Who Is Rey in Star Wars? (Origin, Family, Skywalker Name Explained)
The Short Answer
Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) is the protagonist of the Star Wars sequel trilogy — a desert scavenger from Jakku who becomes the last Jedi trained by Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, and who defeats the resurrected Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
She is canonically Palpatine's biological granddaughter, born on the Sith world of Hyperkarn. She rejects that lineage at the saga's end and takes the surname Skywalker in tribute to Luke and Leia.
Who Plays Rey?
Daisy Ridley plays Rey in all three sequel films:
| Film | Year | Rey's age (in-universe) |
|---|---|---|
| The Force Awakens | 2015 | 19 (34 ABY) |
| The Last Jedi | 2017 | 19 (34 ABY) |
| The Rise of Skywalker | 2019 | 20 (35 ABY) |
Ridley is also confirmed to return for the New Jedi Order film, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, set roughly 15 years after the sequel trilogy. In that film, Rey rebuilds the Jedi Order she promised Luke she'd start.
Rey's Place on the Star Wars Timeline
| Event | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rey born on Hyperkarn | 15 ABY | Daughter of Dathan and Miramir |
| Hidden on Jakku | ~21 ABY | Parents flee Ochi of Bestoon |
| The Force Awakens | 34 ABY | Meets Finn, BB-8, Han Solo |
| The Last Jedi | 34 ABY | Trains briefly with Luke on Ahch-To |
| The Rise of Skywalker | 35 ABY | Defeats Palpatine, takes Skywalker name |
If the BBY/ABY system is new to you, see our BBY/ABY Dating System Guide.
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Rey's True Family — The Palpatine Bloodline
For four years between The Force Awakens (2015) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Rey's parentage was the single biggest mystery in Star Wars. The Last Jedi told audiences her parents were "nobodies." The Rise of Skywalker revised that:
- Rey's father: Dathan — a human-cloned son of Emperor Palpatine, created on Exegol by the Sith Eternal. Dathan rejected the Sith and fled.
- Rey's mother: Miramir — a non-Force-sensitive woman from Hyperkarn whom Dathan married.
- Rey's grandfather: Emperor Sheev Palpatine.
Palpatine hunted Dathan and Miramir for years because he wanted a Force-strong vessel to transfer his consciousness into. They hid Rey on Jakku (paying Unkar Plutt to look after her) and were murdered by the assassin Ochi of Bestoon on Palpatine's orders.
Why "Rey Skywalker"?
At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey travels to Tatooine — the home planet of Anakin and Luke — and visits the abandoned Lars moisture farm where Luke grew up. She buries two lightsabers in the sand: Luke's, and Leia's.
A passing scavenger asks her name. Rey hesitates, looks back, and sees the Force-ghosts of Luke and Leia smiling at her. She answers:
"Rey. Rey Skywalker."
She isn't a Skywalker by blood. She's a Skywalker by choice — claiming the family that trained her, raised her, and accepted her as their own. It's a thematic reversal of the saga's earlier obsession with bloodline destiny.
If you're writing original characters who claim or change surnames in Star Wars, our Star Wars Last Names Guide and Star Wars Middle Names Guide cover the conventions.
Rey's Lightsabers
Rey wields three lightsabers across the sequel trilogy:
- Anakin/Luke's blue saber (TFA, TLJ) — the original Skywalker lightsaber, called to her by the Force in Maz Kanata's castle. Destroyed when she and Kylo both pull on it in The Last Jedi.
- The reforged Skywalker saber (TROS) — Rey repairs the broken blue lightsaber and uses it throughout The Rise of Skywalker.
- Her yellow saber (final scene, TROS) — built from her old Jakku quarterstaff. Yellow blades are historically associated with Jedi Sentinels, the Jedi who balanced combat and diplomacy.
The yellow color signals Rey is starting a new Jedi tradition — not strictly Luke's, not strictly the Old Order's. Her own.
Training Under Luke and Leia
Rey is the last apprentice of both Skywalker twins:
- Luke Skywalker trains her on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi — briefly, reluctantly, and with three legendary lessons (the nature of the Force, the failings of the Jedi, and the meaning of legacy).
- Leia Organa trains her between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, on Ajan Kloss. Leia's training is the formal apprenticeship Rey never finished with Luke.
Leia herself was secretly trained by Luke after Return of the Jedi, which means Rey is the inheritor of a hidden two-decade Skywalker Jedi tradition.
Rey vs. Kylo Ren — The Force Dyad
Rey and Kylo Ren share something Lucasfilm calls a Force dyad — two Force users so strongly connected that they can:
- Sense each other across the galaxy
- Physically pass objects through their bond (lightsabers, water, blasters)
- See each other's surroundings
- Combine their Force power into something stronger than any single Force user
The dyad is rare — Palpatine calls it "a power like life itself, unseen for generations." It's what makes Rey and Kylo together able to destroy Palpatine, and it's what causes Kylo's redemption arc to land emotionally.
Naming Characters Like Rey
Rey is a near-perfect case study in sequel-era hero naming:
- One syllable, soft sound. "Rey" feels open, hopeful — the opposite of "Kylo Ren" or "Snoke."
- No clan surname for most of the saga. Rey rejects "Rey Palpatine" the moment she learns it. Her surname is a chosen identity.
- Sun/light symbolism. "Rey" is homophonic with the Spanish word for king and the English "ray" (a beam of sunlight). For a desert scavenger who becomes a Jedi, the imagery is deliberate.
If you're writing your own sequel-era Jedi or scavenger character, these guides and generators are the place to start:
- Jedi Padawan Name Generator
- Rebel Pilot Name Generator
- Star Wars Female Names Guide
- Best Jedi Names Guide
- Star Wars Name Meanings Guide
Rey and the New Jedi Order
The next chapter for Rey is the upcoming Star Wars: New Jedi Order film (announced 2024, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy). The premise:
- Set roughly 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker (~50 ABY)
- Rey is rebuilding the Jedi Order she promised Luke she would start
- Daisy Ridley returns in the title role
- This will be the first theatrical Star Wars film set after the sequel trilogy
Rey's surname will still be Skywalker, but her Jedi Order will be something new — built from scratch, with a yellow saber as its founding symbol.
The Bottom Line
Rey is the bridge between two ages of Star Wars. A Palpatine by blood, a Skywalker by choice, a Jedi by training under both Luke and Leia, and the founder of the next Jedi Order. She is the heir of every major Star Wars character arc — and the first to choose her own legacy instead of inheriting one.
If you're using our Jedi name generators to design a character of your own in Rey's mold, lean into the same naming logic: short, soft, symbolic — and give them a surname they earn rather than one they inherit.
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Webb, M. (2026, June 24). Who Is Rey in Star Wars? (Origin, Family, Skywalker Name Explained). Star Wars Name Generator. https://starwarsnamegenerator.com/blog/rey-explained
