Lucasfilm seems to be going out of its way to convince fans there was no love interest between Rey and Kylo Ren. The Star Wars movies tell a different story.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy ended last year with the release of The Rise of Skywalker. The film has recently been released on digital and Blu Ray and many fans are watching it for the second, third, and even fourth times.
After the film’s theatrical release Lucasfilm has gone out of its way to say the kiss between Rey and Ben Solo at the end of the film was not a romantic one. It’s a strange thing to say when basically there was a strong connection between these two throughout the entire trilogy.
In fact, it’s one of the few original ideas that came out of the sequels. The story of a man who falls to the dark so far that he’ll even kill his own father, to be pulled back to the light by the love of his life, is a timeless and enduring narrative that Lucasfilm should’ve embraced instead of trying to shoot down.
Fans of Rey and Kylo like to call it “Reylo”. Personally I’m not a fan of the combining names trend, but to deny these two had feelings for each other and their final kiss was just a friendly one makes no sense. There are just too many moments in all of the films in the trilogy that show there was a romantic connection between these two. Here are some of them.
The Force Awakens
There are plenty of examples of the attraction between Rey and Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens.
Let’s take their first encounter: Kylo Ren deflects Rey’s shots, before freezing her altogether. He then uses the Force to read her mind and she passes out. Instead of having some of his Stormtrooper minions pick her up or drag her to his ship, he scoops her up himself. Not only does he scoop her up, but he also carries her in a similar way a husband carries his new wife through the threshold of their first home.
This is more of a foreshadow then an actual example, but it is quite telling about Ren’s initial and maybe even unrealized feelings for the beautiful scavenger.
Later in the film, Kylo Ren interrogates Rey to find out the location of the island Luke Skywalker is living on. Rey makes a comment about a creature in a mask, and Kylo is more than happy to remove it for her. There is a brief hesitation on Rey’s part when she sees his face like perhaps she finds it to be an attractive one.
The final example of mutual affection between these two in The Force Awakens is in their final duel. When they are fighting, instead of saying how he is going to kill her, Kylo Ren tells Rey she needs a teacher.
In his heart, he realizes he would rather have her on his side, then for her to be dead, and while that is odd soil for the seeds of love to be planted, they clearly were.
The Last Jedi
The Last Jedi is chock full of moments that prove “Reylo” is a thing and really take it to the next level. During the film, Rey and Kylo are connected through the Force and can communicate with each other over long distances, going so far as to even being able to physically see each other.
During their talks, Rey learns of Luke’s betrayal of Ben and begins to feel sorry for him. She also starts to feel that he’s the only one who understands what she is going through, as he can relate to having enormous power that is hard to control and understand. They get so close that they almost touch through the Force between this bond before it is broken up by Luke. This is the moment their bond starts to become a romantic one.
After a brief skirmish with Luke, Rey goes to seek Ben out in the hopes of converting him back to the light side. He brings her before Snoke and eventually Snoke orders Ren to kill Rey. Instead of killing her, he kills Snoke. Rey and Ren work together to take down the Praetorian Guards. In this moment of fighting they get very close, including Rey putting a hand very high up on Kylo’s thigh.
After this battle, Rey and Kylo have a discussion. Rey wants Ben to join her, instead, he wants her to join him to rule the galaxy together. It is at this moment he reveals the “truth” about her parents and then tells her she is nothing, but not to him.
This is a very powerful moment. Kylo Ren, in his own dark way basically is telling Rey he cares for her, and it is easy to see that she has similar feelings for him, as the heartbreak in her eyes is evident when she realizes he isn’t going to return to the light.
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The Rise of Skywalker
The final film of the Skywalker Saga is where Rey and Kylo Ren’s relationship is brought together unfortunately to a sad ending. Before the tragic end, there are plenty of examples in the film that show these two have strong romantic feelings for each other.
At the very beginning of the film, Kylo seeks out the Emperor. The Emperor tells him he can give him his new Empire if he brings Rey to her. Instead of following through on this he instead tries to convince Rey to join him (again) and together they can overthrow the Emperor and take their seats together on the throne that rules the galaxy.
Later in the movie, they get into a lightsaber battle in the wreckage of the Second Death Star. Rey wins this battle and stabs Kylo with his own lightsaber. Instead of letting him die, she tells him that she did want to take his hand, Ben’s hand. This is basically her flat out stating her love for him and this declaration helps bring Ben back from the dark. Rey proves her love by healing the now redeemed Ben Solo, before leaving him on the wreckage to have a talk with his ghost Dad.
Finally, at the end of the film, the star-crossed lovers join forces to fight Grandpa Sheev. The battle kills Rey, but Ben returns the life force favor giving all of his life energy to save her. She comes out of her coma and gives him a very passionate kiss.
What is more telling than the actual kiss is the look of pure happiness in her eyes and all over her face. She isn’t happy to see a friend, it’s the love of her life that brought her back from the dead, even if it was at the sacrifice of his own.
The sequels are chock full of moments that prove “Reylo” is definitely a thing, and if they were thought out from start to finish, perhaps this is a story thread that would’ve became more evident and really the entire heart and soul of the Sequel Trilogy. Instead, like too much of the sequels, things are left to be inferred and interpreted in different ways, instead of giving us fans concrete and absolute answers.
What other moments in the Sequel Trilogy prove that “Reylo” was a thing?