Celebrated actorAdam Driverhas revealed what many have always suspected, but others will be disappointed to learn, about the redemption arc of hisStar Warscharacter Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo. It turns out, it was never planned. Appearing onThe Roku Channel’s The Rich Eisen Show, Driver revealed that the initial idea from the start was to have Kylo Ren’s journey run in the opposite direction to that of the iconic Darth Vader, with Ben being more committed to the Dark Side than ever come the end. Of course, that’s not what happened…
“I had an overall arc in mind that he wanted to do, which then changed. His idea was almost the opposite journey of Vader, where Vader starts the most confident, the most committed to the Dark Side, and by the last movie he’s the most vulnerable, and weak, and he wanted to start at the opposite, where this character was the most confused and vulnerable, and by the end of the three movies would be most committed to the Dark Side.”
Driver explains that both himself, and a mysterious “he” (which is likelyStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerdirector J.J. Abrams) had planned from the beginning to have Ben Solo’s path run in the opposite direction to Vader. Which is no doubt one of the reasons why Abrams had the character kill his father, the beloved character Han Solo, inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, the first moviein the Disney sequel trilogy.
But, instead, the final act ofThe Rise of Skywalkersees Kylo Ren finding the light and becoming Ben Solo again after speaking with the memory of his father, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo. Working alongside Daisy Ridley’s hero, Rey, and wielding a blue lightsaber, Ben’s journey ends with him sacrificing himself to save Rey, with the pair sharing a kiss before his passing.
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Why Was Ben Solo’s Character Arc Changed So Dramatically?
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Why the arc for Kylo Ren was changed so dramatically is unknown, but it is possible (and no doubt many will argue) that it came as a result of the response to director Rian Johnson’s hugely divisiveStar Wars: The Last Jedi.
The ending ofThe Last Jedisets up Kylo Ren as the next Star Wars big bad,before Palpatine is suddenly resurrectedin the next sequel. However, due to the criticisms leveled atThe Last Jedi, plans for the finale were changed, with Colin Trevorrow’s script being scrapped and J.J. Abrams being brought back in to finish what he started. This led to the change of direction regarding Rey’s parentage, the origins of Snoke, and the growing relationship between Rey and Ben, among other things.
While Ben Solo does also go through something of a redemptionin Trevorrow’s original script,Duel of Fates, it is nowhere close to being as heroic as what audiences saw inThe Rise of Skywalker.
So, do you think giving Ben Solo a final, heroic act was the right move, or should Kylo Ren have remained a bad guy throughout? If nothing else, it’s interesting to learn that what many had suspected is indeed true: there was no plan.
