No sooner has theRogue One: A Star Wars Storytrailer come out, and fans are already wildly speculating about one key aspect of the movie and the secrets that it might contain. Yes, as you might have heard this morning, everyone suddenly believes thatJyn Erso, played byFelicity Jones, isRey’s (Daisy Ridley) biological mother. But is this theory sound?
Yes, both actresses look an awfully lot alike. And it’s probably as valid as guessing that General Leia Organa is her mother, or thatLuke Skywalkeris her father, or that she’s a descendant ofObi-Wan Kenobi. There is one small factor that has to be accounted for though. Where is Jyn Erso in the original trilogy if she’s such an important part of the Rebel Alliance? If She died beforeStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, there is no way she is Rey’s mother. Rey is a teenager 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star. Erso looks to be in her mid-to-late 20s, and actressFelicity Jonesis actually 32. Do the math. Erso would have been in her late 40s early 50s in giving birth to Rey. But perhaps this theory shouldn’t be discredited too quickly.
Most believe that Rey actually isn’t the daughter of Han and Leia, which, if true, would make her Kylo ‘Ben’ Ren her brother. And quite a few fans think it’s impossible that she is Luke’s offspring. DirectorColin Trevorrowhas stated in the past, though, that Rey’s parents (or parent) will have a larger meaning in the context of all the Star Wars movies, including the spinoffs. Here’s what he had to say on the matter.
“I’ve seen all of the theories… What I do know is that we’re going to make sure that that answer is deeply and profoundly satisfying, because Rey is a character that is important in this universe, not just in the context of The Force Awakens but in the entire galaxy, and she deserves it. So we’ll make sure that that answer is something that feels like it was-it’s something that happened a long time ago [in a galaxy] far, far away, we’re just telling you what happened.”
Some are looking to the names as proof that Jyn and Rey are mother and daughter. Jyn in Chinese means ‘gold, bright and beautiful’, while Rey translates to ‘King’ as well as ‘Ray of Light’. Though, it isn’t known when we’ll ever learn Rey’s true parentage. We almost doubt it will be spelled out in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And it has never been expressed that there will be a direct sequel to this movie with these exact characters. But we also don’t see that not happening. So who knows?
The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer introducesFelicity Jones' Jyn Erso as a career criminal chosen for her skills in fighting back against the Galactic Empire. She is more of a Han Solo type than a Luke Skywalker. And it would explain why Rey is attracted to Han Solo’s smuggling lifestyle inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. But we surely won’t get an answer until much further down the road. We probably won’t even learn the truth inStar Wars: Episode VIII, which is in production right now and comes out December 2017.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storytells the story of unlikely heroes who have united to steal plans to the dreadedDeath Star. It is a period of Civil War. The Rebel’s have scored their first major victory against theGalactic Empireafter a surprise attack from a hidden base. And It’s during this sneak raid that a team of Rebel spies manage to steal the secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon.
TheRogue One: A Star Wars Storycast includesFelicity Jones,Mads Mikkelsen,Ben Mendelsohn,Alan Tudyk,Diego Luna,Forest Whitaker,Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed andWen Jiang. The movie is directed byGareth Edwards. The script is by Chris Weitz, with the story coming from Gary Whitta and John Knoll based on characters and ideas created byGeorge Lucas. It is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, and Simon Emanuel, executive produced by John Knoll and Jason McGatlin, and co-produced by John Swartz and Kiri Hart. Take a look at Jyn Erso and Rey in the Star Wars saga, along with some fan tweets. Let the speculation games begin!
