The Rise of Skywalker: Did Rey turn to the Dark Side?
With the trailers for The Rise of Skywalker showing Rey wielding a double-edged red lightsaber, many assumed she would turn to the Dark Side in this film. Did she?
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has finally arrived, and the conclusion of The Skywalker Saga is doing its best to answer the many questions fans went into the movie asking. One such question involves where Rey’s allegiance will lie by the time the credits roll. After the movie’s trailer showed her wielding a double-edged lightsaber, many predicted she’d turn to the Dark Side. So, did she?
This is one of the questions that gets a very straightforward answer in the film because, no, Rey doesn’t turn to the Dark Side in The Rise of Skywalker. Yes, the story continues to deal with the temptation she feels toward anger and hate. But, much like Luke, she refuses to give into it — even after she discovers the truth about who she is.
When she does find out she’s a Palpatine, however, she does have some sort of vision where she sees herself as a Sith wielding that lightsaber. And that’s all the scene is: an imaginary manifestation of her greatest fears. It’s something she could have become, but Rey always manages to curb her impulses — even if it sometimes takes help from those she cares for.
The only time Rey almost turns is toward the end of the film, and that’s more because of Palpatine’s insistence that her friends will die if she doesn’t do as he commands. Even then, there never seems to be a real threat of Rey going full-blown Anakin Skywalker
In fact, it’s almost underwhelming to see the true context of that clip from the trailer — but then, if it were a major plot point, would they have even included it in the promo footage? Probably not.
Anyone fearing that Rey’s character development would be undone — or go in a far darker direction in this film — can rest easy, knowing that she’ll remain a Jedi. And sure, Sith Rey would have been interesting to see, but we’re glad our girl confronted her fears and overcame them. It proves she’s truly one of Star Wars‘ best protagonists.
Next. The Rise of Skywalker: Was Kylo Ren redeemed?. dark