With The Rise of Skywalker edging ever closer to exploding on cinema screens everywhere, fan theories abound as to how exactly director J.J. Abrams will wrap up the decade-spanning saga, and give audiences a satisfying conclusion. Well, one fan over at New Rockstars has quite the conspiracy in mind, speculating that our Jedi hero Rey is, in fact, trapped in a time loop.

Before the release of 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fan's were going berserk over Rey's parents, with some suggesting she must be the daughter of Luke Skywalker, and others the granddaughter of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Of course, all of these turned out to be false, with conflicted antagonist, Kylo Ren, coldly informing Rey that her parents were, wait for it, nobodies. Though some fans came away happy that Rey had not been tied into another surprise familial reveal, others found the conclusion rather anticlimactic.

The theory from New Rockstars could very well assuage the disappointment of some Star Wars fans (while no doubt infuriating other) as it suggests that The Rise of Skywalker will be introducing time travel to Star Wars in order to give Rey the dramatic ending she so richly deserves. The theory goes on to explain that The Rise of Skywalker actually refers to the birth of Anakin Skywalker and that Rey and Anakin's mother Shmi are, brace yourselves, the same person.

It may sound completely off-the-wall insane, but there is some basis for this time-hopping idea, as New Rockstar's Marina Mastros goes on to explain. It may surprise you to learn that time travel is already well established in the Star Wars universe, having been introduced on screen in the animated series, Star Wars: Rebels, sending one of the main characters, Ezra, through space and time and even allowing him to save someone from being killed by Darth Vader in the past. Emperor Palpatine, who as we all know is returning in The Rise of Skywalker is well aware of time travel, and the theory goes on to propose that the divine purpose that Palpatine has in store for Rey is waiting for her to be trained in the Jedi arts, take her back through time, and then manipulate the Midichlorians to impregnate her with Anakin Skywalker like the creepy old dude that he is.

Is the theory totally convoluted and near-impossible to communicate to a mainstream audience? Probably. Is it the kind of thing that director J.J. Abrams would do? Quite possibly.

Relying on time travel to conclude The Rise of Skywalker and therefore the entire 9 movie Star Wars saga will unquestionably infuriate a section of Star Wars fans, but it is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. The inclusion of time travel would allow Abrams to crank up the nostalgia, as well as celebrate the Star Wars films that have gone before in a move akin to another franchise finale, Avengers: Endgame.

The theory is certainly an interesting one, but we will all have to wait to see how well The Rise of Skywalker sticks the landing when it is released worldwide on December 19th. This latest fan theory comes to us from New Rockstars.