Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a lot of problems, and one of them is a truncated arc for Kylo Ren. We got some big developments for the First Order leader in Episode IX, but some greater context to both his storyline across the movie and his motivations and headspace would’ve been appreciated. It’s interesting to note, then, that one seriously cool deleted creature would have held the key to expanding Kylo’s character journey.
The creature in question is the Eye of Webbish Bog, also known as The Oracle, a spider-like creature perched on the head of a blind giant that’s submerged in a swamp. You can see a concept art piece for The Oracle below, courtesy of artist Jake Lunt Davies. The creature, or rather two that are locked in symbiosis, was to have appeared in the film’s opening, encountered by Kylo on his quest for the Sith Wayfinder.
This scene is actually included in Rise‘s novelization. Thanks to this, we not only have more information on how Kylo was able to track down the Dark Side artifact, but also it helps us understand his motivations from thereon in.
Here’s the relevant passage:
“A giant emerged, a hairless creature sheening with wetness, bits of lake detritus clinging to its pasty skin. Its eyes were squeezed shut, but it could still see after a fashion, because draped over its massive bald head and across one shoulder was a second creature with long spidery tentacles. The two were locked in symbiosis. Kylo sensed the giant’s pain, as though it were a slave to the spidery being that clung to it. Yet neither could it survive alone.”
As Inverse proposes, this extract makes it clear that Kylo relates to the creature. Not only does he sense its pain, but he too knows what it’s like to be bound in a symbiotic relationship with another being – because he’s one half of a Force Dyad with Rey. This is clearly at the forefront of Kylo’s thoughts, then, which explains every step of his journey until he turns a new leaf and comes to Rey’s aid on Exegol.
The inclusion of The Oracle would have been a strong addition to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but unfortunately it was cut for time. The sequence was filmed, though, using practical effects. So it’s possible a deleted scene may appear someday, revealing The Eye of Webbish Bog in all its weird glory.
