Rey’s origins have been a persistent mystery for Star Wars fans. What is her lineage? Why is she so strong in the Force? It turns out the answer may have been staring us in the face. Is Rey the true Chosen One that is foretold to bring balance to the Force? Read on for more. Speculation and potential spoilers below.

We’ve discussed several Rey theories on this site, but this one seems to be different to me. It’s different because it isn’t a theory of Rey’s parents, but rather a theory of her place in the saga.

While I’m not the first person to bring up this idea, for example here, here, here, or here, I was surprised on how little there was on the web for this theory. Perhaps the reason why not is because everyone, including myself until last week, had been convinced that Anakin was the Chosen One. This, however, may have changed.

My views have changed since last week because of HiddenCity’s latest article on the nature of the Chosen One prophecy, and whether or not Anakin Skywalker was really the Chosen One. Although I’ve written articles on why I thought he was, my views have largely changed. And the conclusion is that I’ve had to rethink everything, and the way I interpret the movies has changed because of it. The mounting evidence supports the idea that Anakin was created by Darth Sidious, possibly in collaboration with or based on the plan of Darth Plagueis. Admittedly, some of this isn’t strictly canon, but I think HiddenCity makes a pretty strong case that it is probably still true to canon. There is too much to go into here, but please check out the article for more.

Once we’ve established that Anakin isn’t the Chosen One, the natural next question is: who is? I think I have the answer to this, and the more I think about it, the more obvious it is. The signs are all there, all over the sequel trilogy. Almost everything points to Rey being the true Chosen One that will bring balance to the Force.

Consider the evidence. Let me go through the many things supporting it, and many of which have been used to critique the movies as something that doesn’t make sense. The answer to all these questions is the same:

Why is “Rey” an exact translation of “King” in Spanish?

Why did Rey flying the Millennium Falcon for the first time send ripples throughout the Force, so much so that it led Snoke to “feel an awakening”?

Why did Rey seem to be able to “pick up” advanced Force-techniques without practice?

Why did the Skywalker saber call to Rey?

Why did the Skywalker saber respond to Rey’s Force-pull and not Kylo’s on the surface of Starkiller base?

Why did Rey have premonitions and dreams of the island on Ahch-To and the Jedi library tree?

Why did Rey hear Jedi library tree whisper/call to her on Ahch-To?

Why in the cave, when Rey asked to see her parents, did she see herself?

Why was Snoke expecting someone to come forward to balance out Kylo?

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

All of these questions have been used by many to complain about the new films. However, the answer to all of them is right in front of us. Rey is the Chosen One. She is super-powerful with the Force and, like young Anakin Skywalker, does it effortlessly with very little training.

How and Why

Rey and Anakin Skywalker have something in common. They are both born with no previous lineage. Anakin was born to a slave on Tatooine, and Rey was born to junk traders on Jakku (if we are to believe Kylo Ren). Anakin doesn’t need a lineage because he is a vergence in the Force, the same seems to be true of Rey. According to last week’s article, a lot of accumulating evidence supports the notion that Anakin was created as part of a Sith plot to take over the galaxy. As we’ve discussed before, part of the prophecy is that the Chosen One is created to by the Force as a reaction to an imbalance. This is perhaps best exemplified by the quote from Snoke about Rey from The Last Jedi:

Darkness rises, and light to meet it. I warned my young apprentice that as he grew stronger, his equal in the light would rise.

According to Snoke, Rey may have been created by the Force to counteract the darkness created by Kylo Ren (and arguably by Snoke as well). The meaning of this quote, in light of the “Rey Chosen One” theory, is inescapable. Rey is a vergence in the Force, created to counteract the imbalance created by Kylo Ren.

Consider George Lucas’ original vision for the sequel trilogy. According to a quote from Lucas , he would have explored the microscopic world:

“[My sequel trilogy films] were going to get into the microbiotic world. But there’s this world of creatures that operate differently than we do. I call them the Whills. And the Whills are the one who actually control the universe. They feed off the Force.”

To me, when I read this, I can’t help but think of the new Vader comic and the idea of midi-cholorians being manipulated to create life. To me, in light of recent revelations, this suggest that Lucas would have explored the world of midi-chlorians and Whills, and how the Whills and Force work to create a new lightside Force user like the Chosen One to balance things out, as per Snoke’s quote.

From a more practical perspective, if Anakin is not the Chosen One, it justifies the existence of the sequel trilogy, and in continuing the Star Wars saga. It’s also possible that Rey also isn’t the Chosen One, and we’ll need another sequel trilogy to continue the search. In a way, it’s beneficial for Lucasfilm to keep the answer to the question of the Chosen One prophecy a mystery, and continue making movies forever. I won’t complain.

I should also mention that there is another possibility. The possibility remains that Rey was created by a dark side Force user, much like Anakin may have been. Connecting the dots, I am reminded that there was a “Secret Imperial Research Base on Jakuu“, and that it was destroyed 5ABY during the Battle of Jakku, and Rey was born just 10 years after. Could she have been created, much like Anakin, by Snoke or the handywork of some other darksider, or something set in motion by Sidious years before?

How will the Fans take it?

I’m not sure how the fans will take this idea, if it ends up being true. Personally, I like Rey a lot, and I welcome this theory. For if Rey is the Chosen One, it provides the explanation for her powers, and for how easily she learns things, just like Anakin. It addresses a lot of the criticisms of Rey being too perfect, because her amazing skills are sort of what you’d expect from the Chosen One.

Other fans may find it hard to swallow the idea of Anakin not being the Chosen One.

We’ll see how this plays out in Episode IX, but I encourage you to rewatch The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi with this idea in mind. It radically changes how you interpret those movies. Snoke’s quote about “feeling an awakening” that was also felt by Kylo, has new meaning, especially considering Snoke later says he was waiting for a light to rise up to face Kylo’s darkness. Snoke and Kylo expected her and waited for her. They could sense when she arrived. It’s all over the place. I’d love hear what you think of this, so leave your comments and let me know what you think!

Brought to you by @davestrrr. Stay tuned to SpoiledBlueMilk for the best of Star Wars!