The Star Wars fandom currently has two camps on Kylo Ren. There are those who believe in his redemption by becoming Ben Solo again #bendemption, and there are those who believe he is too far gone to be saved. That his heart is turned from the light forever. With security tighter than the curves of Beggar’s Canyon around the plot to Episode IX, no one knows for sure. A new fan theory, however, suggests Kylo’s fate may have been predicted back in 1977 in Episode IV, A New Hope.
Kylo Ren, the Conflicted Villain
It’s no secret Kylo struggles with the dark and the light. Adam Driver has done a splendid job of portraying the difficulties the impressionable and brash Kylo Ren has in trying to decide who he wants to be. Anakin had major issues with this, too. Luke had some brief trips to the edge of the dark side, but nothing serious. Leia seems to be the only Skywalker without a hitch on that front, but it’s not been so easy for Kylo.
Leia credits Snoke with turning her son, but we know from the prequels that some Force-sensitives are born with a little dark side in them. The trigger is that defining moment, when they do something so unspeakable, that they are lost. For Anakin, it was the Younglings. For Kylo, it was his father. Had Luke delivered the coup-de-gras on Vader in Episode VI, that would likely have been his one-way ticket to Sithville. He refrained, choosing the light and denying the Emperor. Kylo went the other direction.
Who predicted Kylo’s fate?
Obi-Wan stuck around in the desert, keeping an eye on Luke for one reason: to see if he could resist where his father could not. A back-story comic, Star Wars Vol. 2 #15 gives us the clues:
It’s obvious Owen Lars knows a little more about Anakin’s fate than we thought. That comes to fruition in the fateful blue milk scene of Episode IV: A New Hope, when Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru hint at the effect Darth Vader would have on his offspring.
“You can’t keep him here forever; he has too much of his father in him.”
“I know, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
Beru and Owen Lars, talking about Luke in Episode IV
How does that apply to Kylo Ren?
In The Force Awakens, we hear a strangely similar conversation about another Skywalker, when Han tells Leia he saw their son.
“There was nothing we could’ve done. There was too much Vader in him.”
Han to Leia, telling her it’s too late for Ben Solo
Photo: David James..© 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Right Reserved.
In Luke’s case, Owen’s concerns were proven wrong, but they knew. The knew Anakin’s fate and his propensities would be a strong influence on his children, not knowing how right they would be when it came to his grandson Ben Solo.
If there’s anything we’ve learned about the Skywalkers, its that it is never too late to come back from the dark side. Will we see Ben Solo redeemed in Episode IX? Or does he go down as the dark-hearted Kylo Ren? Let us know in the comments! And as always, tune in to That Hashtag Show.com for all your Star Wars news and updates!
Source: Inverse
