Star Wars rumor: Could Rey die in Episode IX? Please say it ain’t so

We haven’t seen a trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX yet. Will that stop us from analyzing rumors and alleged script leaks? Absolutely not.

Star Wars fans don’t agree on everything — or really anything. Admittedly, the Star Wars franchise has treated our favorite characters questionably on-screen, in novels, and in the comic panels. Yes, we still want justice for L3-37, but we’re not talking about extended and unnecessary droid torture and lack of autonomy. According to some Star Wars: Episode IX rumors, Rey might die in the next film. Thanks, we hate it.

Express reports that some alleged leaks put Rey’s death in the upcoming film. As the rumors suggest, one of the alleged images depicts Rey in Kylo Ren’s arms while a battle ensues in the background. Ugh. I just hope Episode IX isn’t going to implicitly or explicitly attempt to make Reylo canon, because this writer can’t smuggle in enough antacid tabs into the opening night to prevent the impending stomachache.

Despite his height and age, Kylo is a manipulative toddler, and Rey deserves better. Or at the very least, literally anyone else in the galaxy. Pent-up Reylo disgust aside, the rumored storyboard images suggest that Rey’s grim fate might not actually be centered around this:

"The next goes over Kylo Ren kneeling over Rey with her eyes closed. This could be a sign she is knocked unconscious or has passed away. His head goes down in a similar fashion to when Luke witnessed his father die in Return of the Jedi.The last goes over Kylo Ren’s hand on her forehead with a tear running down his eye. Kylo Ren’s arm has a cut and many parts of his clothing are ripped and the same goes for Rey."

We could just ignore that we ever read these rumors, but we’re too emotionally invested in the franchise to ignore any whisper, rumor, or potential leak. Our Star Wars-related Funko Pop!s prove that we’re too financially invested in the fandom as well, but that’s beside the point.

During a lifelong fascination with Star Wars, we’ve lost a lot, including a lot of our favorite characters.

Honestly, we’re not ready to lose Rey, especially when we still barely know anything about her. Sure, we know she has an adorable droid friend, that she grew up as an orphan, and that she’s a scavenger-turned-Jedi. While Star Wars has an affinity for killing anyone with a relatively high midichlorian count, it also repeatedly fridges and kills women in the universe.

There’s Padmé, who dies during childbirth and helps expedite Anakin’s (probably) inevitably villainous turn. Fast forwarding to 2018, there’s L3-37, who frees enslaved droids only to have her consciousness turned into a navigation system 3.0, without being returned to her repaired body or any droid body. From the same film, there’s Val, who blows herself up to save her husband and everyone involved in a heist. The women of Star Wars deserve better.

We can expect that Rey’s run as a Jedi will come to an end eventually, but we don’t want to see her die without at least answering some (or a lot of) questions about her. Her entire character development has revolved around her becoming a Jedi just to stop Kylo Ren. Every young Jedi has a rising arc where they become better lightsaber-wielding warriors. However, even Luke gets to learn about his past before he dies in The Last Jedi.

Frankly, if Star Wars really needs to execute any lightsaber wielder, we suggest Kylo Ren. We’re already planning to mourn the death of the franchise’s latest brunette obsession. However, if Rey must die, she at least deserves a top-tier death and a worthy Jedi successor.

However, Rey’s character development isn’t finished yet. Luke gets a triumphant arc where he attempts to train the next generation of Jedi, and he does succeed after training Rey. Leia becomes a leader, using diplomacy and her rebellious streak alike to reform the galaxy. Even if Rey’s journey ends before she gets to learn about her past, her parents, or why she’s so connected to the Force, she should at least meet or start to mentor another Jedi.

The franchise should at least build up another powerful Jedi in the background, so they can come to the forefront as the next protagonist in the franchise, given the new direction of the franchise and its character-focused films. If we have to lose another hero, we just want a sliver of hope that the future of the Jedi will carry on.

We know these supposed leaks might not be official, and even if they are, Rey’s death might not make it into Star Wars: Episode IX. Nevertheless, we’re worried, and our fan-theorying doesn’t help because, at this point, any pre-Episode IX pain is self-imposed.