'Force Awakens' Sheds Light On Kylo Ren's Parents

If you haven't seen The Force Awakens, what are you waiting for? By the time you read this post, I will have seen the movie three times. Yes, I am that big a fan — the Force is strong with me. But if you haven't seen it yet, I won't judge you. I'll just expect you to stop reading this post, close your computer, and head to your nearest movie theater and watch it. Now. Because there are plenty of major spoilers in this post. In particular, I'll be going into the answer to one of the hugest questions about the film — who Kylo Ren's parents are in The Force Awakens. If you're ready to find out the answer, read on, but beware — it's a doozy.

It turns out that Kylo Ren's parents are the most beloved couple of the Rebellion (and now the Resistance): Han Solo and General (formerly Princess) Leia. I'll give you a moment to take that in. It's a shocking truth bomb, but how it is revealed isn't as ceremonious as you would expect. There's no big declaration — it's simply hinted at when Kylo talks to General Hux about the mission against the Resistance and Snoke tells Kylo not to let his personal vendetta get in the way. Later on, Supreme Leader Snoke reveals that Han is his daddy. It's kind of casually inserted into the conversation and Kylo is all, "Oh yeah, he's my dad, but we don't get along."

It's kind of assumed that Leia is Kylo's mama — unless Han was sneaking behind her back (don't worry, he wasn't). Sadly though, later on in the movie, the audience finds out that Han and Leia aren't together anymore, but they still love and respect each other. When they find out that Kylo is causing all this ruckus and is the main baddie with The First Order, Leia believes that there is good in him and hopes that Han can bring him home. But in a father-son showdown, things don't go as planned and a conflicted Kylo ends up killing his daddy. Oh, I forgot to mention Kylo has a real bad temper and he is worshipping his grandaddy's (Darth Vader) mangled helmet. He also has some major issues to work out with his parents... well, "parent," now that Han has left the picture.

It's not a big surprise that Kylo Ren is related to people in the Star Wars universe. In fact, rumors were swirling around for long before the movie was released that he called major characters family. It was just a matter of who those relatives were. And revealing his heritage is a good call; keeping it in the Star Wars family echoes the original trilogy and raises the stakes in the subsequent sequels. Remember when Darth Vader uttered those famous words, "I am your father" and the world essentially lost their minds? Well, this is like that. I am hoping that the reveal of Kylo's parents will build up to something spectacular.

In the film, it is also revealed that Kylo Ren was a student of Luke's to become Jedi, but was seduced by the Dark Side. In turn, Luke felt like he failed and exiled himself — and now everyone is looking for him. This makes Kylo an essential character that is a bridge between the original trilogy and the Star Wars new class. There's even more mystery surrounding him, which makes him one of the most complex characters (not discounting Finn and Rey — they clearly have some baggage, too). Like, what made him turn? Why does he have a horrible relationship with his parents? Why does he have major anger management issues? So many questions, so little time.

Whatever the case may be, Kylo Ren is starting to shape up to be one of the best Star Wars villains since Darth Vader.

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Images: Lucasfilm/Walt Disney; Giphy (2)