Star Wars 9 Theory: Emperor Palpatine Created Rey (As An Anakin 'Clone')

4. Palpatine, Plagueis, And Anakin's Creation

In Revenge of the Sith, we get one of Emperor Palpatine's very best and most important moments, as he tells Anakin Skywalker the tragedy of Darth Plagueis. The story is as follows:

"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?... I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful... the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic he could save others from death, but not himself."

Plagueis went on to feature in a few EU materials, but as far as Disney's new canon is concerned, his biggest role has been as the subject of fan theories, and more specifically those surrounding the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke. Fans heavily speculated that Snoke was really Plagueis, which would make him the overarching villain of the Saga. Now, they might be doing something similar, but with Palpatine instead.

Palpatine's speech captivates Anakin because he mentions keeping loved ones from dying, which is what tempts the young Skywalker over to the Dark Side. But more pertinent is that Plagueis had power over life and death, and taught it to his apprentice. That apprentice being, of course, Darth Sidious, aka Palpatine himself. For years, it was speculated that Plagueis was the one who meddled with midi-chlorians to create Anakin Skywalker, but a recent canon comic book, Darth Vader #25, revealed that it was seemingly Palpatine who manipulated the Force to create life inside Shmi Skywalker.

While Anakin was supposed to bring balance to the Force, he ended up betraying the Jedi to turn to the Dark Side, almost wiping out the entire Order in the process. It was only in his last moments that he ultimately turned back to the Light, and brought Palpatine's Empire crashing down. But for years, Palpatine had largely succeeded, and came close to that vision being completely realised. So might he have tried again?