The Star Wars franchise has been going strong for decades, accruing generations of fans in the process. And once Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the galaxy was expanded through the sequel trilogy, standalone films, and small screen adventures. J.J. Abrams kickstarted the property back up with The Force Awakens, and returned to the director's chair for The Rise of Skywalker, which will be the cumulation of the nine film narrative of the main franchise.
All eyes are on what J.J. Abrams will do with Episode IX, and if he will retcon any of the plot twists Rian Johnson brought with The Rise of Skywalker. One of the biggest twists was that Rey's parents were revealed to be nobodies, but a new rumor claims her father might have actually been Han Solo himself. Now Star Wars exec Pablo Hidalgo has shut down this fan theory, saying:
That doesn’t fit with the timeline. Han and Leia were together up until about 5 years before TFA when it all went to hell, and Rey is 19.
Well, that was easy. While Pablo Hidalgo obviously is privy to the future of the Star Wars franchise and what to expect with The Rise of Skywalker, it looks like he just used simple math to shoot down the rumor about Han Solo being Rey's actual father. And Han, Leia, and Ben were a happy family until a few years before audiences met Daisy Ridley's new hero in The Force Awakens.
Pablo Hidalgo made this revelation on his personal Twitter account. Hidalgo regularly communicates directly with the fandom in this way, helping to squash rumors and drum up excitement for each new Star Wars release. And he's intimately involved in the process, helping to craft the story from an executive level as Lucasfilm. So he's a trusted source of information.
It turns out that the fans should stop worrying about a possible connection between Han Solo and Rey, as he didn't have the time to run off and have an affair in order to be her father. But while that rumor has been shut down, the conversation about Rey's parentage will likely continue until The Rise of Skywalker finally hits theaters this December.
Related: All The Major Theories About Rey's Parents
After the release of The Force Awakens, there were countless theories about who Rey's parents might have been. They ranged from Luke Skywalker to Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Rian Johnson threw the fandom for a loop during The Last Jedi's third act. Kylo Ren revealed that Rey came from nobody, a child of smugglers who sold her off and abandoned her in Jakku.
It was a narrative choice that subverted fan expectations, just like Rian Johnson killed off Snoke before we learned of his backstory. But with J.J. Abrams back in the driver's seat for The Rise of Skywalker, the fandom is wondering whether or not he changes some of the plot twists from the previous movie.
All will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
