The Fate of Ben Solo

@panki, i think maybe part of the point of this character is to ask these questions that you're asking.
like @Choose Light said, it's not a contest--or to say it differently, we should judge individuals on their own merits and circumstances.

Ben Solo came from privilege; by most people's assumptions, he should have been happy and put together and a bright Light hero of the galaxy.
instead he's an absolute hot mess--and so now what do we do about it?

it's easy to see how bad circumstances lead to bad behavior.
it's harder for us to reconcile how good circumstances are no guarantee against a Dark path.
i think this is something they are deliberately exploring.

 

he's also polar opposites with Hux, interestingly enough, who came from utter Darkness and has been catastrophically victimized into something even worse.
and with recent new information about Hux and Brendol, the comparison there is even more striking.

 

i think that's exactly what's going on here.
the kid lacked the support and discipline he needed--and has made terrible terrible choices as a result.
and now he's in so deep he doesn't know how to get out.
and worse yet, he is still convinced that there is purpose here: that he's trying to accomplish something expected of him.
the weight on this kid's shoulders is (and probably always has been) immense.

without a well-adjusted environment and careful guidance he was probably always a train wreck waiting to happen from the moment he was born.
and the truth is, there are lots of kids in the world like this. too many, unfortunately. : o p

 

i'm not going to bank on it yet, but i do think there's a strong possibility that Luke was compromised and Ben saw him as "false" for more than just the fact of lying to him. with Snoke's machincation being a wildcard here, it's impossible to know how fragile Ben's psyche might have been.

i know you're thinking Luke mighta had something to do with the death of Rey's parents and/or her exile to Jakku, but a lot depends on when Ben got sent away in the first place. i mean, how many layers of revelation are we going to uncover here. it might be enough that the New Republic is responsible for Rey's state and that's sufficient to make her doubt forming an allegiance there. for all we know, Luke is suffering the same doubt.

with his abandonment issues, the bombshell of his legacy, and the creature in his head, Ben might have enough issues.
i still think his beef with Luke may be about whatever knowledge Luke has discovered at least as much as it's about petty vengeance.

 

since Ben was his apprentice (and is his nephew), i would imagine they shared a lot of secrets of their own.
so yeah, it stands to reason Ben might know what Luke would have been after.
and if Ben thinks it's his job to put the galaxy to rights, it also stands to reason he would assume he needs whatever it is.

 

this is an interesting idea! kinda awful on Luke, but maybe well-intentioned?
i find it hard to believe that Luke wasn't aware of how tenuous Ben's balance was.
on the other hand, Snoke. who could have spackled over all manner of behavioral or psychological issues.

but yeah, if Luke miscalculated by opening up a pandora's box for Ben to get lost in, then maybe there's some further culpability there as well?
again, it's hard to imagine Luke being so careless. blind, yes. but outright playing with fire? hmmmmm

 

but are they really dead? and deliberately by Ben's hand?
i mean, i guess we've only got a very narrow door of plausible deniability left given recent assertions.
but i think the actual big mystery of the ST is what happened there.
that's going to be the big reveal. and yeah, hopefully there will be some major surprises! : D

 

that's always been my gut feeling too. i was frankly surprised that either of those two issues were even so hotly debated.
to me the big event is Luke abandoning everything: what happened to Ben in his care, and what made him do it.