The Ben Solo-Rey Generation
While Leia and Han were more than capable of stopping the Empire in its tracks on more than one occasion, it seems they were unable to stop the slow and gentle creep of the Dark Side toward their own son, Ben. We discover that Ben’s uncle, Luke, began a training school for young Jedi, and Han and Leia encouraged Ben to study hard with him. However, the shadow of Ben’s grandfather, Darth Vader, loomed large, and the young Padawan was unable to break free of it.
A dastardly villain named Emperor Snoke rose in the vacuum caused by the demise of both Emperor Palpatine and Vader, and this new evil figure seduced Ben Solo, as his grandfather was seduced before him. Obsessed with his family’s history and the temptation of Dark power, Ben follows in his ancestor’s footsteps and lays murderous waste to the Jedi school.
[zergpaid]The actions of Ben Solo, who now refers to himself as Kylo Ren, are those of a petulant teenager, trying to emulate an idol – except that the idol in question is a mass murderer, and the actions he emulates results in the violent deaths of many innocent individuals. It also results, we are told, in his uncle Luke exiling himself – taking himself, and his extensive Jedi powers, out of the equation and out of reach of Snoke, Ren and the forces of their First Order. But, in the Star Wars universe, it is never so simple as to have one family member go ‘off the rails.’ The defection of Ben Solo to the Dark Side brings with it a number of implications.
The Force, in this narrative, has always been about balance, and for every villain, there has always been a hero to combat them. Historically, in the higher branches of the family tree, this balance has resulted from conflict between parent and child, and Master and Padawan. Anakin was taken from his mother by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and rebelled against his trainer, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke and Leia were hidden from their father, and then defied his advances once they were grown. Ben Solo (or Kylo Ren) defied his parents and went to the Dark Side. But, there is a new hero on the scene, in the form of Rey.
Rey was abandoned on the planet of Jakku as child and has been awaiting the return of her family ever since. The Force is strong with her and she feels a deep connection to the lightsaber of Luke Skywalker when she first picks it up. Could it be that Episode VIII will reveal her to be the daughter of Luke? Such a plot twist would make her the cousin of Kylo Ren, and therefore a true equal of his on the battlefield. There would be no suggestion of deference or influence as a result of generational difference – it would be young Skywalker against young Skywalker (for Leia is the mother of Kylo Ren).
So, what of the older generations? With their offspring pitted against each other, what tensions may arise between estranged twins Luke and Leia? Despite his heinous crimes, Leia has been convinced that her son can still be saved and turned to toward the light. Will Luke and Rey be of the same sentiment? This question would be further complicated, if it were to be revealed that Rey’s mother was killed during Ren’s attack on the Jedi school.
Indeed, as we digest the revelations of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and look ahead to the family dramas possible in Episode VIII, there is much more to explore within the Skywalker family tree.
