Star Wars theory corner: Emilia Clarke’s ‘Han Solo’ character is Rey’s mother?

In 2015, Star Wars fans were introduced to Rey (Daisy Ridley), a powerful Force-user, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Director J.J. Abrams included a flashback sequence that showed Rey, as a little girl, being abandoned on the desert planet of Jakku by her parents, who took a ship off-world.

During the intervening two years between that movie and sequel The Last Jedi, fans feverishly speculated about Rey’s parents. Surely, to produce someone like Rey, they must be important. Perhaps she’s descended from Emperor Palpatine, or Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Luke Skywalker himself? Oh, the anticipation.

Then director Rian Johnson came alone and ruined everyone’s childhood by killing Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi and revealing that Rey was a nobody whose parents sold her for drinking money.

You would think that would have put an end to the fan theories about Rey’s parentage ahead of Episode IX, but it hasn’t. YouTuber Film Threat has come up with a doozy of a theory that posits that Ray’s parents are none other than Han Solo, the smuggler with a heart of gold, and Qi’ra, his first love. We met Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where she was played by Game of Thrones‘ own Emilia Clarke.

Hooooo boy.

So the theory goes that, at some point, Han cheats on Leia with Qi’ra, which causes his son Ben — who eventually becomes Kylo Ren — to resent him and eventually plunge a lightsaber into his chest.

It’s a bit of a leap, but then again, many fan theories are. Also, as with most fan theories, there are some problems with it. Disney has made clear that the new films are canon, so if The Last Jedi says Rey’s parents were nobodies, they’re nobodies. Also, if you watched The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren and Rey come off as siblings only if we’re comparing them to Cersei and Jaime Lannister.

Also, there’s no rule that requires there to be Force balance in families. Just because one child goes to the Light Side doesn’t mean the other has to embrace the Dark. Same goes for the parents.

Finally, can we stop theorizing that all English women in Star Wars are related? Here’s a handy video to help with that:

Matt Smith as Doctor Who? Weird.

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