Summary

• Rey's parents, Dathan and Miramir, have a Star Wars history tying them back to Emperor Palpatine and the Sith, but they have done the work to distance themselves from their past as much as possible.
• Dathan is a strandcast of Palpatine who was considered a failure because he couldn't wield the Force, but Miramir may have been Force-sensitive.
• Palpatine considered Rey's parents nobodies because they fled Exegol, lived a simple life, and lacked strong Force abilities, but they sacrificed their lives to protect Rey from Palpatine. Rey's true legacy lies with Dathan and Miramir, not Palpatine.

Despite their brief appearance in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, the parents of Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker have an important Star Wars history, and it explains many things about Rey's own character. Following her debut in The Force Awakens, Rey's parents quickly became a hot topic among Star Wars viewers, generating many theories about who might have been the ones to leave her behind on the desolate planet of Jakku. When The Last Jedi insisted they were simply "no one," this idea wasn't bought, and the theories continued to pour in.

The official reveal of Rey's parents at long last arrived in The Rise of Skywalker, and many were surprised to discover that they truly were nobodies who lived as junk traders on Jakku - aside from an interesting link to New Jedi Order, but her most important ancestors were actually her parents.

Rey's Father, Dathan, Was A Strandcast Of Palpatine - Not His Son

Dathan was shunned by the Sith on Exegol, so he never viewed Palpatine as his father

Dathan is a strandcast of Palpatine, a type of imperfect clone that had additional DNA inserted into their genetic makeup. He was created in the later stages of Project Necromancer, after the Emperor had fallen, as part of a larger attempt to create a Force-sensitive body for Palpatine to transfer his essence into. As such, Dathan is just as much a son to Palpatine as every clone trooper was to Jango Fett during the Clone Wars: not at all. Boba Fett was the only exception, as Jango specifically asked to raise him as his own - something Palpatine never did for Dathan.

Instead, Dathan was considered to be a failure by everyone on Exegol due to his inability to wield the Force, and he was accordingly shunned. He was only ever called "The Abomination," so he took the name Dathan from the Symeong who cared for him and eventually helped to smuggle him off the planet when Dathan was a boy. His name also helped distance himself from Palpatine, both due to his evil legacy and because of how poorly Dathan was treated on Exegol.

How Dathan Met Rey's Mother, Miramir

They quickly became star-crossed lovers, despite Dathan's past

After working on a ship's crew throughout the galaxy, Dathan discovered there was a need for engineers to maintain agridroids on the planet Hyperkarn. Dathan talked his way into ing a crew, and during a technological struggle with his agridroid, Miramir saw Dathan and offered her assistance. Miramir was a handy mechanic and a kind spirit, so the two made a habit of meeting up to work on the agridroid - mostly as an excuse to spend time together. They fell in love on Hyperkarn, and despite their desire to stay there, they knew Dathan's past could bring danger to Miramir's family, so they headed to Jakku.

There Are Hints Miramir May Have Been Force-Sensitive

Rey could have had a powerful legacy in the Force on BOTH sides of her family tree

Despite Dathan's inability to wield the Force as Palpatine's strandcast, it has been hinted in stories such as Adam Christopher's "Shadow of the Sith" that Miramir herself may be Force-sensitive. She was an expert crafter and mechanic, as proven by the way she and Dathan first met on Hyperkarn, but there's another talent she has that was ed on to Rey. Miramir has proven to be an absolutely stellar pilot, in ways that seem to suggest she has more than just skill on her side.

This intuition, along with that which she used for her repairs and other projects, could very well be the presence of the Force working on her side. The fact that Miramir could also sense the strange Force energy surrounding Ochi of Bestoon's blade before and during her death further proves this point, as she was even able to battle the dark energy of the blade to smile at Ochi as she died. Miramir's own Force-sensitivity mixed with anything Dathan might have ed on from Palpatine's cloning could very well be why Rey herself is so powerful in the Force.

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Why Palpatine Considered Rey's Parents "Nobodies"

He saw them as weak for choosing to live a peaceful life

Palpatine has a plethora of reasons to think about Dathan and Miramir as "nobodies," most notably regarding the way his pride was hurt by them and their ability to keep Rey hidden for so long. Palpatine also likely saw Dathan fleeing Exegol as weakness, as the pair was choosing to live a simple life over the power they might have had if Dathan had never left Exegol. There was no reason for Palpatine to consider Dathan and Miramir as anybody notable, given that neither of them have demonstrated a strong and keen ability in the Force, and so he ed this belief on to Rey.

Rey's Parents Died Protecting Her From Palpatine

They were hunted by a Sith assassin known as Ochi, and they left Rey on Jakku to keep her safe

Palpatine's assessment of Dathan and Miramir, however, is incorrect - as they were strong enough to protect Rey from the most terrifying figure in the galaxy. As detailed in "Shadow of the Sith," when Ochi of Bestoon caught up to them, they fell upon his blade because of their vow to never reveal where Rey was located. This action alone proves their strength, as they sacrificed their lives to protect Rey. Ochi, and thus Palpatine, only lost because of Dathan's and Miramir's resilience, which is clearly something they also ed on to their daughter ahead of her fight against the First Order.

Dathan and Miramir left Rey with Unkar Plutt on Jakku because he was the only person they could trust, and they struck a deal with him - which was likely the reason why Rey was still working for him in The Force Awakens.

Rey Isn't Really Palpatine's Granddaughter At All

Rey is much more connected to Dathan than Palpatine, and he never saw Palpatine as his father

Dathan was only a strandcast of Palpatine, and seeing as Palpatine never acted like a father to Dathan outside of offering general protection over him on Exegol, Dathan never saw the former Emperor as a father. Similarly to how the clones consider themselves to be brothers but not part of the Fett family, Rey has no true relationship nor lineage to Palpatine. Thus, Palpatine truly cannot be considered as Rey's grandfather, and in turn, she cannot be named as his real granddaughter.

Palpatine never truly wanted to claim Rey as his granddaughter, either, he just wanted to be able to manipulate her. He only used this terminology for her when it became convenient for him, after he witnessed her strength in the Force. Rather, Rey's legacy in Star Wars is tied back to the honorable strength and love of Dathan and Miramir, both of whom remain the perfect figures for her to look to as she heads into her Jedi future.