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Enhanced 'Rise of Skywalker' trailer screenshot hints at a Dagobah parallel

Rey seemingly returns to a very important location for some Jedi business.

Lucasfilm

When Rey finally arrived on Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi to train with Luke Skywalker, it was the best-kept secret in the universe. But with Luke gone, and the Jedi texts aboard the Millennium Falcon, does she have any reason to return? An enhanced Rise of Skywalker trailer image hints at her return to the planet, though the reason for her visit isn’t clear yet. Could Ahch-To also be the true source of the “Dark Rey” vision? Let’s dissect.

Speculation and discussion of leaks ahead for The Rise of Skywalker.

In a previous leak from Making Star Wars, Jason Ward suggested Rey would return to Ahch-To to blow up the planet. Rey would then commandeer Luke’s X-wing. While it’s unclear when that could happen in Episode IX, Reddit user RHINOMAN1234 posted a zoomed still of Rey from the Episode IX trailer that backs up this leak. Check out the close-up of Rey below.

The photo gives little away, other than the location. If you recall, Luke was visited by Yoda’s Force ghost just as he was about to burn the Jedi texts in The Last Jedi, declaring that he was going to “end all of this: the tree, the text, the Jedi.” Ultimately, Yoda returned to teach Luke one final lesson, imploring him to not lose Rey like he lost Ben Solo. It’s possible Rey returns to Ahch-To to speak with Luke one last time, just as Luke returned to Dagobah to meet with Yoda before his passing in Return of the Jedi.

Rey and Luke on Ahch-To in *The Last Jedi.* The green, rocky environment closely resembles the background of the recent image of hooded Rey.

Lucasfilm

Star Wars does love its parallels, and Luke never did finish training Rey before she left Ahch-To. If this scene occurs right before she goes off to fight Emperor Palpatine, even better. Perhaps she’ll even get her former master’s green lightsaber out of storage…

It’s possible that Rey will be visited by Force ghost Luke just as she’s about to burn everything (the planet included) down. Or perhaps, she feels like she has some unresolved business in that Dark side cave, where she hoped to find more information about her parents in The Last Jedi. The light-colored hood she’s wearing in the photo definitely serve as a visual parallel to the dark robes she wears as the mysterious Dark Rey.

If Rey walks into the mirror cave wearing a white hood, like the one shown above, her seeing her reflection as Dark Rey suddenly makes a lot more sense. 

Lucasfilm

Fan theories have speculated Dark Rey might be Palpatine’s clone, but it’s possible that Rey is simply looking at her reflection in the mirror cave. Whatever Rey’s reasons are for revisiting Ahch-To, it’s clear she has a whole lot of unfinished business there.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20.

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