Anna Daniels
Together, Rey and Ben manage to defeat the Emperor and his Sith forces, though the nefarious baddie seemingly killed Ben by sending him tumbling down a pit. (Pretty ironic, considering Palpatine himself was believed to have died after being thrown down the Death Star’s reactor in Return of the Jedi.) When Ben crawls back up and proves he’s alive, he stumbles upon a fallen Rey and realizes that the effort required to take down Palpatine has killed her. With one last sacrifice, Ben uses his remaining Force energy to bring Rey back to life just like she did for him. Rey opens her eyes and can hardly believe he has saved her. The two hold one another’s faces in their hands, Rey lets out a soft “Ben,” and the pair share a brief, tension-filled kiss before Ben dies.
This follows a long push-and-pull between the two about then-Kylo offering Rey his “hand” during The Last Jedi after they defeat former First Order Supreme Leader Snoke (a CGI character played by Andy Serkis). Her refusal to take it clearly weighs on Kylo throughout most of The Rise of Skywalker. By giving the pair a romantic moment following Ben’s sacrifice, the film brings the former villain’s offer full circle — while also satisfying Rey’s request that she take his hand as Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren.
With all of that said, did we really need this kiss to complete the Bendemption – the redemption arc countless were hoping would come to fruition in The Rise of Skywalker? Many fans wondered whether or not the leader of the First Order would turn back to the light side of the Force after his series of evil acts — including but not limited to murdering his own father during The Force Awakens — but for fans who didn’t quite buy a romantic throughline for Rey and Ben in the new film, it probably felt pretty inconsistent.
Written by: Looper
