Like other Star Wars fans, I've become obsessively interested in trying to figure out just who Rey from The Force Awakens is related to. She's obviously strong with the Force, and considering that the Star Wars franchise has always been a family saga, it would make sense that Rey, who seems poised to become the center of the sequel trilogy, would be related to someone we've met before, right? But who? Is she Luke Skywalker's daughter? Is she a secret child of Leia Organa and Han Solo, perhaps a twin to Ben Solo/Kylo Ren? Fan theories abound, and when the Rogue One trailer hit, folks immediately began speculating if Felicity Jones' lead character, Jyn Erso, would turn out to be Rey's mom. But while — major Rogue One spoiler alert — the movie makes it clear that it's not Jyn, it does raise the possibility that Mon Mothma could be Rey's mom in Star Wars.
Now that Rogue One has premiered, we know for sure that Jyn is not Rey's mom. And really, the only thing that was connecting them to begin with was the fact that they are both white gals with brown hair. So where do we look next? We can always hang on to the Luke Skywalker or Leia/Han theories, but J.J. Abrams has said that Rey's parents are not in The Force Awakens , however vaguely he meant that. But it's also doubtful that Rey would end up being related to no one. But here's a new theory: what if Rey's mother is another famous female political leader, Mon Mothma?
Played by Caroline Blakiston, Mon Mothma first appeared in 1983's Return of the Jedi. As a member of the Galactic Senate, she opposed the rise of Emperor Palpatine, but once he came into power, she turned revolutionary leader. The character was supposed to appear in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, played by actor Genevieve O'Reilly, but the scene was unfortunately cut. O'Reilly returns to play Mon Mothma in Rogue One, and her appearance in the movie is as much more than a bit player.
Mon Mothma's appearance in Jedi is pretty brief, but in Rogue One , Mon Mothma definitely gets her chance to shine. She is much more involved in the Rebellion's plans, and has a big-sisterly-like affection for Jyn. She was an underused character from the original trilogy that was finally given more to work with. Though a bunch of characters die in Rogue One, Mon Mothma survives, and it's perfectly possible that she ended up surviving the rebellion and having a daughter.
After the events of Return of the Jedi, in which the Rebel Alliance defeats the Empire, Mon Mothma, according to the extended universe cannon, helps form the New Republic. But she steps down years later after becoming ill. Without her guidance, the New Republic falls into disarray, and the remnants of the Empire rise again into the First Order, just as we saw in The Force Awakens. If Mon Mothma had a child, it would make a lot of sense that she'd want to send that child into hiding. As a rebellion leader faces with a rising new Empirical power, she'd definitely have reason to. The timing may or may not line up, considering that Rey would have to be born about 15 years after the events of Jedi, but we're not really sure how old Mon Mothma is. It's definitely a possibility, but until Episode VIII hits, we can't know definitively one way or the other.
Images: Walt Disney Studios
