Kylo Ren used some of Luke Skywalker’s fighting techniques in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The two figures had a long and complicated history, and that tension boiled over in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The sequel trilogy heavily focused on Kylo Ren and Rey, as they were constantly being pulled to the opposing sides of the Force. Their fighting techniques when it came to lightsabers duels, however, revealed how much Luke made an impression on the next generation of Force-users in the galaxy.
Kylo Ren further connected with Rey by using the Force in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While Rey was seeking help from Luke on Ahch-To, Kylo Ren revealed the reason he turned to the dark side. Luke intended to kill the Force-user when he was young after acquiring a vision of the destruction he would cause. Kylo then turned on his uncle and strayed from his family. He got one more chance at revenge through a duel with Luke at the end of the Battle of Crait, but his enemy was just a Force projection - and Luke’s tricks during the duel would later return in the final film of the saga.
After searching for Rey in order to convince her to join him, Kylo Ren finally caught up with her on Kef Bir in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The ocean moon was the location that housed the wreckage of the second Death Star. Upon encountering one another in Emperor Palpatine’s throne room among the wreckage, Rey and Kylo Ren faced off in a lightsaber duel. During the fight, which proved they were equally matched, a Twitter user pointed out that Kylo Ren ducked Rey’s assault in a similar way that Luke avoided Kylo Ren’s swings in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It’s very possible that he intentionally remembered this move or possibly learned it during his past training. However, Kylo Ren wasn’t the only one to master Luke’s movements.
The Significance Of Kylo Ren & Rey’s Duel In Rise Of Skywalker
Prior to Kylo Ren and Luke’s duel in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rey spent time learning the ways of the Force on Ahch-To. Luke was reluctant to train her, but she still spent time on her own practicing with the lightsaber. Her choreography in that sequence closely resembled the same techniques used by Kylo Ren when he faced Luke. It matched down to Kylo Ren slicing through the Force projection of Luke while Rey cut through a boulder with her blade. Rey wasn’t ever shown getting direct lightsaber training from Luke, but it’s possible that it could have occurred at some point. When Kylo Ren was still Ben Solo, viewers were aware that Luke set out to train his nephew to become a Jedi. It’s possible that both Kylo Ren and Rey learned this fighting style from Luke directly. Another explanation pointed out that the foreshadowing in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was meant to show the bond between Kylo Ren and Rey, allowing her to absorb his skills with the Force.
It’s also possible that this similar fighting sequence was meant to signify Kylo Ren and Rey’s connection to Luke. Their connections differ greatly, but they happened to be two young people with many gifts who Luke tried to shape at different points of their lives. Even though Kylo Ren leaned toward the Dark Side, he still kept Ben Solo inside of him. The fact that his lightsaber skills resembled that of his uncle could’ve hinted that there really was good in him. Rey, of course, was lead by the voices of fallen Jedi, including Luke, when she needed help the most. Kylo Ren and Rey were both Skywalkers, one by blood and one by association, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker proved that Luke’s legacy lived on well after his death.
Next: Star Wars 9: Rey’s Final Decision In Rise of Skywalker Explained
