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Rise of Skywalker’s Leia backstory created a Star Wars plot gap

When Star Wars: The Force Awakens was launched many moons in the past, the world was launched to the latest baddie within the galaxy far, distant. His identify was Kylo Ren, and he was a cautionary story about what neglectful, even wilfully ignorant parenting might result in.

After all, how might a boy born to heroes of the galaxy transform a flawed’un? More than that, Kylo Ren proved to be virtually as divisive as, effectively, the whole lot else in Star Wars legend.

He was decried as a poster boy for the manipulator, the last word privileged white boy whose egocentric needs trump the whole lot else. The different facet of the argument stated that he was emblematic of what excessive stress and absent parenting can do to a younger thoughts.

adam driver as kylo ren in star wars the last jedi trailer

Disney

When The Last Jedi launched the Force connection between Rey and Kylo Ren, the argument grew to become extra heated: was he gaslighting Rey or in love together with her? By the time we reached The Rise of Skywalker and Bendemption, nonetheless, the argument misplaced the entire wind in its sails.

But The Rise of Skywalker additionally launched one thing else into Kylo Ren’s character arc: determinism. When Rey goes to Ahch-To to isolate herself (out of a misguided need to do good) Luke’s Force ghost helps her see the sunshine and provides her Leia’s lightsaber.

He confirms that Leia had been coaching as a Jedi, however in a imaginative and prescient noticed that the top of her Jedi path resulted in her son’s flip in the direction of the darkish facet (a son that, presumably given the timeline and the way younger the CGI-ed Carrie Fisher appeared within the flashback, she hadn’t had but).

leia in a flashback in star wars rise of skywalker

Disney

Which brings us to the crux of the problem: If it was recognized that Ben Solo was at all times going to undergo some tragic change of coronary heart, why was Luke so stunned when he did? The Last Jedi informed the story from either side: Luke’s model was that he had a imaginative and prescient of Kylo Ren turning dangerous, and almost killed him for it.

But absolutely he already knew that it was a chance? After all, Leia had informed him throughout their coaching session that her eventual son was going to go down a darkish path.

Perhaps Luke assumed that as a result of Leia had given up her coaching, all was going to be effectively?

kylo ren and darth vader's helmet star wars the force awakens

Lucasfilm

This looks as if a naive little bit of pondering, particularly given the esoteric nature of the Jedi. Surely Luke of all individuals would know that there are a lot of roads to get to the identical vacation spot, even when that vacation spot is Ben Solo turning right into a mask-wearing, red-light-saber-wielding dangerous man.

Also, if my gymnasium trainer might inform I used to be emo, absolutely Luke – a Jedi, a person in contact with the life pressure of all dwelling beings – might inform one thing was up together with his brooding nephew. Especially with Leia’s imaginative and prescient niggling in his reminiscence.

In the top, this plot gap was created, like so many others, by JJ Abrams attempting to fill out a narrative that did not essentially must be informed, and at the price of different plot factors which wanted additional exposition. Luckily, we’ve The Mandalorian and Clone Wars to maintain us completely satisfied.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is obtainable on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, in addition to on Disney+, Sky Cinema Premiere and NOW TV.