6 Years Ago Today, Star Wars Revealed the Origin of Rey & Kylo Ren’s Force Bond

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The bond between Kylo (Ben Solo) and Rey is called a Force Dyad, which is an unbreakable connection between two Force-sensitive beings that transcends time and space. As seen in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, the Force Dyad grants a bonded pair special abilities, including being able to communicate across vast distances and even instantly transport matter to each other through the Force. When they fight together, their abilities become amplified. And in extreme cases, one member of a bonded pair can give their Force energy to the other to save their life. It was this technique that Ben used to resurrect Rey at the expense of his own life. In 2020, the origin of their Force Dyad was revealed.

Kylo Ren and Rey Formed a Connection Long Before They Met

If the name didn’t make it obvious, The Rise of Kylo Ren miniseries follows Ben Solo’s descent into the dark side, recruitment into the dreaded Knights of Ren, and transformation into the evil Kylo Ren. As the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, along with his Jedi training by his uncle Luke Skywalker, Ben seemed destined to become another great Jedi. However, Ben was vulnerable to corruption by his feeling of abandonment by his busy parents, discovering that his grandfather was Darth Vader, and the mounting pressure to live up to the Jedi and Skywalker legacies. Palpatine sensed this weakness and Supreme Leader Snoke manipulated Ben into embracing his darker impulses.

Ben abandoned the Jedi Order when Luke, sensing the corruption within his nephew, impulsively activated his lightsaber. Ben responded to this apparent act of aggression by burying Luke in rubble. Overcome with confusion and rage, Ben used the Force to release a bolt of lightning that destroyed the Jedi temple and killed most of his fellow students. With further manipulation by Snoke, Ben joined the Knights of Ren. The Knights were brutal Force-sensitive marauders. They were led by their sadistic founder Ren. Yet, despite joining this murderous gang, Ben was still conflicted and didn’t want to hurt people. It wouldn’t be until two of the surviving Jedi and Ben’s former friends and classmates, Tai and Voe, track him down that he gives fully in to the dark side.

When Ben fought Tai, the Jedi pleaded with his former friend that there was still good in him. However, when Ben refused to kill Tai, Ren used the Force to snap the Jedi’s neck. Losing the last person who believed in him, Ben snapped and unleashed all his anger. Fully embracing the dark side, Ben struck down Ren, relishing how he was then unbound by morality. It’s in this moment, as Ben and Ren battle, that a young scavenger girl on the planet Jakku suddenly feels cold. That girl was Rey, and this was the moment when the Force Dyad between her and Ben was created. After killing Ren and the other Jedi Voe, Ben becomes the ruthless and feared Kylo Ren.

The Force Chose Rey to Save Kylo Ren

The fact that Rey and Kylo Ren’s Force Dyad snapped into place when Ben succumbed to the dark side says a lot about both the characters, the trajectory of the films, and the Force itself. Even though neither Rey nor Kylo was aware of the Force Dyad between them, the information presented in The Rise of Kylo Ren #4 recontextualizes a great deal about their first interactions in The Force Awakens, as well as in the rest of the Sequel Trilogy. More importantly, it shows the Force’s level of autonomy and how it naturally seeks to balance itself.

In The Force Awakens, the connection between Rey and Kylo was abundantly clear. Even without knowing or meeting her, Kylo flipped out when he learned that an unnamed girl had helped Finn and BB-8 escape. Without understanding it, he sensed that this girl was important. The Force Dyad explains how Rey was able to resist and reverse Kylo’s Force Probe technique because their minds are fundamentally tethered. It could also help to explain how, despite never wielding a lightsaber, her connection to Kylo gave her an edge in dueling him by enabling her to predict his movements and enhancing her own abilities. And as the films progressed, these two better understood the Force Dyad between them and could implement it more effectively, both as enemies and later as allies.

Rey and Kylo’s Force Dyad also shows a significant aspect of the Force. It’s important to recognize the exact moment when the Force Dyad between Ben and Rey is formed. Out of all the times it could have emerged, it happened when Ben fully gave in to the dark side and killed Ren. And the Force Dyad wasn’t purposefully created by either Ben or Rey. Instead, the Force itself created the connection between them. It’s always been ambiguous whether the Force is sentient and how much influence it has over destiny. What the Force Dyad reveals is that the Force recognized a Force-user of great power had fallen to the dark side and needed someone to act as a counter and to pull them back to the light.

Throughout the latter two films, Rey tries to reason with Kylo and offer him a chance at redemption. Even when she herself begins to fall towards the dark side in The Rise of Skywalker by stabbing Kylo, she ultimately resists it’s pull and shows him mercy by healing him. By Rey never giving up on him, Ben learns to let go of his anger and his Kylo Ren identity. Once reformed, Ben fights alongside Rey in the final battle on Exegol against Palpatine. His story of redemption comes full circle when Ben gives his life to resurrect Rey, saving her just as she had saved him. The Force connected Rey to Ben because it knew that her compassion would help redeem him.

Like nature, the Force is always attempting to find balance, and it did so by creating the Force Dyad between Ben and Rey. Both the grandchildren of Sith Lords and children of selfless people, Ben and Rey, are perfect reflections of one another. The Force Dyad requires people of both light and dark sides, to bring them together as one. The Force brought them together because only through trust and empathy can a person find the strength to overcome their demons. It was never Rey’s natural talent with the Force or her relation to Emperor Palpatine that was her greatest strength; it was always her kindness. That is why the Force chose her to restore balance not just to the galaxy, but to Ben’s soul.

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