Star Wars: Rey is More Like Anakin Than Rise of Skywalker Revealed

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t necessarily show it, but Rey is more alike Anakin Skywalker than many realize. A galactic girl of mystery, Daisy Ridley’s Rey is the linchpin of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Introduced as a simple scavenger on the backwater planet of Jakku, Rey soon becomes embroiled with the Resistance thanks to BB-8, and unlocks her potential as a user of the Force. Despite initially being told she was “no one,” Rey eventually discovers she’s actually the granddaughter of the most infamous, wrinkliest dictator in the galaxy.

Despite her sinister heritage, Rey is constantly affiliated with the Skywalkers. Becoming a student of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, Rey is the final padawan taken by Mark Hamill’s legendary warrior, and encourages him to (sort of) end his exile on Ahch-To. After Luke’s death, Rey moves on to his sister, training under Princess Leia ahead of The Rise of Skywalker and growing close to her also. But it’s Leia’s son, Ben Solo, that Rey becomes most heavily involved with. The pair form a rare phenomenon known as a Force dyad, reaching out to each other through the Force. Rey is able to turn Kylo Ren back to the light side, and their duality ends with a kiss that may or may not be romantic in nature (this is Star Wars, after all).

One Skywalker never explicitly connected to Rey is Anakin – Darth Vader himself. Kylo Ren idolizes his grandfather and strives to become a worthy successor, but Rey has precious little to do with Anakin, aside from a scant few moments in The Rise of Skywalker. This is unusual, as Rey shares more in common with the Skywalker patriarch than she does Luke, Leia, or Ben.

Palpatine Was Important To Their Creation

The Rise of Skywalker infamously revealed Rey as the granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine, he of Galactic Empire fame. Fresh from taking a big loss at the Battle of Endor, Palpatine’s body was no longer fit for purpose, and the Sith Eternal began experimenting with clones that could continue their master’s legacy. A defective Palpatine clone managed to escape and father a child of his own, but the girl was abandoned as Palpatine hunted relentlessly for his kin. That child was Rey, and she has the dubious honor of continuing the Palpatine bloodline.

Although the story’s authenticity is debated, Palpatine may have had a hand in Anakin Skywalker’s birth too. Star Wars lore suggests the Force willed Anakin into being, which, as much as Shmi Skywalker’s personal life is her own business, is hardly a convincing tale. In the canon Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, however, Vader sees a vision of Palpatine using the Force to impregnate Shmi. No one can quite agree on whether this scene depicts the truth of Anakin’s birth, but it would certainly account for his miraculous conception and feels logical as a precursor to Palpatine’s later machinations. Assuming the story is valid, Anakin would be considered the son of Palpatine, and Luke and Leia his grandchildren. But while the Emperor had no influence upon Vader’s twins, Rey shared a deeper connection to her grandfather thanks to the wonders of cloning – more akin to Anakin.

Even if Anakin’s birth wasn’t influenced by Palpatine, he and Rey were both molded by the Sith Lord unknowingly. Palpatine used his evil designs to slowly twist Anakin Skywalker’s will to the Dark side, before corrupting him completely into Darth Vader. Though the attempt was less successful, Palpatine (through his Supreme Leader Snoke glove puppet) repeatedly tried to lure Rey over to his team too.

Both Have Family Trauma

The Skywalkers are Star Wars‘ own Kardashians in terms of family drama, but Anakin and Rey in particular are driven by parental upset. Luke and Leia certainly didn’t have it easy (just ask Luke’s right hand), but both enjoyed relatively stable adoptive upbringings. As dull as Tatooine might’ve been, the Lars family ensured Luke’s early years were as comfortable as possible, while Leia enjoyed the trappings of royalty on Alderaan. Anakin Skywalker, on the other hand, was born into slavery, before being ripped from his mother by the Jedi. Already suffering feelings of loss, Anakin witnessed his mother killed by Tusken Raiders, effectively condemning him to the dark side. Shmi’s death would define Anakin’s bloody run as Darth Vader.

In the same way, Rey suffered by never knowing her parents. Despite making the best of her time on Jakku, Rey could never escape feeling a lack of identity, and was determined to discover the truth when she finally left the sandy planet. Just as the death of his mother defined Anakin in adulthood, not knowing her parents defined Rey, and almost took her down the same dark path. Because of the Lars and Organa families, Luke and Leia could never relate to their father in the same way Rey might.

Rey Was A Target For The Sith

Not only did Palpatine have a hand in creating Rey and Anakin, he bore exactly the same intentions both times. Conceived by the Emperor or not, Palpatine undeniably groomed Anakin into becoming Darth Vader. The young Jedi was already a tempestuous sort, but Palpatine stoked that fire until it burned out of control, leaving Annie no choice but to join the Dark side. Palpatine took Anakin as his loyal apprentice, and given how the Sith Rule of Two works, one would imagine that, had the Empire not been defeated in Return of the Jedi, a dying Palpatine would’ve eventually transferred the collective will of the Sith into Darth Vader. The apprentice becomes the successor, and then chooses a new promising young vessel, thus the Rule of Two survives.

After Anakin’s betrayal, Rey became Palpatine’s unexpected plan B. As revealed in The Rise of Skywalker, the Emperor wished to transfer his essence (along with the rest of the Sith) into Rey, just as he surely would’ve done to Anakin when the time came. Mirroring his corruption of Vader, Palpatine manipulated Rey’s insecurities, desperately trying to make her compliant. The only difference between them is that grief pushed Anakin over the edge, whereas Rey took the moral high ground – something Anakin was never especially good at.

Rey Brought Balance To The Force

Qui-Gon Jinn predicted that Anakin Skywalker was the Jedi of prophecy who would supposedly bring balance to the Force, and after slaughtering countless innocents, invading worlds, and enslaving entire races, he finally got around to fulfilling that destiny. Redeemed by his son, Anakin abandons the Darth Vader mantle and pushes his master down a cavernous Death Star shaft. As far as George Lucas’ Star Wars is concerned, Palpatine’s death brought balance, because the light side is still kicking and the dark side isn’t. Unfortunately, Anakin’s sacrifice only lasted 30 years or so, and Palpatine quickly began conspiring to revive the Empire from his throne on Exegol. This time, the responsibility fell to Rey, and after a few close calls, she successfully vanquished the Star Wars villain. In this moment, Rey finally brings true balance, and the voice of Hayden Christensen even tells her, “bring back the balance… as I did.”

The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t address whether Rey was the chosen one all along, or whether that title belongs to Anakin and Rey just finished the job, but as the only two Jedi to bring down the Sith (temporarily or otherwise), Rey and Anakin share an intrinsic connection.

Rey’s Anakin Connection Would Improve Her “Skywalker” Ending

Spending so much time forging the Force dyad, The Rise of Skywalker passes on the opportunity to present Rey as a spiritual successor to Anakin Skywalker. Both are raised on remote desert planets and whisked away by the call of the Jedi. Both are created and manipulated by Palpatine to continue the Sith lineage. And, finally, both overcome the odds to bring the Force into balance. Few would empathize with the path of Anakin Skywalker as deeply as Rey. Daisy Ridley’s character could’ve referenced that more clearly by having Rey show the same kind of respect for Anakin that Kylo Ren showed for Darth Vader – thereby also reinforcing their “light and dark” Force dyad.

Had The Rise of Skywalker emphasized Rey and Anakin’s similarities more and presented her as a parallel to the fallen Jedi, one of the film’s most notorious scenes could’ve been improved. Rey’s “Skywalker” moment is more confusing than dramatic – is she adopting the name because of her Jedi teachers, to pay homage to Ben, or just because signing “Palpatine” attracts funny looks? By presenting Rey as the successor to Anakin, Rey holds a more emotive, meaningful connection to the Skywalker name, and a reason to carry it forward.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3637 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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