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Forgive me. I feel it again... the call from the light. The Supreme Leader senses it. Show me again, the power of the darkness, and I'll let nothing stand in our way. Show me, Grandfather, and I will finish what you started.” ―Kylo Ren to Darth Vader's melted mask[src]



Ben Solo, formerly known as Kylo Ren, was a leading member (later the Supreme Leader) of the First Order, the Master of Knights of Ren. He serves as the main antagonist of the first two installments of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and the central antagonist-turned-deuteragonist of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Ben is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, the nephew of Luke Skywalker, and the grandson of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Padmé Amidala. He also was the apprentice of Snoke, and the sometimes rival of Armitage Hux. Throughout the sequel installments, he develops an intimate and intricate relationship with the protagonist Rey, later revealed to form a dyad in the Force with him.

In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, his parents' and Rey's love and forgiveness bring him back to the light, and he fights beside Rey in the final battle against Palpatine.

Ben wields a unique crossguard lightsaber that he constructed himself; until he decides to come back to the light side and redeem himself.

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Background

Biography

Born as Ben Solo to Han Solo and Leia Organa, his first name was chosen by his father as a homage to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He grew up in the middle of his parent's clustered lives. Leia was unable to spend as much time with her son as possible, as she was assigned to the position as a senator of the New Republic, while Han was unable to stay in one place for very long.

When Ben was ten years old, he was sent to study alongside other Jedi students, being instructed, and led by his maternal uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Around this time, he was already struggling with his inner darkness as an enigmatic individual named Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, preyed on Ben's internal conflict whispering in his mind to gain his trust while corrupting him. Unknow to him, Snoke was actually created by Palpatine to cause his fall to the dark side.

Luke trained his nephew in the Force and Ben also accompanied him during his recon missions. During one of his travels with his uncle and Lor San Tekka, he met for the first time the Knights of Ren. The leader of the knights called "Ren" showed interest in Ben upon sensing the darkness inside him. Ren invited Ben to join the group if he wanted one day.

Ben grew up hearing stories about his maternal grandfather, as he came to admire and revere his grandfather's power, but he also came to fear that he may never be as powerful as the Chosen One. However, he was unaware that Anakin was once the ruthless Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

At the age of nineteen, Ben finally learned the truth about his maternal grandfather, when Senator Carise Sindian publicly revealed that Anakin and Vader were one-and-the-same. The revelation left Ben bitter and angry towards his parents when he learned they withheld the truth from him for so long; this discovery likely also caused him to struggle more with his internal conflict. Not long after, he started to admire and revere more of his grandfather's dark aspects than his light aspects.

Ben ultimately fell to the dark side when he discovered his uncle Luke was tempted to kill him, because his master was afraid of his stronger connection to the dark side of the Force. Unbeknownst to Ben, Luke reconsidered his contemplation at that moment, and was plagued with guilt and shame of nearly going through with it. Upon seeing his uncle with the activated saber looming over him while he was sleeping, Ben felt betrayed, he attempted to defend himself by calling his own lightsaber and collapsing the hut. After leaving Luke buried beneath the wreckage, Ben witnessed a storm forming above Luke's Jedi Temple and a lighting coming from the clouds that ignited the Temple on fire, causing the death of most of Luke's apprentices.

Ben fled the Temple's destruction and sought Snoke as he was not able to trust anyone else after his family abandoned and betrayed him. He decided to serve Snoke and turn to the dark side to figure out his own identity. Ben recalled the offer of the leader of the Knights of Ren from years before and searched for the knights intending to join them. Along the way, he was confronted by the three of Luke's students (Voe, Hennix and Tai) that survived the Temple destruction because they were away on a mission. He battled his former fellow Jedi that wanted to avenge their master, and Ben unitentionally kills one of them when he uses the Force to push the lightsaber that Hennix threw at his direction. Ben runs from the other apprentices and reunites with the Knights of Ren.

Ren explains to Ben that the condition to join the knights is to execute a "good death", so unintentional kills do not count. When Voe and Tai find Ben with the knights, Ren senses Ben's hesitation to kill Tai, the student that was closest to him at the academy. Ren murders Tai in front of Ben, which infuriates Ben and he ends up killing Ren as retribution. With their leader dead, the other knights kneel to Ben, accepting him as their new master. Not wanting to deviate anymore from the dark path that he chose, Ben kills Voe, the last of Luke's students.

Ben then took on the name Kylo Ren as his new identity and went on to terrorize the galaxy as a warlord of the First Order. Meanwhile, uncle managed to survive and escape the destruction of his Jedi Temple. The loss of his students greatly delayed Luke's plan to restore the Jedi Order to its former glory, and left Ben's uncle despondent for failing with his aprendices and his nephew, so Luke decides to exile himself to die. After Luke disappeared, Ben led the First Order against the Resistance while searching across the galaxy to find his uncle.

Personality

In Ren's youth, as Ben Solo, Ben was unaware of his true heritage but suffered from issues of abandonment due to the struggles his parents had with their lives. He admired the power of his maternal grandfather Anakin Skywalker, but particularly in his Darth Vader incarnation. Because of this, Ben struggled with his inner darkness due to this obsession.

As Kylo Ren, Ren is ruthless, merciless, brutal and confident, but appears to carry at least some guilt and remorse for his actions, and as such, he is short-tempered, hot-headed, and is torn by internal conflict much like his maternal grandfather Anakin Skywalker. However, unlike his maternal grandfather, Ren is far less able to control his temper and emotions, as well as the fact that he is far less level-headed and far more prone to bouts of rage. To establish his rejection of his past life, Ren serves the First Order with great passion towards its leader and his master Snoke.

Ren carries on his attachment to Vader into adulthood, where he will stop at nothing to uphold the Sith Lord's legacy by destroying all the Jedi. He is also quite cruel and brutal, as he is willing to attack and threaten his officers if angered, leading to them and any nearby troops avoiding him when they see him enraged, and keeping a table of ashes made from the remains of his enemies, upon which he would often place the burned helmet of his grandfather. Even if he doesn't need a helmet as an apparatus to survive as Vader did, he still uses one not only to hide his insecurities and to intimidate his enemies, but also to emulate his grandfather.

Ren is not without fear; he is afraid that he will never become as powerful as his maternal grandfather, Darth Vader and fears whatever hold the light side has on him, however, unlike Vader, Ren finds conflict with these traits, especially towards the idea of family, being seen as a focal point between the heritage of both the light and the dark also furthered his inner conflict, despite this, Ren chooses to believe that Vader's sentimentality was the weakness that led to the fall of the Empire. Feeling this care is what holds him back, Ren believes that to be greater than Vader - to embrace the dark side - is to finally abandon the light side.

However, later Ren's internal conflict is severely aggravated after the death of his father, Han Solo, by his own hands. Ren being taken by depression and loneliness is what allows Rey to approach him through their bond showing her compassion. In return, Ren also starts to feel empathy and genuine fondness towards her, showing her a vulnerable and endearing side of him unknown to most. They eventually fall for each other, and later her love is one of the key things that encourages him to leave his Kylo Ren persona behind. Ultimately, Ben acts moved only by genuine love and selflessness when he decides to give his whole self to Rey, sacrificing everything in order to bring the woman he loves back to life.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Power of the Force: As a member of the Skywalker bloodline, Ben is very powerful and has a very strong connection to the Force. As his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, thus; the most powerful Jedi, and overall the most powerful Force-user in the history of the galaxy, Ben was born with the potential to become stronger than any Force-user that ever existed. He was initially trained in the ways of the light side of the force by his uncle, Luke Skywalker, and then the ways of the dark side of the force by Snoke. According to Snoke; in time, Ben would grow stronger with the dark side of the force; as his force powers are rivaled only by Rey; but also possibly by his grandfather, Anakin, possibly by his uncle, Luke, and possibly by his mother, Leia Organa, at their peaks. Together, Ben and Rey form the prophesied Force dyad, two that are one in the Force with the power of life itself. Telekinesis: Ben utilizes Telekinesis for combative and utilitarian purposes, allowing him to freeze, and otherwise influence the movement of a targeted object or person. The raw power of his connection to the Force also made him strong enough to collapse an entire hut down on his then-mentor, Luke Skywalker, knocking him unconscious, while both locking lightsaber blades with him and protecting himself from being harmed. By the time his rule over the First Order began, he was capable of affecting targets from several planets away as long as he knew where they were and could see them through a video screen or a hologram. He demonstrated this on Agent Tierny and Commander Pyre simultaneously, controlling their motor functions like puppets and forcing them to aim their weapons at each other. Additionally, he could use his telekinetic power on himself to resist outside forces, as he did when the Millennium Falcon's engines were used to blast an entire hangar of First Order troopers away, anchoring himself to the floor with sheer conscious effort. Despite Ben's great power in the force, he found himself being matched in power to Rey. She was able to overpower him once, during an event in which Anakin's lightsaber was calling to her, allowing her to pry the lightsaber out of his own telekinetic grip when he tried to summon it to his hand, causing it to fly past Ben into Rey's hand instead. However, as the two grew to their peak potential with the force, their powers were proven to be evenly matched, exemplified by their attempts to pull the Skywalker lightsaber away from the other causing the lightsaber to tear in half and release a blast of energy that knocked them both out. Similarly, both of them were strong enough to telekinetically grip a medium sized starship, a prison transport, with each of them tugging the ship towards themselves. Force Push: Ben utilizes Force Push to send his opponents flying through the air, causing them serious injury or temporarily incapacitating them/knocked them unconscious. He notably was able to knock Rey out by flinging her off the ground and into a tree as she was drawing a weapon on him, presumably since he may have been too injured to focus his power to restrain her instead. Force Pull: Ben utilizes Force Pull to pull his opponents or objects towards him, enough that he can hold individuals up with one hand while still pulling them with the force. He notably dragged Dopheld Mitaka by the neck to his hand, as well as to hold him up with one hand while still pulling him with the force. Force Throw: Ben utilizes Force Throw to cause objects, and even individuals, to be hurled toward a target at an astounding velocity. While being confronted by Jedi apprentices in the ruins of his uncle's temple, he used his power to levitate multiple pieces of debris and hurling them at the three students, injuring one of them in the process. Force Choke: Like Ben's grandfather, Anakin, who was one of the most powerful dark side Force-user's in the history of the galaxy, Ben has the power to use the Force to constrict the organs of living organisms in order to suffocate and kill them. By the time of his ascension to Supreme Leader, he was able to throttle his target through a hologram from several planets away, a feat similar to the capabilities of Darth Vader. He demonstrated this with Agent Tierny due to her failures, fatally throttling her. Force Grip: Ben utilizes Force Grip to lift his opponents off the ground and into the air, sometimes by the neck, to immobilize them. His telekinetic grip also allowed him to pull individuals by the neck towards him without otherwise harming them. His abilities also allowed him to influence the movements of people, as he demonstrated on the like of Agent Tierny and Commander Pyre, but also on Rey, forcing her to aim her weapon at the ground while also freezing her in place. Additionally, after making an alliance with the Sith Eternal, Ben telekinetically grabbed the officer Domaric Quinn by the throat and violently pinned him to the ceiling. Force Stasis: Ben utilizes Force Stasis to slow down or completely halt the motion of a target, holding them in place with a paralyzing grip. This notably allowed him to suspend a blaster bolt that was fired at him in mid-air for over a minute and then release it after aiming it at a wall, while also being able to simultaneously immobilize Poe Dameron. He also used this ability to paralyze Rey when she was trying to shoot him at the first time they met in Takodana. Force Repulse: Ben utilizes Force Repulse to generate a telekinetic explosion that would blast away anything within the power's blast radius, allowing it to repel opponents and destroy obstacles. This power allowed him to destroy the dark side cave on Dagobah while inside it, specifically causing it to burst apart and almost explode, leaving a crater in its place. Force Barrier: Ben utilizes Force Barrier to create a barrier or wall of Force energy in front of or surrounding himself or his allies. He managed to protect himself, an unintentionally General Hux with a telekinetic barrier as the shuttle they were crashed on a planet due to sabotage. Force Deflection: Ben utilizes Force Deflection to redirect incoming attacks, such as blaster bolts, with or without her lightsaber, though it was difficult to do so. After catching Poe Dameron's blasterfire, he subtly turned the bolt at a wall before releasing it. Telepathy: Ben utilizes Telepathy to mentally communicate over small or vast distances with other individuals, especially with Rey due to their force bond. His mental abilities also allowed him to induce sleep with as little as a wave of his hand; as he did to sedate Rey on Takodana. Mind Probe: Ben utilizes Mind Probe to sense, and forcibly sift through the thoughts and memories of a sentient being, for the purpose of interrogation or torture. However, Rey was able to turn it back on him to scan his mind to discover his fear of inadequacy in comparison to Vader. Mind Trick: Ben utilizes Mind Trick to control the minds of other sentient beings, with the exception of individuals with stronger minds and wills. He attempted to force Rey to bring Luke to him the first time they experienced a Force bond connection, but he was unable to affect her due to the strength of her mind. Force Lightning: Ben utilized Force Lightning to torture or kill his opponents. In The Rise of Kylo Ren #4 comic book, Ben used Force Lightning to kill the former Leader of the Knights of Ren, Ren. Ben also managed to implement Force Lightning into his lightsaber to unleash attack on his opponents. However, Ben's use suggests that the ability may be more about emotion than control, as well as the fact that Snoke and Palpatine were influencing his rage during the battle, meaning he did not conjure the ability on his own. Force Sense: Ben utilizes Force Sense to sense another sentient being's emotions, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger, and the presence of the light or dark side. Force Vision: Ben utilizes Force Vision, to have visions of the past, the present, and the future; however, like all Force-users, his visions are not always clear or sometimes has visions even when he is not utilizing this power at will. Due to his force bond with Rey, he foresaw Rey fighting alongside him, as well as discovering that Rey's parents were mere junkers on Jakku who abandoned her. Focused Rage: Ben utilizes Focused Rage to channel his anger to increase his speed, strength, endurance, and ferocity. This allowed him to fight on as despite being heavily weakened by the wounds he sustained from Chewbacca's bowcaster, though he struggled to maintain it effectively due to his weakened connection to his own power caused by his regret over killing his father. Despite this, he still managed to toy with, and incapacitate a trained former stormtrooper, Finn, at the cost of further slight injury to his shoulder. He also nearly defeated the newly emerged Force-user, Rey, before her growing power allowed her to overcome him in his weakened state. Force Dash: Ben utilizes Force Dash to move at amazing speeds. Force Jump: Ben utilizes Force Jump to jump or leap at great distances. He performed this ability while fighting Rey in the Death Star ruins. Force Healing: Ben utilizes Force Healing to heal Rey from physical injuries, bringing her back to life after she was killed by Sheev Palpatine, though this drained him of his own life force to do so. However, it should be noted that at the time, Ben was in an extremely weakened state, as he didn't have enough time to completely recover, after Palpatine drained most of his life-force energy. Force Bond Connection: As a consequence of them being a Force dyad, Ben and Rey have a Force bond that connects them at random moments, spanned across space and time. During the connections, they are able to see, talk and touch each other through spaces. Fold Space: Ben utilizes Fold Space to bend space to instantly transport an object between places during a Force bond connection. He used this ability to grab Rey's necklace from her with the intent to figure out where she was, and later to receive his grandfather's lightsaber from Rey to confront the Knights of Ren.

As a member of the Skywalker bloodline, Ben is very powerful and has a very strong connection to the Force. As his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, thus; the most powerful Jedi, and overall the most powerful Force-user in the history of the galaxy, Ben was born with the potential to become stronger than any Force-user that ever existed. He was initially trained in the ways of the light side of the force by his uncle, Luke Skywalker, and then the ways of the dark side of the force by Snoke. According to Snoke; in time, Ben would grow stronger with the dark side of the force; as his force powers are rivaled only by Rey; but also possibly by his grandfather, Anakin, possibly by his uncle, Luke, and possibly by his mother, Leia Organa, at their peaks. Together, Ben and Rey form the prophesied Force dyad, two that are one in the Force with the power of life itself. Immense Strength: Ben utilizes his Force powers to amplify his physical strength; this made him physically stronger then most, if not all other sentient beings. He was notably strong enough to crush a Sith wayfinder in his hand whilst confronting Rey in the remnants of the second Death Star. Immense Reflexes: Ben has impressive reflexes that are above of normal Force-users, his reflexes were superior to most members of the New Jedi Order. During Ben and Rey's last duel in the Death Star ruins, he was able to dodge several of her lightsaber strikes.

Ben utilizes his Force powers to amplify his physical strength; this made him physically stronger then most, if not all other sentient beings. He was notably strong enough to crush a Sith wayfinder in his hand whilst confronting Rey in the remnants of the second Death Star.

Abilities

Expert Lightsaber Duelist: Ben is a highly skilled lightsaber duelist, as he is one of the deadliest lightsaber duelists in the history of the galaxy. However, he was defeated by Rey in their first duel, despite being a far more skilled and experienced lightsaber duelist then the latter, although, it should be noted that Ben had already been wounded by Chewbacca, was emotionally unstable because of Han Solo's death by his own hands, thus; he was not at the peak of his strength. Besides, he was more willing to capture and bring Rey to his side than killing her. All this in addition to Rey's new-found abilities allowed her to meditate on the force to gain enough strength to physically overpower him. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi , Ben at the peak of his strength; was able to fight Snoke's Praetorian Guards on even terms alongside Rey and eventually with her aid, overpower and kill the eight deadly warriors; despite the two lightsaber duelists being outnumbered. As of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , Ben's lightsaber combat skills had greatly improved to the point, that he could fight on par against Rey and ultimately overpowered her; which was demonstrated during their last confrontation on the Death Star ruins. During the "Battle of Exegol", Ben was able to overpower and kill all the members of the Knights of Ren relatively easily; despite being outnumbered, this time without Rey's aid. Form I: Ben is very skilled in Shii-Cho. Form II: Ben is very skilled in Makashi. Form III: Ben is very skilled in Soresu. Form IV: Ben is very skilled in Ataru. Form V: Ben is highly skilled in Shien/Djem So. Form VI: Ben is highly skilled in Niman. Form VII: Ben is highly skilled in Juyo/Vaapad. Jar'Kai: Ben is highly skilled in Jar'Kai.

Ben is a highly skilled lightsaber duelist, as he is one of the deadliest lightsaber duelists in the history of the galaxy. However, he was defeated by Rey in their first duel, despite being a far more skilled and experienced lightsaber duelist then the latter, although, it should be noted that Ben had already been wounded by Chewbacca, was emotionally unstable because of Han Solo's death by his own hands, thus; he was not at the peak of his strength. Besides, he was more willing to capture and bring Rey to his side than killing her. All this in addition to Rey's new-found abilities allowed her to meditate on the force to gain enough strength to physically overpower him. In , Ben at the peak of his strength; was able to fight Snoke's Praetorian Guards on even terms alongside Rey and eventually with her aid, overpower and kill the eight deadly warriors; despite the two lightsaber duelists being outnumbered. As of , Ben's lightsaber combat skills had greatly improved to the point, that he could fight on par against Rey and ultimately overpowered her; which was demonstrated during their last confrontation on the Death Star ruins. During the "Battle of Exegol", Ben was able to overpower and kill all the members of the Knights of Ren relatively easily; despite being outnumbered, this time without Rey's aid. Genius-Level Intellect/Master Tactician/Leader: Ben is amazingly intelligent and wise. As a warlord, later the Supreme Leader of the First Order, Ben is a highly skilled tactician and a very capable leader.

Ben is amazingly intelligent and wise. As a warlord, later the Supreme Leader of the First Order, Ben is a highly skilled tactician and a very capable leader. Indomitable Will/High Tolerance For Pain/Expert Survivalist: Ben has an indomitable will and a high tolerance for pain; as he was able to continue fighting despite being shot in the side by Chewbacca, and slashed on the shoulder by Finn. In his battle with Finn, he was also seen withstanding the wound inflicted by Chewbacca, using his pain and anguish to fuel his connection to the dark side of the Force. Furthermore, while armored Stormtroopers were violently blasted through the air and killed instantly by the bowcaster's explosive blast, as Ben does not wear complete armor, but only doubled over in pain when shot.

Weapons and Equipment

Lightsabers

Ben's valued weapons and possessions are his blue and red-bladed lightsabers. So far, he has had two lightsabers.

First Lightsaber/Crossguard lightsaber: Ben's unique lightsaber was originally a blue-bladed lightsaber with a single blade, built sometime after he became a member of the New Jedi Order; he wielded it as a Jedi until his betrayal of Luke Skywalker after falling under Snoke's influence. Shortly after killing Ren, the leader of the Knights of Ren, Ben had rebuilt his weapon into a red-bladed crossguard lightsaber, shortly before he became a member of the First Order. Ben's lightsaber was crudely built off an ancient design dating back to an event known as the Great Scourge of Malachor, and operated using a cracked Kyber crystal; the crystal of what was once his blue-bladed lightsaber, turned red through the dark side of the Force. Thus; it had an unstable blade, necessitating the use of exhaust ports and focusing crystal activators to channel, and vent the weapon's excess energy so that it would not overload. The excess energy served as the lightsaber's quillons (crossguards) the weapon's blades also crackled and arced like electricity and funneled like fire, giving the weapon a ragged, menacing appearance and a deep, growling hum. Later, Ben abandoned this lightsaber, throwing it into the ocean; when he decided to come back to the light side, and redeem himself.

Ben's unique lightsaber was originally a blue-bladed lightsaber with a single blade, built sometime after he became a member of the New Jedi Order; he wielded it as a Jedi until his betrayal of Luke Skywalker after falling under Snoke's influence. Shortly after killing Ren, the leader of the Knights of Ren, Ben had rebuilt his weapon into a red-bladed crossguard lightsaber, shortly before he became a member of the First Order. Ben's lightsaber was crudely built off an ancient design dating back to an event known as the Great Scourge of Malachor, and operated using a cracked Kyber crystal; the crystal of what was once his blue-bladed lightsaber, turned red through the dark side of the Force. Thus; it had an unstable blade, necessitating the use of exhaust ports and focusing crystal activators to channel, and vent the weapon's excess energy so that it would not overload. The excess energy served as the lightsaber's quillons (crossguards) the weapon's blades also crackled and arced like electricity and funneled like fire, giving the weapon a ragged, menacing appearance and a deep, growling hum. Later, Ben abandoned this lightsaber, throwing it into the ocean; when he decided to come back to the light side, and redeem himself. Second Lightsaber: This lightsaber had previously belonged to Ben's grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. As Kylo Ren, he was interested in the weapon from the beginning, claiming that the lightsaber belonged to him during his fight with Finn in Starkiller Base. Later, Ben utilized this saber to kill his own master in the throne room, and Rey lended it so he could defeat the last Praetorian Guard. The weapon was broken in half when Rey, and Ben both tried to Force grab it but she took both pieces with her and later repaired it. During the Battle of Exegol, Rey gave the lightsaber to Ben through their bond, and he wielded the weapon against the Knights of Ren.

Armor

Knights of Ren Armor: Ben utilizes combat armor to protect himself from his enemies in battle; it is based on the battle gear worn by the other Knights of Ren. It is also based on his grandfather's armor, particularly the helmet, which he wore to conceal his identity and voice as he delved further and further into the dark side. As The Last Jedi, Ben has completely abandoned the helmet; after realizing that he is only copying Darth Vader, as he will never be able to reach his full potential that way. He later rebuilt his helmet to show himself off as being the rightful leader of the First Order.

Appearances

Kylo Ren first appears on Jakku searching for a map leading to the missing legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker. After failing to recover anything from the planet, Kylo and his forces slaughter Lor San Tekka and capture the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, where Kylo interrogates Poe by mentally torturing him with the Force. Poe escapes with the aid of AWOL stormtrooper FN-2187, nicknamed Finn, and Kylo is outraged. He implores on his maternal grandfather, Darth Vader, to help him.

Eventually, the First Order figures out that Poe's droid, BB-8, is on Takodana, and with it a map to the location of Luke Skywalker. On Takodana, Kylo leads the ransack for the droid. But upon encountering the Force-sensitive Rey in the woods, he gives up to search for the droid and takes her to Starkiller Base to be interrogated for the map. During the interrogation, Kylo reads Rey's thoughts and is intrigued by her mind. He discovers that she has seen a island in her dreams, that she knows his father, Han Solo, and also senses how lonely she is. Before he can find the map inside her mind, Rey manages to use the mind probe against him and reveals that he fears not to be strong as his grandfather. After failing on gaining information from Rey, Kylo is ordered by Snoke to bring her to him for interrogation. However, Rey manages to tap into the Force and escape her bindings by using Jedi mind-control on a guard, leaving Ren to chase her with stormtroopers.

In the reactor shaft of the base, Ren is discovered by his father, Chewbacca, Finn, and Rey. When Han confronts his son and offers to help him with his emotional pain, Ren briefly thinks of his father's words before giving in fully to the dark side and stabbing him through the torso with his lightsaber; Han then falls into the shaft below them. An enraged Chewbacca shoots Ren in his side, leaving him severely weakened. Finn and Rey flee. Before he can react, the wounded Ren is briefly caught in the explosion caused by the detonations that his father and Chewbacca had planted around the area prior.

He finds Finn and Rey in the woods of the base and engages in battle with Finn, who is using Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber against him, much to Ren's anger. Due to Finn's lack of Force-sensitivity, Ren defeats and grievously injures him, but not without receiving a minor wound to the shoulder.

Afterwards, he tries to claim his grandfather's lightsaber from the snow, but Rey uses the Force to pull it to her. She fights him and Ren initially has the upper hand. However, in the middle of their battle when he corners her the edge of a rift, Ren offers to train Rey. Rey refuses, using his moment of hesitation to her advantage, she gives herself over to the full power of the Force. She overpowers Ren, knocking away his lightsaber and slashing him in the face. With the planet collapsing with the destruction of the weapon, Rey abandons Ren and escapes with Finn. Before the planet implodes, Snoke instructs General Hux to retrieve Ren before departing to complete his apprentice's training.

Following the destruction of Starkiller Base and the Resistance's evacuation of their base on D'Qar, Kylo Ren was summoned to by Supreme Leader Snoke to his throne room aboard the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy. Kneeling before his master, Ren listened as Snoke loudly recalled the raw, untamed power that Ren possessed, abilities which had originally brought him to the dark sider's attention. Knowing the potential of the powerful Skywalker bloodline, Snoke revealed his belief that Ren could fulfill his grandfather's dark side legacy. However, he was disappointed with Ren's emotional instability and conflict caused by the trauma of Han Solo's death. This in addition to his apprentice's defeat at the hands of an untrained scavenger girl, who had never before wielded a lightsaber, made Snoke revok his faith in Ren's power and proceed to chastise him, calling him weak, sentimental, and childish.

Enraged by his master's derogatory words, Kylo rose to meet his master and attack, but Snoke quickly suppressed the attempt on him with a surge of Force lightning, watched by the ever-ready Praetorian Guards. Leaving the throne room and embittered over Snoke's words, Kylo Ren smashed his helmet against the surrounding metal of the elevator lift he was in, having been ridiculed and regarded as nothing more than a child hiding in a mask, pretending to be Darth Vader. Upon emerging from the damaged lift, he ordered his ship to be readied, resuming his quest to eradicate the Resistance.

As Hux had anticipated through new tracking technology, the First Order armada emerged out of hyperspace to find the Resistance fleet unprepared and defenseless. The warship Supremacy led the charge, its powerful turbolasers showering the Resistance fleet with unyielding blasts. To complement the barrage, the Supremacy scrambled its short-distance fighters, with Kylo Ren spearheading the assault on his personal TIE silencer. Covered by two wingmen, the Jedi killer intercepted the Resistance's MC85 Star Cruiser Raddus, capital ship of the fleet. Before the Resistance pilots could launch a counterattack, however, Ren destroyed the Raddu's hangar leaving them unable to resist Ren's fighter wing.

With the Resistance's flagship crippled, Ren turned his fighter to face the bridge of the craft, readying his rockets. At this moment he sensed his mother's presence aboard the Raddus, and Ren, hesitating, held his thumb over the trigger in a moment of intense self-doubt. After a moment, he surrendered to his second thoughts and abandoned the trigger control, knowing he could not bring himself to kill his mother. His two wingmen had no such qualms, and launched their rockets in Ren's place, destroying the bridge. The detonation killed Admiral Ackbar and other acclaimed figures of the Resistance hierarchy, but Kylo's mother survived, barely, by using the Force to propel herself through space to the airlock. Following this last offensive, Hux ordered the fighters back to the Supremacy, as the Resistance fleet had managed to pull itself out of the Supremacy's firing range in the intervening time.

As the First Order continued to pursue the Resistance fleet, Ren discovered he had a Force-bond with Rey, and once more prodded her for Luke Skywalker's location, as he was only able to see her and not her surroundings. During their first interaction, Rey fired her blaster at where she perceived Ren to be, only to damage one of the structures in the Jedi village where Skywalker resided. This also resulted in Kylo feeling the attack through their connection. During another conversation, Kylo Ren told Rey his version of the events leading up to the destruction of Skywalker's Jedi temple; that he woke up to see Luke standing over him with his lightsaber drawn, ready to kill him. Though she refused to reveal Luke's location to him during her training, Rey offered him her hand one evening, causing Rey to sense the conflict within him. Simultaneously, Kylo sensed that Rey's parents were mere simple junk traders that sold her off for money and that she had no connection to the galactic story that was playing out. Eventually, once Rey arrived at the Supremacy in an attempt to redeem him, Kylo promptly took her into his custody.

On the way to Snoke's throne room, Rey reminded Kylo that there was still a chance to return to the light. Sure enough, as Snoke tortured her for Skywalker's whereabouts. Kylo, aware through his father's words that Snoke would use him for his power and then dispose of him and moved by the feelings he developed for Rey, killed his master by moving the Skywalker's lightsaber with the Force to bisect him, tricking the Supreme Leader into believing he would strike Rey down. Snoke's Praetorian Guards immediately attacked Rey and Ren, who entered a temporary truce and quickly fought them off in a terrifying duel.

With the guards dead, Ren once again asked Rey to join him, and in the process, he revealed what he saw in her mind and thought to be the truth about her parents: they were nobody, they sold her for money and were dead. Ren stated that the only way to be free was to destroy everything that connected them to the past, be it Sith, Jedi or anything else. He then confessed that even if she is nothing to everybody else in the galaxy or in history, he did care about her. He offered his hand, asking her to rule the galaxy by his side, pleading and patiently waiting for her to accept it. However, as on Starkiller Base, Rey refused him again, but this time with broken heart as she have come to genuinely care about him and is disappointed upon realizing that he wouldn't come back with her. She then attempted to pull her lightsaber from him using the Force, causing Kylo to try to pull the lightsaber back towards himself. As the weapon floated between them in a stalemate, the power they exuded put too much strain on the weapon and the lightsaber split in half, the resulting Force shockwave knocking both of them unconscious as the Raddus split the Supremacy in half with a suicide hyperspace jump.

When General Hux arrived in the throne room, Rey had escaped the Supremacy and Kylo was still unconscious. Hux prepared to kill his longtime rival, but Kylo awoke as Hux was readying his blaster, who put it away before he noticed. Upon realizing that Rey is gone, Ren became frustrated and falsely told Hux that she had murdered Snoke and his guards before claiming his master's mantle. Hux firmly refused to let Ren command his troops, prompting the dark warrior to Force choke him into acknowledging Ren as Supreme Leader. With his newfound supremacy assured, Ren ordered all forces to Crait to annihilate the remaining remnants of the Resistance.

Looming overhead in his command shuttle, Ren oversaw the deployment of AT-ATs, AT-M6s, and AT-STs to the salty surface of Crait, gathered from what remained of the Supremacy. Ordering a forward march, Kylo Ren positioned his troops opposite an abandoned rebel base which the Resistance had appropriated for its defense. When the First Order discovered a massive shield door impeding their advance into the enclosure, Ren further deployed a superlaser siege cannon (a battering ram created using miniaturized Death Star technology) to his advantage. In response, the Resistance launched a number of old ski speeders in an ultimately futile attempt to stop the cannon. While the Resistance attempted to halt the First Order's progress, Chewbacca and Rey joined the battle in the Millennium Falcon, and in a fit of rage, Kylo furiously sent every TIE fighter present to destroy his father's old ship. Despite the setbacks, Kylo Ren's offensive was ultimately successful in breaching the base's blast doors.

Shortly after the First Order breached the base, Luke Skywalker appeared and Kylo Ren, in a futile attempt to eliminate his uncle, ordered all of his forces to fire at him. After Skywalker shrugged off the attack virtually unharmed, Ren ordered his command shuttle to be set down, whereupon he confronted Skywalker personally. As they faced off, Luke said that if Kylo struck his uncle down, he'd never be rid of him, just like he'd never be rid of his father's memory. Though Kylo Ren swore he'd destroy Luke and end the Jedi, Luke replied that he would not be the last Jedi, as Rey would succeed where he had failed and warned him that the rebellion has already reborn and the war has started. Ren then swore that he'd destroy her and the Resistance as well, but Luke was not fazed by his nephew's threats.

Kylo engaged his uncle in single combat, unable to land a blow until he slashed through Luke with no visible effect. Confused, Ren poked Luke with his lightsaber, revealing that Skywalker was not actually present for the battle and that he had been projecting an illusion of himself through the Force from Ahch-To, buying time for the remaining members of the Resistance to escape. Infuriated by the clever deception, Ren and his forces scoured the now-empty base, but finding only Han's golden hanging dice. Simultaneously, as the Resistance evacuates, Ren sees Rey again through their Force bond as she boarded the Millennium Falcon; no words were said between them as she closed the door on him, making Ren look depressed and bow his head in defeat as he watched his fathers dice vanish from his hand.

Despite his failure to kill Luke, Ren was able to obtain more power in the galaxy for a year as more worlds submitted to his rule in the First Order. However, he learns of the return of Darth Sidious, the founder of the former Galactic Empire who was thought to be killed by Vader. Ren then searches throughout the galaxy for a Sith wayfinder, which leads him to the Sith planet of Exegol, with the hopes of killing Sidious as a show of his power. When Ren finds the wayfinder and arrives on Exegol, Sidious reveals that he revived himself through untold means of the dark side of the Force, and that he has been manipulating Ren all along, having created Snoke and the First Order as a means of turning Ren to the dark side and training him in the ways of the Force. Sidious promises Ren a new Sith Empire upon which Ren will rule as Emperor, stating that they will accomplish this through a massive Sith fleet, though he first gives Ren the condition that he must kill Rey.

Although he has no intent to follow Sidious' instructions, Ren searches the galaxy for Rey and continues corresponding with her through the Force, having his own plans in mind for both of them. He uses the correspondences through their Force bond to discern her location. Around the same time, he learns that a spy within the First Order is selling out information to the Resistance, so he orders his troops to be on the lookout for the spy. Ren tries to stop Rey from finding the other wayfinder, though in one of his conversations with her, he warns her about Sidious, tells her that she has a larger part in the story than he had initially thought, and promises to tell her the whole story in person.

When they finally meet face-to-face once more, Ren tells Rey that she is actually the granddaughter of Sidious, and that her parents lived as 'nobodies' and abandoned her in Jakku in order to protect her from Sidious, who subsequently ordered their deaths afterwards. Ren also states that he and Rey are a dyad in the Force with an extremely powerful potential together, two that are actually one in the Force. He urges her once more to take his hand and to join him to defeat Sidious and take his throne together, but Rey refuses.

Later, he follows her to Kef Bir and meets her on the wreckage of the second Death Star. He urges her to join him again and destroys the wayfinder to stop her from going to face Sidious without him. Rey becomes furious and they engage in a lightsaber duel. The duel ends with Rey impaling Ren, just as a dying Leia reaches out through the Force to both of them. Leia's death allows Rey to let go of her rage and realize what she just had done. Regretting having injured him, Rey uses the Force to heal Ren and confesses to him that she did want to take Ben Solo's hand but not Kylo Ren's, which confims to him about her romantic feelings but that she would never join him in the dark side.

Rey takes off the Death Star ruins aboard his TIE whisper, leaving Ren alone and confused on the wreckage. Ren reflects alone and then he sees a vision of his father, Han Solo, and in an echo of their final encounter on Starkiller Base. Han encourages him to abandon the dark side. Ren emotionally shaken in see his father again, and tells him that "I know what I have to do but I don't have the strength to do it." He then decides to throw his crossguard lightsaber away, severing his ties to the First Order and the dark side, reclaiming his former identity as Ben Solo.

Ben follows Rey back to Exegol, now moved only by his desire to save her from Sidious. There he learns that Sidious is planning to sacrifice himself to Rey's wrath so that his spirit will be transferred to her and she will claim her new role as Empress of the Final Order. It is also revealed that Sidious has tricked Rey into leading the entire Resistance armada to Exegol so that the Sith fleet can wipe them out, to ensure that Rey will consumed by her hatred so that his sacrifice will be imminent. Rey refuses to give in to any hatred but agrees to obey the Emperor in order to save her friends. However, Ben arrives to the rescue, which inspires Rey to refuse Sidious' wishes and instead gives the Skywalker lightsaber to Ben. Ben uses his grandfather's saber to defeat the Knights of Ren and Rey defeats the Emperor's guards while the Resistance brings in a large armada to counter against the Sith fleet.

Unfortunately, Sidious anticipated this move as he senses Rey and Ben's connection as a dyad in the Force, and absorbs the power of their dyad to restore a full body for himself. With his body rejuvenated and his powers in full strength, Sidious throws Ben into a bottomless pit out of complete spite against the Skywalker family for causing his previous death. Believing that Ben is seemingly disposed of, Sidious cackles evilly as he uses his full power of Force lightning to attack the Resistance armada, putting them in complete peril. However, Rey uses the powers of the past Jedi to finally destroy Sidious at the cost of her own life, thus saving the Resistance armada and allowing them to destroy the Sith armada for good.

Following the destruction of the Final Order, Ben climbs out of the pit, seeing that Rey has sacrificed herself to destroy Sidious. Ben gathers Rey in his arms and mourns her as he developed romantic feelings for her. Then he decides to give her a second chance by transferring his life force into Rey, successfully resurrecting her. As Rey wakes up, she and Ben kiss passionately and smile at each other in love before he, while still in her arms, peacefully vanishes into the Force, having used all of his life force to revive Rey in a selfless act of love and sacrifice.

Thus, the galaxy is finally at peace over the destruction of Sidious and the Final Order. Later, Rey decides to adopt the Skywalker surname, happily repudiating the Palpatine lineage, and honoring Ben's sacrifice and love. She recognizes the Skywalkers as her true family and by keeping their name, she will continue their legacy.

Disney Parks

Kylo Ren currently does meet-and-greets in the Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and Shanghai Disneyland. He formerly met in the Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland from February 2016 until October 14, 2016, where he was replaced by Darth Vader.

Relationships

The Disney Wiki has an article focusing on the relationships of Kylo Ren. has an article focusing on the relationships of

Gallery

The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Kylo Ren. has a collection of images and media related to

Trivia

Prior to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens , many fans questioned if Kylo Ren and Darth Vader were related due to their similarities, which turned out to be true.

, many fans questioned if Kylo Ren and Darth Vader were related due to their similarities, which turned out to be true. In the Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization, Kylo Ren is revealed to believe that the reason the Galactic Empire lost to the Rebellion was not because of poor strategy or arrogance, but because of sentiment, and that Darth Vader and Luke's compassion for each other were what caused the Empire to collapse. Also in the novelization, Snoke is revealed to have chosen Kylo Ren as his apprentice because he believed him to be a focal point in the Force; a perfect blending of light and dark due to his heritage as Darth Vader's grandson.

novelization, Kylo Ren is revealed to believe that the reason the Galactic Empire lost to the Rebellion was not because of poor strategy or arrogance, but because of sentiment, and that Darth Vader and Luke's compassion for each other were what caused the Empire to collapse. A scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi that caused some controversy was that during Kylo Ren and Rey's Force-bond, Rey sees a shirtless Kylo Ren. This scene, despite being somewhat gratuitous in nature, was established by director Rian Johnson as Rey being able to see Kylo Ren entirely wherever he was and during whatever he was doing when they are bonded through the Force, not just seeing his eyes or hearing his voice. The director also explains that his intent was to show the progressive increase of intimacy between the two characters. [1]

that caused some controversy was that during Kylo Ren and Rey's Force-bond, Rey sees a shirtless Kylo Ren. This scene, despite being somewhat gratuitous in nature, was established by director Rian Johnson as Rey being able to see Kylo Ren entirely wherever he was and during whatever he was doing when they are bonded through the Force, not just seeing his eyes or hearing his voice. The director also explains that his intent was to show the progressive increase of intimacy between the two characters. The director Rian Johnson explains that Kylo Ren's proposal to Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi wasn't just a manipulation, and from Ren's point of view, was a very naked, open, emotional appeal. He states that is Kylo Ren's version of '"I'm just a girl standing in front of a guy'... " which is a reference to the love confession in the movie Nothing Hill. [2]

wasn't just a manipulation, and from Ren's point of view, was a very naked, open, emotional appeal. He states that is Kylo Ren's version of '"I'm just a girl standing in front of a guy'... " which is a reference to the love confession in the movie Nothing Hill. Ben has no spoken dialogue after his reformation, with the only exception being a brief "ow" after jumping onto a ledge on Exegol.

Ben Solo's shrug during his fight against the Knights of Ren inspired the creation of a moviment called the "Ben Solo challenge" that got viral on social media after the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker release. According to the fan that created the challenge, the intention was to alleviate some of the negative fan response to The Rise of Skywalker film with a moment that seemed to be universally loved by the fans. [3] [4]

release. According to the fan that created the challenge, the intention was to alleviate some of the negative fan response to film with a moment that seemed to be universally loved by the fans. By sacrificing himself to revive Rey, Ben Solo was able in a different way from what he initially expected to finish what Darth Vader started. During the prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker states his desire to be able to revive the dead and it is his fear of losing his wife Padmé Amidala that causes him to fall to the dark side. Thus, Ben managing to bring back from the dead the woman he loves, ends the cycle that his grandfather started.

Ben and Rey's Force dyad is explained by one of The Rise of Skywalker directors, Chris Terrio, as the Force acting as fate to bring them together, making them soulmates in the Force. Thus, even if they are on opposite sides of the war, their bond unites them, allowing them understand each other. [5] [6]

directors, Chris Terrio, as the Force acting as fate to bring them together, making them soulmates in the Force. Thus, even if they are on opposite sides of the war, their bond unites them, allowing them understand each other. Kylo Ren was originally going to be one of he many characters in Ralph Breaks the Internet , but was cut when Lucasfilm took offense at how the movie depicted him as a "spoiled child". [7]

, but was cut when Lucasfilm took offense at how the movie depicted him as a "spoiled child". Kylo Ren is the only Star Wars sequel trilogy villain whom Kazauda Xiono does not meet in person, but he is curious about the dark sider.

Kylo Ren has similarities with one of the fan favorite Sith, Darth Revan: both wear a mask and have a similar iconic design while they are in the dark side of the Force; aditionally, in Star Wars Legends, both also have a Force bond with a light side user that they eventually fall in love with (furthermore, the character bonded with Revan, Bastila Shan, also wields yellow and double bladed lightsabers as Rey does).[8][9]

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