Rey Skywalker is the Hero of the Galaxy. She vanquished the forces of the First Order and the Final Order, defeated Palpatine and brought back peace and harmony to the universe. As the last of the Jedi, Rey is the torchbearer of the Skywalker legacy. She is the grand-daughter of Darth Sidious as well as the protégé of Luke Skywalker. She has a unique connection to both sides of the Force. This begs the question – which side of the Force resonates the best with Rey? Technically speaking, she is a Jedi. That is how the story ends. But what if there was more to Rey’s story than what meets the eye. What if Rey was secretly a Sith all along?
Now that is a very preposterous assumption! We better have some evidence to back it up!! Is that what you are thinking? Well we do not make empty claims here. We might have something for you folks that will sway you towards the less favored side of the answer.
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Early on in The Force Awakens, we see Rey and Kylo Ren constantly in touch with each other. Even though both were light-years away, they could still talk and feel each other. This mystical ability they both shared is a gift of the Force. In Star Wars lore, this technique is called the Force Bond. The Force Bond is an advanced ability that can only be performed by two or more Force Sensitive individuals. The strong telepathic connection that is thus established grants the wielders the power to share their senses of sight, hearing, smell and also have a powerful emotional connection. The Force Bond also grants the ability to share pain.
The Force Bond has nearly unlimited range. Another amazing ability is that proficient users can even teleport to the other end of the connection. In rare instances like Kylo Ren and Rey’s case, Force Bond users are even capable of sharing their sense of touch.
Initially appearing in The Force Awakens, the Force Bond technique came to the spotlight in all its glory during Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Kylo Ren and Rey frequently used their Force Bond to converse with each other in The Rise of Skywalker. Although we see the ability in action only in the last Jedi trilogy movies, Force Bond is an established ability well-known to all hard core Star Wars fans.
There is a reason we are explaining the Force Bond so much. The Force Bond, as powerful as it may be, comes with a price. The users bear a heavy burden while using a Force Bond. The ability itself is considered as Taboo by the Jedi. This is because the Force Bond is considered to be an ability predominantly considered to be a part of the Dark Side of the Force.
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As seen in the 2019 book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi, the ability to create and sustain a Force Bond is seen as a Sith power and comes at the cost of harnessing the Dark Side of the Force. The book states:
“The Force allows us to connect with another living being and communicate with them across great distances, seeing what they see and feeling what they feel. Though this may seem like a harmless – and perhaps even valuable – ability, it is easily manipulated by those on the Dark Side. Some powerful Force users have been able to create secret bonds with others who are unaware of their connection. They then use those bonds to corrupt their target and steer their actions. Even if the unwanted bond is detected, it can still be extremely difficult to break.”
The Sith are known to use the auxiliary abilities of the Force Bond to great effect, combining them with other Dark Side powers. Count Dooku was once mentored by Master Yoda, who established a mental link akin to the Force Bond with him After Dooku defected to the Sith, Palpatine used the Force Bond link between Dooku and Yoda to try and lure the Jedi Master to the Dark Side. Palpatine did that by using a droplet of Yoda’s blood, harnessing the Force Bond by hitting it with Force Lightning and then chanting an ancient Sith incantation in the ancient Balc language. This ability is called Dark Illusion and it can provide complete control over the target’s mind to the point that a Sith could manipulate his or her enemy’s thoughts.
Force Bonds could also be created by combining a Jedi and Sith Holocron, successfully establishing a psychic link between the two Force users. That is how Darth Maul established a mental link with Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger. Maul used it to look for Obi-Wan Kenobi and exact his revenge. The entire ordeal was a very painful process for Ezra, who was exposed to the twisted psyche and violent memories of Darth Maul.
The most well-known users of the ability are obviously Kylo Ren and Rey. With the passage of time, Rey strengthened her connection with Kylo Ren, allowing her-self to be drawn to Ren’s whims and fancies as he pleased as seen in The Rise of Skywalker. It was also one of the first abilities unlocked and mastered by Rey Skywalker when she was training under Luke Skywalker.
The Force Bond’s potential to cause chaos and destruction is why the Jedi have forbidden it. Rey learnt the entire ability out of sheer instinct. The ability to create a Force Bond requires skill and patience. Rey did it while she was still learning the basics of the Force. This might help us prove our point. The fact that Rey was able to master a high level Sith ability without any help and the fact that she was comfortable in using it without any reservations are something to take notice of.
Kylo and Rey ultimately used the Force Bond to communicate with each other, allowing Kylo to embrace the Light Side of the Force and correct his mistakes. But it was Rey who fell in line with the Force Bond first. She was the one who was supposed to be the protagonist. She found it perfectly okay to use such a potent Dark Side ability. Her Sith roots might run deeper than you could ever imagine.
