I’m still not over the fact that Kylo Ren could have had the greatest redemption arc in Star Wars history, but The Rise of Skywalker ruined it. Now, all Adam Driver will be remembered for is killing Han Solo, and Star Wars fans are never going to let him forget that.
The Star Wars fandom are a passionate bunch, and all it takes for a Star Wars character to be eternally loved or despised is one action or one line of dialogue. Adam Driver’s time in the Star Wars cast was memorable, no matter what you think of the quality of the sequel movies, as he quite literally killed the past when he stabbed Han Solo through the chest.
Speaking to Chris Wallace (via Deadline), the actor revealed fans of the franchise are very much not over that moment: “Somebody reminds me about that every day… Not every day but yeah, it used to be more but now it’s probably once a month somewhere.”
On shooting that fateful scene for The Force Awakens, Driver added: “Obviously, John Williams’ [score] wasn’t playing in the background and it was very emotional actually, shooting it with Harrison. Harrison was so generous and contemplative and to me that was a great moment on set, even though it was his death.”
The Star Wars villain has been accused of being a Darth Vader fanboy, but let’s be honest, as brutal as he was, Vader never did anything as emotionally affecting as this tragic act. It was a huge moment for Kylo Ren himself, severing ties with his family to truly embrace the dark side, and for fans, it was such a shock to see one of the most iconic characters of all time struck down, just when it seemed he had pulled Kylo back to the light.
If only his arc had been as consistently thrilling and satisfying through the whole trilogy. The Last Jedi—one of the best movies in the Star Wars saga—developed Kylo’s relationship with Rey and established him as a young man intent on surpassing even the greatest achievements of the Galactic Empire. Still, there was a glint of hope that he might find the light once more, and The Rise of Skywalker fulfilled that—unfortunately, when we got Ben Solo back, he was given exactly zero lines of dialogue and went out with a whimper, completely ruining his journey.
I’ve no doubt that, if Ben Solo had been given a gratifying conclusion as a reformed Jedi, Adam Driver wouldn’t need to face the backlash of distraught fans half as much. If you need to exorcise some demons but can’t find an actor to shout at on the streets, I suggest you just watch the Star Wars movies in order again. We’ve also a list of the Star Wars series ranked, and a guide to all the new Star Wars movies on the way.