J.J. Abrams Shoots Down A Big Fan Theory

In a soul-crushing turn of events, Luke is not the father. On Friday, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York during his "Tribeca Talk: Directors Series" with Chris Rock, J.J. Abrams announced that Rey's parents weren't in The Force Awakens. After the release of Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, the heroine of the film, Rey left much to the imagination of fans' minds. The girl wonder and scavenger from the planet Jakku, who was said to be the next savior of the new trilogy directed by J.J. Abrams, had noticeably large holes in her story. Rey's parents, for one, were absent throughout the film, and, after more than a few little hints were dropped that the girl was following in Luke’s footsteps, many fans of the film began theorizing and emerged from the theater assuming the same thing: that Rey was somehow the daughter of Luke Skywalker — a secret that would most likely be revealed in the coming films.

(Update: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Abrams clarified his comments about Rey's parentage at the TriBeCa Film Festival, saying, "What I meant was that she doesn’t discover them in Episode VII. Not that they may not already be in her world.")

However, with Abrams confession on the table, it seems as though this theory may be 100 percent wrong. Oh, god. Even though, the most obvious clues that Rey was living alone on a desert planet, much like Luke's childhood and his father's, and the flashback of her parents leaving her behind and flying off on a plane, but promising to come back for her one day, did not include Luke in the memory. It also still seems odd how Rey is obviously a fan of the Rebel Alliance, but has no connection to Luke? Come on, Abrams, they have to have some connection.

Not to mention, when Rey was interrogated by Kylo Ren in Force Awakens, she revealed that, when in need of comfort, she imagines an island in the middle of the sea and the movie ended, on that same island, with Luke on it. Obviously, this is evidence that father and daughter were destined to reunite, and Luke's best pupil after three decades would rightfully be his own blood. And, let's not forget, Luke's lightsaber (the one originally built and used by his father, Anakin) was calling to Rey. This all added up, Abrams, why are you doing this to us?

Clearly, this plot point and Abrams revelation makes it obvious that Rey's parents are an important story to tell for her character, a story that hasn't yet been told. Here's hoping it is one that is truly great for both us and her.

Images: Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Motion Pictures; Giphy