What We Know About Ben Solo

Before we get to Luke, it’s worth recapping what’s been revealed about Ben Solo in the new films so far. In contrast to several of the Star Wars villains we’ve seen onscreen over the years, Kylo Ren has not yet fully committed himself to the dark side in The Force Awakens. He spends a majority of the film torn between the light and the dark, looking for the proper guidance from Snoke and even Darth Vader’s melted helmet. As J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson have said, there’s still molding to be done in regards to Kylo’s arc in the trilogy, making him one of the most interesting and nuanced characters Star Wars has seen. Killing Han Solo only made his turmoil worse, and now he’s more troubled than he was before.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2017, legal professionals made the case that Kylo Ren suffers from a crippling addiction to the Force (perhaps making him not guilty of murder) that negatively impacts his ability to form a mental state and act within his own free will. His obsession with the dark side controlled his actions, making him do things he feels like he has to do as opposed to what he wants to do. This is very apparent as Kylo confronts Han at Starkiller base, where the youngster is begging his father for help, trying to convince himself he has reached the point of no return. And since shortly before The Force Awakens, Ben was still learning under Luke’s wing (see: the novel Bloodline), he’s only recently gone to the dark side and has to prove himself a worthy apprentice to Snoke. Destroying Luke’s academy was probably his first “test,” followed by his fateful meeting with Han.

Based on footage from the Last Jedi trailer, Kylo is still struggling with his allegiances when Episode VIII starts up. In the space battle, he is on the verge of tears as he targets General Leia Organa’s flagship, and his destruction of his helmet is a symbolic gesture - indicating he’s having doubts about the dark side and is ready to become his own man. When Anakin Skywalker turned, he didn’t blink at killing younglings, slaying the surviving Separatists on Mustafar, and jumping into battle against his old friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kylo, on the other hand, still seems he’s unsure if this is what’s best. It appears as if he’s merely giving the dark side a trial run instead of wholly pledging himself to Snoke’s teachings. The Supreme Leader is even a little skeptical of Kylo, feeling Ben Solo’s emotions made him weak.

Despite dressing in all-black attire and wielding a red lightsaber, Kylo is not yet completely persuaded by the dark side, seeing if he’s cut out for their ways only after losing faith in the Jedi. Since Ben didn’t have a wife he was trying to save from death or was blatantly ignored/neglected by a self-important Council (that we know of), the one person that probably made Kylo’s dedication in the light side waver was the same one that was supposed to steer him straight: Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker’s Fear

The telling part in Luke’s aforementioned quote from the trailer is that the raw strength Ben demonstrated in training didn’t scare him “enough” at the time. While Luke did go through with teaching his nephew, this means at some point, Skywalker was frightened of what Ben was capable of. Initially thinking he could keep things under control, perhaps there was a turning point where Luke sensed the dark side raging in Ben, and knowing his family heritage, decided enough was enough and abruptly stopped the lessons before things went too far. Of course, this came at too late a stage in Ben’s development, only making matters worse. Under the impression he was the Chosen One (Luke’s belief), he was left without a teacher, aimlessly wandering with immense power at his disposal that he tried to control. Feeling abandoned and betrayed by his uncle, Ben became an easy target for Snoke.

It’s becoming clear that the Supreme Leader’s interest in Kylo Ren’s abilities don’t come from a place of love and adoration. Han Solo believed Snoke was simply using his son to achieve a sinister goal, with the plan of crushing Kylo once he got what he wanted. Still, dark side masters are known to be quite convincing when they’re trying to sway someone towards evil. Palpatine did quite the number on Anakin, so it’s reasonable to assume Ben Solo was manipulated in a similar way. Considering it was the Supreme Leader who seduced Ben to become Kylo Ren, receiving the attention from somebody (even a malicious humanoid alien from mysterious origins) would be appealing for an embattled youngster looking to find his place in all this. “Come to the dark side, we have cookies” is an amusing Star Wars meme, but sometimes that’s the only pitch someone needs to hear.

Snoke factors heavily into the latest trailer, with a voice over at the beginning where he tells a trainee that he saw “raw, untamed power” and “something truly special” when they were discovered. While it’s possible he’s addressing Rey here, the better odds are on Kylo being on the receiving end of this monologue. The dialogue gives some insight into the Snoke/Kylo dynamic, revealing that Ben was brought onboard under the promise of realizing his full potential. Whatever ulterior motives the Supreme Leader has, that was how he sold Kylo Ren on joining the dark side. In The Force Awakens, Kylo is keen on seeing the “power of the darkness,” meaning he’s under the impression this is the right way to fulfill his destiny.

Going back to Luke, his proclamation of “It’s time for the Jedi to end” at the end of Celebration Orlando’s teaser gains new context with what’s in the full trailer. For months, some fans have thought that Luke would begin Episode VIII with this mindset, only to be swayed by Rey’s kindhearted nature. However, it looks like Luke is leery about taking things too far with Rey, meaning that perhaps he wishes for a universe where there are no active Force cults. Though the completion of his own Jedi training was what saved Anakin, Luke has seen the “Jedi way” fail more often than not. The Jedi Council were blind to Palatine’s rise and Obi-Wan blatantly lied about Luke’s heritage. With Skywalker embarking on a galaxy-wide quest for lore of the Jedi (again, read Bloodline), whatever history he’s come across may have changed his outlook on life. Of course, Rey has already tapped into her own unrealized potential, and will need help whether it comes from Luke or not.

Conclusion

Of course, this is just one potential theory about Ben Solo’s turn, which remains one of the bigger unsolved mysteries in canon. It will be interesting to see Luke in the final product, hopefully fleshing out his reasonings for running away when things went bad. He’s obviously very tortured in the footage, haunted by past mistakes. Since Luke (or, at lest the one from the original trilogy) hardly has a bad bone in his body, he probably had no ill intent when/if he pulled the plug on Ben’s training. As the one-time perceived savior of the galaxy, Luke understands the tremendous burden that comes with mastering control of the Force, and may have wanted his nephew to live a normal existence where he didn’t have to follow a specific code and constantly keep his emotions in check. Being Force sensitive isn’t the same as being a Jedi. Leia is living proof of that.

Lucasfilm has done an excellent job of setting up Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren as the main trio of The Last Jedi through marketing, making the trio’s relationship the key component of the entire film. With the movie’s title being a direct reference to Skywalker, there will surely be some major revelations concerning his post-Return of the Jedi trials and tribulations, painting a clearer picture of what transpired in the three decades between trilogies. Until then, fans will continue to speculate about what happened with Ben Solo, but with some promotional materials hinting at “evil Luke,” anything is possible.

MORE: Rey Will Join Kylo Ren In The Last Jedi

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