The Force Dyad: Here's how Rey and Kylo Ren's mysterious bond works in 'The Rise of Skywalker'
Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) have always shared a unique bond in the 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy, right from the very start, but the new movie takes the bond to new heights. The two are seen doing things with the Force we have never seen done before.
What does it mean, and how exactly does it work?
The two have always shared a connection, but initially, it was nothing but the connection between two people trapped on opposite sides of a war who believe they ought to be on the same side.
In the 'Last Jedi', Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) took advantage of that connection and bonded the two through the Force.
Through this bond, Kylo Ren and Rey were able to communicate with each other, even across the galaxy. It wasn't an exclusively mental connection either—Rey and Kylo did not look out through each other's eyes but saw each other as if the other was physically standing in front of them.
In 'The Rise of Skywalker,' this connection is taken to a whole new level.
The connection between the two is more than just mental—when Rey appears in front of Kylo, he is able to physically snatch a necklace from around her neck, despite the two being separated by a few light years. The physical spaces that the two occupy apparently bleed into each other, negating the distance between the two in an odd form of teleportation. The two use this to great effect in the final battle against Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), when Rey hands Kylo one of her two lightsabers through the connection they share.
The Emperor calls their connection a "dyad in the Force"—a unique event, but what exactly caused it?
One of the factors seems to be that both characters have elements of the Dark and Light Side of the Force within them.
Ben Solo, though dedicated to the Sith, carries on the Skywalker legacy and the line has always made its way through to the Light in the end.
Rey, though trained in the ways of hope, is able to channel lightning through her fingers—a sure sign of just how much of the Dark Side of the Force still runs through her.
It's that connection that unlocks the Force in new, reality-warping ways.
It's power enough to heal even one as close to death's door as Emperor Palpatine, infusing him with enough power to nearly take out the entire Resistance fleet by himself. The bond is even enough to bring back Rey from death, as Ben transfers his life essence to her.
The Dark and Light sides of the Force have been battling for millennia.
'The Rise of Skywalker' gives us a glimpse into what could be achieved if the two sides of the Force had chosen to work together, instead, but with the death of Ben Solo, that bond is gone forever.
However, in the closing moments of the film, Rey is seen with a golden lightsaber—a colour of saber that's been seen with the Jedi Sentintels, a group focused on balancing the Force. While the Skywalker Saga may have come to a close, this may not be the last we've seen of the Force dyad.
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' is now playing in cinemas.
