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Star Wars superfan Robert Colter says he's excited about the newest Star Wars movie, "Rogue One" ... but he's still trying to figure out "Episode VII: The Force Awakens."
That's the movie that introduced the franchise's newest protagonist, Rey, who came into the 2015 film without much of an origin story, but a natural affinity for the Force. What's her family tree, Robert wonders:
"I subscribe to multiple theories as to where she may come from. When you think about Star Wars at its heart, it isn't just sci-fi. Its more of a soap opera, as George Lucas has said. So its about family at its core. So the most obvious theory would be that [Rey] is the spawn of Luke."
But the fact this theory seems somewhat obvious means it might not be her true origin. Robert says Emperor Palpatine is another place to look for Rey's beginnings. "Star Wars is ultimately the story of the battle with the Palpatine family. In the prequel trilogy it was Anakin ultimately being seduced by the Palpatine family. And as it was in the original trilogy where Luke overcomes Palpatine."
Another theory is a combination of the Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel stories:
"Essentially it says there were two children that used to play around this tree and they got Force powers from the tree. The son kills the daughter but the daughter is revived by the tree. Then she becomes the first Jedi and he is the first Sith lord. There is apparently some expanded universe support for this theory... saying Rey might be the incarnation of the first Jedi. I think it's a little far-fetched."
Robert is excited for the Rogue One release. He even plans to take his one-year old niece to see the film. He says, "She's gonna love it and it'll be in her blood. It'll never be a surprise that Darth Vader is Luke's father. It'll be in her earliest memories."
If you have any thoughts on Rey's origin story, share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
And May the Force be with you.