Don't Like Rey's Parentage in Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Director Says It Could Change

In the aftermath of the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, debates about many things in the film have raged on. While some fans loved the movie the the direction it takes the Star Wars universe in, while others are vehemently opposed to director Rian Johnson's entry in the franchise and how it treats some of the stories set up by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow.

One major sticking point among many is the identity of Rey's (Daisy Ridley) parents. After The Force Awakens, fans theorized many different possibilities about who could be her mom and dad--from Luke Skywalker to Obi Wan Kenobi, to even Han Solo and Leia Organa. One answer many didn't expect though was they they were nobodies.

That's exactly who they were, though. As revealed by Rey and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in The Last Jedi, they were junk traders from the planet Jakku, who possibly sold her for alcohol money. Is that the final word, though? According to Johnson, not necessarily.

"Anything's still open, and I'm not writing the next film. [J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio] are doing it," he tells The Huffington Post. Still, if Abrams and Terrio decide to change course and have the moment amount to Kylo misleading Rey, it would be a very strange choice to make, especially when you consider Johnson's reasoning.

Were Rey revealed to have a familiar connection to characters fans already know, the director explains that "it would be the big 'I am your father' twist [from The Empire Strikes Back]."

"The easy thing would be, 'Yes, your parents are so and so and here's your place in the world. There you go,'" he says. "The hardest thing she could hear would be [...] 'No, you're not going to get the answer. This is not going to define you. You're going to have to find your own place in this world. Kylo is going to use that even as leverage to try and make you feel insecure, and you're going to have to stand on your own two feet.'"

As Johnson points out, there is an argument that can be made that Rey's parents being nobody important makes her a stronger character. For her, it's not about following or moving away from the path set out in front of her by a parent. In truth, her course is closer to that of Anakin Skywalker, who lived most of his early life as a slave before finding out he was strong with the Force.

Regardless, any answer is open to interpretation, especially to Abrams as he sets out writing Episode IX. Ridley has said that at this point, the next saga film will be her final appearance in the Star Wars movie franchise, meaning Rey's story will likely reach its conclusion in the the movie.

Now the question is whether her story will be massively changed in the process. Star Wars: Episode IX will be in theaters on December 20, 2019. Star Wars will next be on the big screen when Solo: A Star Wars Story, the Han Solo standalone film, arrives on May 25.