The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant (Released) — Page 689

I’ve tried to maintain as much of DZ’s as I could while improving what I can:

“Rey… wherever you are… you are hard to find.”

“You are hard to get rid of.”

“I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it… I needed you to see it… who you are. I know the darkness that lives in you, Rey…”

“You’re lying.”

“You were right… your parents were no one… lured into the Sith cult to find purpose.”

“Don’t!”

“Your barren mother sought her own child, and your father found one.”

“I don’t want this!”

“They stole you from the Sith!”

“No!”

“But adopting you caught Palpatine’s attention.”

(Rey sees the vision of her parents and her abandonment.)
“I know… Rey… be brave.”
“You’ll be safe here… I promise.”
“Come back! Nooo!”

“They paid for your protection… in more than one way.”

“Stop talking.”

“Rey… I learned what happened to them.”

(Cutaway to heroes capture)

“Your parents pursued Luke’s protection, searching the Jakku desert for his allies… but Palpatine’s assassins tracked down their stolen ship. Whether brave or foolish, they made a final stand.”

(Rey sees her parents get killed.)

“So that’s where you are.”

“You know why the Emperor’s always wanted you dead. I’ll come tell you.”

…

“Why did the Emperor come for me? Why did he want to kill a child? Tell me.”

“Because he no longer needed you. After his return, and your escape, he saw his clones as threats to his power. You’re one of his clones. You… are a Palpatine.”

“The only reason for your creation was to be one of his vessels. But what Palpatine doesn’t know is that we’ve become a Dyad in the Force, Rey… two that are one. Together we can end him and the Sith, and take his power to forge something new…”

(Removes his helmet)

“You know what you need to do. You know.”

“I know.”

EDIT: Oh and of course the following change: “It’s your birthright to rule… here” —> “You were engineered to rule… here”

That would fly better with casual audiences, for sure.

All I’m saying is that if Bethesda, a AAA game producer, can put this exact same storyline (referring to a “daughter” of an evil man as a “clone”) in a main questline for Starfield, it should work in Star Wars, too. Then again, one of optional questions you can ask her character is “You’re a clone of a man, how does that work?” And she more or less responds that she is genetically engineered. Gee, if only there was a canon Star Wars term for a genetically-engineered clone (looking at you, strand-cast).

But throwing all these made-up words everywhere, from strand-cast to dyad in the Force, would be too overwhelming. This is a tough nut to crack, that’s for sure.

EDIT: What about this - “Because he no longer needed you. After his return, and your escape, he saw his clones/creations as a threat to his power. You’re based off his template. You… are a Palpatine.” This way we dodge using the goofy word of “strand-cast” but give its exact definition in case it starts being used more regularly in the TV shows. I mean, heck, Dr. Pershing gives an entire presentation on them in all but name to the Senate in Mando season 3 (at least I think that’s where he was).

DZ, if you like your line that much I’d recommend putting it back up at the beginning - “I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it… I needed you to see it… who you are. Darkness is in your blood, Rey…”

DOUBLE POST

I think if we are trying to find the most agreeable version of Rey Nobody for Ascendant, making Rey a clone of Palpatine doesn’t make sense. To me, Clone Rey should replace the standard Rey Palpatine, not be the version of Rey Nobody. Because Clone Rey still defeats the idea and theme of Rey Nobody. Imo, in a Rey Nobody edit, Rey should have zero previous connection to Palpatine or anyone else.

But I think something like Rey Clone or Rey Anti-Chosen One (Sith’ari) could replace a straight up “You’re Palpatine biological granddaughter”. Because you end up with the same point (the Skywalkers vs Palpatines if you’re into that) but avoid the whole idea of “Palpatine Fucks”.

Maybe I’m playing the role of pessimist but I feel like if I heard this Rey Clone dialogue in theaters, I would’ve rolled my eyes at it just as much as I did with the theatrical Rey Palpatine reveal. Sure, it’s different, but it still betrays the point of the the Rey Nobody reveal in TLJ.

Again, I guess this is just me voicing my point of view, but I believe the most inoffensive version of Rey Nobody would be one that just focuses on her visions of the future and Rey’s sense of self-worth, and doesn’t try to reveal more about Rey’s backstory. This way, Rey Palpatine could technically still be canon to that version, but it just isn’t brought up or mentioned in the film.

Yeah, I agree with Starkiller that they need to be a part of the Sith cult in order to be trusted with raising such a valuable asset. And in the process of raising her they grow to love her and hate what the Sith intend for her.

That being said I like some elements of Eddie’s two final paragraphs a bunch.

They should definitely still be referred to as nobodies. Remember, in this chain of events, once they receive baby Rey they will live out their lives as junkers.

“Rey… wherever you are… you are hard to find.”

“You are hard to get rid of.”

“I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it… I needed you to see it… who you are. I know the darkness that lives in you, Rey…”

“You’re lying.”

“You were right… your parents were no one. Their search for purpose lured them to the Sith.”

“Don’t!”

“They were assigned an infant, by cultists from Exegol."

“I don’t want this!”

“But later your termination was ordered."

“No!”

“You had become their purpose in life, so they hid you from Palpatine.”

(Rey sees the vision of her parents and her abandonment.)
“Rey, my love… be brave.”
“You’ll be safe here… I promise.”
“Come back! Nooo!”

“They paid for your protection… in more than one way.”

“Stop talking.”

“Rey… I learned what happened to them.”

(Cutaway to heroes capture)

“Your parents sought Luke’s protection, searching the Jakku desert for his allies… but Palpatine’s assassins tracked them down. They resisted fiercely, only to be forgotten by the galaxy."

(Rey sees her parents get killed.)

“So that’s where you are.”

“You know why the Emperor’s always wanted you dead. I’ll come tell you.”

…etc

“Why did the Emperor come for me? Why did he want to kill a child? Tell me.”

“Because you were just an experiment… one that became a threat after his true return. Rey, you’re based off his template. You… are a clone of Palpatine.” (not sure if we necessarily need “a Palpatine” here or not)

“The only reason for your creation was to be one of his vessels on the Sith throne. But what Palpatine cannot foresee is we’ve become a Dyad in the Force, Rey… two, linked by pure power. With that power we can end him and the Sith, and create something new, together…”

(Removes his helmet)

“You know what you need to do. You know?”

“I do.”

I for one think it’s a bad idea for her parents to spend any time on Exegol. Baby Rey needs to come from there, sure. But it stops them from being junk traders and nobodies at heart. Plus, we know how dangerous and complicated it is to travel to and from there. Which is why in my previous post they would basically return to their boring lives after receiving Rey.

I think giving her parents character motivations is important for all of it to make sense narratively. Just spouting out everything that happens without answering “why?” is a recipe for trouble.

As for the overall goals:

1. Maintain the ‘Nobodies’ Theme: Consistently depict Rey’s parents as ordinary individuals (“nobodies”) throughout the background story, reinforcing TLJ’s theme that greatness and significance in people can emerge from humble beginnings.

2. Deepen Rey’s Character Complexity: Provide Rey with a more complex and nuanced origin story that includes a more direct genetic link to Emperor Palpatine, creating internal conflict and exploring themes of identity and destiny due to the sinister reason behind her existence as a person (to be a vessel).

3. Emphasize Personal Choice and Agency: Rey’s adoptive parents are able to make the correct choice in the end despite being involved with the wrong crowd - similar to Vader. Also, highlight that despite her origins, Rey’s choices and actions define her, aligning with the overarching message that individuals shape their own destiny.

4. Explore Nature vs. Nurture: By making Rey a clone/genetically derived from Palpatine, the story delves into the debate of nature versus nurture in twins, questioning whether one’s genetic makeup or upbringing plays a more significant role in defining their path.

5. Strengthen the Emotional Narrative: Enhance the emotional depth of the story by detailing the sacrifices and struggles of Rey’s adoptive parents, adding a layer of tragedy and human emotion to her backstory - instead of being mere plot devices.

6. Align with Established Canon: While introducing new elements, ensure that the revised backstory remains coherent with as much of the established Star Wars universe as possible, respecting its lore and thematic essence.

This is where I’m at with the story itself, formatted as dialogue a few posts above. I don’t see anything particularly wrong with any of it.

Rey’s Parental Background:

• Rey’s parents are depicted as ordinary, unremarkable individuals throughout.
• As nobodies, they are easily lured into the Sith cult because they want to find some sort of purpose in life.

Rey’s Origin:

• Rey’s parents were assigned an infant (Codename: Rey) by cultists from Exegol.
• However, when Palpatine orders the termination of his clones, they want out of the cult.

Parents’ Sacrifice:

• Rey’s parents have grown to love her, finding their purpose in life, and decide to hide her from Palpatine.
• They leave her with Unkar Plutt for her safety, paying for her protection instead of selling her (Kylo misinterpreted the currency exchange direction).

Parents’ Demise:

• Seeking further help, they look for Luke Skywalker’s allies in the Jakku desert.
• Palpatine’s assassins eventually find them.
• Rey’s parents resist but are ultimately killed, their story forgotten by the galaxy.
• Ochi takes their Sith ship for his own most likely because he wants Rey to recognize it and be drawn to it.

Palpatine’s Motivation:

• Palpatine sees his clones as unnecessary and a threat after his return, leading to the order for Rey’s termination.
• Rey is revealed to be a clone experiment based off of Palpatine’s genetic template to prevent confusion.

Rey and Kylo Ren as a Dyad:

• Kylo Ren reveals they’ve become a Dyad in the Force, a powerful and rare connection.
• Subtly imply that the power is so strong that Palpatine cannot use his foresight to be made aware of it
• He proposes using this power to end Palpatine and the Sith, and to create a new path together.

https://youtu.be/fNi_VeunzkY?si=QQEca7VjiqLr34af

Found Palpatine’s resurrection scene for a rise of Skywalker fan edit

NeverarGreat said:

I’m continuing to tinker with splitting the chess scene. This was the first attempt, a few pages back. That version didn’t reuse any footage between scenes, just took the original and allocated shots between the two new scenes.

Here’s the new version: https://mega.nz/file/fMd1DbSb#TOE1DBzQHkpRwucpALML8Ol0LJ0kgVFG8Q2Ro7-Iwms

I reused both shots of Chewie, but cut the first one down so it would be less noticeable and the second one is used to extend Poe’s and Finn’s lines in the final scene. I think that both of these scenes could stand rather well on their own, at least with a bit more audio work. It would be nice to keep the lines in the first scene with ‘cheating’ changed to ‘stalling’, and maybe make some AI Poe and Finn banter for background as Rey leaves the Falcon.

Yeah, I still really like this idea. I like having a mini sub-plot that isn’t “resolved” until the end there, it makes it feel more like it was intended to be there all along. And those AI lines wouldn’t be very hard to make, either.

I’ve finally cracked it, I think. This explains everything so much better than the regular Rey Palpatine:

“Rey… wherever you are… you are hard to find.”

“You are hard to get rid of.”

“I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it… I needed you to see it… who you are. I know the darkness that lives in you, Rey…”

“You’re lying.”

“You were right… your parents were no one. Junk traders selling parts to the fleet on Exegol.”

“Don’t!”

“In exchange for a bonus on their hauls, they were assigned with raising you."

“I don’t want this!”

“Even killing you."

“No!”

“But they’d grown to care for you, so they hid you from Palpatine.”

(Rey sees the vision of her parents and her abandonment.)
“Rey, my love… be brave.”
“You’ll be safe here… I promise.”
“Come back! Nooo!”

“They paid for your protection… in more than one way.”

“Stop talking.”

“Rey… I learned what happened to them.”

(Cutaway to heroes capture)

“Your parents sought Luke’s protection, searching the Jakku desert for his allies… but Palpatine’s assassins tracked them down. They resisted fiercely, only to be forgotten by the sands of time."

(Rey sees her parents get killed.)

“So that’s where you are.”

“You know why the Emperor’s always wanted you dead. I’ll come tell you.”

…etc

“Why did the Emperor come for me? Why did he want to kill a child? Tell me.”

“Because you were one of many experiments, Rey… all of which became threats after his full return. You’re based off his template. You… are a clone of Palpatine.”

“The only purpose for your creation was to be one of his hosts on the Sith throne. But what Palpatine cannot foresee is that we’ve become a Dyad in the Force, Rey… two, linked by raw power. We can end him and the Sith, and create something new, together…”

(Removes his helmet)

“You know what you need to do. You know.”

“I do.”

By the way Hal, I’m not sure if you’ve considered the fact that this version of the movie could technically be contained in its own audio track. I’m not aware of any specific cuts you’ve made to these scenes which would warrant anything else.

almost there.

It feels still off, that junk traders get tasked with a job like this. It looks fun, let me also try xD

“Rey… wherever you are… you are hard to find.”

“You are hard to get rid of.”

“I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it… I needed you to see it… who you are. I know the darkness that lives in you, Rey…”

“You’re lying.”

“You were right… your parents were no one. Junk traders desperately selling parts to anyone… even the Sith Cult.”

“Don’t!”

“When a trade was busted by the New Republic, a toddler was found on the Cultist’s ship."

“I don’t want this!”

“Your parents had wanted, but couldnt have kids”

“No!”

“So they claimed you were theirs, abducted by the Sith.”

“Stop talking.”

“Rey… I learned what happened to them.”

(Cutaway to heroes capture)

“Your parents sought Luke’s protection, searching the Jakku desert for his allies… but Palpatine’s assassins tracked them down. They resisted fiercely, only to be forgotten by the sands of time."

(Rey sees her parents get killed.)

“So that’s where you are.”

“You know why the Emperor’s always wanted you dead. I’ll come tell you.”

…etc

“Why did the Emperor come for me? Why did he want to kill a child? Tell me.”

“Because you were one of many experiments, Rey… all of which became loose threads, failed attempts at bringing him back. You’re based off his template. You… are a clone of Palpatine.”

“The only purpose for your creation was to be a potential host for the Emporer. But what Palpatine cannot foresee is that we’ve become a Dyad in the Force, Rey… two, linked by raw power. We can end him and the Sith, and create something new, together…”

(Removes his helmet)

“You know what you need to do. You know.”

“I do.”

Besides the trade thing, there’s also the problem that you’re removing the first vision of her parents - which I’d personally like to avoid. There’s also the fact that I’ve found out the Kylo line before Rey says “No!” has to be extremely brief, a few words only. I see what you’re trying to do, though - the only way the infertility and adoption angle works is if they have no choice but to take her out of all children in rather than finding a safe child like Broom Boy. But I still think it being an assignment is the simplest approach. All that being said, there are a couple of ideas here I might implement, so thanks!

The missing link for them being assigned caretakers is giving a compelling reason why the Sith cult would be giving these clones to random people in their circle. The only thing that makes sense to me is simply the fact that they don’t have the resources to raise countless children and experiments on Exegol. We see how desolate and barren the place is at the beginning of the movie. I was hoping that implication might come through in my last draft, but clearly it still needs a bit of work in that regard. This is a problem in the original movie; how is it that the Sith troopers and officers even survive on the planet? Where do they all live?

Hal 9000 said:

Also, I don’t get the thing about the New Republic busting a trade. Seems superfluous and needlessly confusing.

Insert any reason why the Sith cultists would be out of the picture.

Story idea behind my suggestion;
The cultists traded with Reys parents and happened to have one of the experiments (Rey) on board.
Something happened to them, baby Rey was found on their ship and then adopted by Reys parents. (Ny pretending it is their kid that was kidnapped by the Cultists)
Palpi found out about it and sent an Assassin. leading to the parents seaking protection.
But while they managed to save Rey, the Sith found and killed her parents.

I chose the New Republic as the party to shut down the Cultists because they seem like a faction that would be inclined to give out a “kidnapped” toddler.