Who is Daisy Ridley’s Rey? That’s the question that’s been plaguing Star Wars fans ever since they first set eyes on the cast during the read through.


While details about the plot of The Force Awakens have steadily trickled through, JJ Abrams and co have managed to keep the identities of the main characters under wraps.

That hasn’t stopped fans speculating about who they could possibly be though, and one of the most popular theories is that Rey is Han Solo and Princess Leia’s daughter. It’s not exactly a wild theory, in fairness. In the Star Wars Expanded Universe Han and Leia have three children, actually: twins Jaina and Jacen, and a son named Anakin.

And though we’ve heard a million a times that the characters probably won’t make an appearance because Lucasfilm is writing a brand new story and throwing out old Star Wars canon, we can’t help but see pieces of a puzzle coming together to paint a familiar picture.

Could Rey be Han and Leia’s fearless force wielding daughter? And could Kylo Ren actually be her brother? Could the pair’s tale actually be based on that of the Solo twins?

Let’s look at the evidence:

1. Star Wars is a Skywalker family affair

The first films introduced us to Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa and the prequels introduced us to their parents, Anakin and Padme, so why wouldn’t the sequels catch up with their children?

Yes, the spin-offs bring us to new worlds and introduce new characters, but those big central arc films are all about the family who can bring balance.

2. The actors seem about the right age to be Luke or Leia’s kids

Everything that happens in the Star Wars Universe is dated in relation to one big event they were involved in – The Battle of Yavin. That’s the battle from Episode IV: A New Hope, during which Luke Skywalker blew up the first Death Star.

The Phantom Menace – during which Anakin Skywalker comes to the attention of the Jedi Council – took place 32 years before the Battle of Yavin (32 BBY) while Return of The Jedi took place 4 years after it (4 ABY). The Force Awakens will be set roughly 30 years after that (34 ABY).

In the Expanded Universe Jacen and Jaina Solo are born to Leia and Han on Coruscant in 9 ABY so if we do a bit of maths (34 ABY minus 9 ABY) we get 25 ABY, making the twins roughly around 25 years old.

Ridley is 23 and Adam Driver (who plays Kylo Ren) is 31, putting the pair in the perfect age bracket to play Han and Leia’s progeny.

3. Jacen and Jaina didn’t always live with their parents either

Rey’s a scavenger on the desert planet Jakku, so surely that means she can’t be Leia and Han’s daughter, right?

Nope. Jaina and Jacen spent a lot of time away from their parents too. In the Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU) numerous attempts were made to kidnap the Solo twins, and they were often sent into hiding far from home with droids to watch over them.

Who’s to say the writers of The Force Awakens haven’t taken that on board and sent the twins to live on different planets for their own safety?

4. Rey’s clearly genetically predisposed to playing down her importance

“I’m no-one” she says in the trailer, while walking across a desert landscape like two other ‘nobodies’ who went on to shape the future of the galaxy.

She’s certainly channelling Leia in the first shot from the final trailer, but there’s another striking resemblance…

Could she even be paying homage to grandmother Padme too?

5. Kylo Ren’s “mission” could be a lot like Jacen’s

Now we know Kylo Ren’s not a Sith Lord yet, and that he’s actually taking orders from Grand Master Snoke, but he sure does seem determined to follow in Darth Vader’s footsteps and complete his work.

We know Jacen Solo believes his grandfather (Vader) was a fallible human, who did what he did to protect the ones he loved (Padme), and even defends his actions on occasion with uncle Luke Skywalker. And when he does finally become a Sith Lord – after having visions of a future galaxy destroyed by war and ruled by a dark figure – called Darth Caedus, history repeats itself.

Just like Vader before him, Caedus rules the galaxy with an iron first. So who’s to say Kylo Ren isn’t simply on a mission to rule the galaxy as grandfather and grandson?

And we have to note the fact that Jacen called the Galactic Alliance the New Order, while the villains of the new film are referred to as the First Order.

A coincidence, perhaps?

6. Rey and Ren go head to head on the film’s official poster

The pair appear side by side, with Rey’s staff aligning with Ren’s lightsaber. In fact, you could argue that she’s the only thing standing between him and the rest of the galaxy.

Just like Jaina who, well… SPOILER ALERT. You can Google that one if you want.

7. And it would definitely explain why Han and Leia look so worried

You’d be in pieces too if the fate of the galaxy was in the hands of your children, wouldn’t you? Especially if your son had turned to the Dark Side while your daughter disappeared into the shadows.

Of course it’s all just speculation for now: we won’t know who the pair really are until the film hits UK cinemas on December 17th. Poe Dameron could be Han and Leia’s son for all we know… Just kidding. We’ve read those Shattered Empire comics and know he’s supposedly not.

But every single time JJ Abrams flatly denies something, just remember that Benedict Cumberbatch actually DID end up being Khan.


Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens hits UK cinemas on December 17th 2015