Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens re-introduced us to the fantastical, magnificent world of Star Wars. The notion that the prequels were a letdown compared to the original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) has almost become a universally accepted truth. What this film did was bring back what made the original trilogy so special. Episode VII delivered new characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), while also featuring returning members, such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

I’m assuming you’ve seen the movie by now, so here is my list of theories for each unanswered question or plot-line as Episode VIII is in production.

 

Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?

He might only be in a couple scenes, but they were among the most intriguing. He is the one who revealed Kylo Ren’s father, as well as mentioning Luke possibly bringing back the Jedi if he is found by the resistance. The main question people have is whether or not this new character is actually completely new. Many theories have been floating around about him being a plethora of characters, like Palpatine, Vader, Jar Jar Binks, and even the boy from the temple in the prequels.

I think all of that is hogwash, though. My theory is that Snoke is none other than Darth Plagueis the Wise. He was mentioned briefly in Episode III when Palpatine was talking to Anakin about how Plagues could save people from dying. The reasons speculators tend to lean this way is because it would be a fascinating story-line to tell, the score during both parts in both movies were identical, and there are other subtle context clues in the dialogue to suggest this possible outcome.

 

What is really going on in Rey’s vision?

This was probably by far the most bizarre aspect to the movie – one I did not see coming. In the beginning of the sequence, she hears a little girl’s scream and runs down the stairs of Maz Kanata’s building. She discovers a chest with a lightsaber inside (later learning it belongs to Luke), and that the screams were actually hers when she was a child and her parents left her. From my knowledge, she has no recollection of her childhood memories. She also catches a glimpse of Kylo Ren and his Knights of Ren as they appear to kill people (perhaps the Jedi?) and sees Luke with R2-D2. She also hears Darth Vader’s breath, and the voices of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi telling her this is the beginning. Crazy stuff, right?

I do believe her visions were real and from her past. Maz Kanata tells her the lightsaber belonged to Anakin Skywalker passed down to Luke, and now calls to her. I think it’s fair to say the vision with Kylo Ren was him taking down the Jedi Temple that Luke had established. We’ll get to the rest of this scene and how it ties to lineage down below.

 

Maz Kanata backstory?

This is the one character that really made me grind the gears and think about how she knows so much about the Jedi and the force. Some might think she used to be a Jedi, while others disagree. I honestly have no idea how to answer that. How did she get Anakin and Luke’s old lightsaber? I honestly have no clue, and I hope we get some answers within the next two movies.

Who’s the guy in the beginning that had the final piece of the map?

At the beginning of the film, there is a man who gives the final piece of the missing map to Poe and BB-8. He also seems to know Kylo Ren, but it isn’t determined how. It would be interesting to figure out why he seems to know him and how he got his hands on that missing piece of the map. There’s a chance he probably knew Han Solo as well, so it would be fascinating to incorporate that into the plot of the next film.

 

What really happened to Luke’s Jedi Temple? Kylo Ren?

During Rey’s vision, she saw Kylo Ren standing with the Knights of Ren in the rain with another shot of Luke Skywalker touching R2-D2. It was also said earlier in the film by Han Solo that Luke went into exile after something went wrong with an apprentice, and was searching for the first Jedi Temple.

My best guess is that Kylo Ren was that pupil that turned to the dark side and took out the Jedi – forcing Luke to be the lone survivor of the Jedi. It would definitely make for an interesting meeting in Episode VIII if Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) was the bad trainee, and I would be surprised if they went down a different route. Wouldn’t it also be interesting if Rey was trained in the Jedi arts before being moved to Jakku and having her memory erased? It would definitely explain her sudden masterful lightsaber and force abilities.

 

Does Finn Have Familiar Family Ties?

Before the release of Episode VII, there was a lego set that had the name Finn Calrissian on it – possibly revealing at the time that Finn was the son of Lando Calrissian (Episode V, VI). Let me reiterate this: I don’t want every single new character to be the child of someone in the older movies. It’s a plot twist that can only be used so many times, and it also makes for a very small Star Wars universe. Sometimes it is nice to have some fresh faces from different places. Especially since Finn was introduced as a stormtrooper with no name (2187), I find it hard to believe he would be a Calrissian or any other character from the two trilogies previous.

 

Who is Rey’s father?

I saved the best for last. This is the million dollar question. Is Rey’s father Luke? Is it someone else? To me, I feel like Rey was way too powerful with the force with no training and not have gained those powers from someone in her past. I’m under the impression that Luke is NOT the father (despite that being the popular theory), but instead it is a familiar face to both prequels and originals. My opinion is that Rey is a blood-relative of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Let me try to explain why.

After that vision sequence, Maz Kanata’s dialogue makes it seem like Luke isn’t the father. For a more detailed version of why, John Campea has a YouTube video that discusses the exact dialogue and why he also believes Luke isn’t her father. I also got the impression that she has to seek her own destiny in the present and not in the past. Plus, during her vision she hears both versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi (prequel and original) tell her this is only the beginning. I know Yoda’s voice was in there too, but for both voices of Kenobi seems a little peculiar, doesn’t it? Besides, if you put the face of Rey and Obi-Wan from Episode I together, they do look very similar in terms of facial features. By the way, she also discovered and used that Jedi mind trick that Kenobi was infamous for.

 

Final Thoughts

What do you guys think? Do you agree with some of my theories, or do you think they are entirely false? I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!