The new Star Wars comic series focusing on the journey of Ben Solo and his turn to the dark side has just revealed another important detail in the life of the Supreme Leader of the First Order.
It’s true that Disney’s Sequel Trilogy left much to be desired in terms of character development and world-building, and the last entry in the Skywalker Saga did little to fill the 30-year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens or give us the remaining pieces of the puzzle. As such, many fans have to look elsewhere to find the answers to their questions and the new canonical comic miniseries, Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, has been quite generous in giving us the origin story of Ben Solo and how he ultimately became a leader of the nefarious First Order.
After revealing that Ben wasn’t the one who destroyed Luke’s Jedi Temple and detailing his first accidental Jedi kill, the third issue delves deeper into the relationship dynamic between Ben and other students in Luke’s new Jedi Order. In The Rise of Kylo Ren, after the destruction of the Jedi Temple, Ben goes to Snoke and he encourages him to join the Knights of Ren. After meeting the Knights in issue #3, Ben recalls the early days of his training as Luke’s first student.
Of course, as The Rise of Skywalker revealed, Luke’s first student was Leia, but she didn’t technically complete her training, making her son Ben the first official Jedi Padawan in Luke’s new academy. As detailed in the new comic, Ben started his training earlier than other students, which resulted in him being stronger. Other students even tried to measure up to him but failed, further boosting his pride and ego which allowed Snoke to gain more influence on his character.
While these tidbits ultimately don’t change Kylo’s tragic fate in the last installment, they can help fans to better connect with this new generation of Star Wars heroes, especially since the Mouse House’s concluding act didn’t give us that much to go on. So, let’s hope that The Rise of Kylo Ren continues to deliver on its promise by exploring the crucial and unseen moments prior to the events of the Sequel Trilogy.