Anakin Skywalker than many realize. A galactic girl of mystery, Daisy Ridley's Rey is the linchpin of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Introduced as a simple scavenger on the backwater planet of Jakku, Rey soon becomes embroiled with the Resistance thanks to BB-8, and unlocks her potential as a of the Force. Despite initially being told she was "no one," Rey eventually discovers she's actually the granddaughter of the most infamous, wrinkliest dictator in the galaxy.
Despite her sinister heritage, Rey is constantly d with the Skywalkers. Becoming a student of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, after all).
One Skywalker never explicitly connected to Rey is Anakin - Darth Vader himself. Kylo Ren idolizes his grandfather and strives to become a worthy successor, but Rey has precious little to do with Anakin, aside from a scant few moments in The Rise of Skywalker. This is unusual, as Rey shares more in common with the Skywalker patriarch than she does Luke, Leia, or Ben.
Palpatine Was Important To Their Creation
The Rise of Skywalker infamously revealed Rey as the granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine, he of Galactic Empire fame. Fresh from taking a big loss at the Battle of Endor, Palpatine's body was no longer fit for purpose, and the Sith Eternal began experimenting with clones that could continue their master's legacy. A defective Palpatine clone managed to escape and father a child of his own, but the girl was abandoned as Palpatine hunted relentlessly for his kin. That child was Rey, and she has the dubious honor of continuing the Palpatine bloodline.
Although the story's authenticity is debated, Palpatine may have had a hand in Anakin Skywalker's birth too. Star Wars lore suggests the Force willed Anakin into being, which, as much as Shmi Skywalker's personal life is her own business, is hardly a convincing tale. In the canon Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, however, Vader sees a vision of Palpatine using the Force to impregnate Shmi. No one can quite agree on whether this scene depicts the truth of Anakin's birth, but it would certainly for his miraculous conception and feels logical as a precursor to Palpatine's later machinations. Assuming the story is valid, Anakin would be considered the son of Palpatine, and Luke and Leia his grandchildren. But while the Emperor had no influence upon Vader's twins, Rey shared a deeper connection to her grandfather thanks to the wonders of cloning - more akin to Anakin.
Even if Anakin's birth wasn't influenced by Palpatine, he and Rey were both molded by the Sith Lord unknowingly. Palpatine used his evil designs to slowly twist Anakin Skywalker's will to the Dark side, before corrupting him completely into Darth Vader. Though the attempt was less successful, Palpatine (through his Supreme Leader Snoke glove puppet) repeatedly tried to lure Rey over to his team too.
Both Have Family Trauma
The Darth Vader.
In the same way, Rey suffered by never knowing her parents. Despite making the best of her time on Jakku, Rey could never escape feeling a lack of identity, and was determined to discover the truth when she finally left the sandy planet. Just as the death of his mother defined Anakin in adulthood, not knowing her parents defined Rey, and almost took her down the same dark path. Because of the Lars and Organa families, Luke and Leia could never relate to their father in the same way Rey might.
Rey Was A Target For The Sith
Not only did Palpatine have a hand in creating Rey and Anakin, he bore exactly the same intentions both times. Conceived by the Emperor or not, Palpatine undeniably groomed Anakin into becoming Darth Vader. The young Jedi was already a tempestuous sort, but Palpatine stoked that fire until it burned out of control, leaving Annie no choice but to the Dark side. Palpatine took Anakin as his loyal apprentice, and given how the Sith Rule of Two works, one would imagine that, had the Empire not been defeated in Return of the Jedi, a dying Palpatine would've eventually transferred the collective will of the Sith into Darth Vader. The apprentice becomes the successor, and then chooses a new promising young vessel, thus the Rule of Two survives.
After Anakin's betrayal, Rey became Palpatine's unexpected plan B. As revealed in The Rise of Skywalker, the Emperor wished to transfer his essence (along with the rest of the Sith) into Rey, just as he surely would've done to Anakin when the time came. Mirroring his corruption of Vader, Palpatine manipulated Rey's insecurities, desperately trying to make her compliant. The only difference between them is that grief pushed Anakin over the edge, whereas Rey took the moral high ground - something Anakin was never especially good at.
Rey Brought Balance To The Force
Qui-Gon Jinn predicted that Anakin Skywalker was the Jedi of prophecy who would supposedly bring balance to the Force, and after slaughtering countless innocents, invading worlds, and enslaving entire races, he finally got around to fulfilling that destiny. Redeemed by his son, Anakin abandons the Darth Vader mantle and pushes his master down a cavernous Death Star shaft. As far as George Lucas' Star Wars is concerned, Palpatine's death brought balance, because the light side is still kicking and the dark side isn't. Unfortunately, Anakin's sacrifice only lasted 30 years or so, and Palpatine quickly began conspiring to revive the Empire from his throne on Exegol. This time, the responsibility fell to Rey, and after a few close calls, she successfully vanquished the Star Wars villain. In this moment, Rey finally brings true balance, and the voice of Hayden Christensen even tells her, "bring back the balance... as I did."
The Rise of Skywalker doesn't address whether Rey was the chosen one all along, or whether that title belongs to Anakin and Rey just finished the job, but as the only two Jedi to bring down the Sith (temporarily or otherwise), Rey and Anakin share an intrinsic connection.
Rey's Anakin Connection Would Improve Her "Skywalker" Ending
Spending so much time forging the Force dyad, The Rise of Skywalker es on the opportunity to present Rey as a spiritual successor to Anakin Skywalker. Both are raised on remote desert planets and whisked away by the call of the Jedi. Both are created and manipulated by Palpatine to continue the Sith lineage. And, finally, both overcome the odds to bring the Force into balance. Few would empathize with the path of Anakin Skywalker as deeply as Rey. Daisy Ridley's character could've referenced that more clearly by having Rey show the same kind of respect for Anakin that Kylo Ren showed for Darth Vader - thereby also reinforcing their "light and dark" Force dyad.
Had The Rise of Skywalker emphasized Rey and Anakin's similarities more and presented her as a parallel to the fallen Jedi, one of the film's most notorious scenes could've been improved. Rey's "Skywalker" moment is more confusing than dramatic - is she adopting the name because of her Jedi teachers, to pay homage to Ben, or just because g "Palpatine" attracts funny looks? By presenting Rey as the successor to Anakin, Rey holds a more emotive, meaningful connection to the Skywalker name, and a reason to carry it forward.
