Rey vs. Kylo Ren Art Reveals A Rise Of Skywalker Palpatine Twist Fix
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker fudged its Rey Palpatine twist, but the revelation might've played out better if concept art scenes had been realized onscreen. The grand reveal that Daisy Ridley's Rey is actually the long-long granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine was among many criticisms audiences aimed toward Disney's sequel trilogy closer. The twist contradicted Star Wars: The Last Jedi's claim that Rey was "nobody," and suffered from the lack of clarity around Palpatine's resurrection. Colin Trevorrow's leaked Duel of the Fates script proves Rey's Palpatine heritage was not planned in advance, and the twist unavoidably feels cobbled together.
One of the bigger issues surrounding Rey as Palpatine's granddaughter is how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker never properly commits to the temptation of her evil side. J.J. Abrams toys with the concept by having Rey destroy a First Order ship using Force lightning, but this is an accident she's horrified by. We then see "Dark Rey" baring her fangs and wielding a flip-out red lightsaber, but Daisy Ridley's Sith counterpart is nothing more than a fleeting mental vision. Had Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker invested in its Dark Rey, rather than tip-toeing around her, the protagonist's connection to Palpatine might've carried more weight.
Newly-surfaced concept art from Jon McCoy suggests Rey's darkness might've actually been toned down during development. McCoy admits these scenes weren't taken directly from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's script, but were an early exercise in "feeling out the atmosphere and mood [they] were asked to think about." Nevertheless, one image show Rey commandeering Kylo Ren's iconic red lightsaber and holding it to the villain's throat menacingly. In another, she's Force-choking him (on purpose!), lifting Kylo's struggling body high into the air.
Even if these images are nothing beyond concept artists finding a mood, they tease a much more sinister version of Rey than Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actually delivered. This version begins to embrace her inner Palpatine, succumbing to the temptation of great power residing within. Rather than just sneezing and a bolt of Force lightning squeezes out, this Rey appears to veer into antihero territory for a time, and that moral complexity would've almost certainly helped fix Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's botched Palpatine twist. Pushing Rey down a darker path justifies Luke Skywalker's warning upon sensing his student's innermost power in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and amplifies why having Palpatine blood is such a big deal. Rey breaking bad would also make her inevitable choice to remain on the light side all the more meaningful, compared to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker where she never seriously deviates from the virtuous path.
Though Jon McCoy's scenes were likely never intended for the finished movie (Rey carries a green lightsaber in one piece), it's a fascinating glimpse at what could've been, and hints that, early in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's production, a more morally gray path was considered for Daisy Ridley's character. That alone couldn't have fixed her Palpatine twist completely, of course. You've still got Star Wars: The Last Jedi's contradictory explanation and "somehow, Palpatine has returned" to navigate. But watching Rey flirt with the dark side more seriously in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would've absolutely represented an improvement.