At long last, Rey’s parents names are revealed to be Dathan and Miramir! The new Star Wars book, Shadow of the Sith is the source of this new information. It’s an important book for the Star Wars universe.
Moreover, Author Adam Christopher has finally written some more backstory for Rey’s parents. Fans read some of this in a new excerpt of the book provided to USA Today.
Here are five facts about Rey’s parents!
Dathan and Miramir make an interesting pormanteau
Fans were quick to notice that the ship name for Dathan and Miramir would be “Dathamir”. This would be supisciously similar to Dathomir, the planet of the Nightsisters and Nightbrothers.
Speaking of name meanings, Dathan is also a biblical name. Specifically, Dathan was someone who went against Moses in the Bible. It’s worth nothing that in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent film of Ten Commandments, Dathan seduces Moses’s sister Miriam. Miriam’s name is similar to Mirimar.
However, there really isn’t any clear thematic tie of the Biblical Dathan and Miriam to the Star Wars characters. I think it is likely a coincidence, despite Star Wars’s use of Biblical names and themes.
While Luke and Ezra’s names have allegorical ties that make sense, as does the framing of Boba Fett as Moses, there is little to tie Rey’s parents to these particular Biblical characters.
It’s worth pointing out, however.
Let’s get back to Dathomir and Dathamir. Is this just a funny play on words? Or does it have a deeper story meaning? Dathan’s origins are mostly clear. According to Rae Carson’s novelization of The Rise of Skywalker, Dathan is a strandcast of Palpatine.
A strandcast is our equivalent of a genetically modified embryo. In Dathan’s case, he was made from a clone of Palpatine, and had other DNA sources mixed in. This makes Dathan not a true clone, but made from one. In a sense, he is a “son” of Palpatine.
But it also tells us he is from Exegol.
So where is Miramir from?
Miramir is from the planet Hyperkarn
Right now, we don’t know where Hyperkarn, is in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. It is only described as a forested planet.
In the real world, “karn” is another spelling variant of “cairn”. A cairn is a pile of rocks, usually built as a memorial. Unfortunately, this doesn’t tell us very much about the planet, and nothing in the excerpt given to fans suggests it is rocky.
What we do learn about Hyperkarn, is that Mirimar and her grandmother both lived on the planet. In addition, Dathan remembers his time on Hyperkarn in terms of days. He remembers Jakku in terms of years.
This let’s us know Dathan did not spend much time on Hyperkarn with Mirimar before both left. Most likely, Dathan’s life began to be in danger at this time, and both he and his wife fled to protect her family.
Dathan considers neither Hyperkarn, nor Mirimar as home. He has bad memories of Exegol.
Mirimar has an aptitude for independent learning and ships
The entire excerpt from Shadow of the Sith is written from Dathan’s observations and point of view. He reflects on Mirimar’s ability to understand ships and fix them.
She is an excellent pilot, and is largely self-taught. This is a trait that is also seen with Rey. The book Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Rey’s Story, shows that Rey has taught herself to fly ships by manuals.
While Rey and her mother are largely self-taught in skills, they both share the desire and love of flight. But most importantly, they are self-motivated to teach themselves what they need, and adept learners.
It is also implied that her grandmother had the same skill. Some fans believe that Dathan’s musings on his wife and grandmother-in-law’s abilities suggests that the women are force sensitive. While it’s possible, character such as Han Solo are also great pilots.
Even so, it is possible the story is implying that Rey’s maternal life is force sensitive, and the “Dathamir” pormanteau could be a clue that perhaps the grandmother was a Nightsister. But this is some big speculation at this point.
Dathan seems puzzled that these women can do this on their own. This has implications for Dathan’s own character and personality.
Dathan’s personality is one of insecurity and inexperience
ince this excerpt if from Dathan’s point of view, fans can get an idea of his character. Dathan is eternally in awe of his wife, and seems like a bit of a himbo.
He doesn’t seem to have much faith in his own abilities, or to have many abilities. Afterall, Mirimar and her grandmother are hardly the only people who are self-taught or fly well. It’s certainly fantastic that Mirimar is good at machines, but it’s not unique.
Dathan even wonders if Mirimar’s great ability to fly is genetic, which is an odd thing for him to emphasize, until you remember that the people who made him are obsessed with genetics.
Which could indicate that Dathan has internalized much of Palpatine’s disdain for him, as well as Palpatine’s foolhardy beliefs in blood lines. (For more on this, check out my post on Shadow of the Sith).
Dathan also blames himself for his family’s constant need to flee from “hunters”. On a positive note, Dathan very much loves his wife and daughter Rey. He certainly didn’t get his father’s tendency to treat family as tools.
Rey’s parents are fleeing in a stolen ship
According to the excerpt, the ship Mirimar selected for the family to escape is stolen from Unkar Plutt. This is certainly likely to have consequences for the characters.
The excerpt ends with three ships accosting Rey’s family. We don’t yet know if these hunters are Ochi and Bestoon, acolytes, or Plutt’s enforcers.
However, the fact the ship is Unkar Plutt’s could provide answers and context to how Rey was sold into slavery to Plutt.
Many viewers were baffled that Rey’s parents sold their daughter. After all, it Dathan and Miramir had simply left her behind, this would have made sense. It’s a common trope in stories to leave children behind for safety as the parents sacrifice themselves.
But the Rise of Skywalker does not negate that Dathan and Miramir sold Rey. Kylo Ren never lies to Rey, only points out her own memories.
Why would Rey have a memory specifically of being sold?
I think this new detail of the stolen ship may provide context. We already know in Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization that Plutt pursued Rey after the Falcon was stolen. This scene was based on a deleted scene from the film.
Plutt will pursue those that take his ships. It is possible that Rey misunderstands or misremembers the context of her selling. It may be that Plutt sees himself as buying Rey in recompense for the ship, or for his silence to the Acolytes and Ochi.
All of this will be revealed in Adam Christopher’s Secret of the Sith. You can order it here!