I’ve brainstormed a way for the “Palpatine created Rey/Anakin” backstory to have logistical limits, inspired by The Acolyte. This new explanation also prevents Palpatine from becoming a creator-god, instead only corrupting what is natural and trying to claim it for himself. So, I’m going to try something that I didn’t do a couple years ago when I unilaterally decided to make this into an Ascendant+ style edit: a poll! Please vote on which option you think is better.
Here is the reveal dialogue sequence for the Rey Palpatine+ edit:
K: I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it. I needed you to see it. Who you are.
R: You’re lying.
K: You were right. Your parents were no one. They chose to be. To keep you safe.
R: Don’t!
K: You remember more than you say. I’ve been inside your head.
R: I don’t want this!
K: Remember them. See them!
Flashback of Rey and her parents in the tent then the ship taking off
K: They paid for your protection. In more than one way.
R: Stop talking!
K: Rey, I know what happened to them…
K: Tell me where you are. You don’t know the whole story. Your father stole Ochi’s ship to escape from Exegol. He took your lightsaber from there, too. But he sold it, because he was powerless in the Force. So Palpatine gave Ochi his revenge.
Flashback of Ochi killing Rey’s father and then approaching her mother with the knife
R: No!
Vader’s charred mask falls to the ground
K: So that’s where you are. The Emperor wants one of us on his throne.
R: No…
K: I’ll come tell you why.
Later in the hangar
K: Rey, please listen to me. I know why Palpatine wants us to fight over the Sith throne.
R: Tell me.
K: Because he saw what you would become. You don’t just have power. You have his power. You’re his granddaughter… My mother was the daughter of Vader. Your father was the son of the Emperor. What Palpatine doesn’t know is we’re a dyad in the Force, Rey. Two that are one. We’ll kill him. Together. And end the Sith.
And here is a possible version of the same dialogue in the Rey Nobody+ version:
K: I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it. I needed you to see it. The memory you buried.
R: You’re lying.
K: You lie to yourself. Your parents were no one. Junk traders who sold the child they feared…
R: Don’t!
K: You remember more than you say. I’ve been inside your head.
R: I don’t want this!
K: Accept the truth. See what you did!
Brief flashback of her parents’ ship being jolted by lightning and shutting down / plummeting with Falcon shutdown SFX
K: You caused their deaths. And became the monster they feared.
R: Stop talking!
K: Rey, you’ll get your friends killed, too…
transition to brief scene of Pryde ordering Finn and Poe to be executed
K: Tell me where you are. You don’t know the whole story. Your mother couldn’t explain your birth. The man you called father came after. You were never their choice. Born of no father… just like Vader.
Anakin igniting his saber on Tuskens, kneeling before Shmi’s grave, behind shot of Anakin + Palps at the opera, igniting saber on younglings, slaughtering Separatists, hooded Sith-eyes Anakin shot intercut rapidly with dark Rey on the throne and finally the mask being lowered on Vader.
R: No!
Vader’s charred mask falls to the ground
K: So that’s where you are. Palpatine wants one of us on his throne.
R: No…
K: I’ll come tell you why.
Later in the hangar
K: Rey, please listen to me. I know why the Emperor sees us both as his heirs.
R: Tell me.
K: He learned to drain a vergence in the Force… and have it take form. First, my grandfather. Then you. Both, marked by Palpatine… Bodies strong enough to host his spirit, born with potential far beyond his own. Now, he wants to test which of us is stronger. But there’s still time to let old things die. Together, we can trap his spirit. And end the Sith.Some other line changes:
Rey - “I killed my mother… and my father… I’m going to find Palpatine. And destroy him.” (no lipsync required)Ahch-To Sequence:
Rey - “I killed my parents. People will be safer without me. I’m never leaving this place. I’m doing what you did.”
Luke - “I was wrong. Failure reveals where you still need to grow. What are you most afraid of?”
Rey: “Myself.”
Luke - "Because Palpatine marked you? Leia sensed how much you’re like Vader.”
Rey: “She never told me. She still trained me!”
Luke - “Because she saw your spirit. Your heart. Rey, some things are stronger than blood. Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi. Your destiny. If you don’t face Palpatine, it will mean the end of the Jedi. And the war will be lost.”Palpatine: “It is your birthright to rule. Here. It is in your blood. Exegol’s blood.”
Palpatine: “The life force of your bond. A dyad in the Force. A power like life itself. Two that are one. And now the power of two restores the one true Emperor.”
It’s clear that Rey as a character needs to have an explanation for her ease of quickly mastering the Force. Her being a descendant of Palpatine makes some sense - he’s very powerful in the Force. But, if you think about it logically, Palpatine himself was born with his own powers by pure chance. So why couldn’t a random nobody be, as well? So the Rey Palpatine explanation falls apart in that way since it’s technically not even a necessary explanation for a strong Force-user.
To take it a step further, I’m not actually sure if Rey Palpatine on its own adequately explains how quickly she gains power. Because even somebody like Palpatine had to train for decades to attain his mastery of the Force. This is likely why they threw the dyad on top to hand wave all that away. I think this new explanation makes the most sense without making Rey special in 2 separate ways. Osha and Mae were what happens when a vergence is used to divide one life in two. Anakin and Rey are what happens when an entire vergence is redirected into one new life. Vergences are extremely rare throughout the galaxy and limited in number, so this has logistical limits. It also makes sense that this life would appear in a random location via this method, since everything in the Force is connected.
But it’s still a deviation from canon, so I can understand if we’d prefer something that is more future-proof. And it’s also unfortunate to lose out on the Anakin/Padme mirroring via Reylo. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun thinking through this mental puzzle! Interested in any and all feedback before I commit.