In case you somehow haven’t heard, Episode VII of "Star Wars" came out on Dec. 18 of last year and has been a huge success. It brings that feeling of wonder and awe as you watch it while simultaneously giving you a sense of nostalgia. A brand new cast of characters (with a mix of some old) brings fresh life to the "Star Wars" franchise, but also leaves viewers with a lot of yet-to-be-answered questions.Here are some possible answers to those questions.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
1. Rey is the Daughter of Luke Skywalker
This is probably the most obvious theory about Rey. We know very little of her backstory. She was left on the planet Jakku sometime when she was a young girl and ever since has been waiting for the return of her presumed parents. From here, it appears all the signs point to Luke being her father. First, she is good with her hands, just like Luke was. She knows her way around ships and parts and is an extremely capable pilot, even with little to no training. Also, she is gifted with the Force. While Rey is visiting Maz Kanata and her Cantina Bar 2.0, she stumbles upon (or is guided to) a lightsaber; the very lightsaber that belonged to Luke Skywalker. After touching the lightsaber, she is thrown into a vision or flashback that clearly shows Luke in it, furthering the theory that they are related. Lastly, she has had dreams of Luke’s hiding place. When being tortured by Kylo Ren, he tells her he sees her dreams of an island and water, which is later shown to be exactly where Luke has been all this time.
2. Rey is the Granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi
This theory I came across recently and found it extremely intriguing. Could Obi-Wan have had a child in secret at some point, which ultimately led to Rey? When you delve a little deeper into the movie, you may begin to notice some similarities between Rey and Obi- Wan. What first points to this is Rey’s accent. She and Kenobi are the only two characters who have British accents. Next, our initial encounters with them are similar. We met both characters on hot, sandy planets, living alone. They also have similar Force abilities such as Jedi Mind Trick. Obi- Wan was known for this, so could it just be a coincidence that Rey can do it too? Also, during Rey’s vision at Maz Kanata’s watering hole, you can hear what sounds like the voice of Kenobi. Lastly, in "Star Wars: A New Hope," Ben Kenobi sneaks around the Death Star, climbing and hiding in various places. In "The Force Awakens," Rey sneaks around Starkiller Base looking for a way to escape…dun dun duuuuun.
3. Supreme Leader Snoke is the old Master of Darth Sidious
If you recall in "Revenge of the Sith," Emperor Palpatine tells Anakin an old Sith legend.
“Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
If this theory were true, it would explain a lot about Snoke. His knowledge of the Force comes from his own powers as a Sith Lord. He appears old and decrepit because he was essentially killed by Palpatine aka Darth Sidious, his apprentice, but he used his powers to keep himself alive. It could also explain why he knows so much about the characters of "Star Wars." He has been around for quite a while and has nothing but time to plot his rise to power.
4. Kylo Ren’s Balance of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force is Vital
Kylo Ren, the newest Disney Princess.
Let’s be honest here, the newest Sith in "Star Wars" has been having a few temper tantrums on his way to ultimate power, and while this may be a turn off for some fans, I think it was done with a purpose. From the theories out there that I have read, the balance of the Light Side and the Dark Side in Kylo Ren is something specific that Snoke was looking for when he took him as an apprentice. Throughout the movie, it is apparent that Ren is struggling with his path to the Dark Side. He talks about feeling the call to the Light and asks Vader to show him the power of the darkness. He also has obvious anxiety about killing his father, Han Solo. He straight up tells him “I know what I have to do, I just don’t know if I have the strength to do it” right before shoving a lightsaber through everyone’s favorite hero. Dick. Anyway, aside from that, it seems as if Kylo Ren saves Rey’s life. In the vision or flashback that Rey has, she is about to struck when her attacker is killed by Ren himself. Did that really happen? If not her, who did he save and why?
5. Finn is somehow related to Mace Windu
The last theory I have found about "The Force Awakens" is that Finn is somehow related to the Jedi Master, Mace Windu. First, they appear to be the same race. Finn mentions he was taken from a family he never knew so it is easy to speculate it could be anyone’s family, even a Jedi’s. Next, he seems to be pretty good with a lightsaber. It isn’t apparent if he has any Force abilities, but his sword skills alone point to that being a definite possibility. Lastly, he may be related to Mace Windu because there are no other ideas we could think of. He might just be an all new character entirely with a completely unique backstory, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Answers to these theories coming May, 2017.
