Did ‘Star Wars: Battlefront II’ Just Reveal Who Rey’s Parents Are?
These are thrilling times to be a Star Wars fan. Battlefront II releases on November 17th, promising to return console and PC gamers to our beloved galaxy far, far away. Even more intriguingly, this time round the campaign mode is actually part of the Star Wars canon, intended to drop tantalizing hints as to the future of the franchise, with promises that it will tie into The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
But what will the nature of those tie-ins be? The bulk of the plot runs alongside Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, and tells the story of the Empire’s collapse after the events of Return of the Jedi. In fact, attentive fans will recognize countless plot threads that directly intersect with the events of the trilogy. Meanwhile, the game also reveals how Luke Skywalker discovered the compass that would guide him to the Jedi Temple of Ahch-To.
But is there another key tie-in? Fans are beginning to suspect the game may have actually introduced Rey’s parents.
Who Are Rey’s Parents?
The game stars two members of Inferno Squad, an elite Imperial unit tasked with avenging the death of the Empire. They’re staggered to watch as the Empire wreaks havoc on a galactic scale, seeking to enact the Emperor’s last orders. Palpatine had set a protocol in place in the event of his death, one that would see loyal commanders launch an insane attempt to burn the galaxy down. The Emperor’s logic was terrifyingly simple; if he couldn’t rule the galaxy, he didn’t see why anyone else should either.
The two key members are Iden Versio and Del Meeko. Iden is the daughter of an Imperial Admiral, brought up to believe ardently in the Empire. A survivor of the destruction of the first Death Star, Iden has sworn her life to ensure the Rebellion is crushed. It’s only when she sees the extent of the Emperor’s madness that she begins to realize she’s on the wrong side.
And then you have Del Meeko, a man who seems to show occasional hints of Force sensitivity. Skilled with technology, Meeko is sent to deal with an Imperial installation that’s of interest to Luke Skywalker. This encounter shakes his faith in the Empire, and its tyrannical ruler specifically, as Meeko learns that the Emperor was actually Force-sensitive.
The game’s epilogue reveals that Del and Iden evidently settled down and had a child. What’s more, Del became an acolyte of the Church of the Force, a particularly important Force cult. Luke seems to have had good relations with the Church of the Force, as Lor San Tekka — the man who possessed part of a map to find the Jedi Master — was a member of that sect. In Battlefront II, it’s implied that Del was the one given the map fragment by Luke, and that he hid it on Jakku. Unfortunately, the epilogue sees Del captured by the First Order, and ultimately killed.
The epilogue closes with what’s clearly setup for December’s DLCs. On December 13th, EA Games will release a DLC pack that carries on the story, entitled “Resurrection.” Still mysterious, it apparently reveals Iden Versio’s role immediately before and even during the events of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
It’s distinctly possible that her role is simple, yet heartbreaking; Iden may decide to go after her lover, leaving her child in what she hoped would be the comparative safety of Jakku, a world the First Order would surely not return to after they suffered a devastating defeat there. Considering that Rey was abandoned on Jakku at a young age, this parallel seems to be more than a coincidence.
The Star Wars story has always been focused on the passing of the torch from one generation to the next. That theme carries dangers though, and can lead to a sense that the galaxy’s fate is essentially decided by dynasties. As a result, fans have long speculated that Rey could be a Skywalker or a Kenobi. Thankfully, Lucasfilm seem aware that such a course would only serve to make the galaxy seem smaller. Director Rian Johnson recently explained that Rey’s parents are only really important to the extent their fate shapes Rey as a character:
“To me, it’s important insofar as it’s important to her. And I think it’s important to her in terms of what is her place in all of this? What’s going to define her in this story? She was told in the last movie that the answer’s not in the past; it’s looking forward. But she’s showing up on this island to talk to this hero from the past.”
If that’s the case, we should expect Rey’s parents to be less important to the ongoing Star Wars narrative. Iden and Del may have been the stars of #BattlefrontII, but their story doesn’t really shape the galaxy in the way Luke and Leia’s does. At the same time, we know that Luke is aware who Rey’s parents are, and we can safely presume he knew Iden and Del.
But there’s a problem with this theory. It’s just a little bit too neat, too simple. As any #StarWars fan knows, #Lucasfilm like to draw their mysteries out, dropping subtle hints here and there. This would be very different, suggesting that Lucasfilm has essentially just given us the complete lowdown on Rey’s parents right before the film’s release. It’s not how Lucasfilm typically operate, and as a result it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that this was misdirection.
It’s hard to say whether or not anything will come from this fan theory. It’s an intriguing one, and frankly it’s the most likely fan theory to date, but it just doesn’t quite seem to be the normal way Lucasfilm work. No doubt the December 13th DLC will finally reveal the truth.
