Star Wars fan theory postulates Rey being the franchise’s true villain

Does she share more in common with Anakin Skywalker than Luke

Despite Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossing unthinkable amounts of money around the world, many fans of the sci-fi series were let down by the film, complaining the structure felt eerily similar to that of A New Hope.

One story beat that also irked fans was Rey being able to control the Force with precision so quickly, whereas it took Luke months of training with Yoda. There are a couple of explanations for this - for instance, did she learn how to control the Force as a child and Kylo Ren, by trying to read her thoughts, accidentally break a Froce barrier blocking her memory of the Force? - but the latest one could prove the most controversial.

As uncovered by Uproxx, fans have been questioning whether Rey could be the Galaxy far, far away’s ultimate villain. Theorisers have been postulating over Yoda’s words of wisdom to Luke; that the Dark side is “quicker, easier, more seductive.”

Did Rey use the Dark side to escape the First Order’s clutches because it was easily available to use unlike the light side?

Commenters have pointed out that - unlike Luke, who witnessed Ben Kenobi using the Force - Rey has never actually witnessed someone using the Light side; her only interaction with the Force comes from Kylo Ren. She has no one else to copy, just Ren who uses the Dark side.

Furthermore, in the novel adaptation - which counts as canon - when Rey defeats Ren in combat, a mysterious voice whispers to her “kill him”. Could this be the Dark side communicating with her, trying to seduce her?

There’s also the poster for The Force Awakens. On it, Rey’s staff matches Ren’s lightsaber, implying that she could very well be wielding the red blade, leading us to question whether she could one day join him on the Dark side.

One last thought no one else seems to have touched on; at the end of The Force Awakens, Luke looks quite shocked to see Rey. What if he hid Rey on Jakku because he feared her, because he knew he could see the Dark side in her? She would therefore be the last person he would want to see knocking on his door.

Perhaps, then, instead of mirroring Luke’s story from A New Hope, Rey is actually mirroring Anakin Skywalker and could eventually become the next great Star Wars villain. It sure would make the already great The Force Awakens even more complex.

Meanwhile, for those needing their Star Wars fix before Episode VIII hits cinemas in 2017, spin-off Rogue One is being released later this year, the director of which has revealed the real meaning behind the film’s title.