Rey vs. Kylo Ren Art Reveals A Rise Of Skywalker Palpatine Twist Fix
The Rey Palpatine twist in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was fudged, but the reveal would've been greater if concept art scenes had been realised onscreen. The revelation that daisy Ridley's Rey is actually Emperor Palpatine's long-lost granddaughter was one of several criticisms directed at Disney's conclusion to the sequel trilogy. The twist contradicted Rey's claim in Star Wars: The Last Jedi that she was "nobody," and it suffered from a lack of clarity surrounding Palpatine's revival. Rey's Palpatine heritage was not planned in advance, according to Colin Trevorrow's leaked Duel of the Fates script, and the twist unavoidably feels cobbled together.
One of the more vexing aspects of Rey's role as Palpatine's granddaughter is how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker never really embraces her dark side. J.J. Abrams plays with the concept by having Rey use Force lightning to destroy a First Order ship, but it's an accident that she's horrified by. We next see "Dark Rey" with her teeth bared and a flip-out red lightsaber, but daisy Ridley's Sith counterpart is just a brief mental image. Instead of skirting around Dark Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the protagonist's link to Palpatine might have carried more weight.