'The Last Jedi' Director Reveals Whether Or Not That Big Rey Reveal Was True

Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally answered the question that fans have been waiting two years for... or did it? That big reveal about Rey's parents did not actually come off as cut-and-dry as many curious fans may have hoped, with a bunch of moviegoers leaving the theater unsure whether it was even the truth or not. But have no fear, because now the movie's director Rian Johnson is clarifying that Rey's parents reveal moment in The Last Jedi, and he isn't beating around the bush. Spoiler alert: Of course, if you haven't seen The Last Jedi yet and don't want this major moment spoiled for you, don't read on.

As you will recall, Kylo Ren drops the bombshell on Rey towards the end of the film that her parents aren't famous Jedi warriors or anything like fans were expecting, but just a pair or random "filthy junk traders," as he refers to them. Kylo tells Rey that he learned the truth about her parentage through the Force-bond that Snoke had established between them throughout the movie, and that they are nobodies from Jakku that sold her off as an infant for drinking money. Obviously, this was not the reveal most Star Wars fans had expected — given Rey's natural command over the Force, the predominant theory was that she was the daughter of an iconic Jedi master like Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi. But instead, the movie makes strides to show that anyone can tap into the Force, even a little boy forced to clean up stables on a casino planet.

Kylo Ren's revelation can't really be taken on face value, though, can it? Fans have pointed out that it would be in Kylo's best interest to make Rey believe her parents are nobodies, since he implores her to cut all her ties and join him to rule the galaxy after killing Snoke. Kylo is the bad guy after all; it's not hard to imagine he would make up a story about Rey's parents in order to get her on his side. But according to director Rian Johnson, that isn't the case.

Rian Johnson told Entertainment Weekly that what Kylo Ren told Rey is the truth... or at least, he believes it is the truth. Johnson confirmed that Kylo did see that Rey's parents were junk traders on Jakku that gave her up, and he tells her that because he really does believe it is the truth:

But for me, in that moment, Kylo believes it’s the truth. I don’t think he’s purely playing chess. I think that’s what he saw when they touched fingers and that’s what he believes. And when he tells her that in that moment, she believes it.

So, Kylo Ren isn't lying, but that still doesn't mean the mystery over Rey's parents is fully solved. You'll notice that Rian Johnson made a point to clarify that Kylo tells Rey what he believes to be the truth, instead of just saying the truth. There's still the possibility that Kylo's vision of Rey's parents was somehow off. And Johnson went on in the interview to open the door up to the possibility of another parent reveal later on, saying that as the franchise changes hands to J. J. Abrams for Episode IX, he may want to use that loophole to take the Rey's parents situation in another direction.

But it is still at least good to know that for all intents and purposes, Kylo Ren was not lying when he told Rey her parents were small-scale junk traders unconnected to the greater battle between good and evil. Not that Johnson's assurance is going to slow down any fan theorists out there.