Despite their brief appearance in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, the parents of Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker have an important Star Wars history, and it explains many things about Rey’s own character. Following her debut in The Force Awakens, Rey’s parents quickly became a hot topic among Star Wars viewers, generating many theories of who might have been the ones to leave her behind on the desolate planet of Jakku. When The Last Jedi insisted they were simply “no one,” this idea wasn’t bought, and the theories continued in a fun madness that even received a spoof promotional video by Star Wars in 2019, where multiple actors from the franchise tried to get Daisy Ridley to tell them her parental secret ahead of The Rise of Skywalker.
The official reveal of Rey’s parents at long last arrived in that very same film, and many were surprised to discover that they truly were nobodies who lived as junk traders on Jakku – aside from an interesting link to Emperor Palpatine and the Sith. Now, other media have been working to bring all the pieces of their story together, painting the picture of Rey’s true life and childhood before the events of the sequel Star Wars trilogy. With a bloodline tied somehow to Palpatine himself, here’s everything that’s known about Rey’s parents, including the reason why Rey isn’t actually the granddaughter of Palpatine.
Rey’s Father, Dathan, Was A Clone Of Palpatine – Not His Son
Dathan is a clone of Palpatine, created amidst the experimentation that was issued in an effort to bring the fallen Emperor back to life. Dathan is just as much a son to Palpatine as every clone trooper was a son to Jango Fett during the Clone Wars. Boba Fett was the only exception as a result of Jango specifically asking to have him as his own – something Palpatine never did for Dathan. Instead, Dathan was considered to be a failure by everyone on Exegol due to his inability to wield the Force, and he was accordingly shunned and even called “The Abomination.” He wasn’t given any other name, and so he took the name Dathan from the Symeong who cared for him while he was on Exegol, who eventually helped to smuggle Dathan off the planet when he was a boy.
How Dathan Met Rey’s Mother, Miramir
After working on a ship’s crew throughout the galaxy to get his start, Dathan discovered there was a need for agridroids on Hyperkarn, a forested planet in the Outer Rim. Dathan talked his way into joining a crew on-world as an engineer for that year’s harvest, and during a technological struggle with his agridroid, Miramir saw Dathan while passing through and offered her assistance. As a handy mechanic and a kind spirit, Miramir was the perfect woman for the job, and the two made a habit of meeting up to work on the agridroid – mostly as an excuse to spend time together. The two fell in love on Hyperkarn, and despite their desire to stay there, they knew Dathan’s past could bring danger to Miramir’s family one day – thus driving them towards the junk planet of Jakku.
There Are Hints Miramir May Have Been Force-Sensitive
Despite Dathan’s inability to wield the Force as Palpatine’s clone, it’s hinted in stories such as Adam Christopher’s Shadow of the Sith that Miramir herself may be Force-sensitive. She’s an expert crafter and mechanic, as proven by the way she and Dathan first met on Hyperkarn, but there’s another talent she has that was passed on to Rey. Miramir has proven to be an absolutely stellar pilot, in ways that seem to suggest she has more than just skill on her side.
This intuition, along with that which she uses for her repairs and other projects, could very well be the presence of the Force working on her side. The fact that Miramir could also sense the strange Force energy surrounding Ochi of Bestoon’s blade before and during her death further proves this point, as she was even able to battle the dark energy of the blade to smile at Ochi as she died. Miramir’s own Force-sensitivity mixed with anything Dathan might have passed on from Palpatine’s cloning could very well be why Rey herself is so powerful in the Force.
Why Palpatine Considered Rey’s Parents “Nobodies”
Palpatine has a plethora of reasons to think about Dathan and Miramir as “nobodies,” most notably regarding the way his pride was hurt by them and their ability to keep Rey hidden for so long. The catalyst for this was Dathan fleeing Exegol, an action which could easily be seen as weakness by Palpatine. The pair choosing to live a simple life on Jakku could be another reason for Palpatine to think this way, as to him, they were actively pursuing a quiet life rather than the power they could have or might have had if Dathan had never left Exegol. There was no reason for Palpatine to consider Dathan and Miramir as anybody notable, given that neither of them have demonstrated a strong and keen ability in the Force, and so he passed this belief on to Rey.
Rey’s Parents Died Protecting Her From Palpatine
Palpatine’s assessment of Dathan and Miramir, however, is incorrect – as they were strong enough to protect Rey from the most terrifying figure in the galaxy. As detailed in Shadow of the Sith, the pair were embarking on one last adventure to rid of Ochi’s ship they had stolen when the hunter finally caught up to them, and they fell upon his blade because of their vow to never reveal where Rey was located. This action alone proves their strength, as they sacrificed a life spent with their daughter in favor of protecting her at all costs. Ochi, and thus Palpatine, only lost because of Dathan’s and Miramir’s resilience, which is clearly something they also passed on to their daughter ahead of her fight against the First Order.
Rey Isn’t Really Palpatine’s Granddaughter At All
Dathan was only a clone of Palpatine, and seeing as Palpatine never acted like a father to Dathan outside of offering general protection over him on Exegol, Dathan never saw the former Emperor as a father. Similarly to how the clones consider themselves to be brothers, but not Fetts, Rey has no true relationship nor lineage to Palpatine. Thus, Palpatine truly cannot be considered as Rey’s grandfather, and in return, she cannot be named as his real granddaughter. He only uses this terminology for her when it becomes convenient for him, after he’s been able to witness her strength in the Force. Rather, Rey’s legacy in Star Wars is tied back to the honorable strength and love of Dathan and Miramir, both of whom remain the perfect figures for her to look to as she heads into her Jedi future.
