Science-Fiction Weekly – God Of War's Star Wars Roots, A New Theory About Rey's Parents

If someone asked you where the inspiration for the newly announced God of War game comes from, most of you would probably say The Last of Us .

. The connection between Kratosand his son echoes that of Joelteaching Elliehow to survive in a harsh world. Odds are developer Sony Santa Monica is drawing heavily from The Last of Us, but Cory Barlog, the game's creative director, says that the inspiration for a more humanized version of Kratos comes from a canceled Star Wars television show.

In an interview with Venture Beat, Barlog, who worked at LucasArts for a brief time before God of War projects, says he was invited to Skywalker Ranch to read the scripts of the show. "It was the most mind-blowing thing I’d ever
experienced. I cared about the Emperor," he said. "They made the Emperora
sympathetic figure who was wronged by this f--king heartless woman.
She’s this hardcore gangster, and she just totally destroyed him as a
person. I almost cried while reading this.”

A television show that focused on the Emperor? My initial reaction was "that would be awesome," but after much thought, I'm glad George Lucas and his team at Lucasfilm didn't move forward with the project. Some characters are better left in the shadows. We don't need to know everything about every major character. Sheev Palpatine(yes, that's his real name) is one of them. The funny thing, through Barlog's inspiration, I suppose we'll learn a little bit more about the Emperor as we see Kratos' new life unfold.

In other Star Wars television news, if you didn't watch Star Wars Rebels as it aired, the second season hits Blu-Ray and DVD on August 30. Along with all 22 episodes, these discs include a number of bonus features, including a video feature called "From Apprentice to Adversary," in which executive producer Dave Filoni dissects season two's big finale.

In a less serious part of the Star Wars universe, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures kicked off its first season on Disney XD and video-on-demand services yesterday, and I absolutely adored it. Disney is airing a new episode every day up until June 23.

Before I dive into a new theory about Rey's parents, let's leap to another universe to talk about Star Trek. One of the most unexpected surprises at this year's E3 was Red Storm and Ubisoft's Star Trek: Bridge Crew, a virtual reality game that places you on the bridge of the U.S.S. Aegis (NX-1787) with three other players. This is a cooperative experience that demands teamwork, as each player has a specified role on the ship. I was an engineer in my playthrough, tasked with routing power, activating the warp coils, and teleporting people onto the vessel. The only things I had to do were listen to the Captain, who is controlled by another player, and interact with just a handful of buttons on the terminal in front of me. It sounds simple, and it is, but once the action starts, and the Captainbarks out commands to other players in helm and tactical, the experience turns surprisingly intense. Every second matters on the Aegis. Andy McNamara (who was piloting our ship as a helm officer) and I managed to keep the Aegis intact and transport every civilian aboard successfully. Ubisoft said it was one of the cleanest playthroughs they've seen, even after I asked the Captainif I could transport Andy to a nearby asteroid. He said I couldn't, but thought it was a great idea and would bring it back to the development team.

And now it's time to flash the SPOILER alert. If you haven't seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet (who are you?), turn back now. Additionally, if you don't want to know anything about Star Wars: Episode VIII, stop reading.

The next rumor to surface is supposedly from a script leak. I wouldn't put too much stock into it, as we see fake leads like this all of the time, but this one opens up a different line of thinking than I think most people have had when trying to figure out who Rey's parents are. The safe bet I hear the most (one that I believe to be true) is Luke Skywalkeris Rey's father. Given just how powerful with the Force Reyappears to be, I suspect her mother is an equally powerful Jedi. I'd love it to be Mara Jade, but I doubt Disney opens up the Expanded Universe that much with the new canon in place.

I've also heard that people think Rey may be a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi, perhaps his granddaughter. I like this idea too, but I don't think Obi-Wan (or his family) will be a part of this trilogy. A few people out there also think Rey is the daughter of Han and Leia. If you're not laughing at this idea, you should be. It's absurd. No chance this happens. I'd put money on Jar Jar Binks being the dad over Han Solo.

The newest rumorsuggests that Rey may be related to the first of the Jedi. That's why she commandsthe Force so easily. The supposed leaked script says that the Force was contained in a single tree and was eventually freed and spread throughout the universe by a brother and sister. The boy was consumed by the tree's dark energy. The girl came from the light. Rey could be the reincarnated version of that girl. "The One" that the Jedi have been looking for.

The idea is a little silly, and the writing in the scriptisn't great, but I do like the idea of Rey potentially having old Jedi blood coursing through her veins. It makes me think Snoke could be from a similar era. Theorize away, people. Let me know who you think Rey's parents are in the comments below. I still stand with Lukebeing daddy, but I do like the old blood angle too.

See you again in seven days!