Rey being intentionally left on a desert planet to become tough and mean is a very Dune approach to this, which is good. And I think if we’re viewing this trilogy in a vacuum it works, but I can’t help but think back to the previous two trilogies, each of which had a protagonist who grew up on a harsh desert planet and each of which ultimately turned to the light. So I can’t quite imagine Palpatine doing this and thinking that it would be a slam-dunk bet for making a hate-filled Dark Side apprentice. Granted this is the first story where the protagonist doesn’t have a family of any kind to raise her, but that seems like a good reason to focus the story away from the location aspect and onto the lack of parents aspect.