The new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker teaser ends with a surprise, to be sure, but it may not be a welcome one.
An ominous new clip released on Monday concludes with a true head-turner: a shot of a seemingly Dark Side Rey. So what’s going on here? Let’s take a look at some of the possible explanations.
1. It's Rey's vision - If the Rise of Skywalker marketing is as deceptive as promotion for the past two saga films, this shouldn't be taken at face value. Perhaps we're seeing a vision given to Rey by Emperor Palpatine in order to tempt her to the Dark Side. It could also be another Force vision as in The Force Awakens or some sort of test in the vein of Luke seeing himself as Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
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2. It's Kylo Ren's vision - In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren mentioned seeing something that convinced him Rey will turn to the Dark Side. It seemed he was talking about learning her parents' identity, but this could be retconned into Kylo seeing this vision of a Dark Side Rey, which ultimately doesn't come to pass.
3. It's real, but Rey is possessed by Palpatine - If Dark Side Rey isn't a vision, could Rey become possessed by Palpatine, who is in need of a new body after seemingly dying in Return of the Jedi? If Kylo Ren is to be redeemed, saving Rey from the Emperor sounds like a solid way to go about it.
4. Rey really does turn - Could the simplest explanation be the correct one, and Rey truly does turn to the Dark Side? The marketing probably wouldn't give this away unless the turn happens in the film's second act or so. That still seems far-fetched, and even if it happened, Rey would certainly turn back by the end, perhaps with Ben Solo's help. After all, no one's ever really gone.
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