Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerintroducedthe Force Dyadas a brand-new concept inStar Wars, but it’s only now, nearly six years later, that it’s really begun to make sense. TheStar Warssequel trilogy remains one of the most controversial additions toStar Warsmovies and TV shows, andThe Rise of Skywalkerwas a substantial part of that. In fact, many considerThe Rise of Skywalkerto be one ofStar Wars’worst movies.
There are various reasons whyThe Rise of Skywalkerreceived such pushback, from choices likePalpatine’s resurrectionto Rey adopting the Skywalker name. Although it wasn’t quite as controversial, the Force Dyad was also a significant change in theStar Warssequels. It was clear inStar Wars: The Force AwakensandStar Wars: The Last Jedithat Kylo Ren and Rey were bonded, but it wasn’t untilThe Rise of Skywalkerthat the Dyad was named and loosely defined. Finally, five years later,Star Warshas explained the Force Dyad more clearly—and made it much bigger.
Rey And Kylo Ren Seem To Be Literal Mirrors Of Each Other
In a brand-newStar Warscomic,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Adaptation, written by Jody Houser,the Force Dyad is shown in an entirely new light. Specifically, in this adaptation, Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo don’t just seem bonded, as they do in the movies; they appear as mirror images of each other. This is particularly true in the adaptation of the scene on Exegol fromThe Rise of Skywalker, in which Rey successfully passes a lightsaber to Ben, effectively through space and time.
In this adaptation, Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo don’t just seem bonded, as they do in the movies; they appear as mirror images of each other.
In the movie, it’s evident that the two are incredibly in sync at that moment, and their Force bond is obviously at its peak. Yet, the comic adaptation takes this much further by revealing thatRey and Kylo Ren were actually taking the same stances, holding the same poses, and otherwise directly mirroring one another throughout these sequences. This suggests that Rey and Kylo Ren weren’t just bonded. They had become one.
This Wasn’t Just A Bond; Rey And Kylo Ren Were Unified As One
If the Force Dyad shown throughout the sequels meant that Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey had unified to become one person, that arguably makes more sense than them simply sharing an intense bond in the Force. After all, we’ve seen some other incredibly powerful bonds in the Force, but the abilities Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo shared were unlike anything shown intheStar Warstimelinebefore. In fact, this could shed new light on why Rey and Kylo/Ben felt such intense pulls throughout the sequel trilogy, though perhaps especially inThe Last Jedi.
It’s true that Jedi and Sith throughoutStar Warshave experienced pulls to the dark or to the light, respectively, and that this is something both sides are wary of. Yet, Rey and Kylo seemed to be describing something different, particularly inThe Last Jedi. In the elevator scene of that movie, for example, both describe seeing visions of the other joining ‘their’ side of the Force, and Rey emphasized that the vision had been so clear—suggesting it felt almost real to her.
Likewise,throughout the sequels, both Rey and Kylo Ren struggle with viscerally intense pulls to the opposite side of the Force. In Rey’s case, while on Ahch-To, she goes straight to the dark, as Luke Skywalker says, and she continues to battle that pull, such as inThe Rise of Skywalkerwhen we get to see Sith Rey. Kylo Ren’s struggle against the light side of the Force is also evident, given he ends up effectively praying to Darth Vader’s helmet to help him remain on the dark side, as he’s feeling that pull again.
The intensity and consistency of these struggles would make more sense if what was being felt was the presence of the other: Rey as the light side pulling Kylo Ren, and Kylo as the dark side calling to Rey. Of course, one could argue the same is true whether the Dyad is merely a bond or if it truly unified them, but the distinction, in the latter case, is that this wouldn’t just be the influence of another. Rather, it would be two sides of the same whole, and that alone would explain why these pulls were so powerful.
In addition to explaining Rey and Kylo Ren’s pulls to the dark and the light side of the Force, respectively,this would also help to explain why the powers coming from the Force Dyad are so shocking. As mentioned, the Force Dyad didn’t cause quite as much controversy as the Palpatine plot twist or the decision for Rey to become a Skywalker, but it did get some criticism from those looking beyond just those most glaring controversies. Specifically, as with Rey herself, the Force Dyad was accused of being more powerful than was reasonable.
The abilities of the Force Dyad were indeed immense, the most obvious of which being the fact thatRey and Kylo Ren were able to heal one another through this Dyad. In fact, at the end ofThe Rise of Skywalker, this Dyad even gave Ben Solo the power to bring Rey back to life–something thatStar Warscharacters, includingthe Chosen Onehimself, had previously failed to do. While some may continue to dislike this plot point no matter the explanation, this new perspective on the Force Dyad could provide a rationale for this.
Did Ben REALLY Die… Or Has Something Else Happened?
Ben Solo’s death inThe Rise of Skywalkerhas always seemed odd. Although we’ve seen characters disappear into the Force before inStar Wars, beginning with Obi-Wan Kenobi inA New Hope, there was something quite different and almost awkward about the way Ben died (and, no, it wasn’t just because it began with a kiss). Ben’s becoming one with the Force happened suddenly, unexpectedly, and so blink-and-you-miss-it quickly that it’s plausible to think something else happened in this scene.
Namely,if Rey and Ben really were unified as one, and Ben transferred his remaining life essence to her to bring her back to life, Ben may not have truly ‘died’ after all. Instead, Ben could be living on, in a sense, in Rey. This may sound far-fetched or too mystical forStar Wars, but we’ve actually already seen something somewhat like it withthe Mortis GodsinStar Wars: The Clone Wars.
In that situation, the Daughter had her life essence transferred into Ahsoka, and, with the Daughter’s convor, Morai, now following Ahsoka around for decades, it’s safe to say the Daughter lives on in Ahsoka in a sense. With the power of the Force Dyad, it’s easy to imagine that some other version of this has occurred with Ben Solo and Rey. The Force Dyad still has plenty that can be explored inStar Wars, but, nearly six years after the release ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we’ve at least gotten some new insight into this mysterious phenomenon.
