SPECULATION What caused the Earth splitting between Kylo and Rey?

destabilizing the base caused the planet to explore. that was the plan.

 

I'm going with coincidence on this one... or otherwise a plot device to prevent Rey from killing Kylo immediately

 

It's both, actually.

 

It was the Force!

 

Primarily it was caused by Poe blowing up the center. But that particular area that split Kylo Ren and Rey was caused by the Force. The Force prevented her from killing Kylo Ren.

 

The planet began imploding after Poe and the Resistance destroyed the energy regulator thingamajig but It splitting them apart the way it did was purely coincidence/ the Will of the Force.

 

in the book, she had already made the decision not to kill him before the ground split. but yeah, it could still be a way of separating them just in case.

it's less obvious in the movie, but she does lower her lightsaber.

 

It also prevents Kylo from catching his breath and doing whatever he's gonna do when he recovers.

 

In-universe the destabilization of the planet caused it. The fissure opening up between them was just coincidence. But perhaps there was a bit of symbolism with it to. Like Rey and Kylo's rivalry is just beginning an all that good stuff.

 

The destruction of the oscillator thanks to Poe, caused the planet to implode.
Wether people want to believe it is a coincident, or if it was the will of the force (which is what i think), your going to get people complaining about it.

 

A plot hole in the story caused a hole in the planet.

 

a plot hole is a logical inconsistency.

the planet was falling apart, so it was perfectly logical.

you can call it too convenient or even ham-fisted if that strikes your fancy, but it's not a plot hole. especially when it serves not only the plot, but as a metaphor in the storytelling as well.

 

Yeah people seem to not understand what the term "plot hole" actually means sometimes. This was in no way a plot hole because, in-context, it makes perfect sense. If you want to argue that it was a bit too convenient/on-the-nose, then fair enough. But that's not the same as it being a "plot-hole."

 

I love the movie, and I will defend almost any of the plot coincidences and on the nose moments in the film (just like with ANH, which has an equal number of them), but this was one that felt a bit too on the nose for me the first couple of viewings. I did still appreciate the symbolic nature of it even then. However, on my third or fourth time watching it, I noticed the three or four other fissures that had opened up right around them throughout the fight, which in my opinion greatly helped it to not feel as on-the-nose as it previously did.

 

Heck it was a fissure opening up behind Rey that helped precipitate her Force power-up. She spends pretty much all of the duel up until that point basically running away from him. But then the ground gives way, she's backed up against a cliff, and she now has nowhere left to run. Which, come to think of it, might have also been a deliberate bit of visual symbolism.

 

"In my opinion there is no such thing as luck"
The force has agency in this movie. That is also, though not the only reason, why it is called The Force Awakens.

The sudden precipice was:
a. explained by the context of the changing and shifting environment of Starkiller Base. This is partly symbolical. Kylo kills Han and the latter falls into the depth of Starkiller Base. Chewie goes on a rampage and activates the explosives. In one way or another, Han's death translates into the rupturing surface of Starkiller Base. The planet explodes and turns from a dark mass into a bright and brilliant sun which emerges from beneath the planets crust. Han died, but his sacrifice defeats Starkiller. A lot of subtext, but this is how Arndt, Abrams and Kasdan intended the symbolism to be interpreted.

b. the sudden rupture can also be linked to the Kylo-Han sequence in a second manner: in that particular scene it almost appeared as if the force was making or influencing Kylo's decision to kill Han. It appears that the sudden rupture functions similarly: the force as an active agent did not allow Rey to kill Kylo Ren. The notion that Rey did not want to kill Kylo Ren is a retrojection presented by the novel. But it is also a misinterpretation of the screenplay.

all in all, both explain why it is a logical plot device to separate Kylo and Rey in the final sequence.