The Fate of Ben Solo

Ben is alive. I'm sure about that. He will come back. Kylo Ren's mask will be crushed and Ben Solo will emerge. As soon as in TLJ we will see him (begin to) head back "home"/to the Light.

#SaveBenSolo

 

I don't really want to see Ben Solo be redeemed. I would prefer Kylo Ren to become the Big Bad of the trilogy. Turn on Snoke and assume control of the FO. That whole bit.

But, IF he his redeemed (I think he will be), I hope he'll get a hero's welcome back on the Light Side of the Force. The only other thing I can see them doing is to kill him off. I prefer to see him live either side of the Force he chooses though. If any FS dies by the end of 9 it needs to be Snoke &/or Luke. I'm not too sure that it won't be Kylo & Snoke though.

 

That surprises you?

 

It's the Internet. Who can tell? Haha but seriously that pic is creeping me out.

 

Ok you win. That's even worse!

 

I agree. I find this type of artistic interpretation the most commonly used to express darkness and sadness nowadays. It says a lot without saying anything at all. If they wanted to go darker, it could even be young Ben, or Leia's stomach being caressed by shadowy hands unseen.

This just fuels my desires to see Ben redeemed.

 

This is canon, from the novel Aftermath: Empire's End:

"When Ben cried, Han tried to comfort with a small tooka doll but this filed to pacify the baby. Leia heard a son crying. When Han said that it was not his fault, Leia reassured him that babies cried. Han sensed that Leia had a connection through the Force that he could never have with Ben. Han suggested using the Force but Leia advised him to pick up their son and snuggle him. Han reluctantly snuggled his son and Ben stopped crying. When Han sighed that he could never have the same Force connection, Leia told him that fathers had a special connection with their offspring."

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Han_Solo



The only canon image on Han, Leia and little Ben:



Read Aftermath: Empire's End if you don't believe in the incoming redemption arc, they're preparing the fans for it, Ben is the target of Snoke since before his birth...

And of course Rey will discover this and won't see him as an enemy anymore...

 

They're definitely selling the idea of a Ben Solo redemption arc....but the only inconsistency that makes me a concerned is when I compare Anakin and Ben Solo....

Anakin was actively preyed upon by Palpatine from age 9 onwards, was made to go with him to seedy places on Coruscant as a young kid etc (if we are to believe the canon comics as well) and yet he got burned in the lava of Mustafar at 23, became a metal zombie and was only redeemed through sacrificing himself after a lifetime of pain. Ben was preyed upon by Snoke from before birth and joined the FO at 23....and yet he is probably going to have a happy ending.

This makes me wonder...

- Anakin was a slave in a desert from birth and then the victim of a predator from the age of 9 onwards. Doesn't that make him a victim as well? Yet, he had to suffer for everything he did for years.

- Didn't Shmi love Anakin as much as Han loved Ben? Based on Anakin's fate it looks like her loving her son till her death not as worthy as Han loving his son at the time of his death if Ben's redemption is based on Han's forgiving and loving his son.

- Yes, Ben Solo is young....but wasn't Anakin even younger when his life went completely down the drain?

- Ben was conflicted as he killed Han but then again there were tears in Anakin's eyes as he killed all those children and separatists because he thought he had no choice if he wanted to save Padme.

Now I am not saying this because I am against Ben Solo...I really would like to see him redeemed....but I am curious as to how LF plans to differentiate the two stories without making it seem forced. The only was I can see it happening is if they make Han, Leia or Luke the bad person.

 

Anakin had Obi-Wan who loved him like a father to a son, and Anakin struggled too, but he was always dark, even as a child he had a vibe about him that screamed defiance. Ben was lonely and wanted to be loved.

 

Anakin was dark because all he knew was a life of slavery till 9..then gets taken away from the one person he lived (Shmi) and then he is isolated in the jedi temple where his fellow padawans call him a slave and Palpatine is also able to actively prey on him, even using his position to have Anakin handed over to him for nocturnal excursions...if that isn't creepy, I don't know what is.

We don't really know what Ben was like except that he was a happy child when he was small (Bloodline) and Han felt he had 'too much Vader in him'. I don't think there is anything in canon that indicates he was lonely or wanted to be loved...

Well, you could read it from the fact Leia admits she focuses more on the Republic than her husband and son....and that Han was busy with his racing team....so lonely is definitely a possibility....but not the unloved part.

 

Does there need to be a contest to see who "deserves" redemption more? Shouldn't everyone who turns wholeheartedly to the light be redeemed?

It's how they pay for their crimes that will differentiate Vader and Ren's storylines, I think.

 

I don't think I ever called it a contest.....and no, how someone pays for their crime is not a sufficient differentiation...... it implies that some people have the privilege of getting away with anything while others cannot....which is a bad message.

But I digress...the point I was trying to make in the first place is that Anakin and Ben Solo were both victims of powerful predators from a young age....LF would need to give a very compelling backstory that would explain why Ben should be redeemed in his 30s while Anakin wasn't till he was an old man.

 

That's true. I just always had this vibe he was born dark and would only grow darker.

Adam's backstory on him, which is why he reacts so strongly to Rey's loneliness. Ben was loved but not understood, so maybe he felt that their love was not true since they could not see what he saw about himself.

Ben also could not stand politics and how the system worked, so the FO was mighty appealing to him. Probably more than becoming a Jedi.

 

If they're paying for their crimes, how are they getting away with things? In fairytales like Star Wars, people pay for crimes in ways outside "the law." Anakin paid with his mortal life. How will Ren/Ben pay? We shall see.... Perhaps the point is not so much achieving perfect justice according to "the law" as the importance of forgiveness and compassion. That is a good message.

I think all LF has to do is complete the ST. That will explain why Ben is redeemed in his 30s while it took Anakin longer. I'm guessing that's just story mechanics working within the bounds of real-life filmmaking considerations, like actor availability and marketing!

 

I am not going into the technicalities of age and actor availability because the role of Vader has been played by multiple actors over decades....and similarly, they could have a new trilogy after a decade and have Kylo Return as a Vader type villainous character.

As for fairytales..... Anakin/Vader existed in the same fairytale construct as Ben Solo. Star Wars didn't turn into a fairytale exclusively for this trilogy....and yet, he had to pay for what he did. Again since I believe you are missing the point I am trying to make here.....

I am not saying Ben has to pay for crimes the same way as Anakin or that he shouldn't be redeemed....I am saying that LF needs to differentiate Ben's backstory sufficiently to make his redemption not seem forced....because as of now, his story is pretty much Anakin v.2.0.

 

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. I guess I just think it's too early in the ST to tell whether they will end up being too much alike. I simply don't think their backstories are so similar that a different type of redemption storyline can't make them truly distinct from each other.