Will ‘Rogue One’ Reveal Rey's Grandparents?

As the dust settles on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans of the galactic franchise need something else to hang their fervent hats on. And, thankfully, they’re in luck, because Lucas Films will not stop at a nine-episode franchise. In case you've not been following Disney's epic release plan, there will be more Star Wars for fans to devour and obsess over soon in the form of the anthology films. (Um, for those of you living under a rock or in a galaxy far far away, the anthology films are a series of three more Star Wars spin-offs that fit in and around the Episodes themselves.) And with the recent reveal of the first publicity shot from Rogue One, a number of theories have started circulating about the first spin-off. Namely, what secrets will this new movie reveal about the other nine episodes? And the one questions that I, along with most Star Wars fans, find totally fascinating: Will Rogue One reveal secrets about Rey’s parents? More specifically, could Felicity Jones' character possibly be Rey's grandmother?

OK, let me back a bit here. One of the things that fans have been obsessing over ever since The Force Awakens was released is where exactly Rey comes from. More specifically: Who the heck are this girl’s parents? But, after taking one look at the recent publicity stills from Rogue One, fans are starting to realize that what we should be asking is who the heck are Rey's grandparents?

It’s entirely possible that Rogue One will at least dabble in information regarding Rey’s lineage. After all, the Star Wars saga is about the Skywalker family (at least so far), so there’s possibility that Jones' character is somehow related to the Skywalkers (that is, if you're assuming that Rey is either Luke or Leia's daughter and not the offspring of some yet to be introduced character). And, call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure I read the subtext of that tense moment on the mountain top between Luke and Rey at the end of The Force Awakens to mean that they are totally related, whether she is his daughter or his niece. So much of Rogue One is still secret, but wouldn't it make sense to go back to the time between Episode 3, when Anakin became Darth Vader, and Episode 4, when Luke was introduced, and drop a few details about our new heroine's origins before we embark on Episode VIII in 2017?

There's also a serious resemblance situation happening between Jones and Rey actress Daisy Ridley.

They also both have British accents (or Coruscanti accents in their galaxy), a detail that has vexed many a fan trying to determine whether or not Rey could be a Skywalker — all of whom speak with decidedly American accents. Could this be a clue to the puzzle that is Rey?

And while it’s impossible to know the answers to these questions before the movie is released (as we all saw, that's how Disney rolls), the theory that Jones is playing Rey’s grandmother is an interesting one. But given what we know about the plot of Rogue One, this theory also totally possible.

Images: Lucas Films (2)