So, Who ARE Rey's Parents In 'Star Wars'?

At the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, J.J. Abrams blew the minds of Star Wars fans everywhere when he insinuated that Rey's parents weren't in Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens . By, well, basically saying that. Specifically, his quote was: "Rey’s parents are not in Episode VII... so I can’t possibly say in this moment who they are. But I will say it is something that Rey thinks about, too." Obviously, after Abrams made the comment, the Star Wars fandom began revisiting all their theories on Rey's heritage, including the theory that Han Solo and General Leia could be Rey's parents. Han and Leia were in Episode VII, after all — did this mean that they weren't Rey's parents?! This didn't stop until Abrams shed some more light on the situation: Following the Tribeca Q&A, Entertainment Weekly caught up with J.J. Abrams to clarify what he meant by his earlier comments. The director told them, “What I meant was that she doesn’t discover them in Episode VII. Not that they may not already be in her world." Oh. So we're pretty much back at square one then? Does that mean Han and Leia could still be Rey's parents?

It's possible, but more than likely, not probable, so I'm just going to come and out and say it: Despite however murky we might feel about Rey's familial relations right now, Han and Leia are probably not Rey's parents.

Well, why? It's still a good theory. It would make sense that Rey be related to Leia (if not Luke) since she has the Force. Han and Leia have another child together (Kylo Ren), so they obviously have the ability to procreate. When Rey meets Han in Episode VII, the two share an immediate bond. He even offers her a job pretty quickly into their interaction. Plus there's the fact that Rey just so happens to live on Jakku, the planet where the Millenium Falcon has also taken up residence. Perhaps Han and Leia hid both Rey and the Falcon there years ago? To keep them both safe? All valid points, but with these new comments by Abrams spinning in the back of my mind, I'm going to have to rule it out.

If we assume that by "discover" Abrams meant that no-one — including Rey — found out who her parents were in Episode VII, then not only does that re-introduce every possible theory, it doesn't lead us any closer to an answer. (Because we already knew that, Abrams!) But then, why say anything at all? Is Abrams just trying to purposefully misguide us at this point? Maybe. But, I still I think there's a huge hint in the way his answer was worded.

If by "discover" Abrams meant that Rey does not physically meet or interact with her parents in Episode VII, then huge, major players can be ruled out as Rey's parents. That means Rey isn't a Solo — or a Skywalker. That means no, Rey's parents aren't Han or Leia.

These new comments just make the search for Rey's parents all the more confusing and complex. If you find yourself shouting "What does it all mean!" in despair throughout today — and until Episode VIII — well, I certainly won't blame you.

Images: Walt Disney Motion Pictures; Lucasfilm; Giphy (2)