Rey’s “Sith Name” Shows The Real Challenge For Star Wars’ New Jedi Order Movie

Six years after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Star Wars franchise has made a future Rey Skywalker challenge even bigger thanks to her “Sith” name. In the final chapter of the Skywalker saga, Rey was revealed to be the secret granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine, the resurrected Galactic Emperor seeking to reclaim the galaxy once more with his Final Order. While Rey eventually resisted his influence and rose with the power of multiple generations of Jedi flowing within her, there were initial fears she was destined to inherit Palpatine’s dark legacy as a Sith Lord.

At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey takes the opportunity to claim the last name Skywalker as her own with the approval of Leia and Luke Skywalker’s Force ghosts, rejecting the Palpatine last name regardless of her blood ties. However, this has always been a controversial moment among the Star Wars fandom for various reasons, good and bad. That said, Marvel Comics’ new Rise of Skywalker adaptation has compounded the issue, further complicating a challenge Rey’s upcoming New Jedi Order movie will need to address concerning her overall identity.

Star Wars Has Confirmed Rey Would’ve Been “Empress Palpatine”

A Subtle Confirmation In Episode IX’s Newest Adaptation

In the actual Rise of Skywalker movie, Rey receives a vision of herself as a Sith Lord while searching for the wayfinder in the ruins of the second Death Star, specifically what’s left of Palpatine’s throne room. Wielding a double-bladed red lightsaber with a hinge function and sharpened teeth, promotional elements and Star Wars media have referred to this version of the character simply as “Dark Rey”. This is opposed to any kind of actual name unique to her status as a potential dark side wielder (like one beginning with Darth).

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Additionally, Rey facing Palpatine on Exegol isn’t much better. While Palpatine did share his desire for Rey to take his place as a new empress in the movie itself, Marvel’s new Rise of Skywalker Adaptation #5 features a subtle yet significant new piece of dialogue where the resurrected Sith Lord specifically refers to Rey as “Empress Palpatine”. Keeping that in mind, one can argue that this isn’t much of a Sith name at all, while also being just as problematic as the name “Rey Skywalker”.

Rey’s “Sith Name” Is A Warning She’s Still Defined By Others

She Doesn’t Even Get A New “Darth” Name

In another timeline and cut of Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine might have christened Rey with an actual Sith name, mirroring how he gave Anakin Skywalker the name “Darth Vader” in Revenge of the Sith. Likewise, even Emperor Palpatine himself had Darth Sidious as his true name. Instead, it seems all Rey would have been given is “Empress Palpatine”.

This underwhelming new detail gets worse when thinking about Rey taking the Skywalker name. Rey defining herself by an existing legacy had already been a point of controversy, especially after Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, which had set up the perfect means for Rey to be her own entity. Now, we know that Rey joining the dark side would have simply seen her embracing a different preexisting name and legacy. In both cases, Rey is defined by what came before, which is less than ideal as we look forward to the upcoming New Jedi Order movie.

How Can Star Wars’ New Jedi Order Movie Fix The Rey Mistake?

Avoidance May Be The Best Course…

There’s certainly an argument to be made that Lucasfilm’s best course of action might be to avoid exacerbating the “Rey Skywalker” issue altogether. Instead, the focus should perhaps just be on Rey exploring her unique position in the legacy of the Jedi as Rey seeks to build a new foundation for the Jedi Order. Lucasfilm shouldn’t even have her be referred to as “Master Skywalker” in the upcoming movie. Let’s just let Rey be Rey once she returns in the Star Wars franchise’s future.

Star Wars’ New Jedi Order movie will star Daisy Ridley with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. An official release date has not yet been set.