When Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters, it failed to answer some pretty important questions like how the heck is the Emperor still alive after getting thrown down a giant space shaft inside a very exploding Death Star? Fortunately, The Rise of Skywalker novelization reportedly fills in those gaps, and so far, the book’s confirmations have ranged from a mere shrug to hotbeds of controversy.
For example, the reveal that the Palpatine seen in the film is actually a clone wasn’t exactly a shock to Star Wars fans, but a clarification that the kiss between Rey and Ben Solo was strictly platonic is still blazing through the Reylo community. (What’s a Reylo? Folks who really wanted to see Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver’s characters go full-on Twilight.)
However, one reveal from the novelization has left some fans scratching their heads and others completely fed up with Star Wars. According to Screen Rant, Rey’s father is confirmed to be a failed clone of Palpatine, which is all kinds of nuts:
This passage in the book reveals after Return of the Jedi, Palpatine “thrust his consciousness” into a clone body. However, “the transfer was imperfect” and members of the Sith Eternal worked tirelessly to engineer a new vessel for Palpatine’s essence. One of these attempts is described as “a useless, powerless failure” who was “a not-quite-identical clone.” While this body wasn’t fit to house Palpatine’s power, it was still able to live and eventually became Rey’s father.
So Rey is actually the daughter of a clone that wasn’t even a Force-user, but she’s still somehow Palpatine’s granddaughter and a powerful Jedi? OK. If that sounds confusing, you’re not alone. Star Wars fans voiced their frustration with this new twist, and the fact that maybe it would’ve been helpful to see at least some of it on the screen.
Man, that actually sounds kinda interesting, good thing they didn't even mention shit about it in the movies!
— Ale𝕏 Ivanovic 🐻 (@AlexLongclaw) March 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/thealexvanness/status/1235409288803344385
My view on most things made canon post Disney pic.twitter.com/jypH1t1ecm
— PoshPug (@Rajjah) March 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/AustinVanBelle/status/1235391951463038977
https://twitter.com/Fruhmann1/status/1235408479537336320
However, some users couldn’t help but notice that the whole clone thing throws a wrench in the granddaughter narrative:
So wouldn't this just make Rey Palpatine's daughter?
— Brandon Bailey (@_Brandon_Bailey) March 5, 2020
While others took issue with the term “failed clone”:
It’s dick seemed to work pretty well
— Rau’niper (@DanielMadison78) March 5, 2020
We’re not seeing any lies…
(Via Screen Rant)