AU: Let me see them… my parents. Please.
I would’ve cried in the cinema
THIS IS WHAT SHOULD’VE FUCKING HAPPENED
Okay, I love this so freaking much, and I’m having Some Thoughts. I’m probably not the first person to have these particular thoughts, but I haven’t come across the main idea anywhere before, so I’m gonna put it down here.
Rey should absolutely have been a Skywalker, and I think TFA primed us for that. But I’m also kinda uncomfortable with the idea that the force is tied to certain bloodlines. I don’t want Rey to be strong with the force just because she has Skywalker blood, like it’s some kind of prerequisite. Like you can only have this power if you’re part of the right family. Maz, Obi-Wan, and Yoda each describe the force as an energy source that surrounds and binds us all, something that’s a part of every living being. If this is true, then anyone ought to be able to access the force if they’re willing to make the effort to connect with it.
So that said, what if Luke adopted Rey? Suppose she was still a baby when her birth parents died, and there was no other family left to take her in. Maybe Luke was a friend of theirs. Loyal and compassionate as always, he refused to abandon her and decided to raise her as his own. He himself grew up with his aunt and uncle, and Leia told him stories about her life with the Organas, so he knew what he was getting into, and how much of a difference he could make. Over the next few years he became Rey’s father in everything but blood, and they grew to love each other deeply. But then came the attack, and Rey vanished.
In this version of the story, Luke wouldn’t feel guilt for trying to kill his nephew (an action that was never within his character anyway). He would feel grief over the loss of his nephew and (more importantly) his daughter, as well as guilt over his inability to save and protect them both. It makes sense, under the weight of such loss and self-blame, for him to seek out isolation. It makes sense (as the above gifset suggests) to cut himself off from the force when it’s a constant reminder that Rey is still out there and that he’s failing her all over again because he can’t find her.
(On that note, what if Snoke was behind Rey’s disappearance in the first place? What if he somehow understood that, for his plans to succeed, he would need to separate Luke from Rey, and so he arranged for her to be left on Jakku? He wouldn’t want to kill her outright; after all, she might prove useful in the future.)
Rey as Luke’s adopted daughter plays to the theme of choice over fate. It reminds us that lineage isn’t as important as the people who genuinely care for us, the people we choose and who choose us in return. We’ve already seen this with Rey and Finn finding family in each other, helping and protecting and coming back for each other. We’ve also seen how, for certain people, being born into the Skywalker family didn’t stop them from choosing to reject it and turn to the dark side. So what if Rey wasn’t born a Skywalker, but she can use the force anyway? What if Luke’s lightsaber calls to her because she is his chosen family? What if anybody can be strong with the force, and what matters most is what we choose to do with it?
Rebellions are built on hope 