Reylo.

There is no single word in the Star Wars fandom that’s more polarizing and divisive—even worse than “Maclunkey!”

"Reylo" is the shorthand nickname for the relationship between Daisy Ridley’s noble, identity-seeking hero, Rey, and Adam Driver’s volatile, power-hungry villain, Kylo Ren.

Some Star Wars fans see a love story in their conflict, hoping she’ll save the lost young man once known as Ben Solo from his darker impulses. Others find the notion repellent, seeing him as an abuser unworthy of redemption.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams described Kylo Ren and Rey as polarizing figures for each other. They are drawn to each other, their fates entwined, not because they are similar, but because they are such stark opposites.

“They’re stronger, but because each is stronger, so is their adversary,” Abrams said. The characters are “connected in this profound way, drawn to each other, curious about each other, knowledgeable about each other.”

“They also are, by definition, working on opposite sides of things,” he added. “And so the dichotomy of those characters is the thing that, for me, is most fascinating.”

In some ways they are testing their own values and beliefs against the other’s, trying to prove—if only to themselves—that they aren’t this appalling but powerful being they are repeatedly battling.

The journey of each character is also the journey of the performer.

“I look back at what Daisy did in The Force Awakens, and I thought her work was exceptional. She’s so damn talented,” Abrams said. “But I look at what she’s done in this film, and I’m so awestruck by her maturity and her nuance and the power that she brought to this part. As challenging as I knew this movie was going to be for me as a director, I also knew it was going to be extraordinarily challenging for her. And she exceeded my wildest dreams of what she might do.”

Rey and Kylo Ren face each other in the ruins of the fallen Death Star in The Rise of Skywalker. Courtesy of Lucasfilms.

The actors set the pace for each other. “Adam, as well, goes to a far deeper, more interesting, compelling, and subtle place with his character,” Abrams said. “When we met Kylo, he was almost like a bit of an adolescent. He would sort of rage. He aspired to a kind of power and control, but he was out of control.”