Rey, who had only as much time to contemplate justice as starvation allowed, still dreamed of the Resistance before it ever landed at her door. It's Ben who gets paranoid, kills his competition, changes his name, and flees to the fascists. Ben Solo grew up with a politician and was sent through the proper channels to get training for his abilities. Rey is a scrapper from a sandy nowhere, in dire straits until a high-stakes emergency intervenes, and strong enough in the Force to make everybody nervous.
One shadow looms over the new trilogy: Anakin and Padmé's impossible love story echoes through their grandson Ben, whose obsession (at first antagonistic, later mutual) with Rey reshuffles half a dozen facets of the first star-crossed love story.
And Padmé casts long shadows over the canon. (Willrow Hood's ice cream maker is still poised for a more satisfying narrative than Padmé.) If there's one franchise that knows the value of ghosts, it's Star Wars. Amid the things that can't be undone, there are endless Star Wars stories.
