John Williams believes Episode IX will reveal the true identity of Rey’s parents
Kylo’s revelation about Rey’s parentage was divisive and unbelievable. As John Williams feels the same way, he thinks Episode IX will answer if it’s true.
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Star Wars is a franchise that has stood the test of time and garnered generations of fans across the globe. However, as its stories have coerced viewers into predicting certain types of twists, every time a story has tried to do something different, it has been received with copious amounts of criticism. As The Last Jedi is guilty of doing something similar, it has sent fans and the legendary John Williams into complete denial regarding Rey’s parents.
Considering how J.J. Abrams loves the “mystery box” theory, he had attached a huge question mark on Rey (in The Force Awakens) by dropping subtle hints about her lineage. Naturally, this led to massive speculations & theories that suggested Rey might be a Kenobi, Solo, Skywalker or Palpatine. However, as Rian Johnson felt that that wouldn’t be as shocking as the twist in The Empire Strikes Back, he simply made her a nobody whose junkie parents had sold her off for drug money. As this turn of events was as surprising as it sounds, Williams told KUSC that he not only thinks it’s false, but also hopes that it’ll be fleshed out in Episode IX.
"John Williams: “Rey’s parents might be identified to us in the next film.”KUSC: “I hope so. I assume they’re pretty extraordinary. Somebody tried to tell her that they were just anonymous people who died in the desert. I don’t really believe that.”John Williams: “I don’t believe it either. Rey, of course, is played by Daisy Ridley, who I so loved in The Force Awakens. And last year, when [Lucasfilm president] Kathy Kennedy rang me up and said, ‘Would you do the last music for The Last Jedi?’ I said to her, ‘Is Daisy in it?’ and she said yes, so I said yes.”"
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Ever since the intergalactic saga’s inception, John Williams has been an integral part of it and has provided unique musical themes to each character that we can hear even with the sound off. So, it’s certainly endearing to see him feel so strongly for a character and the actress who’s portraying her.
Additionally, as Johnson has hinted at the open-ended nature of Rey’s parentage, it might be possible that Williams (and the millions of fans) will get the answer that he honestly wants in Episode IX. However, as the franchise has often been criticized for conveniently connecting every single character with someone or the other, I think Abrams should avoid delving further into Rey’s history; even if it means hurting the iconic composer’s feelings.
Is Rey’s parentage really that important to the Star Wars lore?
If you’ve watched enough sci-fi and fantasy movies, you might’ve realized that there is a certain pattern in them. Firstly, they follow Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth theory, where the protagonist leaves their initial setting, is aided by an elderly teacher, faces a greater evil, attains victory and returns to that initial setting with new values. And secondly, all of them are chosen ones who were destined to do these heroic tasks of killing dark lords and are overtly powerful not by merit, but by birth. However, Rey’s origin and the final shot of a kid using the Force to pick up his broom, upends both of those cliches.
The original trilogy didn’t delve into how the Force works and treated it mostly like a spiritual energy. However, it was the prequel trilogy that introduced the Midichlorians; thus implying that only those who were born with a high density of those intergalactic particles would be able to use the Force. That’s why, since that had reduced the war between good & evil to a bunch of chosen ones with lightsabers, the existence of Rey and the broom kid shows that one doesn’t have to be high on Midichlorians to use the Force. Instead, they can do so by sheer practice and the will to do something right; and making her a part of a famous Star Wars lineage will replace merit with Force nepotism.
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Although The Last Jedi is one of the most divisive movies in the Star Wars fandom, it’s time we should accept how Rian Johnson has saved the franchise from becoming over reliant on old characters and has opened up a plethora of possibilities for its universe. As the director has promised to step away from the Skywalkers and the Solos to pave a new trilogy of his own, it’ll be exciting to see which stories of the galaxy far, far away is he going to explore. And as for the great John Williams, he’ll probably get the defining answer about his beloved Rey when he’s called in to compose another award-winning score for Episode IX.
Do you think Episode IX should retcon Rey’s ordinary parentage? Let me know in the comments.