One of the biggest mysteries of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was the identity of Rey’s parents.
For years fans speculated if she was a Solo or Skywalker, or a Kenobi, only to learn in The Last Jedi that Rey’s parents were “nobodies”.
The Rise of Skywalker revealed a new twist – Rey was the granddaughter of Darth Sidious, the former Emperor Palpatine.
Her unnamed parents didn’t abandon Rey but left her on Jakku to stay hidden from her grandfather.
A new Star Wars novel, Shadow of the Sith, has now revealed more backstory about the pair – including their names.
Rey’s parents are Dathan and Miramir. Dathan, her father, was a clone of Palpatine. Miramar, her mother, was from the forest planet Hyperkarn.
The pair left Rey behind on Jakku to hide her from Ochi of Bestoon, an assassin hired by Palpatine to kidnap her.
Tragically, Dathan and Miramar were never able to return for Rey. They were captured by Ochi and, on refusing to give up the location of their daughter, murdered by him.
Rey learns the truth when Kylo Ren forces her to remember. She also has a vision of her parents’ death from touching Ochi’s blade – the weapon they died by.
Who is Rey’s Mother?
Miramir (played in The Rise of Skywalker by Jodie Comer) was a gifted engineer from the planet Hyperkarn.
The latter has not appeared in any Star Wars media before and is described as having a “twilight forest” where Miramir grew up.
Rey’s mother is a “self-taught engineer and inventor”, talents her grandmother also possessed. She is modest about her technical abilities, which we learn in The Force Awakens were passed down to Rey.
Rey’s mother clearly loved her very much and was fiercely loyal to her husband.
Is Rey’s mother Force-sensitive?
Miramir has intuitive technological skills inherited from her grandmother. It’s possible this could be a manifestation of Force-sensitivity.
There are many non-Jedi Force-sensitive characters in the Star Wars galaxy, with Maz Kanata and Chirrut Îmwe two notable examples.
Who is Rey’s Father?
Dathan (played in The Rise of Skywalker by Billy Howle) is a clone of Palpatine, considered a failure due to his lack of Force ability.
The Sith Eternal created clones solely as potential vessels for the half-dead Emperor. Palpatine allowed Dathan to live for the possibility of Force-sensitive grandchildren.
Rey’s Father escaped Exegol and eventually met Miramir on Hyperkarn. The two married and settled on Jakku as junk traders.
Dathan dedicated his life to hiding Rey from Palpatine.
Is Rey’s Father Force-sensitive?
Dathan has no Force abilities and is rejected by Palpatine for this reason. He considers himself inferior to his wife in intelligence and capability.
Nonetheless, Dathan had the skill and courage to escape Exegol. He physically and mentally rejected his cult-like upbringing by the Sith Eternal, something that would have taken considerable strength and courage.
Read more: Who was Anakin Skywalker’s Father?
Why did Rey’s parents leave her on Jakku?
Rey’s family was being pursued by Ochi, an assassin sent by Palpatine to kidnap Rey and kill her parents.
It’s not known what led to their decision to leave Rey on Jakku, although we can see from her memory they were heartbroken to do so. They also clearly intended to quickly come back for her.
Did Rey’s parents sell her to protect her?
It’s not actually clear if Dathan and Miramir sold their daughter. In the Force Awakens, we can see Rey working for Unkar Plutt as a scavenger, but she does not appear to be a slave.
The idea Rey’s parents sold her comes entirely from Kylo Ren, who sees her memories through their Force connection.
Kylo Ren sees Jakku scavengers exchanging money with Unkar Plutt, and leaving without their young daughter.
Filled with disdain for ‘nobody’ scavengers, and keen to break Rey’s obsession with finding them, he interprets the memory as Rey’s parents selling her “for drinking money”.
When Kylo Ren learns Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter, he reinterprets the memory. He tells Rey her parents “sold you to protect you”.
But it’s quite possible Dathan and Miramir didn’t sell Rey at all. The memory of money exchanging hands could actually have been Rey’s parents bribing Unkar Plutt to look after her.
Where are Rey’s parents buried?
Kylo Ren brutally tells Rey in The Last Jedi that her parents are “dead in a pauper’s grave in the Jakku desert”. It’s unknown if this was an assumption or a fact drawn from Rey’s memories.
Possibly, a young Rey sensed her parents’ death and burial through the Force but repressed the distressing memories.
The Rise of Skywalker revealed Ochi captured Dathan and Miramir and took them prisoner on his ship.
When he kills them, it’s unclear how much time had passed since they left Rey, or if they are still on Jakku. If Kylo Ren was right, Ochi killed Rey’s parents almost immediately.
“She’s isn’t on Jakku, she’s gone!”
Miramar’s final words make sense if Ochi captured her and Dathan while still on Jakku. Otherwise, why mention Jakku at all?
It would be a foolishly transparent lie leading Ochi to go straight back to Niima Outpost. This is another reason Rey’s parents most likely died and were buried in the desert, just as Kylo Ren said.
If she remembers her parents, why does Rey call herself a Skywalker?
Rey remembers her parents’ faces, but never learns their names. She becomes Rey “Skywalker” in the final scene of The Rise of Skywalker.
Rey takes the surname while visiting Tatooine to bury Luke and Leia’s lightsabers.
Some viewers were surprised at Rey taking Luke’s name, given she had stronger relationships with Leia (an Organa) and Ben Solo. Han Solo was also just as much a mentor to Rey as Luke was.
Rey perhaps chose Skywalker because all these important people in her life, now dead, were part of the Skywalker family tree.
It’s also somewhat poetic, if bittersweet, that the nine-part Star Wars saga begins with the first Skywalker, Shmi, on Tatooine and ends with the last Skywalker, Rey, on the same planet.
Rey Skywalker is also her way of rejecting Palpatine’s heritage. What better way to defy her monstrous Grandfather than by becoming a Skywalker, the family that destroyed him?
Rey also honors her parents, who sacrificed their lives to keep her hidden, by this act.
Will we learn more about Rey’s parents?
There are many unanswered questions about Dathan and Miramir, including the following.
- How did Rey’s parents meet and fell in love? Did Miramir know from the start who and what Dathan was, Palpatine’s clone?
- Does Rey have any living extended family from her parents? We know she had a Great-Grandmother, are there any cousins? Were there other ‘brother’ clones like Dathan that Rey would be related to – and by that logic, does that make Snoke Rey’s Uncle?
One thing is sure – in the coming years Star Wars will no doubt continue to explore Dathan and Miramir’s story, in live-action, animation, or fiction.
Read more: Do Rey & Kylo Ren Love Each Other?