If there's something everyone can agree on when it comes to the final three chapters of the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, it's that pretty much no one was happy with where things ended. Some blame Rian Johnson and The Last Jedi, while others see the problems with the story laying at the feet of JJ Abrams and his two films in the trilogy rehashing old ideas instead of bringing new concepts to the universe.
Another aspect of the constant debate is on the two main characters of the Sequel Trilogy: Rey and Kylo Ren. The two Force users represent the different sides of the power that lives in all things across the Star Wars Universe, it can be hard to say which one truly carries the weight of the films.
10 Kylo Ren Is Family
The Skywalker Saga is really about one family as it struggles to find its place in the universe and atone for the sins of the past. It starts with the young slave boy Anakin Skywalker who grows up to be a powerful Jedi before joining the dark side and betraying all he stood for.
It then picks up with Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, the children of Anakin who battle against him to save the galaxy. Then comes Kylo Ren, the son of Han Solo and Leia, Kylo is the clear torchbearer of the story, continuing the path of the Skywalker bloodline for good or ill.
9 Rey Is The New Blood
It's common for a sci-fi or fantasy film to have a character who doesn't know the world they are entering as the main character. In the Original Star Wars Trilogy, it was Luke Skywalker, the farm boy thrust into a rebellion. In the Prequels, it was Anakin, a slave boy who gets caught up in a civil war. These characters act as the audience's surrogate—someone to who other characters can explain things, like the Force, so viewers understand them.
Rey fills that role in the Sequel Trilogy. A scavenger who finds herself dealing with the rise of the First Order, Rey can be the one who asks the questions the audience has while also becoming the hero we would all want to be.
8 Kylo Ren Is Pulled By Both Sides Of The Force
The grandson of Darth Vader, son of Leia Organa, and nephew of Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren has the Force running through his veins, but he doesn't know how to use it. He wants to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become a Sith, but he feels the pull of the light side of the Force inside him, trying to make him do what is right.
Kylo is the inverse of Anakin in the Prequel Trilogy, a character who wanted to do what was right but could not control his anger and turned to the dark side.
7 Rey Is The Heart Of The Sequels
Without Rey, the Sequel Trilogy has no heart. Rey's excitement to join the galaxy on a grand adventure in The Force Awakens leads to her desire to keep the Jedi Order alive in The Last Jedi and her need to end the neverending war that has run through all nine of the Skywalker Saga films.
Rey stands out in the saga because she is not a hero by need, but by choice. Where both Anakin and Luke were given no option but to join the fight, Rey is given every opportunity to walk away, but always chooses to stand her ground.
6 Kylo Ren Just Looks Cool
A huge part of the success of Star Wars is how cool everything looked in the original 1977 film, most notably Darth Vader. While he is the villain of the Original Trilogy, Vader became the face of Star Wars because his suit and mask were just too awesome to not be admired.
Kylo Ren's look follows a similar path. His helmet is cool, and his lightsaber with a crossguard hilt is even cooler. When The Force Awakens came out, kids and adults couldn't wait to dress up as Kylo Ren for Halloween.
5 Rey Had The Mystery Factor
While Star Wars isn't known for its mysteries, Rey represented a big one. Her past, still largely unknown to audiences, didn't fit with any of the Star Wars archetypes fans had seen before. She was young and living alone, a drastic change from the previous heroes of the Saga when it comes to family.
Parts of her past would be revealed across the three films, leading to theories and beliefs from the fanbase. Sadly, the payoff to the mystery of Rey's past was a letdown for many fans, but the sense of mystery added a new level to the films.
4 Kylo Ren Is The Cool Bad Guy
There's no doubt that Kylo Ren has some serious entitlement issues that come out in adolescent bursts of rage and whining, but he's also pretty badass when it comes to fighting. The first time viewers really see Kylo Ren let loose is in The Force Awakens where, after being injured, he continuously punches his own wound. That's pretty tough.
In The Last Jedi, Kylo is so badass that he cuts Snoke in half by turning on Rey's lightsaber and swinging it around with the Force. He then goes on to beat the hell out of Snoke's guards with the help of Rey in one of the best fight scenes in Star Wars history. Then in The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo takes out the Knights of Ren in no time flat.
3 Rey Is The Promise Of Hope
When Star Wars proved to be a massive success in 1977, George Lucas quickly went back and added to the title, changing it to Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV). In that film, Luke is the "New Hope" and in the Sequel Trilogy, Rey takes up that mantle.
From the very start, Rey is filled with hope. She sits on Jakku and looks to the stars, dreaming of a day she can be out there. She works to bring back the Jedi Order by taking the sacred texts. She never gives up believing that Kylo Ren can be saved. When others doubt, Rey hopes.
2 Kylo Ren Is The Redemption Of The Bloodline
It takes a lot of work, and in terms of storytelling structure it doesn't fully work, but Kylo Ren is the redemption of the Skywalker bloodline. Where Anakin gave in to the Dark Side and Luke walked away from his duty, Kylo Ren faces the failures of his ancestors and works to end the cycle of destruction by giving his life to save Rey's.
In sacrificing himself, Kylo ends the Skywalker line and essentially brings peace to the galaxy. It is a bittersweet ending for the family that has been the focus of nine films, but an ending well earned.
1 Rey Is The Real Luke Of It All
In the Original Trilogy, Luke Skywalker is painted as the last hope to save the galaxy from the grip of Emperor Palpatine, but it's hard not to notice how much Luke doesn't seem to want to do that. His whiney ways are well known, and they carry through all three of his films and continue into his appearance in The Last Jedi.
But Rey is different. In terms of the classic Hero's Journey format created by Joseph Campbell, Rey never refuses the call. From step one, Rey is ready to do whatever is needed of her to end the First Order, even if it means she has to die. Rey is the hero everyone thought Luke was.
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