Star Wars | Rey’s Path to the Dark Side Is Clearer Than It Seems
Share the Force:
Annlyel James 
Annlyel explores the prospect of Rey turning to the dark side in Star Wars: Episode IX
The dark side. It is a scary thing. It turns the best people into monsters, consuming them with hatred for everything around them and thus they use that terrible anger to inflict pain on the galaxy.
Anakin Skywalker faced the dark side time and time again and he never was able to rid himself of its powerful influence, hence becoming one of the most legendary Sith in the galaxy. Luke Skywalker also was confronted with the dark side on multiple occasions but unlike his father, before him, he was able to resist its temptation, becoming one of the galaxy’s greatest Jedi Knights.
Kylo Ren grew up with the dark side brooding within him so when his time came to choose a side he ultimately chose the dark side. But the question remains; will he be redeemed? Unlike most Star Wars villains before him he seems to have a good-guy streak within him that’s buried deep down beneath a veil of anger and hatred.
And then there’s Rey who is the topic of this post. Rey is an incredible heroine whose goodness is as present as her power. Since The Force Awakens, she has tried to discover who she is and what her place in the galaxy may mean, but through this time she has faced various challenges as well.
In The Force Awakens, she used the Force in a manner that’s very akin to those who wield it for the dark side. In her mental battle with Kylo Ren, she used his fears against him, overpowering him with her abilities and practically freaking him out. Later on in the movie when her power is tested during the lightsaber duel in the forest she doesn’t use the light to defeat Kylo Ren. She instead uses rage (um, that’s the dark side) to beat him. In fact, she is so full of darkness at that moment that in the novelization for the film Snoke encouraged her to end Kylo Ren’s life then and there, a choice she decided not to make.
The Last Jedi, however, is the film that really hints at Rey’s darker side. On Ahch-To she was uncannily drawn to the dark side, a fact that is most visible when she has her first lesson with Luke Skywalker. Her willingness to embrace the darkness scared Luke, for he remembered what happened to Kylo. He couldn’t afford Rey to fall down the same dark path. She also grew incredibly close to Kylo Ren in no time even though he was an agent of the dark side.
And, when faced with a choice, she chose to go to the cave beneath the island even though Luke Skywalker told her not to because, well, it was the den of the dark side. To get what she wanted (the identity of her parents) she chose the dark path without hesitation which is kind of troubling when you really think about it.
Rey just may be the most dark-side prone hero that we have seen in the Star Wars franchise. Yes, she has faced evil and defeated it, yes she didn’t take Kylo Ren’s hand when he offered her a place at his side in galactic domination, but that doesn’t mean that she may not turn in the future.
And, if you consider the visions Kylo Ren and Rey had when they touched hands, only one of those visions came true and that was Rey’s. Rey saw, when they touched hands, that Kylo Ren would turn against his master, which did in fact happen. She just didn’t know that Kylo Ren would stay, well, evil.
Kylo Ren also, however, had a vision where Rey joined him but as was obvious in The Last Jedi that didn’t happen. But if their visions were so concrete then that means Rey may not have joined him then but she will, oh she will.
Rey is a fantastic heroine whose journey is inspiring but she will be tempted by the dark side in Episode IX, as do all Jedi. We all want to see her remain the good guy and help bring the Resistance to a resounding victory over the First Order but J.J Abrams just may have a surprise twist up his sleeve where Rey goes bad, Kylo Ren goes good, and all us Star Wars fans practically lose it.
And if she does turn evil, well, I already predicted it.
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
