We’re starting to wonder.
*POSSIBLE FORCE AWAKENS AND EPISODE VIII SPOILERS*
We’re going to admit it: this is pure speculation on our part. But… there’s just a few tid bits out there that are getting us thinking: will Rey join The First Order? We know it sounds crazy, but with the rumors of a new female lead joining Episode VIII, something clicked in our heads that’s been churning for a while. Let’s delve into it.
So… what makes you think Rey is going to go bad?
To start off, we have to admit we know very little about Rey other than a few fundamentals: she’s a scavenger who lives on Jakku. We also know she can fight with her staff. We haven’t heard a line of dialogue from her, nor really seen her on anywhere except Jakku or the Millennium Falcon.
With that in mind, here’s the evidence for our speculation:
Exhibit A:The D23 poster
Finn is looking mighty heroic with Anakin/Luke’s lightsaber. Han looks like Han, Kylo Ren is taking the upper villain position on the poster meant to be ominous…
… and Rey is between the light and the dark sides of the poster. Not only that, she’s looking mighty angry and assertive with some very darkly drawn eyes. This visual automatically makes us feel like she’s already very in a very grey place when we meet her.
Exhibit B: Episode VIII Female Sith Rumors
If you recall from a while back, we heard some rumors that Lando will return in Episode VIII and a new female villain will be introduced. Now, it’s very likely that’s complete bunk… but within many rumors is a kernel of truth. Sure, that female antagonist may have been redesigned to be Benicio Del Toro‘s character. But… what if it’s Rey instead of a new arrival?
Exhibit C: Rumors of Episode VIII’s new female lead
Rumors are heating up around actresses screen testing for a new lead in Episode VIII. Now, it’s absolutely silly to think that there can’t be two female protagonists. However… if you playing the numbers game when you add her to an already pretty large cast for The Force Awakens… you start to wonder who will be cleared out to make room for new faces.
As far as villains go, we’re willing to bet General Hux isn’t long for this world. Nothing’s guaranteed, of course, but the guy just screams “Grand Moff Tarkin.” Supreme Leader Snoke will probably be sticking around for more movies… and the jury is still out on Kylo Ren.
But we know the bad guys will probably have a vacancy which will be filled by del Toro’s character…. but if Rey switches sides the hero/villain ratio will be more even in terms of screen time.
We know this is a stretch, but it’s hard to shake something is more is going on with her character. After all, Poe is going to be in the hot shot pilot role and Finn will be the Luke-esque hero from humble origins… which makes Rey something of a mystery.
Female Sith concept art by Kevin Macio.