Summary
- Rey's true identity as a Palpatine could undermine her credibility and trust as she tries to rebuild the Jedi Order.
- Keeping her identity a secret may seem understandable, but if it's revealed, it could harm her chances of success and destroy the Jedi.
- The galaxy may struggle to accept a Palpatine as a hero and leader, potentially leading to fear and rejection of the Force.
Rey’s biggest secret could undermine her attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order in the upcoming Star Wars: New Jedi Order movie. Star Wars: New Jedi Order will take place 15 years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and depict Rey Skywalker’s vision and plans for rebuilding the Jedi Order. While Rey may succeed in finding new Force-sensitives, or those who are willing to dedicate their lives to unlocking that connection as Sabine Wren did in Ahsoka, it’s also possible that rebuilding the Jedi Order will provide challenges far greater than just finding prospective students.
One Star Wars fan account posed an interesting hypothetical: what if the galaxy were to find out about Rey’s true heritage?
While the original poster is speaking about their personal wishes for the New Jedi Order movie, their imagined scenario does raise an important point. After everything that’s happened with the Empire, and by extension, the First Order, why would the galaxy trust someone so closely (albeit unwillingly) connected to the Empire’s evil legacy to rebuild the Jedi Order and protect them?
Rey Learned Her True Identity In Secret Close Few knew of Rey’s true heritage and her connection to Emperor Palpatine. Kylo Ren was the one to tell her the truth before he returned to the light and sacrificed himself to save her, and Rey’s mentors, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, both eventually figured it out as well. Presumably, some of Rey’s closest confidantes were made aware in the end, too, like Finn and Poe Dameron. But why should anyone outside Rey’s immediate circle know her real identity?
Rey was instrumental in defeating Palpatine’s clone and his secret First Order fleet on Exegol, but many who joined the fight that day would know nothing of Rey’s role in defeating the First Order once and for all. The civilians who showed up for the battle were in their ships above the planet and wouldn’t have been made privy to the conflict’s darker aspects. Rey’s lineage is hers to share, and while not admitting the truth about her family line to the rest of the galaxy is entirely understandable, it may be forced out eventually and hurt her chances of success even more.
