into it."

Their Love Will Bring Balance To The Force

Many fans have taken Luke Skywalker's line from the trailer, "It's time for the Jedi to end," to mean that in order to save the Star Wars universe once and for all, everyone needs to stop with this Light Side/Dark Side stuff and move towards the middle. Some hope that Rey and Kylo will work together to restore balance to the Force, but one theory published by Forbes goes even further: "It seems entirely possible that Rey's love interest will not be Finn or Poe, but Ben/Kylo Ren. That the film will focus on the two of them moving to the middle, more than Rey being pulled to the Dark Side like these trailers suggest." Rey, honey, you can do better than that.

They're Part Of A Long-Standing Family Feud

One theory posited by the Huffington Post claims that Rey is a descendant of Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Sheev Palpatine. "At its core, the Star Wars story has always been Palpatine vs. Skywalker," the thinking goes, and perhaps it was Luke who abandoned Rey on Jakku after the Knights of Ren destroyed the Jedi Academy because he was afraid of what she might become. But just like Luke himself, she's proven that evil parentage doesn't guarantee you'll grow up to be a bad guy. She and Kylo Ren are destined to face off, but this time, we'll root for the Palpatine family to win.

Rey Is Kylo's Sort-Of Uncle

YouTuber Mike Zeroh believes that fans won't find out about Rey's true origins until Episode IX, and the big reveal will be that she's a clone created from Luke's severed hand. So does that make her Kylo's aunt? Uncle? Cousin? This is getting confusing.

Rey Is Kylo's Kinda-Grandfather

If you thought that last theory was the craziest one possible, boy, were you wrong. Inquisitr has an argument for Rey being the reincarnation of Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader. The evidence: she's more powerful than Kylo Ren, despite having no training (in this lifetime, anyway), she has "memories" from before she was born (those visions from The Force Awakens), and she has a spiritual connection to Anakin's lightsaber, something that Luke never had. When we last saw Anakin, he had finally turned back to the Light Side to join his son, Luke. His grandson, Kylo, has been worshipping him like a Dark Side hero, and now he's back to set the record straight. Sure, why not?

It's possible that someone out there got it right, but there's no way to be sure until Friday, when The Last Jedi premieres. That is, unless they wait until the end of the new trilogy to wrap it up and leave us hanging for two more years. Say it with me in your best whiny Luke voice: "Noooo!"

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