Writer promises that the identities of Rey's parents will be revealed in The Last Jedi. I expect them to be... (Part 1)

In this week's Entertainment Weekly, Rian Johnson, the writer and director of The Last Jedi, assured us that in the film, Rey will discover the identity of her parents. He also said that this information will not have a major effect on Rey. Hmmmm not sure what that means but I don't care. My family and I have been curious about the answer to this mystery since December 17, 2015.

Dang were her eyes always green? Do I need to go and search for other green eyed characters now?

As soon as the movie ended, I developed my theory of Rey's lineage. Last night, my kids and I watched The Force Awakens and paid special attention to any clues that would reveal her identity.

I wish I could say that I was not biased and I went into the movie with an open mind. Sadly, I did not. I have been defending my opinion for far too long. So I fell into the trap of looking for evidence to prove myself right.

But the beauty of the mystery is that JJ Abrahams is a master of deception. He throws in so many red herrings that it would be impossible for me to argue against anyone else's point of view. A fan could make a reasonable argument in favor of nearly any character being Rey's parents. In fact, my own wife does not agree with me.

Before I reveal my opinion, I want to give you a frame of reference. I feel very strongly that The Force Awakens is a reboot of Star Wars rather than a true sequel. There were far too many similarities between this film and the original 1977 Star Wars. Many of my friends were disappointed by the similarities. I merely looked at them as a way to build a bridge between 45 year old Star Wars fans and the younger generation of 7 to 13 year olds who were being welcomed into the amazing Star Wars universe.

also feel very strongly that Rey definitely has Skywalker blood. As soon as that blue lightsaber flew past a ducking Kylo Ren and landed in her hand, I knew she was Darth Vader's grand daughter. I simply cannot think of another reason that Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber would have "chosen" to land in her possession rather than Vader's ultimate fanboy.

If Anakin Skywalker is Rey's grandfather, then there are only two choices. Rey is either Luke or Leia's child.

My wife argues that Luke is Rey's father. Although I think she is mistaken, she has plenty of evidence to back her up. So I can't definitively say she is wrong. What I can do, is tell her (and you) why I believe Leia is Rey's mother.

am only going to use evidence available in The Force Awakens. I have obsessed over this and have done more research... but that is cheating. I will also add some pure speculation that explains some of the holes that will need to be filled in.

The movie begins with the crawl explaining that the Leia lead Resistance is searching for Luke. Of course she wants to find her brother. Of course the Resistance could use a Jedi or two... but I think the desire to find him is ramped up by the fact that Leia wants to know what happened to her daughter.

She knows what happened to her son. Luke was training Ben. Ben went crazy and attacked the other padawans. If Rey were Ben's sister, it would make sense that Luke was also training her. Was she killed by her brother? Did Luke save her and take her with him? Did Luke hide her? Leia and Han do not know. After approximately fifteen years, I would imagine they believe their daughter is dead. But they would need closure... and perhaps the Force is telling Leia that her daughter is still alive.

If this is indeed a reboot, it would make sense to parallel the element of hiding a child on a desert planet to protect it from evil. It would make sense that Luke would drop the child off, change her name to Rey and not tell her parents. If he simply returned "Rey" to her parents, could Kylo Ren find her? Could she too be turned to the Dark Side of the Force. Should Luke kill her to prevent the two siblings from uniting to throw off the balance of the Force or should he hide her... and make her forget her past? Luke is a powerful Jedi. I would argue he would have the ability to make Rey forget her past and the trauma she witnessed. Just like Luke in A New Hope, this child would be safest if she were ignorant of her family's true identity. This would also parallel the very important twin brother and sister from the original trilogy.

These three all have deserts in common... but Rey doesn't whine like the other two. Leia is the only Skywalker who doesn't whine.
That is quite a leap I just took. How did I get there?

Abrahams primed us for a mystery when Rey first meets BB-8. She asks where he was from. He beeps and Rey responds, "Classified? Really? Me too. Big secret." I noticed this the second time I watch the movie and laughed out loud. Very clever Mr. Abrahams.

After she and Finn team up, the defector mentions Luke Skywalker. Rey responds that she thought he was a myth. Regardless if Luke is her father or uncle, Rey should surely remember him... unless her memory has been wiped. I believe it has.

My daughter provided me with more evidence. She pointed out how "sassy" Rey is... just like her mother Leia. If this is a reboot, wouldn't the new Leia be a strong and "sassy" woman who would repeatedly get offended by a man taking her hand to lead her through a battle? Would she be flabbergasted that this man would question if she were ok directly after the man had been knocked flat on his back? Would she take the lead in an escape... just like Leia did when they were escaping the detention block? I believe she would.

I also believe it is time to take a break. That was a heck of a lot of "Star Warsing" right there. We better let that sink in until part II.

Images 1, 2, 3, 4