If my muses will cooperate, I can write you some lullaby lyrics... but they aren't the most helpful these days. We'll see.

Options for discovering the lullaby words:
--Recording of mother singing to her child (especially if this is coupled with some dramatic "oh no, they're coming!" interference, which helps hiding from the PCs the fact that the lullaby is a clue)
--Finding a copy of the notes and words written down. (This is not a particlarly dramatic way of doing it, however, and it proves to the PCs that it's a clue. In short, this is telling rather than showing)
--Strategic flashbacks, similar to how you "train" and get backstory in Jedi: Fallen Order . (This is a bit of a cop-out, BUT it is also an established trope in Star Wars at this point, so... why not?)
--Meeting a neighbor/relative back at the olde homestead who sings the same lullaby to their grandchildren.

So, looking around on my 'puter I found that I've already written a lullaby for another project. I tweaked it a little to fit Star Wars/Jedi themes and tropes, and perhaps this will work for you? I have no tune for the song, however.

MOMMY IS HERE (tm)
Hush little baby, mommy is here.
No need to cry, no need to fear.
Mommy lights the darkness, dear.
Hush little baby, mommy is here.

Hush little baby, poppy is near.
No need to cry, no need to fear.
Poppy is out slaying monsters, dear.
Hush little baby, poppy is near.

Hush little baby, you are here.
No need to cry, no need to fear.
Will you grow good or evil, dear?
Hush little baby, you are hear.

Hush little baby, mommy is here.
No need to cry, no need to fear.
Mommy lights the darkness, dear.
Hush little baby, mommy is here.

40 minutes ago, angelman2 said:

If my muses will cooperate, I can write you some lullaby lyrics

Same. I'll throw something together later. @angelman2 @P-47 Thunderbolt shall we collaborate via DMs?

Rock-a-bye Jedi. Fighting the Sith.

Perhaps a human, maybe a bith.

With their lightsabers, red, green and blue.

Daddy will sing, may the Force be with you.

I'll leave it to you to guess which tune I sing this text to for my own little son here. He loves it. 😇 Mommy is less thrilled by it. 😈

On a more serious note (unless you want to consider the above serious, as I find it both effective and hillarious in real life at the same time), this does show that you might adapt just about every lullaby song with Star Wars related text. You might even slow down existing Star Wars songs like Lapti Nek or its special edition replacement Goo-Ni-Tay.

As for other parts of your interesting conundrum...

Opening the holocron - the fact that it opens through the necklace specifically belonging to the player character (daughter) is a double edged sword. Basically it means that the holocron would automatically assume the one opening it to be the daughter, in as much as the gatekeeper being able to have that knowledge imparted. Either that, or just about any dolt that was able to snag that amulet from the daughter could open the holocron, making the means of identification moot. So the mother should have been quite capable to see the future and trust in the Force (both not unheard of among the Jedi, by the way) to build in, and rely upon, such a means of opening and identifying the holocron.

Layered security - So, accepting that everybody might be able to open the holocron because of the necklace or amulet, we may asume the Gatekeeper to want more proof of the opening character to actually be the daughter. The Gatekeeper might start to sing an old lullaby, just the first couple of notes, when the holocron activates, a sort of main theme or simply a jingle. Whoever finishes the song is considered to be the daughter (in the assumption only the daughter would know the song). Again, double edged, as perhaps thedaughter really is the only one that knows the (custom?) song. And if the song is as ubiquitous and ever-present as the Imperial March (which has even been canonized as an existing musical number in the universe in Solo, a Star Wars Story), any one can enter the deeper layers of the holocron knowledge.

Maybe a different approach? The Gatekeeper is pre-programmed with the knowledge that there is a daughter. Once a female character speaks a certain word ("mother", "family", "related", etc.) one of the lower surfaces of the holocron opens, and a small pin-prick needle appears, with a blood sampling and analysis device. Not unheard of, as we all know Qui-Gon Jinn had a blood sampling device on him all the time, and it could even count midi-chlorians (again, whether popular or not, canonized in The Phantom Menace, and therefor useable). The analysis device might determine (at least 50%?) genetic similarity, enough to determine a mother-daughter relationship. That could open up the internal database that has all manner of personal notes, stories, a diary of sorts, the personal stuff a mother would want to impart on a daughter.

Holocron limits and A.I. - Frag 'em. It does what you want it to do. If you think the mother (or the one building it at the least) was such a master artisan as to imbue the holocron with an A.I.-like consciousness, then she did. She put her knowledge, and a semblance of her personality in the holocron, and the daughter has a technological 'copy' of her mother, up to a certain point (the point where the holocron was finished and no new memories, messages, lessons, and what not were added anymore). Don't doubt whether or not this would be possible in (nineteenseventees) Star Wars tech where a supercomputer the size of a building was actually less capable than my current smartphone. We're talking about a setting with space wizards wielding frozen lightbeams cutting through space ship bulkheads.

If you choose to go the other route, that's fine too. The holocron might just be a simple device with holographic recordings of lessons. And with a layer of security it might only provide basic lessons to the one who was able to open it, and more to the one capable of finding the deeper layers through a password (pass-song?) or a blood relative test. However, more simplicity also means less likely to have a full A.I., and therefor only recognizing blood relatives through mechanical means (voice recognition, blood test). This would lower the actual interaction between the daughter and the (pre-programmed image of the) mother. Think of Will Smith in I, Robot. The hologram of the old and now dead cyberneticist stating "I was not programmed with the answer to that question". (Or something like that, don't quote me on it.)

5 minutes ago, Xcapobl said:

Think of Will Smith in I, Robot. The hologram of the old and now dead cyberneticist stating "I was not programmed with the answer to that question".

This was exactly where my mind went at first.

8 minutes ago, Xcapobl said:

We're talking about a setting with space wizards wielding frozen lightbeams cutting through space ship bulkheads.

Highly advanced yet dirty, clunky tech is what makes the SW universe for me. Apple devices can go and live in the Star Trek universe where everything is shiny. When i was running EotE campaigns, I would always tell new players to "Think Firefly, but with very rare magic". Find a ship, find a crew, keep flyin'... and maybe do magic.

But that's one for another thread...

1 hour ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Same. I'll throw something together later. @angelman2 @P-47 Thunderbolt shall we collaborate via DMs?

I'm a dinosaur and haven't the foggiest idea what DMs is...

(I'm also super busy with a gazillion projects going on so it's unlikely I'll have the time for any serious committment at this time)

Edit: I was just informed that that DM means Direct Message. I have been schooled! 🤣

3 hours ago, angelman2 said:

I have no tune for the song, however.

Well, I AIN'T SINGING.

No tune is fine.

I haven't settled on anything yet, but I did discover an Alderaanian lullaby that has some interesting points to it that I think would fit well thematically. Perhaps we can use this as inspiration?

I think we may as well discuss it here, might prove useful to others. (Or do it through PMs to avoid clutter and then post the finished product here)

2 minutes ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

but I did discover an Alderaanian lullaby that has some interesting points to it that I think would fit well thematically

Great find! That is actually perfect. If fits with the idea that the lullaby is no longer commonly known, as well as introducing the less-than-savvy characters to the whole "Look what they did! The Empire is evil!" thing.

You could play on the lyrics that the holocron has to be opened in the light of a full moon too, but that may be going too far.

Just now, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Great find! That is actually perfect. If fits with the idea that the lullaby is no longer commonly known, as well as introducing the less-than-savvy characters to the whole "Look what they did! The Empire is evil!" thing.

You could play on the lyrics that the holocron has to be opened in the light of a full moon too, but that may be going too far.

Lots and lots of scanning the Songs category on Woookieepedia. I do that sort of thing a lot.

That would be a bit far. I am also hamstrung again in that Alderaan hasn't gone Kablooie! yet. Skye's only 19, so it's still a couple years shy of that mark. However, if I take it verbatim the connection to Alderaan later on might be significant, depending on how we handle time.

By the way, I haven't given a ton of thought to a pseudonym real name for Skye's mother, but I was thinking perhaps her last name should be Walker.

4 hours ago, angelman2 said:

Options for discovering the lullaby words:
--Recording of mother singing to her child (especially if this is coupled with some dramatic "oh no, they're coming!" interference, which helps hiding from the PCs the fact that the lullaby is a clue)
--Finding a copy of the notes and words written down. (This is not a particlarly dramatic way of doing it, however, and it proves to the PCs that it's a clue. In short, this is telling rather than showing)
--Strategic flashbacks, similar to how you "train" and get backstory in Jedi: Fallen Order . (This is a bit of a cop-out, BUT it is also an established trope in Star Wars at this point, so... why not?)
--Meeting a neighbor/relative back at the olde homestead who sings the same lullaby to their grandchildren.

I think strategic flashbacks would work best for prodding the PC in that direction, then either having some sort of Force/Discipline/Meditation check to recover more details, or happening across someone who is playing the song on an instrument like @SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics suggested earlier.

3 hours ago, Xcapobl said:

I'll leave it to you to guess which tune I sing this text to for my own little son here. He loves it. 😇 Mommy is less thrilled by it. 😈

That's hilarious. I'll have to remember that someday on the off-chance I ever find a nice female P-47 and have a baby A-10.

Ideally would steer away from overt Jedi references unless a tweak to an existing song, because Jedi typically weren't parents.

Thanks for the other suggestions @Xcapobl , lot to keep in mind.

6 minutes ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

That would be a bit far. I am also hamstrung again in that Alderaan hasn't gone Kablooie! yet. Skye's only 19, so it's still a couple years shy of that mark.

Well, Luke was 19 when Alderaan was noped out of existence, so it's plausible that it may only just have happened.

Edit: Unless her brother is younger than her, in which case yeah, your hands are tied.

Edit 2: Just remembered he's adopted. Ignore me.

1 minute ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Well, Luke was 19 when Alderaan was noped out of existence, so it's plausible that it may only just have happened.

She was born just before the Clone Wars though.

Her brother is older, but that still doesn't change anything

1 minute ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

I think strategic flashbacks would work best for prodding the PC in that direction, then either having some sort of Force/Discipline/Meditation check to recover more details, or happening across someone who is playing the song on an instrument like @SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics suggested earlier.

Ideally would steer away from overt Jedi references unless a tweak to an existing song, because Jedi typically weren't parents.

Hey...

What if we changed the words to Mirrorbright from moon to holocron? Not sure how to do that and we'd have to be less overt than "holocron" (particularly as it doesn't really fit the flow), but then it serves as something of a subtle reminder to her daughter about the existence of the holocron. It also ends up being pretty literal.

Mirrorbright, shines the Holocron , its glow as soft as an ember
When the Holocron is mirrorbright, take this time to remember
Those you have loved but are gone
Those who kept you so safe and warm
The mirrorbright Holocron lets you see
Those who have ceased to be
Mirrorbright shines the Holocron , as fires die to their embers
Those you loved are with you still—
The Holocron will help you remember

^Just to give you an idea what it would look like. Still need a better word than "holocron" though. Perhaps also change "mirrorbright."

2 minutes ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

What if we changed the words to Mirrorbright from moon to holocron

I kind of don't want to remove the imagery of "mirrorbright shines the... THAT'S NO MOON!" because the idea of someone singing this to their child while the death star obliterates Alderaan is the kind of sad, heart-wrenching thing I like to spring on my players.

1 minute ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

I kind of don't want to remove the imagery of "mirrorbright shines the... THAT'S NO MOON!" because the idea of someone singing this to their child while the death star obliterates Alderaan is the kind of sad, heart-wrenching thing I like to spring on my players.

The song would stay the same, and those're the words that she would first relearn. I was just thinking it would have been adapted by Skye's mother to make it unique.

Mirrorbright shines the cube ? only thing I can think of that would fit...

Just now, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Mirrorbright shines the cube ? only thing I can think of that would fit...

Were there any slang terms for Holocrons?

Thinking like "rock" "stone" etc. Sorta like diamonds.

17 minutes ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

Thinking like "rock" "stone" etc. Sorta like diamonds

well, you could just say 'gem', given that her shard of kyber unlocks the holocron... and perhaps the song is talking about helping the holocron guardian to remember... but there doesn't appear to be any slang term used for a Holocron. The jedi and any collectors seemed to have enough reverence to refer to it by full name whenever they were talking about one. I can't recall a different word other than 'Archive' being used in any EU lore either.

2 minutes ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

well, you could just say 'gem', given that her shard of kyber unlocks the holocron... and perhaps the song is talking about helping the holocron guardian to remember... but there doesn't appear to be any slang term used for a Holocron. The jedi and any collectors seemed to have enough reverence to refer to it by full name whenever they were talking about one. I can't recall a different word other than 'Archive' being used in any EU lore either.

I like gem, that fits well. Unless someone has anything better to suggest, I think that's what I'll go with.

I think this will work very well. Thank you!

1 hour ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Mirrorbright shines the cube ? only thing I can think of that would fit...

Aaaaaaand my mind went straight to Hellraiser 😈

"Gem" as a poetic synonym for holocron is perfect, however.

I had totally forgotten about the Mirrorbright-song! I read Bloodline earlier this year, but totally forgot about this song and plot point. It is worth noting that the song is older than the destruction of Alderaan; Alderaan didn't have a moon and the song referenced some other world, IIRC, but Leia mused that the children of Alderaan must have thought of Mirrorbright when DS-I appeared in their sky... or something like that (my memory is poop). So, there is no timeline conflict as the song might be centuries old.

3 minutes ago, angelman2 said:

I had totally forgotten about the Mirrorbright-song! I read Bloodline earlier this year, but totally forgot about this song and plot point. It is worth noting that the song is older than the destruction of Alderaan; Alderaan didn't have a moon and the song referenced some other world, IIRC, but Leia mused that the children of Alderaan must have thought of Mirrorbright when DS-I appeared in their sky... or something like that (my memory is poop). So, there is no timeline conflict as the song might be centuries old.

Yeah, saw that in the Wookieepedia article. Your memory is pretty much correct.

Current plan:

• Skye's mother built the holocron while she was pregnant, and was unable to finish the process/update it because of the Clone Wars.
• She built it to teach her daughter if anything were to happen to prevent her from teaching Skye herself.
• Opening the Holocron requires a Hard Knowledge (Lore) check, which will result in using the necklace as the key. (Should I waive/change the check?)
• The gatekeeper introduces herself with her real name, which Skye does not recognize. (The problem here is picking a name I like more than the one I already have...)
• The gatekeeper doesn't recognize Skye as her daughter because that information is locked.
• The holocron's hologram is not functioning well, and does not present a decipherable image, so the PC's do not recognize her as Skye's mother.
• The adapted "Mirrorbright" song Skye's mother used as a lullaby will trigger the gatekeeper to think Skye might be the daughter.

Discovering the song:

1. While meditating/sleeping/etc. Skye has a memory of the lullaby her mother sang to her, but she can't remember the words.
2. She comes across a performer of some sort playing the same tune. Through whatever means, she gets the performer to enlighten her as to the words.
3. The words still don't seem right. Something just feels off about them. Then while meditating/sleeping/etc. (possibly requiring a check) she remembers her mother's version.
4. The holocron hears her singing the lullaby and "wakes up," triggered to think this may be her daughter. With further confirmation through RP, the holocron fully opens.

Anything I missed? Anything I should add?

Mirrorbright, shines the gem, its glow as soft as an ember
When the gem is mirrorbright, take this time to remember
Those you have loved but are gone
Those who kept you so safe and warm
The mirrorbright gem lets you see
Those who have ceased to be
Mirrorbright shines the gem, as fires die to their embers
Those you loved are with you still—
The gem will help you remember

-Modified Alderaanian lullaby

5 minutes ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

Anything I missed? Anything I should add?

Her brother probably needs a plot that ties in somehow 😅

I think that's gonna be great, and hope your players love it. Thanks for sharing.

Just now, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Her brother probably needs a plot that ties in somehow 😅

Yeah, I'm thinking that he'll be more tied in to the mechanical side of things before the holocron is fully unlocked. As someone who was born and raised on a backwater by his biological parents, who were born and raised on a backwater, he doesn't have very many plot hooks in his backstory.

1 minute ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

I think that's gonna be great, and hope your players love it. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! And you're welcome, glad you enjoyed it and could help me.

Thanks for the help guys!