STAR WARS: CHARACTER STUDY OF KYLO REN

The galaxy is shaken. Snoke is dead. Luke is passed on. Kylo Ren reigns as Supreme Leader with General Hux, a genocidal maniac on the verge of mutiny, as his right hand.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Resistance scampers to safety to lick their wounds and replenish their numbers. Abandoned by everyone, their goal to burn down the First Order and restore the Republic seems impossible. All that remain comfortably inhabit the Millennium Falcon, and the possible death of Leia shrouds the storyline with uncertainty.

Their cause seems impossible. What chance do they have? Their hope lies squarely on the shoulders of Rey, a budding Jedi padawan. Armed with only one day of force training, a lifetime of survival skills, and a stack of ancient books as her only guide, the road ahead will no doubt be rocky. And very lonely.

The answer to the rebellion’s conundrum might be staring them directly in the face. Rey is not political or militant. No more than a week prior, Rey is a homeless, orphaned teenager merely trying to survive and oblivious to the galaxy's struggles. Most of what she'd heard of the past including the Jedi Order, Empire, and rebellion had become myth.

What role can she best fill to save the galaxy?

Rey is a spiritual being, very strong with the force. She is compassionate, forgiving, and kind. She is a beacon of light. She is a guide. She sets an inspiring example.

She guides everyone around her. She sees and empowers their humanity. BB8 finds a protector. Finn finds a friend. Han Solo finds a promising pilot and partner. She holds the beacon that brings Leia (and the Resistance) to safety. She even guides Luke out of his dark depression, so he can reunite with his sister and confront his nephew.

Ben Solo, in whom the light and dark continue to combat, needs her guiding light more than anyone. She can and must guide Ben Solo into the light. She can still redeem him. She can save his soul.

With Ben Solo, she is a kindred spirit. Both suffer from loneliness and abandonment. Both harbor anger. Both struggle between the light and the dark. When all others fail him throughout his life, their credibility shatters. His mother neglects him. His father abandons him. His uncle and Jedi master betrays him. His dark master abuses and ridicules him.

The point Kylo’s turn to the darkness occurs when he catches Luke contemplating his murder. Feeling the ultimate betrayal, they turns to Snoke, a master who claims to appreciate him. However, Snoke’s manipulation becomes evident with time. Again, he is betrayed by Hux who also attempts to murder Kylo in his sleep.

Rey who is presented with the same opportunity spares him without a second thought. Her motivations revolve around saving and protecting lives. Even Kylo Ren. She saves when others kill and destroy.

Snoke uses Kylo and Rey’s force bond for his own purpose. He tortures Rey before presenting Kylo with his final test: to kill the woman he loves (as Vader did) and sever his final tie to the light. Needless to say, he fails this test. His journey to the Dark Side is never completed. By the end of the Last Jedi, he remains caught in the middle.

Rey, his equal in power and kindred spirit, is the only person left in the galaxy with the credibility to guide him, because of their mutual suffering. She also represents his greatest lesson that his choices are more important the mighty Skywalker legacy from which he comes.

Her mere presence is enough to calm the beast within him. He speaks gently to her, even when she spits, screams, and cries. He never once lies to her. He spares or saves her life when presented with the opportunity to kill her (and vice versa). There is hardly a moment where he doesn't gaze at her with heart-wrenching longing. He longs for love, understanding, and peace. He longs for freedom. He longs for the light. Rey is the one person who can provide it.

Ben Solo loves Rey in spite of Kylo Ren’s desire for power and control. As long as he loves her, then Ben Solo lives. As long as Ben Solo lives, there is hope for redemption. No one is irredeemable. Let Rey be the light that guides Ben Solo home, so they may restore the Jedi Order and bring peace to the galaxy.

That is a question only Episode IX can answer.