Force Healing is a rare and unique power in that galaxy far, far away. In fact, we’ve only ever seen two people who were capable of performing it, Baby Yoda and Rey. And in The Rise of Skywalker, the latter uses the ability on more than one occasion throughout the film.
The first time around, the protagonist tapped into the Force to mend the injuries of the Vexis, a serpent-like creature native to the deserts of Pasaana. Later on, when the crew of the Millennium Falcon found the ruins of the second Death Star, Rey and Kylo Ren engaged in yet another one of their lightsaber duels that seemingly resulted in a draw. That is, of course, until Leia Organa sacrificed herself to reach out to her son Ben Solo, thus setting in motion Kylo’s redemption.
As you may recall, though, this gave Rey a window of opportunity to strike down her opponent, which is exactly what she did. Now, the new Star Wars book, Skywalker: A Family At War, which chronicles the history of the Skywalker family, recounts the events of that particular scene and reveals that Rey’s decision to heal her adversary’s wounds helped release the character from the dark side’s grasp.
“Healing through the Force is a peculiar thing,” the book reads. “Rey transferred her own Force energy to the wounded man at her feet; however, the interaction did more than merely mend a gaping wound. Burned flesh and damaged organs were made whole again, and even the scar on his face disappeared. For the first time in more than a decade, Ben Solo’s mind cleared.”
Continuity-wise, this is actually a fitting development. If anything, we know that the Vexis on Pasaana was aggressive at first, but when Rey healed it, the snake helped the heroes out of their underground entrapment. Even when Baby Yoda healed Greef Karga’s wounds in The Mandalorian, the mercenary immediately began to embody signs of chivalry and righteousness, all signifying that the remedial effects of the act aren’t limited to the body.
Of course, it should be noted that this doesn’t diminish the value of Leia’s selflessness – as Ben would probably have been lost without her either way – but rather introduces a new aspect to Star Wars lore, one that also extends the usually-dismissed psychological aspects of the living Force.