Over the course of four decades and three separate trilogies, the “Star Wars” universe is yet again faced with the end of a saga. Since the 2015 release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and the 2017 release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” fans have followed the story of the Resistance fighters and the overpowering First Order, keeping in line with the themes set by the films predecessors, the battle between the light and dark. Despite this overarching theme, the trailer release for the upcoming film “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” seems to blur the lines of tradition. The only question now is: do fans really buy it?
The most recent saga has followed the journey of Rey (Daisy Ridley, “Ophelia”), an orphaned girl who gets wrapped up in the power struggle between the perceived good and evil in the galaxy. After an initial analyzation of the trailer for “The Rise of Skywalker,” fans began to speculate about a “Dark Rey.” In certain clips in the trailer, it appears that Rey exhibits some of the darker qualities of the “Force” causing speculation of her supposed switch to the Dark Side. While this would be something new for Star Wars fans, a pattern like this has been seen before.
Looking back at the original trilogy, undeniably similar circumstances can be observed. After Luke Sykwalker (Mark Hamill “Childs Play”) loses his aunt and uncle, he is orphaned and enters on a journey that leads him to discovering the truth about his past and his own ability to harness the power of the Force. When comparing the two sagas, these two characters are seemingly tied together, both by circumstances and actions, something that cannot be easily ignored.
With some already pretty convincing similarities between the two characters, it is difficult to consider a “Dark Rey” emerging, or at least remaining in that dark side of the Force for very long. Again, looking back at the original trilogy, Luke also experienced temptation to the dark side, and in some cases, gave into that temptation. Displaying a complete lack of faith in “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope” as well as vengeance towards Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) in “Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back,” Luke is no stranger to the powers of the darkside. This raises new questions regarding the supposed “balance to the Force,” but in regards to the newest trailer, this simply draws a bit of skepticism towards darker Rey.
Throughout the “Star Wars” films, the light and the dark seem to be taking turns. In the original series the light side comes out on top while the dark prevails in the prequel series. This third trilogy is a bit unpredictable when it comes to balancing things out. While fans speculate and theorize what might come next, as it stands right now, it appears that the only hope for a “Dark Rey” is for the writers to completely abandon the examples set before them, something we have yet to see in the new trilogy. Despite this, many fans are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the last episode in the saga, holding on for some new hope.
Image from Star Wars via YouTube
