Is the famous female protagonist of the new Star Wars trilogy in trouble? Ever since the teaser trailer for Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the last film in George Lucas's epic nine-part Star Wars Saga, Star Wars fans have been anxiously theorizing about a certain scene involving Rey with a black Sith cowl and a double-bladed red lightsaber. How could Rey, fearsome fighter for the Resistance and pupil of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker have fallen to the Dark Side?
The Disney Star Wars films have been known for both playing it safe and subverting expectations, so it's any Star Wars fans' guess as to whether or not it will turn out that Rey truly has gone to the Dark Side. Is Dark Rey simply the product of a Force vision, or has she finally found her place in the galaxy as an instrument of evil? Will she be a pawn in puppet-master Palpatine's greatest Sith coup of all time? Will Reylo finally happen?! Read on for five reasons we want Dark Rey, and five we don't.
WHY WE WANT DARK REY: SHE'LL BE MORE INTERESTING
To many Star Wars fans, Rey has been a bland character since The Force Awakens. Marooned on Jakku by unknown parents, she essentially raised herself to be a resourceful scavenger. She has many irable traits such as comion, bravery, and ingenuity. But traits do not an interesting character make.
A turn to the Dark Side would give Rey a more complex character arc instead of the current one afforded by her chipper perseverance. She has ever right to be upset and angry at the had the galaxy dealt her. Instead she's surprisingly well-adjusted with few indications of her familial trauma.
WHY WE DON'T: IT MAKES NO SENSE
As the release of Episode IX grows near, and we take stock of Rey's character, we can see that a turn to the Dark Side wouldn't make a lot of sense. Not the way she's been written so far. There hasn't ever been any indication that she would turn to the Dark Side, even for Kylo Ren.
True, she was "tempted" at the cave on Ahch-To, but that was more curiosity than anything else. Even when Kylo explained the truth about her parents, she had the conviction to tell him that he was lying. Rey may even be more resolute and unwavering in her belief in the Light Side than Master Yoda.
WHY WE WANT DARK REY: IT WOULD BE UNEXPECTED
Star Wars fans lamented when The Force Awakens came out because they felt it was nothing more than retread of A New Hope with its many narrative references. Star Wars fans lamented when The Last Jedi swerved from typical plot points and threw curveballs.
Rey ing the Dark Side would put the new Disney trilogy in a league of its own. It would be such an unexpected move that it might break the Star Wars mold, challenge the status quo, and redefine Star Wars for a modern era the way Lucas's prequel films did.
WHY WE DON'T: IT GOES AGAINST LUKE'S TEACHINGS
Master Skywalker may have wanted to see the Jedi Order come to an end, but that wasn't an either/or avowal. He recognized that Rey had a "raw power" that when she used it, she became dangerously close to the Dark Side. He had only seen that power once before in his former pupil, Kylo Ren.
Considering that Rey was even more gung-ho about restoring the Jedi than Luke was, for her to turn to the Dark Side would be a Force-slap in the face of everything Luke taught her on Ahch-To. He didn't give up his hermit lifestyle so that she could throw it all away, and he didn't give up his life so she could turn her back on the Resistance.
WHY WE WANT DARK REY: BETTER CLOTHES
If we're being honest, the bad guys in Star Wars have set the bar pretty high when it comes to memorable attire. Rey's clothes are practical and functional, like a certain other orphan's on a remote desert planet. They've made for many adorable Halloween costumes, but they haven't made Rey stand out as a character.
By contrast, turning to the Dark Side would instantly get her a pair of new duds. When Anakin turned to the Dark Side, his tunic became black leather before he was fitted for the most impractical yet intimidating costume in the galaxy as Darth Vader. We can't underestimate the power of a Dark Side makeover.
WHY WE DON'T: IT WAS ONLY A VISION
Rey has the Jedi gift for Force visions, which she became aware of in The Force Awakens. There are many Star Wars fans who, after seeing the Episode IX teaser trailer, didn't get their hopes up that the appearance of Dark Rey was any more than that.
Personally, we'd rather it not be a Force vision of Rey's. It would be better if it was a Force vision of Kylo Ren's, maybe even what he saw her future to be when they touched hands during one of their cozy Force connections in The Last Jedi.
WHY WE WANT DARK REY: SO REYLO CAN FINALLY BE A THING
Kylo Ren has been obsessed with Rey since The Force Awakens. She could repel even his most intrusive mental interrogations with the Force, and proved more than capable of standing up to him with a lightsaber. And since The Last Jedi, Rey has become more than a little curious about him too, especially given their strong Force bond.
When Kylo gave her the devastating news that she was the daughter of junkers, who sold her for drinking money, he wasn't half wrong. His point was that she should be angry for the way her parents carelessly abandoned her, and funnel her raw power towards the Dark Side to draw strength. He knew what it was like to feel betrayed by loved ones, and looked at like a monster for his abilities. Reylo forever!
WHY WE DON'T: IT COULD MEAN THE DOWNFALL OF THE RESISTANCE
Rey has become an indispensable asset to The Resistance. If it weren't for her, the last of its most prominent would have been killed in the Battle of Crait. It was her Jedi powers that saved them, and if she were to turn to the Dark Side, they would have no chance.
Her and Kylo Ren as part of the First Order would be seemingly unstoppable, especially with its indefatigable fleet. But Luke Skywalker didn't create the most epic distraction in cinematic history just so she could abandon his sister and allies in their time of need.
WHY WE WANT DARK REY: BALANCE TO THE FORCE
The Force has always been about balance. In many ways, it's why neither good nor evil, Jedi or Sith, could ever truly reign supreme. Even Kylo Ren explains to Rey in The Last Jedi that she should let the past die, and absolve her attachment to either the Jedi or the Sith (in some ways echoing his former master Luke Skywalker's teachings).
The Jedi most notably reached out with their feelings but tended to supress their emotions, lest they lead to temptation and embracement of the Dark Side through anger and fear. Dark Rey may decide emotions are good, and that the Force is not binary, allowing space for her as a "Dark" version of herself, if not a full Sith.
WHY WE DON'T: PALPATINE WILL WIN
With Emperor Palpatine's laugh rippling over the Episode IX teaser trailer and his visage looming over the promotional material, it's not a stretch he'll be playing an important role in the film. We know Luke Skywalker is coming back in some form - perhaps it's to fight his former nemesis?
But Palpatine may have some help in that regard, and actually be manipulating Rey to be a puppet for his ultimate goal of galactic domination for the Sith. Rey may have been the product of some form of immaculate conception like Anakin Skywalker, a sort of Force-engineered baby whose destiny will be played out in Palpatine's hands.
