I disagree with that article completely. Rey Palpatine wasn’t done for any storytelling reason, it was just done to please people who were pissed that Rey was a nobody in TLJ. And I really don’t like Rey taking the Skywalker name without permission, just because some ghosts smiled at her. If Jeff Bezos smiled at me, would that mean I’m a billionaire? Rey’s arc in TROS makes no sense, and it devalues TLJ’s message that anyone can be a hero. It’s one of those moments that was clearly designed to be a dig at TLJ, like “Go away, Rose!” and “A Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect.”
Well, you are certainly entitled to disagree, but people take names all the time without any permission. Authors and actors adopt a professional name and they are free to pick anything they like. In one of my jobs, I encountered someone who had legally changed their name to Jean-Luc Picard. Name are not proprietary or owned. We adopt people into our families all the time and give them our name. We don’t have to get our ancestor’s permission.
And Rey’s journey in TROS is really a continuation of her journey in TLJ. TLJ was about anyone can be powerful in the force. Rey is given a curve ball in that. Her parents were nobodies (in the force - if her father had any gift his father would have been after him) but her bloodline was from the dark side. That poses a challenge when she wants to be the hero. Yes, this no longer makes her a nobody, but it questions the destiny of your blood. Anakin was a noble Jedi seduced by the dark side, but as far as we know, Palpatine was always dark. Luke overcame his bloodline to be a Jedi, but his nephew fell to the dark side. Does Rey have a choice in her destiny? The movie, and especially the final scene, makes that a clear yes. She can choose to be something other than what her bloodline would dictate. She takes the name of the family she found rather than her family by blood. And contrary to what you think, I believe that Luke, the only one with the Skywalker name, would have given her permission. After all, he trained her knowing who he grandfather was. So I felt that TROS expanded on that and hinted that Finn might be force sensitive as well. I found the real themes (not the false “let the past die” nonsense) of TLJ to be carried forward in TROS and enhanced. I don’t feel anything was thrown out, only build upon.