'Star Wars': New Darth Vader Comic Helps Explain How Rey Has Force Abilities

Rey's ability to harness the power of the Force continues to grow as each and every Star Wars film [...]

Rey's ability to harness the power of the Force continues to grow as each and every Star Wars film is released, Some fans, however, still wonder exactly how she got so connected to the Force in the first place.

Fortunately, the Star Wars comics are coming to the rescue once again, and giving a bit of an explanation to the situation.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as well as Darth Vader #10.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi caught some fans off-guard when it was revealed that, after two years of speculation, Rey's parents truly were nobodies. She wasn't a secret Skywalker. She wasn't a Kenobi. She was simply Rey, from the junk planet Jakku. The end.

The thought behind this idea was that the Force is something that lives inside all of us, and the ability to wield it can be harnessed by anyone, not just those of a certain bloodline. However, as we learned from Chirrut in Rogue One, not everyone can just use the Force and become a Jedi.

If only certain people have Force abilities, and Rey wasn't connected to a Force-user previously, how was she given such raw power?

In Marvel's Darth Vader #10, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli, an old Jedi explains that the Force will live on as long as there is life in the galaxy. If all of the Jedi are gone, the Force will simply pass those abilities to new hosts.

This revelation came at the beginning of the issue, when Darth Vader begins his final fight with Jocasta Nu, an older Jedi who was previously in charge of keeping the Jedi texts. She realized that Vader was Anakin Skywalker and, in her wisdom, began explaining why his belief in Palpatine is misplaced.

"The Force is eternal," Jocasta tells Vader. "It cannot be ended, it cannot be stopped, not so long as life exists. It will find its vessels. It always has – You know this. There are others, waiting out in the galaxy."

darth vader 10 jocasta nu
(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Jocasta's final sentence is what truly matters, and Vader knows it. If you recall, Anakin was just some boy from a poor planet that happened to have the Force living and breathing inside of him. Midichlorians are ridiculous, but that's the canonical story of how Darth Vader came to be.

Rey is in a very similar situation. Sure, she wasn't born of an immaculate conception, and Liam Neeson isn't around to test her blood with a GameBoy, but Rey's backstory almost mirrors Vader's. She's no one, from nowhere, but the Force chose her to have a purpose.

Whether you took issue with Rey's lineage or not, her story is one that can stand up with the best Star Wars characters around, and she's an even greater hero because of it.

You can pick up an issue of Darth Vader #10 at your local comic shop today.

0comments