One of The Last Jedi‘s most iconic sequences came in the movie’s first act and involved the rare instance when Luke decided to train Rey in the ways of the Force, but her raw strength terrified the old Jedi Master. Now, Star Wars has revealed why Luke feared her potential.
While a lot of fans had hoped for the pair’s scenes on Ahch-To to mirror The Empire Strikes Back when Yoda trained a young Luke, Rian Johnson’s narrative subverted our expectations and decided instead to focus on their inner conflicts. Still, there were instances throughout the movie which showed the Jedi Master softening up and embracing his inner teacher, the one that had sought to train a new generation of the Jedi several years prior. One of these scenes had Rey essentially shaking the earth through her connection with the Force. This immediately alarmed Luke, who broke Rey out of her Force-induced seizure. He then scolded her for giving in to the dark side, announcing that he has “seen this raw strength once before” in Ben Solo.
Now, the new canon reference book, Secrets of the Jedi, has revealed why Luke was so afraid of Rey and Kylo’s unique bond.
“Though this may seem like a harmless – and perhaps even valuable – ability, it is easily manipulated by those on the dark side. Some powerful Force users have been able to create secret bonds with others who are unaware of their connection. They then use these bonds to corrupt their target and steer their actions. Even if the unwanted bond is detected, it can still be extremely difficult to break,” He writes in his notes.
This in-universe book is presumably written by Luke himself, who even shares an image of Kylo Ren and Rey on that particular entry which discusses Force Bonds. The Jedi Master was afraid that he was going to lose Rey to the dark side the same way he did Ben when Palpatine twisted his mind.
Of course, the last Star Wars movie proved how dangerous this bond could be. Though it was also the reason that Darth Sidious failed in the end. In fact, if it weren’t for Kylo redeeming himself before Rey could go through with the Sith ritual on Exegol, Palpatine would have won. So, all’s well that ends well, right?
