Star Wars theory predicts Dark Side Rey will be saviour of the galaxy

The red lightsaber could represent something extremely exciting

Star Wars fans are attempting to decipher what the new Rise of Skywalker footage could mean for the future of the franchise.

The biggest surprise, to be unveiled as part of the sizzle reel at Disney’s D23 expo, involved a hooded Rey wielding a double red lightsaber and looking like she could have tipped over to the dark side of the Force.

What does this mean for the character played by Daisy Ridley? Several theories are doing the rounds, some of which predict she could either be a clone or under the spell of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).

Inverse has generated another theory that, if realised in JJ Abrams’s film, would bring things full circle for the franchise. Could the Rey we’re seeing here represent a restored “balance” in the galaxy?

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) explained that balance was brought to the Force following the events of Return of the Jedi. That was until Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Snoke (Andy Serkis) began ruining things all over again in The Force Awakens.

In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, both the Jedis and Siths deal in “absolutes” – but both Rey and Kylo have history of showing they don’t simply conform to being just good or just evil. Just like with Luke – and, of course, his father Anakin, who ended up becoming Darth Vader – they are people for whom those distinctions are not as simply drawn.

Actor Naomi Ackie, who’ll also appear in the Game of Thrones prequel, has described the film’s script as “[trying] to ask a question that we need to answer in ourselves”. Meanwhile, Kelly Marie Tran – who will return as Rose in the sequel – said this Dark Rey moment leads to the film’s ending being “groundbreaking in a good way”.

Maybe they’re both hinting that Rey doesn’t veer to the dark side, but instead merges aspects of both the dark and light sides of the Force, restoring that balance once and for all. If so, she could be the saviour the galaxy desperately needed – and perhaps the “Skywalker” of the title could be referring to a way of life as opposed to a literal character.

Maybe this will be represented by the double lightsaber Rey holds being half red and half green in the finished film. Including this twist in the trailer would have been far too much of a spoiler.

According to reports, the film’s final shot is apparently so “mind-blowing” Abrams prevented filmmaker Kevin Smith from looking at it when he recently visited the set.

Other fans think that maybe Emperor Palpatine was actually in the two most recent films, but disguised as another character.

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker is released in the UK on 16 December.