Probably the biggest question coming out of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the question of Rey’s parentage. Everybody wants to know where Rey came from and who her family truly is. Most of the theories have been focused around the odds that Rey is related to somebody we already knew from the previous films. But, what if that isn’t quite the case, or at least not entirely? What if Rey’s mother is actually a Star Wars character we haven’t met, yet?
With today’s official introduction of Jyn Erso in to the Star Wars universe via the teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story we have a new candidate for the role of Rey’s mother. Is it possible these two are related? Let’s see what we’ve got to go on.
The Timing Works, Maybe
According to the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, Rey was born approximately 11 years after the Battle of Endor. Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi takes place four years after the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. This puts Rey’s birth at about 15 years after Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We have no idea how old Jyn Erso is in the film. Felicity Jones, the actress who plays the part is 32, but it’s possible Jyn will be younger. Rey is a few years younger than Daisy Ridley.
Even if Jyn is a younger character this would still put her giving birth later in life, early to mid 40’s we’d say. Less likely, but certainly not impossible. Also, we’re using standard Earth human lifespans and childbearing ages as our gauge here, something that we have to admit might not be valid. This is a galaxy far, far, away after all. Humans there might all live to be 120 and give birth until they’re 70. We don’t actually know otherwise.
Yeah, but Rey has the Force
The biggest red flag to the "Jyn is Rey’s mom" theory is that whole pesky "Force" thing. Jyn doesn’t have it. One of the few things we have been told with a fair amount of certainty is that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is not a story about Jedi. Our characters here are generally normal people who don’t use lightsabers or move things with their brain.
This still doesn’t discount Jyn entirely, as Rey’s father, whoever that is, could still be the one who passes on an affinity for The Force. At this point, we certainly can’t discount the possibility that Jyn Erso met Luke Skywalker at the post Death Star explosion party on Endor and the two fell desperately in love and ran off together. Actually, that sounds a little too fan fiction-y. Also, if that had happened, Rey, would likely be about 10 years older.
Still, There is a Resemblance
We can say, since Luke Skywalker bears a resemblance to a young Anakin, that children do look like their parents in the Star Wars universe. Looking at Rey and Jyn, we have to admit that there is something of a resemblance. It’s a superficial comparison, to be sure, they’re both brunettes with similar eyes, but at the very least we can say that their looks don’t weigh against them being related.
In addition, they also appear to sound alike. Jyn doesn’t speak much in the trailer, but when she does, her accent seems to be similar to that of Rey. This could be a coincidence, as Rey would have spent most of her life without her parents, and thus could have dropped whatever accent they had, it's yet another piece of circumstantial evidence.
Also, Jyn’s a Criminal and Rey likes Criminals
When Rey meets Han Solo for the first time, she is instantly drawn to him. She knows him by name from his reputation as a smuggler, not a member of the Rebel Alliance, and Kylo Ren says that she sees him as a father figure even though they just met. Some have interpreted this as an indication that Han is Rey’s father, but what if the truth is, he reminds Rey of her mother.
The one thing that we know about Jyn Erso is that she’s a criminal. She has committed a number of crimes against the Empire from theft to forgery. She sounds an awful lot like Han Solo. Perhaps Rey remembers her mother’s general attitude, and when she meets Han Solo there's something about him that feels familiar.
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