The reveal in 'Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker' that Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter was one of the most jaw-dropping twists in the saga. It recontextualizes her entire journey—her raw power, her fear of darkness, even her loneliness. She’s not just some random scavenger; she’s heir to the Sith’s most monstrous legacy. The film leans hard into this, showing her grappling with inherited evil, like Luke did with Vader. But where Luke resisted temptation, Rey’s arc is about embracing her lineage without being consumed by it. The Dyad bond with Kylo Ren mirrors Palpatine’s own manipulative ties, making their final confrontation feel like destiny. Some fans hated the retcon, but I love how it makes her victory over Palpatine personal. She doesn’t just defeat him; she rejects him, choosing the Skywalker name instead. It’s messy, emotional, and utterly Star Wars.
What’s wild is how this twist reframes earlier scenes. Her force vision in 'The Force Awakens' suddenly makes sense—those shadowy glimpses weren’t just fear; they were foreshadowing. Even her fighting style, aggressive yet precise, echoes Palpatine’s lethal precision. The sequels flirted with the idea of bloodlines not defining heroes (Finn, Poe), but Rey’s arc argues that lineage matters—it just doesn’t have to doom you.