Star Wars: 9 questions we have for Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

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Question 2: Will Kylo Ren be redeemed?

Kylo Ren has been the “bad guy” in the sequel trilogy. But he is a little more complicated than that.

While Darth Vader forged a path of destruction, we never saw him truly waver until he had to choose if his son would live or die. He chose his son.

Kylo Ren has been living on the edge of light and dark, mostly in the dark. He chooses the evil option nearly every time, and when it seems he is picking the light side, it is marred with the wrong intentions.

While I’m firmly in the camp that he can’t be redeemed, it’s not my story to tell.

Given recent rumors, it seems Kylo Ren may be redeemed in a way. While not diving into the rumor (we’re going for a spoiler-free zone), how could Kylo Ren be redeemed after everything he has done?

His on-screen body count is not impressive, but Kylo Ren has gone for quality over quantity. He killed Han Solo, his father and a beloved Star Wars character, in The Force Awakens.

Yet, even that didn’t solidify his conscious in choosing evil. We saw that manifest in a couple of ways. First, he explicitly said it. Then when he had the chance to kill his mother Leia, he chose not to. Their bond is especially strong if that was the one thing he couldn’t do.

Then he killed Snoke and, with Rey, killed the Praetorian Guards. However, it felt he did that in the name of ruling the First Order and less about bringing peace to the galaxy.

The bigger question becomes is Kylo Ren even worth redeeming?

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