Star Wars VII Force Awakens “Plot Holes” FILLED

STAR WARS VII SPOILERS INCOMING. Not just that, but possibly for future story developments as well. I’m confident that many of the theories here will spoil something for anyone that hasn’t obsessed over this series like I have. So if you desperately want to avoid spoilers and speculation about future Star Wars story developments, don’t read this post. I delayed the post until 3 weeks after Star Wars VII’s release out of courtesy, so if you haven’t seen The Force Awakens yet, you really shouldn’t read this.

If you’re confident that I’m going to be wrong, or just want to enjoy the speculation until the next movies and books come out, continue and enjoy!

Introduction: Star Wars VII Is Awesome

I loved Star Wars VII. I’ve seen it 3 times at the time of writing this (12.30.31), and I may watch it one more time before I publish it just to re-check my work. The only people complaining about Star Wars VII are absolute purists (people who are still mad about the extended universe being cut from canon) and George Lucas (and that should count as a check in the positive column considering episodes 1-3).

I’ll attempt to address as many of the interesting questions and misunderstandings I’ve seen and heard people make. There are several people who are doing their very best to dig for idiotic complaints, and I won’t address all of those. Many of them are complaints no mass market movie could overcome, let alone one for a beloved existing series. Bottom line: If you knowingly went to a movie about space wizards and laser swords, you’re an idiot for pointing out remarkable coincidences and calling them unrealistic.

My Star Wars background includes decades of watching the movies and TV shows, reading the (mostly no longer canon) books and comics, and playing the video games. I’m also one of those people who has Wookieepedia bookmarked, so… yea. Geek license confirmed.

I will be speculating wildly. I will base these speculations on evidence that I will explain or link to, because I’m writing a theory article here and not a fan fiction. When I list reasoning, I will try my best to write these in order of when they appear in Star Wars VII, but I will probably jump around a bit to prove my points.

Why so much rehashing?

Almost everyone that’s seen Star Wars VII has mentioned this. There is a lot of homage, repeating themes, fan service, and the like. Most people have a positive response to this, because they see it as a reunion of sorts. But no matter how you feel about it, there is a long-standing plot-based reason for repeating themes in Star Wars.

The Force is cyclical, and takes an exhaustive effort to be kept in balance. That is why the prophecy about Anakin bringing balance to the Force was such a huge deal to the Jedi council in Episode 1. At the end of Episode 3, you’re left with the impression that the prophecy was wrong (or that Anakin failed to fulfill it at least), but the Force being balanced isn’t peace. It’s constant war.

Here’s the thing: At the beginning of Episode 1, how many Sith were known to exist? Maybe one. How many Jedi were known to exist? A few dozen, plus several younglings in training, and many more padawans in between (presumably). Anakin fulfilled the prophecy. He and Darth Sidious did bring balance to the Force.

When Star Wars VII begins, there is one known Jedi left, and two Sith. When A New Hope begins there is one known Jedi left, and two Sith. All of it is cyclical, and the balance of power between the two sides of the Force is the foundation of the entire galaxy. If you don’t believe me, think about how only two Sith (Sidious and Vader) manage to take over the entire Galaxy’s government. And then how one Jedi manages to stop them.

In the beginning of Star Wars VII, IV and I, we have a powerful force-sensitive young person stranded on a desert planet. In all three cases, mystery surrounds who those characters’ parents are. Anakin supposedly had a virgin birth, Luke is staying with his aunt and uncle, and Rey was dropped off on Jakku as a presumed orphan.

There are dozens of repeated themes like these, and they are entirely on purpose. Speaking of which…

Another Death Star… really?

Many people joked about how dumb it was for the Empire to build a second Death Star in the original trilogy. But it’s important to remember how the Empire aims to gain and keep their power over people: With fear of their military might. With that in mind, consider the facts:

1. The first Death Star destroyed the entire planet of Alderaan on its test run. Alderaan was a prominent Republic/Rebel target. It was a completely successful project.
2. The second Death Star was destroyed before it was even finished. It should be completely understandable that it wouldn’t be easy to defend when half of it was still exposed to vacuum.
   
3. Starkiller Base simultaneously destroyed 5 major target planets — including the entire Republican Senate — before it was destroyed. Considering that The First Order was able to save General Hux and Kylo Ren, the loss of hundreds of thousands of stormtroopers and other normally expendable staff seems like a worthy trade.
4. It also came within seconds of single-handedly wiping out the Resistance, including every major player in that movement (assuming they also killed the ones attacking Starkiller itself). Had they succeeded, Luke would be the only member of the Resistance left and no one would have any map left to find him.
5. Death Stars are like nukes. If the Empire plans to rule by fear and military might, a Death Star or Starkiller are ideal for those goals. Remember the scenes where people from all around that system were looking up at the red streaks in the sky and screaming? That’s the best viral marketing campaign Snoke could ever ask for.
6. There is no such thing as an impenetrable defense. Everything has a weakness. Expecting perfect defense in anything so complex and huge is far dumber than an exploit — that nearly doesn’t even stop them — existing.

That general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

Sun Tzu
The Art of War

Why does General Hux give a big speech to thousands of soldiers before firing the Starkiller?

He was about to destroy 5 planets using an incredibly complex weapon. When they fired the original Death Star, the film showed a montage of all the different people flipping switches, observing results, coordinating targeting, and performing various other essential tasks to ensure a successful shot. Why do some people assume that this more complex, bigger, more powerful weapon is entirely automated into just one person pushing a button?

In Star Wars VII, firing Starkiller for the first time was a huge operation that was expected to be an unprecedented victory for them. The more people who witness this carnage, the better. Morale improves, fear is inspired, and witness accounts spread across the galaxy. In case you haven’t figured this out over the last 38 years, the Empire has an excellent marketing team.

Why are all stormtroopers human?

The entire Empire is 99.999% human. This is completely on purpose and explicitly mentioned in some of the books. The Empire is species-ist, and only a tiny few aliens are allowed any place in their military. The Empire is xenophobic as hell, but they rarely turn down a powerful tool they can use. This is why there are black stormtroopers like Finn, but no known black officers. The Republic, Rebellion, and Resistance by contrast are much more diverse, even if the main characters are human 80-90% of the time.

Aside: This is part of why Grand Admiral Thrawn (a Chiss) is so amazing. He was able to rise so high in the ranks on pure merit, despite those massive disadvantages. I’m hoping we’ll get to see him on-screen someday, because the 3 three books he’s in are widely regarded as the best in the entire extended universe.

Why is Poe so excited to see Finn?

Some people are really sensitive to bromance, I guess. I’ve heard multiple people complain about how warm these two characters are toward each other. My social circles are pretty much void of homophobia (by no accident), but this complaint is all over social media.

I’m surprised so many people don’t understand this. Poe would have been tortured to death if not for Finn. Poe had to have gone on a similarly harrowing journey from the wreckage of the tie fighter back to the Resistance (and without his jacket!) thinking that Finn was dead, that he lost BB-8, and that he failed his critical mission. He’d have to be a psychopath not to be excited and happy to see him at this point. He even exclaims “You completed my mission!” when they embrace.

So as much as Tumblr (the opposite side of the social media coin) really wants to see some real romance here, it’s likely that this is just like Finn and Rey’s — passionate but platonic — relationship from what we’ve seen so far.

How did Kylo Ren get Vader’s mask?

This is exactly the kind of detail that guides people who truly care to check out other mediums in Star Wars storytelling. Sith and especially Darth Vader paraphernalia are highly sought after on the black market after Return of the Jedi. Aftermath, one of the new (canon) books, discusses this at length. It’s likely that Kylo Ren is at least partially behind the people seeking these relics.

The Big Question: Who is Rey?

It seems obvious by the end of Star Wars VII that Rey’s memory is incomplete. At some point along the way, either before or right after she arrived on Jakku, she had her memory wiped purposely or by some trauma. You could say that she repressed them because of how resistant she is to the knowledge when she touches Luke’s lightsaber, but I doubt she’d willfully repress everything (who her parents are, for example).

There are three popular theories for who Rey’s parents are: Skywalker, Solo, and Kenobi. It’s entirely possible that she’s none of the above, but the selection narrows because of her powerful Force abilities.

Rey is not a Kenobi.

Here is why:

1. Obi-Wan Kenobi was taught with traditional Old Republic Jedi values. This means no love, no relationships, no sex. He never wavered from this in any known Star Wars media.
2. He flirted and romanced a bit with Dutchess Satine Kryze during the Clone Wars, but never let it get beyond that. If he had, it would have completely changed the entire plot of Star Wars movies after Episode 3.
3. Rey would have to be at least 34 years old in Star Wars VII, and that would presume that Obi-Wan conceived her immediately before he meets up with Luke in A New Hope… when he was a hermit. (see the timeline)

It’s really that simple.

Rey may be Luke’s daughter.

There are some pretty good indications for this:

1. She has many obvious stylistic parallels to Luke and Anakin. From her origins being stranded on a desert planet, to her mysterious parentage, to the way she dresses. She also has a physical resemblance many have remarked upon.
2. She somehow has a rebel fighter helmet similar to those used by X-Wing Pilots. This is likely just a relic she found while scavenging since there was obviously a large-scale fight on Jakku based on all the wreckage strewn about, but some people speculate that it was more significant than that.
3. Assuming BB-8 and R2D2 speak the same droid language (this is never confirmed), the fact that she understands it may infer that she spent time around R2D2 growing up. Luke and R2 aren’t inseparable by any means, but they do stick together quite a bit.
4. She has an intense reaction to touching Luke’s lightsaber. Maz Kanata even specifically mentions something along the lines of (paraphrasing) “This was Luke’s lightsaber, and his father’s before him. And now I think you should have it.” This could indicate continuing a tradition of inheritance from parent to child.
5. Her quick and powerful “awakening” to her force powers may indicate an exceptional lineage. This would also apply to her being a Solo, but she seems even more talented than a partially trained Kylo Ren (whom is a confirmed Solo). Perhaps this is because the films portray Luke as far stronger than Leia in the force, despite them being twins.
6. When Rey pulls Luke’s lightsaber from the snow in the final battle, Luke’s theme music plays prominently. The actual title of this theme is “Binary Sunset” and it’s sometimes referred to as “The Force Theme” instead, so that’s up for interpretation.
   
7. It’s not entirely clear why Luke went into hiding. Assuming he’s her father, it could be that Kylo Ren killed his wife/partner when he betrayed Luke. Stranding Rey away from him on a deserted planet with a wiped memory and running away to find himself (Han mentions that he may be looking for the first Jedi temple) would be an understandable reaction to such trauma.
8. Mara Jade (Luke’s wife) is an amazing character in the expanded universe with a huge fan following. Revealing her back story in an upcoming movie would be fucking awesome. I don’t think she could exist at all in the new canon Star Wars universe if she and Luke didn’t meet between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars VII, and that would be a big disappointment.

Rey is a Solo.

There is far more evidence that she is in fact a Solo:

1. First and foremost, Leia is a Skywalker by birth. She was an Organa by adoption and a Solo by marriage. They never explicitly state that Han and Leia are married in Star Wars VII, but they were in the extended universe. Many of the points I made above for Luke being Rey’s father will also apply here.
2. She is extremely familiar with the Millennium Falcon, but doesn’t seem to understand why. She knows where everything is. She knows how to repair it, despite only Chewie and Han ever being able to in the past. She even pilots it skillfully (after a rough takeoff) despite its poor condition and undesirable modifications.
3. When she meets Han Solo, he is constantly flustered around her. They finish each other’s sentences. They agree about several technical aspects of the Falcon (almost as if he taught her all of it). Han is rarely at a loss for words around anyone other than Leia, so a strange girl he just met probably wouldn’t trigger all this faltering from his normal cocksure manner.
   
4. She understands Chewbacca. Chewie never leaves Han’s side because of his life debt, except in one circumstance in the non-canon extended universe: to guard Leia at Han’s demand. Either way, Rey was likely around Han and/or Leia a significant amount. That, or maybe she spent a lot of time on Kashyyyk.
5. There are two moments in Star Wars VII where someone asks a question about who Rey is, and the scene immediately cuts away. One is when Kylo Ren force chokes a lackey and asks “What girl?” and the other is when Maz asks Han “Who’s the girl?” These abrupt cuts indicate to me that the conversation went on more significantly after than “Just some scavenger”.
6. At one point before they meet Maz, Han pulls Finn aside and tells him “Women always learn the truth.” That seems more like something a protective dad would do (don’t lie to my daughter), and not just a man giving friendly advice to a younger man he just met.
7. When Rey touches Luke’s lightsaber, she has multiple visions of the past, present, and future. One of these visions includes Kylo Ren thrusting his iconic lightsaber through a dark figure that appears to be attacking her. In the same scene, it shows Kylo Ren standing before a group of uniquely armed characters that are speculated to be the Knights of Ren that Snoke mentions in one of his scenes. Why would Kylo Ren rescue this one girl among a sea of bodies he and his knights have already disposed of? Perhaps because she’s his little sister.
   
8. When Kylo Ren meets Rey on Takodana, his first line is [paraphrasing] “So this is the girl I’ve heard so much about”. Why would he have heard so much about a common scavenger from Jakku unless he’s the one that dropped her there after rescuing her, and has been monitoring her through the shady people living on that settlement?
9. You can hear the voice of Unkar Plutt (the asshole that keeps ripping her off for portions) when she’s left there. It appears to be him holding her arm in the flashback. Why would anyone not affiliated with the Empire (like Luke) leave her in that guy’s hands?
   
10. When Rey and Kylo Ren are in the interrogation room, she immediately shows her repulsion about his mask. In response, Kylo Ren inexplicably decides to remove it for the first time in the Star Wars VII. I believe this is him testing her to see if she recognizes him. He would be unlikely to show the same courtesy to a random scavenger he never met before that day. He certainly didn’t remove it for Poe.
11. Kylo Ren specifically mentions that Rey sees Han Solo as a father figure, then he warns her that he would be a disappointment. Again, a protective big brother thing to say.
12. Kylo Ren fights much less aggressively against her than he did against Finn. Watch where he aims his lightsaber when he swings it at both characters and you’ll see him going for the kill on Finn while he merely bats away Rey’s attacks and forces her to retreat. When he has her cornered, he pauses to tell her he could train her instead of cutting her down the way he did with everyone else he fought in Star Wars VII. She is the only person he treats remotely like a fellow human.
13. When Rey returns to the Resistance base after the final battle, Leia embraces her very warmly. They never even speak to each other before this, and Leia initiates this intimate contact. The embrace looks like the kind where two people are both mourning over the same person, but Rey looks disconnected from that. She probably still doesn’t realize that Han was more significant to her than a famous guy she met a few days ago and got along really well with.
14. In the book series “Legacy of the Force” Han and Leia have a son named Jacen that falls to the dark side and becomes Darth Caedus. His sister Jaina confronts him directly as a Jedi. These stories are no longer canon, but that doesn’t mean that the new movies aren’t taking inspiration from some of the cooler plot points in them. (I’m still hoping Admiral Thrawn gets a movie … or three… someday)
    

How does Rey get so strong at Force techniques so quickly?

How is she so formidable with her bow staff on Jakku? Is it just her history of spending years on the mean streets of the settlement? What about how effortlessly she climbs and rappels around Star Destroyer wreckage?

When she resists Kylo Ren’s attempts to pull information about the map from her, something awakens within her. She is able to resist him, and then she even turns the same technique back upon him and reads his thoughts. She also seems to know who Darth Vader is now, despite her thinking Luke was a myth until Han confirms that it’s all real.

When she fights Kylo Ren in the snow, she already seems very comfortable with the lightsaber. This is despite it being her first time holding one, as far as she remembers.

Luke Skywalker trained Rey as a Jedi youngling. This explains all of these occurrences. Jedi begin training at a very young age, so even as young as she looks when she’s dropped off in her flashback, she could easily have 2-3 years of training under her belt.

When she clashes sabers with Kylo Ren in her battle with him, there is a moment when she closes her eyes and breathes deeply. As soon as I saw this I heard this in my head:

There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.

The Jedi Mantra

She was centering herself, the same way Qui-Gon Jinn centers himself in the midst of his fight with Darth Maul. Jedi focus themselves by releasing emotion and fear. They fight with control and conviction. Rey was scared for her life and fighting with obvious fury after seeing Finn nearly killed. But as soon as her eyes opened, all of that expression turned into a cold controlled stare. She immediately took control of the fight and nearly took Kylo Ren’s head off. She was obviously trained if she knew to do this.

As one last [loose] bit of evidence, the word Snoke (and the title of Star Wars VII : The Force Awakens) chooses for Rey’s Force powers is “Awaken”. Perhaps this implies that she was put to sleep after being previously awake.

Side Note: I bet her bow staff is an indication that she’ll someday use a double-sided lightsaber (like Darth Maul’s). I hope it’s a purple one to confirm the Jaina parallels.

Why does Han’s attempt to bring Kylo Ren back seem so half-hearted?

There’s too much Vader in him.

Han Solo
to Leia before the assault on Starkiller Base

Han never believed he could actually do it. Leia convinces him, and at one point even directly demands that he bring him back. Han considers him a lost cause until then. Han didn’t die for Ben’s sake. He died because he believed in Leia. And I’m betting she’ll be a changed person in upcoming movies.

Why does everyone stand by and watch Kylo Ren kill Han?

Chewie, Rey, and Finn stand by and watch because they were hoping Han would succeed in turning Ben back to the light. Chewie immediately fires on Kylo Ren once the deed is done, but the others are much farther away.

The one stormtrooper that was paying attention is the only one I was confused about. Perhaps Kylo Ren force paralyzed him off camera because he knew he had to be the one to kill his father? Showing that on camera might have spoiled what was going to happen. It just seems odd to show a shot of a stormtrooper seeing Han walk up to Kylo Ren but he doesn’t shout or fire at him.

Why does Kylo Ren suck in the final battle?

Kylo Ren has obvious strength in the force. He senses and stops a blaster bolt in mid-air, then paralyzes Poe’s entire body with seemingly minimal effort the first time we meet him. He flings and pulls people around impressively multiple times. He pulls information from uncooperative minds in ways that Vader required an interrogation droid for in A New Hope.

So why does he seem to suck so bad with his lightsaber?

Snoke specifically mentions that Kylo Ren’s training is not yet complete. He is obviously young and impetuous. The Sith feed off of rage and emotion, so his “emo” portrayal is perfectly fitting. He also just took the first major step in becoming a Sith by killing his own father minutes beforehand. This step is the equivalent of a baptism, confirmation, or bar mitzvah for Sith (a huge deal that signifies coming of age).

Kylo Ren also just took a shot from Chewie’s bowcaster — you know, the gun that knocked armored stormtroopers 20 feet in the air multiple times — with barely a twitch. It’s incredible enough that he was able to endure that without flying off the narrow bridge he was standing on.

For the early parts of Star Wars VII, Kylo Ren only uses his lightsaber on unarmed victims and inanimate objects. His flailing swings seem appropriate there. In combat with an armed enemy his clumsiness with it is fairly obvious. In combat against Finn — a person that hasn’t shown any evidence of force sensitivity, and has just used a lightsaber for the first time in his life hours earlier — he still takes a couple hits. It’s entirely possible that he’s great with force attacks, but weak in lightsaber skills.

If you want to ask why he didn’t just force paralyze Finn and Rey the same way he did previously, then cut them in half… you obviously don’t know how to write a good movie. Bad guys always play with their food instead of just instantly killing them. It’s a show of arrogance, a negative character trait that makes us in the audience root against them. Kylo Ren definitely thinks he has an overwhelming advantage in this fight, and his actions make it doubly obvious.

Finally, after he brutally slashes Finn along his spine and seemingly kills him, he has to fight his little sister. If you watch the fight carefully, you can see that he fights her in an entirely different way. He doesn’t punch or kick her. His swings aren’t aiming for lethal blows (while hers definitely are). He mostly uses his blade to knock hers away and force her into retreat. He’s much more focused on convincing her to let him train her with the Force than he is on killing her.

Why did Luke leave such an obscure trail?

We don’t know who that map was intended for. We only know that the people entrusted with it were R2D2 and Lor San Tekka. Both are loyal friends of the Jedi. Perhaps they both were given instructions for when and how to release the information. Perhaps they were intended for the Resistance to find eventually, but the First Order learning about them forced them to act sooner than expected.

Or maybe they were meant for Rey to find. The most important piece was found on the same planet as her.

Let’s recap…

Here is a quick semi-chronological rundown of what I theorize happens in the spaces between the movies’ major plot points:

• Luke attempts to rebuild the Jedi order.
• Around the same time or possibly earlier, Snoke forms the Knights of Ren as a team of apprentices under him.
  • The Knights of Ren are either simply uniquely skilled individuals, or Force sensitive apprentices. Traditionally a Sith master only takes one apprentice, but many of them have ignored this custom in the past already. Perhaps these knights were competing for the right to be his #1 apprentice.
• Han & Leia have Ben, and admit him to Luke’s new Jedi academy when he’s of age.
• Ben comes into contact with Snoke, who targets him specifically to turn to the dark side because he has the ideal balance of dark and light.
• Han & Leia have Rey.
• At some point, Maz meets baby Rey because she’s close with Han and Chewie (her boyfriend) and mentions that she’s seen her eyes before.
• Rey works with Han and Chewie on the Millennium Falcon and has a natural talent for technology.
• When she shows some talent with the Force, Luke asks Han and Leia to admit Rey to the Jedi academy with her brother.
  • Bonus Speculation: Han wants to resist because he bonded with her in ways he never bonded with Ben. He’s seen the hard life that Jedi tend to lead. But in the end, he trusts Leia and Luke. This would parallel him believing in Leia that Ben could be turned back.
• At some point, Ben turns to the dark side and is anointed as Kylo Ren. The timing is likely related to some issue he has with his parents and/or Luke.
• Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren betray and murder Luke’s new Jedi order. But when one of the knights attempts to kill Rey, Kylo Ren stabs him in the back to defend her. This is part of the light side peeking through him. Rey is to him as Luke and Padme were people who pulled at Anakin’s light side.
• I’m not sure how Kylo Ren deals with the other knights.
  • Perhaps he kills them all.
  • Perhaps Luke shows up too late to save the others, but is able to kill all the remaining knights but Kylo Ren.
    • Maybe Ben is not 100% human after fighting Luke. It would explain how he could take such a beating to the shoulders and torso in the final battles on Starkiller.
    • Maybe this is also why Luke’s hand isn’t disguised as skin anymore.
  • Perhaps Kylo Ren thinks that Snoke doesn’t know she’s his sister. Or maybe he knows that Snoke could sense it anyway and convinced him she could be turned the same way he was. He is keen on training her.
• Rey doesn’t know that the man in the mask is Ben. She runs and hides from Kylo Ren.
• Ben goes to her in hiding (without his mask and dark clothing) and tells her he needs to take her someplace safe.
• Ben drops her off on Jakku and tells her he’ll come back for her when it’s safe for her to return. He wipes at least some of her memory away with his Force technique that allows him to read and manipulate minds.
• Ben establishes a spy on Jakku to watch Rey and inform him of her actions.
• Rey’s wiped memory forgets that Jedi even truly exist. Years go by, and all she remembers is that someone is coming back for her any day now.
• [ Star Wars VII begins ]
• Rey surprises herself by how amazingly well she flies the Millennium Falcon. Then proceeds to work on it in ways we’ve only ever seen Han and Chewie do previously.
• Han & Chewie are flying near Jakku on purpose, because Han has been using his smuggler back channels to try to find his daughter all this time, without Leia knowing. This was him dealing with it in his own way.
• When Han & Chewie capture them, Rey understands Chewie perfectly well, despite how unlikely it is that she’d run into another Wookiee anywhere outside of Kashyyyk.
• Han acts differently around Rey because he knows who she is, but also knows that it would put her in danger to show that to her. This puts him in an awkward spot where he seems to want to show her affection (he hasn’t seen his daughter in years, and she’s had it really hard ever since), but can’t let that on. He offers her a job to try to get her to stick around with him and Chewie, possibly so they can run away from the First Order together.
• Maz stumbled upon Luke/Anakin’s lightsaber making the rounds on the black market. Feeling it was a fortuitous discovery, she kept it hidden away. She is force sensitive, so she knew it was authentic, but she probably didn’t know when or who would come for it.
• Maz asks Han, “Who’s the girl?” after she talks about how she knows people’s eyes. After the scene cuts away, Han confirms what Maz likely already suspects.
• Maz carefully follows Rey downstairs, having a feeling she knows where Rey is going after finding out who Rey is from Han. After Maz meets her downstairs, she mentions that she’s seen Rey’s eyes before.
• Rey runs into the woods to think about the crazy experience she had with Luke’s lightsaber. Shortly after, Kylo Ren arrives and confronts her mentioning that he’s heard so much about her. Him looking her up and down is him acknowledging how much his little sister has grown up. Rey is scared senseless of this masked man because of her recent flashbacks that reminded her of him.
• Kylo Ren puts Rey into the interrogation room and wakes her. When she mentions that he’s a creature in a mask, it makes him think that maybe she remembers something about the mask. He removes it to test if she recognizes him before continuing his questioning.
• Kylo Ren blatantly mentions that she sees Han Solo as a father figure she never had, and that she’d be disappointed in him.
• After Kylo Ren realizes that Rey has escaped, he presumes she used her Force powers to escape. He also knows that she’ll get more powerful the longer they take to capture her. This infers that he’s aware that she has high potential, possibly from her memory (and thus, her training) coming back.
  • One does not just figure out Jedi mind tricks on their own.
• When Rey fights him in the snow, Kylo Ren seems to act mercifully toward her. He was never merciful to anyone else in the entirety of Star Wars VII. He tries to convince her to let him train her in the Force.
• Rey’s awakening continues when, in a moment of high stress, she closes her eyes mid-battle and appears to center herself like a trained Jedi would. When she opens her eyes, she is immediately more powerful with the Force and lightsaber. She easily severely injures Kylo Ren.
• When she returns to the Resistance headquarters, Rey is unknowingly greeted by her grieving mother. When Leia embraces her, she doesn’t really know why.

Rey is a partially trained, gifted by blood, Jedi. She is the daughter of Han & Leia, and younger sister of Ben Solo. The same way that Kylo Ren has gone to meet Snoke to finish his training, she has gone to Luke to finish hers.

Bonus Wild Speculation: Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?

This will be my biggest stretch.

I have very little information to work with, but a friend of mine gave me an interesting idea from way back in the prequels. When Obi-Wan visits Kamino while looking for Jango Fett, he discovers that a long-dead Jedi named Sifo-Dyas commissioned them to create an enormous clone army.

Sifo-Dyas was strong in using the Force for predicting the future. The Wookieepedia article on him says that he was an unknowing pawn of the Sith, but I’m not so sure that’s the case. In hindsight, it would be pretty strange for Sidious to take the actions he did, and incite the war in the first place if he didn’t know that an army was already being built… or in this case grown.

Prior to the blockade of Naboo, Sifo-Dyas sat on this Council until we judged his ideas to be too extreme.

Mace Windu

Master Sifo-Dyas was involuntarily removed from the Jedi council because he wanted to build this army, and they did not approve.

They said Master Sifo-Dyas placed an order for a clone army at the request of the Senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression that he was killed before that.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The reason the Jedi “know” that Sifo-Dyas is dead is because they found his body, but he was after all a future-knowing Force user with access to the best cloning services in the galaxy.

Perhaps Sifo-Dyas is still alive, and now goes by the name Snoke. Perhaps he was pulling even Darth Sidious’s strings all along. Perhaps he is also Darth Plagueis…

Food for Thought

I hope you enjoyed my speculation. Let me know what you think on social media, and we can discuss it all until the cows come home. I love the Star Wars universe, and even though I too was bummed about the Extended Universe no longer being canon, they can still live on as legends. And not all legends are completely unfounded after all!