The Star Wars fandom was sent into a full-on tizzy when Lucasfilm announced its plans for three movies set in the galaxy far, far away. Things got even more interesting, though, when it was confirmed at this year’s Star Wars Celebration that Daisy Ridley would be returning as Rey Skywalker in one of the upcoming flicks. As expected, following the exciting revelation, the Internet has exploded with speculation about what this could mean for other beloved sequel trilogy characters. But one individual, in particular, is currently on fans' minds, and that’s none other than Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren.
While details on the new movie are still scarce, fans are already in full speculation mode, as they try to determine what Rey’s return plays into the franchise’s future. Many Star Wars devotees took to Twitter to express their desire for Adam Driver to return to the franchise, and this even caused Kylo Ren to trend on the social media platform. Despite Ben’s Rise of Skywalker fate, one user named @elle_pond pointed to a canonical piece of info that could pave the way for the character’s big-screen return:
CANONICALLY THESPIRIT OF BEN SOLOIS ALIVE INSIDE OF REY BECAUSE THEY’RE A DYAD my poor fiancéAND HE DIDN’T who thoughtBECOME A he’d never hearFORCE GHOST this again pic.twitter.com/SihdzbwTGZApril 7, 2023
Is it true that Ben Solo never really left, or is it just a fan theory? There's canon to support this idea, specifically by the concept of dyads in the fictional universe. This term refers to two Force-sensitive beings who are so deeply connected that they form a unique bond. In The Rise of Skywalker, it was revealed that Rey and Kylo Ren were a dyad, which ultimately allowed them to defeat Palpatine. So maybe this idea isn’t just wishful thinking and is a real possibility.
Meanwhile, Twitter user @reylobalance evoked director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s name, citing their hope that she’s a fan of Kylo Ren. The user also had a hilarious gif to accompany their plea:
Hoping and praying on my knees that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Ben Solo stan and a Reylo 😭 pic.twitter.com/Mj515LH3HPApril 7, 2023
Who knew an emotionally pleading Lea Michele could pair so nicely with Star Wars? Other fans of Adam Driver’s character seem to hope one big game of social media “telephone” will be enough to conjure it into existence. @galatians_4_6 shared an appropriately repurposed Rise of Skywalker meme to get the ball rolling:
Somehow Ben Solo returned.Pass it on. https://t.co/rrTijLdgCo pic.twitter.com/za1Lp4vZE2April 8, 2023
While most fan calls to bring the villain-turned-hero back were serious, user @StarWarshipper had a perfect, and possibly very divisive, Easter Sunday joke to sound off their support of the idea. I’ll hint at what it is: it evokes a particular religious figure:
So today Ben Solo is still gone but this Sunday they’ll announce he is risen?April 8, 2023
Of course, quite possibly the best tweet on the subject came from The Nerds Awaken Podcast. According to the show’s account, only one person has the power to bring Ben Solo back to the series, and that’s Rey Skywalker herself. The podcast account also shared an excellent video of Daisy Ridley proudly taking the Star Wars Celebration stage.
The information about the upcoming Rey-focused story is super limited. However, what we do know about the project is that Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will helm it from a script penned by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, following Damon Lindelof's departure. It was revealed during the aforementioned event that the story will be set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and will see Rey rebuild the Jedi Order. The premise alone lends itself to the possible return of Adam Driver in some form or fashion.
While it’s unclear if Ben Solo will physically appear in the new movie, the idea that his spirit lives on within Rey has clearly given people hope for the character’s return. Only time will tell what the future holds for the franchise and its beloved characters, but one thing is for sure -- the passion and excitement of the fans will continue to serve as fuel for the universe for years to come.
While you wait for additional information about the upcoming Star Wars films (and possibly Ben Solo/Kylo Ren's return), keep yourself entertained with the past movies and all the latest content, such as The Mandalorian season 3, which are available through a Disney+ subscription. You can also take a look at the schedule of 2023 new movie releases to plan your next cinema outing.
