One Clue To Rey's Heritage You May Have Missed

Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens has left viewers with some pretty huge questions, and a major cliffhanger in the form of the discovery of Luke Skywalker on his secret island. One of the biggest questions of all though relates to Rey's family. Who are Rey's parents, and who has she been waiting for all of this time? While many fan theories have pegged Luke Skywalker as Rey's father — his lightsaber did call out to her after all, and her control of the Force is strong — others have been wondering if Rey's parents are actually Han Solo and General Leia.

If Leia and Han are Rey's parents, it would explain several details in The Force Awakens. For instance, the fact that Rey knows how to fly the Millennium Falcon without having flown it before could be down to the fact that it's in her blood. It would also explain the way in which she interacted with both Han Solo and General Leia in the movie — with a surprising ease, almost as if she knew them. While her initial interaction with Han Solo didn't appear to denote familiarity, when Rey and General Leia hugged towards the end of the film, it was almost as if they'd met before. But had they?

Writing for ComicBook.com, Brandon Davis said, "Leia and Rey had never so much as seen a photograph of one another, let alone met. But after Han's death and Rey's return to the Resistance headquarters, Leia was waiting for her with open arms and a hug. No words were shared, no introduction, just an expected greeting and shared grief over Han's demise." Davis believes that it's most likely that Rey is Luke's daughter, making Han Solo and General Leia her aunt and uncle. Davis said, "Most signs do point to Han and Leia being aware of Rey's existence and identity prior to meeting. The bigger question is, if Kylo Ren could 'see' the ocean and island Luke was on in Rey's mind — how was it there in the first place? Was it a connection to Luke, a memory, or something else?"

The theory that Rey is Luke's daughter is a popular one, but as has been noted, the way in which General Leia greets Rey without having met her before certainly makes it seems as though there's an important connection between the two characters. Is it possible that Leia is Rey's mother? Could Kylo Ren be Rey's sibling rather than cousin? The sequels are sure to address all of these questions, but, in the meantime, the best we can do is make an educated guess based on all of the little clues left for us in The Force Awakens.

Image: Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures; Giphy