Dark Rey Concept Art From Star Wars Episode 9 Will Give You Nightmares

The concept art for Dark Rey reminds us what could’ve been with the «Star Wars» sequel trilogy, putting an exciting spin on the main character and making her far more compelling than the «perfect» Jedi that once made up the Order. But with Lucasfilm announcing a new Rey-centered movie, fans may finally get to explore Dark Rey in the way that «Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker» initially teased.

We know that Rey Skywalker’s solo film takes place after «Episode IX,» as the once-last Jedi rebuilds the peacekeeping force after the collapse of the First Order. While the sequel trilogy seemingly wrapped up her meddling with the dark side, «Star Wars» has established that the conflict between light and dark is an ongoing battle for every Jedi, with even the strongest Force users struggling to maintain their commitment to the light. Rebuilding the Jedi Order is a proven stressful process — we saw how badly it affected Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) — so it wouldn’t be out of the question for it to bring Rey inner conflict or even push her to fully succumb to the dark side.

The sequels already established that Rey is far from a perfect Jedi, which could benefit her new Order in the long term. However, it could also mean that her flirtations with the dark side aren’t as over as the ending to «Rise of Skywalker» would lead fans to believe. Despite her taking on the Skywalker name, she still has Palpatine heritage, and it could add depth to her character that fans wanted to see more of in the sequel trilogy. Either way, Lucasfilm already has stunning yet terrifying concept art waiting for an on-screen adaptation.