The reveal of a very Sith-looking Rey at the end of the second trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ushered in a whole wave of fresh fan theories about what exactly this meant for Daisy Ridley’s heroine. One idea was that Dark Rey was a clone of the orphan from Jakku, perhaps created by Emperor Palpatine. And according to one fan’s interpretation, the recent final trailer may support this theory.
Much like Dark Rey was the big reveal in the second one, the final trailer’s most discussed moment is the shot which sees Rey standing on an icy terrain being approached by some sinister figure in a black cloak. We all assumed it was our first look at the resurrected Darth Sidious in the movie, but Reddit user u/Choppazulu suggests it might actually be Dark Rey herself.
This theory hinges on the cloaks in the two scenes (you can see a comparison in the image below), which the Redditor believes are uncannily similar. Here’s how they outlined their idea:
“The cloak is the same. If you look at the hood at the shoulders, the folds are identical. The top of the hood drapes in the same fashion as well. Dark Rey is on that moving thrown. Source: trailers Evidence: right shoulder drape – my speculation: Dark Rey exists! In the physical.”
Who knows, this theorist may be onto something? Note the look of complete incomprehension and horror on Rey’s face in this shot. Is it the look of someone who’s gazing at their own evil twin? Maybe, but then again, it could also be the look of someone coming face to face with the most infamous man in the galaxy who’s supposed to be dead. There’s also the issue of the giant metal apparatus that the cloaked figure is traveling in. Dark Rey was depicted as walking perfectly fine in the other trailer.
If this is Palpatine, though, that doesn’t help us get any closer to deducing who or what Dark Rey is. But one way or another, all will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker finally arrives in theaters on December 20th.