A theory on why Solo’s Enfys Nest could be the daughter of [spoiler]

Despite being a prequel and a spinoff story, Solo: A Star Wars Story spends quite a bit of time setting up potential sequels. Most of the original-trilogy callbacks are pretty obvious, but there are a few subtle nods to the unique directions the story would go if a sequel ever happens. (Based on the box office returns, don’t hold your breath.)

[Warning: the rest of this post contains major spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story]

It seems pretty clear that Han would make a fateful trip to Tatooine to meet with Jabba the Hutt, and clearly Emila Clarke’s Qi’ra running a crime ring would play a large part.

But here’s an out-there theory that had us thinking:

The marauder Enfys Nest, one of the brand-new characters introduced in Solo, spends most of the film wearing a mask, heavy armor and using a voice modulator. Near the end of the film, she’s revealed to be a young woman on a mission of rebellion.

We know that she’s had a rough life. Her peaceful planet was ransacked by Crimson Dawn, which returned again and again until the inhabitants, including her mother, fought back. In retaliation, Crimson Dawn cut out the tongue of every man, woman and child on the planet.

Nest clearly has a lot of admiration for her mother, but it does seem odd that she never mentions her father. Here’s where things get interesting from where I’m sitting.

In my mind there are three clues to indicate that, wait for it, DARTH MAUL IS HER FATHER.

Ridiculous? Stick with me.

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DARTH MAUL IS DAD CLUE #1

We first see Enfys swooping in to spoil Beckett’s hyperfuel heist plans. She arrives on her speeder and lands on the speeding train, whipping out her weapon-of-choice, a large staff that she wields quite adeptly and acrobatically, using it to deflect attacks. (There is probably a formal Star Wars name for this type of weapon — I apologize in advance for describing it as “large staff.”)

Ring any bells? Her fighting style is actually pretty damn close to that of Darth Maul’s. Taken alone it’s far from conclusive, but it doesn’t seem like a stretch to think that he may have raised and/or trained her, given the amount of time Crimson Dawn spent on her planet.

DARTH MAUL IS DAD CLUE #2

In the same train heist scene we hear what will be known as Enfys Nest’s theme, called “Maurader’s Arrive,” on the Solo soundtrack.

This theme returns later in the movie when Solo and the gang run into Enfys on the refinery planet.

Let’s talk about Star Wars music for a second: There are very few instances of live choral performances in Star Wars scores. I count three: One was Rogue One’s “Hope” theme, one was “Battle of Heroes” from Revenge of the Sith, and the most famous instance of all was “Duel of the Fates” from Episode 1.

Seems weird to trot out such a major departure from the standard Star Wars score doctrine just for this random character. But when you factor Darth Maul being in this movie (and we actually hear a few brief bars from “Duel of the Fates” during his surprise cameo), it starts to feel like more than just a lark.

DARTH MAUL IS DAD CLUE #3

As you probably already know, parentage is very important in Star Wars. The core films are all about fathers and sons, brothers and sisters. Han Solo breaks from that, saying he never had much of a relationship with his father, but family themes are still very strong with the other characters. There’s a line about Han not knowing whether Chewie wants to save his family or his clan, to which Beckett responds, “What’s the difference?”

Then we have Enfys Nest. Solo emphasizes the story of her mother, but it does seem odd that her father is never mentioned. We’re not saying she’s Mon Mothma or anything, but when you consider Clues 1 and 2 alongside the idea that sequel hints are all about setting up inter-character dynamics, it seems like Enfys and Maul might have some unfinished business to take care of.

BEFORE YOU COMMENT...

Yes, we know that Darth Maul’s race is Zabrak, known for their red skin and head horns. Enfys most definitely does not look like a Zabrak. We don’t know enough about Star Wars breeding to confirm how the genetic allocation would work out, but arguably she could be half Zabrak, with her mother looking more like a traditional human. Or it may just be a matter of Maul kidnapping, raising and training her after the sacking of her planet. End result: she may have been raised by him, but she hates him. See also: Thanos v. Gamora.

And yes, we know that Darth Maul got cut in half above the waist and had his lower extremities replaced with robot parts, according to The Clone Wars cartoon. That would make literal parentage pretty tricky, but certainly doesn’t rule out forced adoption. Or may be he was a young dad. We’re prepared to learn the roundabout explanation.

We’re not saying this theory is a lock or anything, and we may never get our answer, given Solo’s disappointing returns. But we couldn’t help but consider this as a pretty cool possibility of what the future may hold — and it really beats debating Rey’s parentage.