***SPOILER ALERT***
Watch The Force Awakens before reading this. It won’t mean much to you if you haven’t. If you have and you see an option not listed here…put your argument forth in the comments.
UPDATE – courtesy of the very talented Dean E S Richard we have solid evidence of a romantic relationship in Ben Kenobi’s past that supports The Kenobi Theory. From the Wookiepedia entry on Obi Wan Kenobi under Mandalore’s Death Watch (source is the Clone Wars which is SW canon) :
Maul let Satine go, but stabbed her with the darksaber. She ultimately died in Obi-Wan’s arms saying with her last breath, that she always loved him and always would. Maul, then, had his guards escort Kenobi to a cell where he could “drown in his misery” and “rot.”
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The question of course is…who are Rey’s parents? We have a young girl abandoned on a desert planet, who is the hero of a story that smartly riffs on Star Wars : A New Hope, but gender flips the boy hero into a girl hero. As you must know by now (or where have you been?) Luke’s parentage provides a big shock in the original trilogy. And now literally everyone is asking…who is Rey the daughter of exactly?
Before we get into this…NOBODY IN THE STR WARS UNIVERSE HAS HAD THEIR MEMORY WIPED. If your explanation of parentage relies on mind-wiping…you are wrong.
Lets knock out the obvious candidates first.
Rey Skywalker
Force Awakens leaves us with the very strong lead that Rey is the daughter of Luke Skywalker. From Rey’s strong ways with the Force, natural piloting ability, her being called by Luke’s saber, and final journey to find the last Jedi, it would surprise nobody if Rey turned out to be Luke’s daughter.
Which is why she most likely isn’t. First, daughter with who? Aren’t Jedi basically monks with vows of chastity? And then, why would Luke just dump his own daughter on a desert planet then runaway? Sure, it’s possible, but add it all up, and Luke seems more of a mentor than a father to Rey.
Rey Organa-Solo
Han Solo turns up suspiciously quickly when Rey is in trouble. And the Millenium Falcon is just sitting on Jakku waiting for her? Likely story. This and many other clues suggest that Rey is the daughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa. They get on well, and as Daisy Ridley hinted in a interview, Rey is a “SOLitary” character.
But COME ON! If General Leia Organa had a daughter, is there any chance in hell she would leave her stranded on Jakku. No. Leia would tear the fucking galaxy apart to get her daughter back. This theory is a non-starter. But, if she’s not Luke or Leia’s daughter…where exactly do Rey’s Jedi powers come from?
Rey Nobody
It’s always been a weakness of Star Wars that the Force was so related to genetic inheritance. It’s possible that JJ Abrams and team are throwing us off the scent and that Rey is just a young woman of no particular importance, who happens to awaken as a Jedi as she’s being sucked into an galactic adventure.
Possible. But in storytelling terms, it seems very unlikely. Close relationships are fundamental to epic storytelling. If Rey is just the daughter of some random folks who forgot to put her back in the shuttle after stopping for petrol at Jakku…it’s going to be an anticlimax…and Hollywood does not like anticlimatic anything, ever.
Rey Kenobi
This is my speculation, and the more I think about it, the ore it makes sense to me. We now that Luke was training new padawan to become Jedi. We also know that Kylo turned darkside, and was leading the Knights of Ren, who we might guess are the other padawan that turned with him. It would take all of them to defeat Luke.
Now think. Where did these padawan come from? Luke must have collected up children with latent Jedi abilities, and they would most likely have come from families with some Jedi heritage. And what other family name do we connect with the Force ad Jedi.
Kenobi. Obi Wan “Ben” Kenobi was a super powerful Jedi. He defeated both Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker in single combat. A girl of his family, perhaps a granddaughter, maybe a grandniece, has the potential to be a Jedi as powerful as anyone. And Rey’s characterful accent…sounds more than a little like a female Alec Guiness!
And here’s the real thing. Luke loved Ben Kenobi like a father. It makes perfect sense that just as old Ben Kenobi mentored a Skywalker, old Luke Skywalker might now mentor a Kenobi. Rey Kenobi.
My point. I believe it is proven!
Go ahead. Prove. Me. Wrong.
PS – I really want this.
Damien Walter 
My guess is that if she’s anyone, she is Leia and Han’s daughter, thought to be dead. I know it makes no sense for the reasons that you outlined, but this IS Hollywood. Your explanation, which makes the most sense, is probably the least likely to be honest.
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Ah, I like the addition of “thought to be dead” there, that makes some sense.
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Even tho they both arnt Jedi?
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You defeated your own argument. If Luke can’t have a child because he is a Jedi, than neither can Obi-Wan.
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She can be a Kenobi without being Obi Wan’s child.
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I think it’s Kenobi as well. He owned the blue lightsaber for far longer than Anakin or Luke (so it calling to her is a sign), she hears his voice in her force dream, and Jakku would be familiar to someone used to Tatooine.
If you want to get crazy, Obiwan tells Vader “If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Maybe he is actually reborn in Rey, which explains her great power. And the first force power she used (mind control) was the same as the first we saw Obiwan use.
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Reincarnated Kenobi. I like the direction that would take the force in.
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Another thought. If Rey is reincarnated Obi-Wan (and granted this is speculation of the wildest order), then thematically Snoke could be the resurrection (possibly a clone?) of Palpatine. He’s been the villain of all 6 episodes and it’s unlikely that Palagius is a well-known enough character to be worth of the reveal.
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She could be a Kenobi – but absolutely not Obi-Wan’s Kenobi. Apart from the whole celibacy thing pointed out by Luke above, he would be too old. He was an old man when Luke was a boy and died at that time (Episode IV). Of course gestation periods in Galaxies far away could be significantly different but every time I think of Alec Guiness doing an impression of the beast with two backs I feel a disturbance in the force.
I’m going to go with the unholy alliance of an Ewok and a Bantha!
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Kenobi grandaughter is possible. I’m thinking Kenobi family…
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Rey is Kylo’s twin but Han and Leia don’t know about her because Grand Leader Snoke (who is actually Darth Plageus) had them both in a force trance for the length of her pregnancy and the birth. He stole the girl baby and planned to train her as a dark lord.but Luke discovered the plan and kidnapped her and hid her on Jakku
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That seems unlikely on every level!
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Kylo is 30 an rey is 19
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Posted my co-worker’s comment at his request. It sounds good if ya’ll disregard everything else. ;-)
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Rey is Darth Maul’s daughter because of the way she uses a staff as a weapon on Jakku.
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That’s is actually a good idea but he was in the first episodes therefore she would be much older than Luke by episode 7.
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This is getting good.
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Rey is kylo’s younger sibling. I believe Rey to not be here given name and believed by parents to be slaughtered by the knights of Ren. Kylo could not kill his family (he struggled to kill solo) and abandoned her on jakko to fend for herself and not be knowledgable of her powers. The hints of fimiarity with the falcon and solo are too strong. chewie likes her, passing of the torch when solo hands her a gun, Leia and Rey have a connection and mother daughter embrace at end of movie. The light saber calls to Anikan granddaughter. Plus to me a brother sister rivalry is way better then cousins or any other relationship.
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It holds together EXCEPT Rey clearly doesn’t have a family relationship with Han or Leia. I think this is a red herring, planted by JJ to throw people off the scent.
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I don’t believe Han to know who Rey is at all. Again he believes his daughter was killed. Reference flash back where you see someone about to strike Rey and then a red saber thrusted through his torso. You then see Kylo and the Knights of Ren standing there in the middle of the slaughtered Jedi. Next scene you see Rey screaming out to the ship leaving and you hear the voice and see the fat hand of the guy who distributes the rations who she ultimately works for grab her arm. Why would luke, Han, or Leia leave her stranded? Doesn’t make sense. Until this time all Leia knows of Rey is that Han “told me about the girl” so Leia has no reference to who she is. Until the end where by being force sensitive can feel who she is and share a loving (mother/daughter) embrace.
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ill recant my “Rey is not her name” comment because once Han learns her name he offers her a job. Also the cut away scene when maz Kinata (spelling) asks “who’s the girl” we don’t hear Han’s response. But after the light saber scene Kinata seems to know who Rey is and knows that “her family is not returning” which no character knows why the reasoning for her retuning to Jakku. Maz also after the previous statement say “but there is another” to which Rey responds “like skywalker”. So that IMO disproves Luke being the father and I believe family (Kyle/brother) to who have deserted her and to not return. Han and Liea not knowing of existence have no reason to come for her.
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I’m all ears, good stuff.
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I think she will prove to be Luke’s daughter still. Just as I had believe Kylo to be Han and Leia’s son. I don’t think Luke knows of her. He either thought her dead (less likely) or never knew she existed. As for the vows of chastity theory, there are 2 problems for it. For Luke might never have got the the personal attachment part in his abbreviated Jedi training. Second, in episode I, when Qui Gon and Obi Wan were questioning about who was Anakin’s father, they thought it might have been a Jedi, who for a lack of a better term had a one night stand. I took from that (although other canonical sources outside of TV and movies, that I am not familiar with might state otherwise), that Jedi could Father a child but that falling in love or being in a relationship was what was taboo. Looking and the now non canonical EU Luke had a son. Since Kylo being Han and Leia’s son turned to the darkside is like the EU, Luke having a kid although the circumstances are completely different could have also crossed over.
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if it was Leia’s daughter Leia wouldn’t be so dumb just to leave her on jakku
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it’s more likely that she is a skywalker
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Maz tells her that no family will come for her on Jakku, but it is still possible for one to come—Luke. Also, in the trailer (but not the movie) Luke voiceover goes through the “Force is strong in my family, etc., ending with “You have that power,too” Clearly talking to Rey, intimating she is a Skywaler, and foreshadowing that moment of Parrallel in Episode 8 where he will reveal himself as her father as Darth did in Empire. JJ is following the old story closely.
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And let’s not forget JJ adamantly denied the Khan rumors too before it was revealed it was Khan all along. If you consider age and timeline the Kenobi theory holds no weight for me. Everything still points to a Skywalker despite the corporate denial.
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it could be a descendant of anikans half sister if i remember his mother had a child with her new husband before he died
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I have 2 thoughts
I think it could be Luke’s daughter because the saber called out to her. And she was the one who returned it to him. She saw images when she touched it of him and then being dropped off in the desert. Luke could have left his daughter just like he left everybody else. He could have left her there to protect her knowing that his plans were not to return and that she would be the last Jedi. Then again Jedi arnt aloud to have kids but luke was leaving for good anyway. But for some reason they looked at each other like they knew each other because they stared for 5 minutes. So maybe there is a relation.
Also since luke left and wouldn’t return to fight there wouldn’t be any Jedi. There was on the dark side tho. That balance is off 1-0. Just like anakin she could have been born by the force to balance things out.
I don’t think she is Han Solo’s daughter tho because he would have said something if she was. Plus she would be next in line for queen if leia were to pass away.
It is possible that because it didn’t show kylo ren killing the other jedi luke was training maybe one excaped and got away. She could have lost memery of befor but did remember being dropped off. The people could have took he and dropped her off to save her from kylo ren. So maybe somehow that girl was one who was being trained by luke but wasn’t killed by kylo ren. At the end they both looked at each other for 5 minuets speachless so maybe they recognize each other.
So in the end I fell like she is either Luke’s daughter or was brought to life by the force like anakin was.
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It could be possible that Rey is kylo ren’s daughter too. Maybe kylo had a baby with a girl befor going to the dark side. Maybe he hadn’t the same story as anakin. Since he went bad he didn’t show much emotion when he was fighting her. Therefor she could be kylo’s daughter
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Well, I guess she ended up being Rey Nobody
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