Here’s Why Rey is Able to Use Force Lightning in Episode IX

Sure, there might have been rumors suggesting Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would retcon Rey's (Daisy Ridley) origin in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and tie her to Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), however, Star Wars fans were more than surprised when they saw the Lights Side hero unleashing a blast of Force lightning in the film.

Star Wars fans weren't expecting Rey to be able to emit Force lightning – the powerful ability is usually attributed to capable practitioners of the Dark Side. How exactly was Rey able to do it in Episode IX?

Writing a detailed analysis on some of the surprising twists and turns in The Rise of Skywalker, Screen Rant tries to understand how Rey is able to tap into the Dark Side and use Force lightning in the film.

In The Rise of Skywalker, there's a scene in the first act of the movie where Chewbacca is captured and taken aborad a transport on the planet of Pasaana. Rey tries to rescue her friend by moving the transport back down with the Force, however, she is interrupted by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). The struggle continues until Rey loses control and lets out a strong blast of Force Lightning, destroying the transport.

The entertainment news outlet tries to explain the Force Lightning in two ways. One is that Rey was able to tap into the Dark Side. Episode IX tries to deal with Rey's innate darkness, showing her the Dark Side version of herself.

Two, Rey is related to Palpatine, so she naturally has a strong connection to the Force. To most fans, the Force Lightning is a true indicator of her heritage.

What do you think? Is it because of Rey's heritage or Rey's struggle with the Dark Side? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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