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Kylo Ren

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Kylo Ren
Star Wars character
File:KyloRen-2015.jpg
Kylo Ren in a promotional
image for The Force Awakens
First appearanceThe Force Awakens (2015)
Created by
Portrayed byAdam Driver
Voiced byAdam Driver (Disney Infinity 3.0)
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
Occupation
Affiliation
  • First Order
  • Knights of Ren
  • Jedi (formerly)
Family
Relatives

Kylo Ren (born Ben) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where he was portrayed by Adam Driver. Kylo Ren is a pseudonym for Ben, the son of original Star Wars trilogy characters Han Solo and Leia Organa. Though trained by his uncle Luke Skywalker as a Jedi, he has been seduced to the dark side of the Force, and aspires to be as powerful as his grandfather, Darth Vader. Kylo Ren is the master of the Knights of Ren, and a commander for the First Order, an organization spawned from the fallen Galactic Empire.

HAN SOLO DIES

Character

Abrams told Empire in August 2015, "Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force."[1] Abrams had previously told Entertainment Weekly that the character "came to the name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren."[2] Robbie Collin of The Telegraph described Ren as "a hot-headed, radicalised Dark Side jihadi, whose red lightsaber splutters and crackles as violently as his temper".[3] Abrams noted, "The lightsaber is something that he built himself, and is as dangerous and as fierce and as ragged as the character."[2] The Telegraph also explains that Ren's wild and erratic temper and "angsty" instability make him dangerous.[4] Melissa Leon of The Daily Beast describes Ren's use of the Force "formidable", citing his ability to stop a blaster shot mid-air, immobilize victims and probe their minds against their will.[5]

Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly in August 2015, "I've written four Star Wars movies now, and there's never been a character quite like the one that Adam plays. I think you’re going to see something that's brand new to the saga," noting that the character is "full of emotion".[2] Abrams explained, "I think that what makes Ren so unique is that he isn't as fully formed as when we meet a character such as Darth Vader ... He is not your prototypical mustache-twirling bad guy. He is a little bit more complex than that."[2] Driver said in December 2015 that, despite the visual similarities to Darth Vader, Ren is "unlike any villain the franchise has seen before".[6] He explained:

I feel there's a recklessness about him that's maybe not normally associated with the Dark Side. You normally think of order, and structure, and full commitment and no hesitation ... he's just a little bit more unpolished. It’s in his costume, in his lightsaber—how you kind of get the sense that it could just not work at any moment; that it could just blow up. That’s kind of like a big metaphor for him.[6]

Appearances

The Force Awakens (2015)

In the beginning of the film, Kylo Ren leads a squad of Captain Phasma's stormtroopers to the desert planet Jakku to retrieve a map containing the co-ordinates for the location of Luke Skywalker, who has been missing for years. When they arrive, Ren captures Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, who has also been sent to recover the map by General Leia Organa. After torturing Poe with the Force, Ren learns that the pilot had entrusted his astromech droid, BB-8, with the map. Poe then escapes with the help of a rogue stormtrooper named Finn, who later finds BB-8 and the scavenger Rey just as Ren's forces are closing in. Finn, Rey and BB-8 escape Jakku in the Millennium Falcon, and are soon intercepted by the ship's former owner, Han Solo, and his copilot Chewbacca.

It is later revealed that Ren is the son of Han and Leia, and was once one of Luke's Jedi pupils. He fell to the dark side of the Force, however, apparently corrupted by the First Order's Supreme Leader, Snoke. He then helped to destroy Luke's fledgling Jedi Order—much like his grandfather, Darth Vader. However, Ren still feels the pull of the light side of the Force, and seeks the strength to overcome this weakness from the long-dead Vader. Descending on the castle of Maz Kanata with a force of stormtroopers, Ren captures Rey, who he senses has seen the map. While interrogating her with the Force, he takes off his mask, and soon realizes that she is strong with the Force herself, though unaware of it. Rey is then able to experience Ren's emotions, and uses her newfound power to overcome her stormtrooper guard and escape. Han later arrives at the First Order's battle station, Starkiller Base, as part of the Resistance's plan to destroy it.

After Han plants the explosives to destroy the base, he confronts Ren, addressing him by his original name, Ben. Han implores his son to abandon the dark side, but Ren declines and ignites his lightsaber, impaling Han, who then falls to his death. An enraged Chewbacca then shoots Ren, wounding him in his side. As Finn and Rey flee the damaged base, the injured Ren follows and confronts them. Finn fights Ren with Luke's recovered lightsaber, but is bested and severely injured. Rey then takes up the lightsaber and fights Ren herself, eventually overpowering him with the Force. Before she can kill him, they are separated by a seismic fissure created by the collapsing base. She and the others escape as Snoke orders General Hux to evacuate the base and bring Ren to him to complete his training.

Kylo Ren is a point of view character in the 2015 novelization of The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster.[7]

He is a playable character in the 2015 Force Awakens add-on to the Disney Infinity 3.0 video game, with an Infinity character figurine available separately.[8][9][10][11] He is also featured in a Lego Star Wars playset called Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle,[12] and as a Lego Buildable Figure.[13] In addition, Hasbro has released a 3.75 inch Kylo Ren action figure,[14] and a 6 inch figure in their Black Series line.[15]

Family tree

Main article: Solo family

Template:Skywalker-Solo family tree

Reception

Both the character of Kylo Ren and Driver's performance have been positively received. Many complimented Ren's conflicted nature and depth, as well as his costume design, and noted there were many places the character could be taken in future installments.[16][17][18] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised the character and the actor alike, saying, "He is gorgeously cruel, spiteful and capricious – and unlike the Vader of old, he is given to petulant temper tantrums, with his lightsaber drawn."[19] Terri Schwartz of IGN also called Driver's performance "spectacular", noting that "his performance adds great depth to a character who could have come off as one-dimensional, and the implications of his arc leave a viewer with plenty to think about after they leave the theater".[20] Robbie Collin of The Telegraph wrote, "To describe Kylo Ren as this film’s Vader would be accurate in a sense ... But it would also be to undersell the deep ingenuity with which this astonishing character has been crafted by Abrams, Kasdan and Arndt, and also the wells of emotional tumult Driver invests in him."[3] Comparing the character to the one-note Vader of the 1977 film, Melissa Leon of The Daily Beast calls Ren "a living battleground between darkness and light, making him a far more resonant and familiar portrayal of that struggle than we've ever seen in Star Wars ... [which] makes him a far more interesting villain."[5] Abrams told Entertainment Weekly, "it was a great joy to work with Adam Driver on this role, because he threw himself into it in a deep and remarkable way."[2] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter noted, "Ren is given a pronounced inferiority complex, a clever bad guy twist that could be taken to interesting places both in the writing and performance."[21] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "The bald-faced attempt to clone Vader, one of the greatest badasses in film history, is clankingly obvious, but Driver, masked and unmasked, gives him hypnotic and haunting contours."[22] Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com was underwhelmed by the reveal of Driver under the mask.[23] Leon, however, argued:

But that face—that of a normal, vulnerable young man—is the most subversively terrifying thing about J. J. Abrams' reimagining of A New Hope. Rather than pure evil, Ren is something far more familiar: He is human. Just like the real-life young men with minds clouded by fear, hate, and anger who commit unspeakable acts in our world every day ... all the visual cues that leave the character open to criticisms of not being "evil" enough—are all signs of Ren's struggle between the Dark Side and the Light.[5]

Other critics have noted similarities between Ren's character design and that of Revan, the protagonist of Knights of the Old Republic.[24]

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Empire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference EW 2015-08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Collin, Robbie (December 18, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens review: 'the magic is back'". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  4. ^ "14 things Star Wars fans will love about The Force Awakens". The Telegraph. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Leon, Melissa (December 27, 2015). "Emo Kylo Ren: Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Polarizing Villain". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Hawkes, Rebecca (December 17, 2015). "Adam Driver: why Kylo Ren is nothing like Vader". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  7. ^ Foster, Alan Dean (2015). "Chapter I". The Force Awakens (e-book). ISBN 9781101965504.
  8. ^ Robertson, Andy (October 12, 2015). "Disney Infinity: The Force Awakens Dated, Adds Kylo Ren And Poe Dameron". Forbes. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Valdes, Giancarlo (December 9, 2015). "Disney Infinity's Star Wars: The Force Awakens lets John Boyega play with himself". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  10. ^ "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Now Available". StarWars.com. December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  11. ^ Truitt, Brian (December 16, 2015). "Infinity adds to Force Awakens experience". USA Today. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  12. ^ "75104-1: Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle". Brickset.com. 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "75117-1: Kylo Ren". Brickset.com. 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Spry, Jeff (August 14, 2015). "Leaked peek at Hasbro's Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma and 10 more The Force Awakens action figures". Blastr. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  15. ^ Myatt, D. Martin. "03 Kylo Ren from Hasbro's The Black Series". Rebelscum.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  16. ^ "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review (Or How I Might Just Like Kylo Ren)". thebiglead.com. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  17. ^ "Force Awakens Thrilling If Not Familiar Adventure". thereeldeal.com. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  18. ^ "What Happened To Kylo Ren After The Force Awakens? The Villian Could Make A Return". Bustle.com. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  19. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (December 16, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens review – 'a spectacular homecoming'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 21, 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  20. ^ Schwartz, Terri. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review". IGN. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  21. ^ McCarthy, Todd (December 16, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  22. ^ Travers, Peter (December 16, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  23. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (November 11, 2015). "Let's Discuss the Ending of Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Vulture.com. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  24. ^ Dickens, Donna (August 17, 2015). "Kylo Ren Looks An Awful Lot Like This Other Star Wars Character". HitFix. Retrieved December 24, 2015.

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