Did the ‘STAR WARS: The Rise of Skywalker’ Trailer Confirm Kylo Ren’s Redemption?

It’s barely been twenty-four hours since Star Wars Celebration revealed the title of Star Wars: Episode IX to be The Rise of Skywalker. Notwithstanding, the Internet is already loaded with queries and theories. The biggest question, of course, is what the title means. Will Luke Skywalker rise again? Will the film reveal Rey to be a Skywalker, after all? Or will the prevailing theory prevail, namely that Kylo Ren will find redemption and reclaim his Skywalker lineage? One scene of the Rise of Skywalker trailer seems to suggest the latter.

The trailer opens with Rey standing alone in a desert. There isn’t another soul or ship for miles. Then, in the distance, a TIE Interceptor comes screaming through the valley towards her. She ignites her lightsaber and… turns her back on the charging starship. That hardly seems like an advisable battle stance. She begins running, and then the Interceptor is upon her without ever firing a shot. Rey leaps through the air backwards, up and over the TIE as it catches up to her.

Are Rey and Kylo Ren Training Together in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?

This scene certain seems as if Rey is training, not fighting. Otherwise, why wouldn’t the pilot of the Interceptor fire on her?  It’s fairly clear in the scene that this was no battle. But one question does remain: Was it Kylo Ren flying the Interceptor, or someone else? After all, we only see apair of gloved hands at the controls. Watch the trailer again here and judge for yourself:

Kylo Ren finding redemption in The Rise of Skywalker does make sense. For two films now, he’s struggled with the pull between the Dark and the Light. While many (including me) feel that Kylo Ren is too far gone for redemption, the possibility always remains. Notwithstanding, the trailer does also show Ren charging through a battlefield with Stormtroopers, not fighting against them.

Regardless of what happens with Kylo Ren, we know that the Skywalker lineage is the absolute, central theme to the final, episodic Star Wars film. Whether The Rise of Skywalker means Kylo Ren’s redemption or not remains to be seen.

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