Rey Is a Kenobi…AND a Skywalker?

Chris Baker
3 min readJan 5, 2016

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So, here’s a (probably) completely ridiculous fan theory that — as far as I know at this point — hasn’t been voiced by any fan yet but me…

WARNING: SPOILER TERRITORY FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS — PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Close to three weeks after the release of The Force Awakens, two theories about Rey’s parentage prevail as the most popular: First, there’s Papa Luke — probably still the front-runner, but it just feels too clean and obvious; if you’re geeky enough to care about this issue, you probably came to this conclusion yourself. Meanwhile, over the past week or so, the argument that Rey is a Kenobi has picked up some steam, and I like it a lot (I mean, she heard two different Obi-Wans in her vision!).

But what if it’s both?

Luke shares an intimate moment with…Mara Kenobi, maybe?…

What if, sometime early in that 30-year gap, a Force-sensitive woman, maybe just a little younger than Luke, showed up to his Jedi Academy? What if Luke felt an inexplicably deep, natural bond with her? What if the reason for this bond went beyond Force sensitivity and was every bit as much rooted in the connection he still feels with his original master? (Maybe he never even found that out—maybe that revelation hits us in Episode VIII!)

This whole idea is kind of ridiculous, and I’m not even sure that I like it. But it does fit like a glove with the other two predominant theories —it makes neither wrong…just incomplete. Everything we presume from the suggested Skywalker lineage remains valid. Meanwhile, we get the extra coolness that the “Obi-Wanna get nasty” concept brings — a Skywalker training a Kenobi, an evil Skywalker having a direct rivalry with that bloodline, her unStar Warsly heroic British accent, etc. It’s the best of both worlds.

This whole scene from Jason Aaron’s STAR WARS #7? It’s canon.

Icing on the cake: Many have criticized Rey as being overly proficient with the Force, from Jedi mind tricks to mad lightsaber skillz. But how could she be anything but the most powerful Force-user ever with that kind of a midi-chlorian explosion streaking through her veins?

Actually, I just changed my mind from two paragraphs ago. I do like this theory.

Wait, I’m sorry — what’s that, Threepio? The odds of this proving to be the case are approximately 3,720 to one? Never tell me the odds! I’m rooting for the reveal of Rey Skywalker-Kenobi from here on out.

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Chris Baker

Games industry writer. Formerly Marvel, LucasArts, Zen Studios and Official PlayStation Mag. Site: c-bake.com Vids: Superhero.VG Book: c-bake.com/OldComicGames