Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set to be one of the biggest movies of the year when it releases on December 20. The landmark film is bringing an end to the Skywalker Saga that started all the way back with A New Hope in 1977, and there's no shortage of fan theories on the Internet about what the film will entail. Some new footage of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker released at D23 has sparked even more speculation about the film, particularly the scenes showing "Dark Rey" who appears to have given herself over to the Dark Side of the Force, complete with Emperor Palpatine's robes and a dual-bladed red lightsaber.
Some people believe this shows us Rey legitimately turning to the Dark Side, while others believe it's not really "Rey" at all. The theory, as originally presented by the YouTube channel Star Wars Theory, claims that Rey is actually a clone. The belief is that she is a clone comprised of the DNA of some of the most powerful Force users in existence, which would go a long way in explaining why she has such immense power despite having little to no training. If Palpatine's DNA is partly what was used to clone Rey, it would also explain why Luke sensed such a dark presence in her during the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
So if Rey is a clone, it stands to reason that there are other versions of Rey running around the galaxy. Some of these Rey clones could have very well been taken under the wing of Emperor Palpatine (assuming he is alive as the trailers have suggested), and the Dark Rey we see in the trailer is one of these clones. While this would be a rather shocking twist, Andrew Reiner of Game Informer points out that it's a twist that could very well have been inspired by the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video games.
In the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video games, the plot deals with Darth Vader and the Emperor trying to make powerful Force sensitive clones. As Reiner points out, it's possible that this plot line was part of George Lucas's original plans for the sequel trilogy before he decided to scrap future films and focus on other projects instead. If that's the case, then it could be that this potential Dark Rey twist has been in the works for years.
We'll find out if there is anything to this Dark Rey clone theory when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases later this year. In the meantime, Star Wars fans also have the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order game from Respawn Entertainment to look forward to as well.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres in theaters on December 20.
Source: Game Informer