Official Episode VIII - Kylo Ren Discussion Thread

I highly doubt if Kylo is redeemed (which eventually I think he will), it will be in the next episode. I feel like a lot of the reason he would come back to the light is what actually pulled him to the dark side...Darth Vader. We saw concept art of a dark/light Anakin (picture below) and I think they might possibly try to use that. It's assumed that Kylo sees visions or something of the Vader showing him the dark side, but what if that changes and he starts showing him the light side and that he made a mistake and does not want this for his grandson? Vaders helmet could be force visions of all the bad he's done, but maybe Kylo will get a hold on Anakin's lightsaber, which will show the good in Anakin/Vader. There's rumors that Hayden Christensen who played Anakin in the prequels might return, maybe it's as a flash back or even a force ghost to Kylo, urging him to change back to the light side, and Kylo will listen. Kylo will also realize Snoke is just using him. If something like all this happens I think it will be in episode IX towards the middle to the end. After he decides to change, he will find Rey and convince her to team up with him to take down Snoke. Kylo and Rey might go to Snoke to face him and Snoke badly injures Rey or is about to and Kylo sacrifices his life or just getting badly injured to save her. I kind of don't want Kylo to die after he turns back to the light side, he could still have a lot more to do in his life like rebuilding the Jedi Order that he destroyed.

Concept art of dark/light Anakin:

 

I remember reading this back in December, I hunted it down and it was from an EW article about Kylo from JJ & Larry.

“Long before we had this title, the idea of The Force Awakens was that this would become the evolution of not just a hero, but a villain,” Abrams said. “And not a villain who was the finished, ready-made villain, but someone who was in process.”

 

But I can't wait that long!
Yeah, no one from Lucasfilm has yet contacted me for my opinion on this, hahaha... They might save it for Ep. IX, and fine whatever. Just as long as it does happen eventually, right? But I really hope we see a bit of it in VIII.

We're having a similiar conversation over on the TFA board, about what might prompt Kylo to turn back -- and I had forgotten about this! You're right, Kylo really catching on to Snoke for himself would be huge.

 

The long awaited meeting I wanted to see.

 

i forget how much of a bleeding heart pacifist i am until i see pictures like that, @Grand Master Galen Marek!

i so don't want them to have a protracted fight. i want Luke to take him down and out in one or two moves.
preferably without cutting anything off ~ hahaha

Luke may win the battle with violence, but he'll never win the war with it.

 

I hope it is a memorable encounter, wars come & go there will be many long after these characters are gone with only their names remaining, the encounter may start off that way were a one-two combo will defeat Kylo.

 

If there's a bigger threat and he does redeem himself in VIII (half heartedly), the whole trust issue between characters and the balance between the pull of light and dark for Kylo would make for a very interesting IX premise.

 

Leia will kill Kylo when she steps between Kylo and Luke while Kylo is using Force Lightening on Luke. Luke will be weak from a battle with Snoke, Leia will reflect the lightening back on Kylo, saving Luke but killing Kylo and herself. That's how I would do it.

 

Aw, poor Luke! He'll go into hiding again after all his relatives are dead, and this time no one will ever find him!

I am cheering for a much happier ending.

 

We may yet. We may yet...

 

Anyone think that maybe Rey and Kylo can switch sides of the force? Kylo can go back to the lightside while Rey finds out more about her parents and becomes ill faded about the resistance and falls in the hands of snoke and the darkside. new villian? Kylo killing Han was his confusion and maybe Leia dying in the next one might get Kylo...

 

I think a lot will depend on how Kylo could come over his " wrong self programming". In TFA he was convinced that all (for us) possibly positive character aspects are part of "the weakness" and he has to get rid off that weakness (his so called pull to light).
Maybe everyone of us knows a person that made wrong decisions ( including ourselfs) and how difficult it can be to step back without feeling bad or guilty. The "easy" but wrong way is do deny everything and find someone who we think is the reason for our miseries outside. Therefore we will see if they find a story that provides enough shock and drama to give Kylo his chance to jump over his huge " lightside"- barriers he builded up for such a long time and with all hatred he could reach - with snoke as missleading amplifier of course..

 

This had better happen but i really would like kylo to be masked and win.... for now

 

I think he will have to win for himself, he was completely owned by Rey.

 

I'm curious to see where Kylo's "training" takes him in Episode VIII. I can't remember if I brought it up here in the Cantina yet, but I wonder if Snoke will train him to use physical pain as a power-amplifier.

 

remove the amplifier and i think it might be easier to put him back on the right path than people think?

he does seem like he might operate better with physical pain to distract him from his psychological pain.
but i have the impression he won't take well to being flat-out tortured, though i can see Snoke pushing him down that path.
i'm not sure how Dark Disney would want to go in terms of his masochism though.

i know at least a handful of people who were mighty disturbed just by him pounding on his wounds at the end of TFA.

 

I think he already gained that power when he tried to get inside Rey's head.

 

I don't think it's going to be outright torture. But I could see him not really trying to defend himself in a fight, or letting glancing shots hit him, letting the pain and anger build up until he unleashes it in some sort of Force attack.

 

that'd be interesting (and very awful/sad).
there certainly appears to be head canon out there that he doesn't let that bowcaster wound heal and it just stays in a state of aggravated festering.

i guess it seems like it would be in character.
i would rather hope he more quickly gets his mental instability under control than see him go much farther down that path.
he's already kinda pathetic.