SWNN Video: Star Wars: Love is the Balance – A Rey and Kylo Ren Story

What is Star Wars about? I think the answer is simply… Love. In this video, I make an argument for the popular “Reylo” theory, stating my case for why I think the sequel trilogy is a story of the two halves of the Force learning to love each other. For more reading on the subject, I’ve linked several in-depth write-ups from people who started putting these pieces together long before I ever did. By the end of Episode IX, the Skywalker saga will need to be a complete story that stands on its own. I can think of no better way to accomplish that than through this romance. So as you get ready for The Last Jedi trailer, or take to the internet afterward to find videos speculating about what will happen, I hope this video finds its way to a device near you!

 

 

 

 

Let us know what you think of both the theory and the video down in the comments, or head on over to the forums to discuss the fate of these important characters.

 

You can check out my other videos and subscribe to my channel HERE.

 

 

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46 thoughts on “SWNN Video: Star Wars: Love is the Balance – A Rey and Kylo Ren Story

  • October 9, 2017 at 3:49 pm
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    I dont know whats the fuss around that reylo thing, Rey crearly despise Kylo Ren in TFA. Now im going to put things simpler do you think disney wants that her perfect princess star to be in bed with the guy who killed han solo, luke’s students and mass murdered an entire village? i dont think so…

    • October 9, 2017 at 4:12 pm
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      “do you think disney wants that her perfect princess”

      So now a female heroine in a Disney production = automatically a”princess” ? There’s only one princess in TFA and TLJ and it’s Leia.

    • October 9, 2017 at 4:21 pm
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      Disney ain’t the company that decides anything in these films… Lucasfilm is autonomous about such decisions.

  • October 9, 2017 at 4:10 pm
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    I do agree that it will be about love, but I disagree that it will be romantic. I think it will be familial. Carrie Fisher already gave us this clue in the BTS trailer, saying, “it’s about family.” Anakin was the chosen one, and was to bring balance to the force through his children – Luke and Leia. They were to renew the Mortis Trio – father, son, daughter. But Anakin failed because of his obsession with the mother figure, and the fear of loss. This split up the offspring – one who followed his father’s footsteps and one who was hidden and denied the opportunity, and later by choice, to explore the force. Now we have 2 Skywalker children, Ben and Rey. They are either siblings or cousins. Regardless, Luke is the father figure who now understands he has inherited the prophecy and must bring the force into balance by reuniting these 2 “children of the force.” Hence, the jedi must end. The Sith already ended with Palpatine and Vader. Luke must learn to understand the balance of the dark and the light (something “so much bigger”) while in self-imposed exile. Now he must bring together the embodiments of the dark and the light children of the force – Ben & Rey.

    • October 9, 2017 at 10:43 pm
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      “it’s about family.”

      The mythic instruction book needs a lesson how families should be started. Families begin with the romance of two individuals, and if that romance isn’t balanced, the children won’t be either. We can look at this like Leia and Luke saving their parents’ failing marriage.

  • October 9, 2017 at 4:26 pm
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    I must say, I am not strictly against the Reylo theory. If they apply it correctly, and portray it as Ben’s redemption from the dark side, or something like that, it could be a good add-on to the story. This might be something they will display in episode IX, if they will ever do it. Episode VIII might be more focused on each of the characters’ training, in my opinion.

  • October 9, 2017 at 4:42 pm
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    I can’t deny that it’s a very well thought out theory, and does sound, in the words of Iger himself, ‘interesting’.

  • October 9, 2017 at 5:18 pm
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    I’m strangely ok with this.

  • October 9, 2017 at 5:28 pm
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    A few months ago, I would have scoffed at this video. Now, I’m gravitating towards the romance in the sequel trilogy being provided with these two characters. After all, they’re different sides of the same coin, and would help explain why Rey is not a Skywalker.

    What if the distinction between good and bad, right or wrong isn’t so clear cut in this trilogy? Perhaps there is a grey area, and both Rey and Kylo Ren will converge together in it. The catalyst in doing so could be the two father figures of Luke and Snoke. We know Snoke is exploiting Kylo Ren for his own personal gain, but what if Luke inadvertly pushes Rey towards Kylo Ren. Leaked details of the Ahch-to battle suggests Rey is reluctant to kill Kylo Ren, and instead grudges Luke for instructing her to do so. This could be the start of a rift between the two. Possibly this is what Mark Hamill had previously remarked about.

    After all, Luke is no longer the hero he once was in the original trilogy. Rey having be sent by Leia to bring Luke back, and her own searching for a sense of belonging may ultimately fail in convincing Luke in this movie to return with her. She may be bitterly disappointed with him as he no longer resembles the myth she grew up believing him to be. We may not even see Luke leave Ahch-to until Episode IX.

    • October 9, 2017 at 10:25 pm
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      “What if the distinction between good and bad, right or wrong isn’t so clear cut in this trilogy?”

      “The difference, they say, is only made right, by the resolving of the gray, through refined Jedi sight.” Opening TFA novelization poem.

  • October 9, 2017 at 5:43 pm
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    Nope. No way Rey is hitting the sheets with the killer of Han Solo. She did call him a monster.There is no more Ben. Just Kylo remains. And besides, it’ll turn out they’re related…..LOL

  • October 9, 2017 at 6:09 pm
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    they missed the opportunity of calling the ship “Bey”.

  • October 9, 2017 at 6:13 pm
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    Turn back the clock 20 minutes and someone says to me,
    “Hey, The Last Jedi is a love story……….just like The Clone Wars!”……….conversation over, time saved on cinema queue.

    However 20 minutes after watching that video and I feel that this movie HAS to be about the love of these two fine young people. The comparisons are pretty compelling and it would actually make for a really good instalment. Can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m actually rooting for this.

    CAN NOT WAIT FOR DECEMBER 15th!!!!

    P.s, I hope the porgs are a source of food on Ach-To.

    • October 9, 2017 at 10:24 pm
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      “Goooooooood.” (Palpatine voice).

  • October 9, 2017 at 6:20 pm
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    This was well thought out and presented, but fantasy or not, I don’t want my daughter watching a story where the heroine falls in love with a man that tortures and attacks her, nearly kills her best friend, and does kill her father figure. Where the heroine’s entire purpose seems to revolve around redeeming and changing a man.

    If compassionate and romantic love is the theme they want to explore in the sequel trilogy, it makes a lot more sense for Rey to be the Anakin parallel and for Finn to be the Padme parallel. Their relationship is already built on selflessness and compassion.

    What is lost in all of this is that Kylo Ren wants to be dark. That’s the whole purpose of TFA. He may be torn, but he is purposefully choosing to be evil. That couldn’t be more different from Anakin’s fall, so I don’t see the parallel between Anakin and Kylo Ren.

    • October 9, 2017 at 6:27 pm
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      Yeah…You bring up a real hurdle that the story has to leap over to make this believable or appropriate. Not sure how they could pull it off and not really alienate some fans. In the meantime…

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JfckkwuTus

      • October 9, 2017 at 6:51 pm
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        If Lucasfilm managed to pull off a true and believable love story between Rey and Ren, they would be miracle-workers. Cuz as of right now, it’s a gross and dangerous relationship. Anyone who says otherwise needs to watch TFA again and the incredible emotional and physical pain Kylo causes Rey.

    • October 9, 2017 at 6:28 pm
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      I don’t know if they’ll fall in love, but I can see Kylo redeeming himself and then wandering the galaxy alone, rejected by both sides (good and evil). That way we keep the Skywalker line going.

      • October 9, 2017 at 6:48 pm
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        I mean, you’re right of course. Anakin had a choice in the matter and chose darkness to save Padme. Kylo chooses darkness for power and to be like Vader. Both are wrong, but Kylo’s intentions aren’t even good.

        i could get behind a Kylo redemption that leaves him alone–either in prison to pay for his crimes, or traveling the galaxy trying to make up for his wrongs. Any story that ends with him being a beloved hero would be backwards to me at this point. He’s a GREAT VILLAIN! Let him be that. Give him nuance and sympathy if you want, but he chose to be what he is, repeatedly.

        • October 9, 2017 at 7:09 pm
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          I really hope Kylo has better reasons for turning. We still have 2 movies, so let’s hope!

    • October 9, 2017 at 10:23 pm
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      “What is lost in all of this is that Kylo Ren wants to be dark.”

      That was the goal of killing Han, yes. But we know that the act weakened him, instead of making him stronger.

      • October 9, 2017 at 10:49 pm
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        And that truly is interesting to me. I don’t think his fight with the Light is over. But I do think he’ll keep making it a fight, given his history. I’m excited to see where Rian takes it.

        And to stay on topic, I don’t think him getting weaker after killing Han makes him any more viable a suitor for Rey. It changes nothing about the fact that he killed Han Solo, Rey’s surrogate father.

        • October 10, 2017 at 3:49 am
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          “It changes nothing about the fact that he killed Han Solo, Rey’s surrogate father.”

          Padme was cool with Anakin slaughtering a village of Sand People and still offered him to run away with her even after the youngling incident. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that Kylo’s fall will not have involved killing any younglings!

  • October 9, 2017 at 6:56 pm
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    Learn to love evil? You are delirious.

    • October 9, 2017 at 7:34 pm
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      Star Wars Episode IX:
      Beauty and the Beast.

      • October 9, 2017 at 8:06 pm
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        I’m not sure I see the Beauty and the Beast parallel. The Beast wasn’t a nice guy, but he wasn’t evil. Kylo is much more Gaston than the Beast.

        • October 9, 2017 at 8:08 pm
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          Not at all, Kylo is compassionate whereas Gaston was self absorbed.

          • October 9, 2017 at 8:25 pm
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            Gotta stop you right there. I understand there is one line in a novelization from SNOKE’s perspective that says Kylo is compassionate, but let me provide the ample evidence to the contrary. He murders an old, defenseless man because the man doesn’t give him what he wants. He orders the destruction of a village and its occupants because they were neighbors with said man that didn’t give him what he wanted. He physically and mentally tortured Poe for withholding information he wanted. He lashed out angrily when Hux’s troops didn’t retrieve what he wanted. He abducted a girl because she had information he wanted. He tortured her when she didn’t give him what she wanted. He said the words, “You know I can take whatever I want” to her. He proceeded to kill his own father because it’s what he thought he needed to become like Vader. He hated Finn with a passion because Finn was everything he was fighting against internally, and nearly killed him because of it. And finally, he selfishly proclaimed himself superior to Rey and belittled her by saying she needed a teacher–him.

            Please, tell me how he isn’t self absorbed, but compassionate? What movie were you watching?

    • October 9, 2017 at 10:21 pm
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      It’s a fairy tale for 12 year olds! K.K. described Kylo Ren as representing “troubled youth,” and that his character can be a metaphor for the struggle of journeying to your “successful adult life.”

      • October 10, 2017 at 1:31 am
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        Metaphor for struggling to grow up or not, he killed people. 12 year olds watching the movie watched him murder people. If Rey and Kylo get into a romantic relationship, we are asking children to recognize that Kylo is a metaphor, and NOT to make the connection that murdering people is okay as long as we change later.

        That is NOT okay. This is a story for 12 year olds, and they are even less capable of distinguishing fact from fiction than the rest of us idiots. Reylo is dangerous.

        • October 10, 2017 at 3:48 am
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          “we are asking children to recognize that Kylo is a metaphor, and NOT to make the connection that murdering people is okay as long as we change later.”

          Kids are pretty good at knowing stories are just make-believe. They play “make-believe” all the time alone.

  • October 9, 2017 at 9:08 pm
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    Reserve judgments of a murderer? What is there to reserve? I mean, there was clearly still light in him in TFA. Leia felt it, Snoke felt it, Kylo admitted it. That’s what makes his murder of Han so egregious. He had the same choice that Vader had. Vader chose to save his family and return to the light. Kylo chose to kill his family and further bury himself in the dark.

    As for Vader being redeemed, sure he was Force redeemed by letting go of the darkness, but he was not redeemed by society. In the same way Vader would have been imprisoned or sentenced to death for his crimes had he survived, so should Kylo if he ever returns to the light (which I am perfectly fine with him doing, by the way). The only person who ever forgave Vader was Luke. And I bet even Luke would have sentenced him to jail for the rest of his life.

    Kylo murdered people. Like, how is that the guy we want Rey to fall for? Given what we know about Rey, how could that even happen? I genuinely want to know. Because short of some Winter Soldier level mind control, Kylo made his choices. He knew they were contrary to the Light. He was tempted by them, proving he had a choice in the matter. And then he went ahead and did it all anyway. That is a great villain right there! Why are we trying to turn this into his story of redemption instead Finn and Rey’s discovery of self and choice? I literally do not understand it.

    • October 9, 2017 at 9:35 pm
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      Exactly! You think he’s worse than Vader because he chose everything for the wrong reasons. You think family means nothing to him contrary to Vader, and everything that he’s going through is his fault and not a tragedy like the life of his grandfather. So what can possibly help this guy? Enter Rey, a person who came from nothing the polar opposite of what Ben is. Someone that can possibly understand him better than anyone could have. His family won’t be responsible for his redemption because he resents every one of them. It’ll be the only person who has what he’s wanted his whole life. No family. This is my speculation, but Ben probably wasn’t too fond of living his whole life under his family’s shadow. Imagine how tormenting that must’ve been, your whole family are heroes of the rebellion, you have expectations you’re expected to keep from society, everything he must’ve achieved wasn’t because Ben earned it, it was probably because he’s the son of the great Han Solo! Or the nephew of the brave Luke Skywalker!! That’s a tough life to live. So maybe that’s why he fell, and maybe that’s why Rey will be the only one capable of redeeming him, and with that redemption I’m assuming love will follow. But I guess we shall see. Also, completely unrelated but I think Luke would have actually fought for his father’s redemption to society as well. As hard as it would have been. I also think he would have had him help rebuild what he had destroyed and start the new generation of Jedi together. After all that work it would have been a waste to just let his father rot in jail or die for his crimes.

      • October 9, 2017 at 10:08 pm
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        I’m not sure how someone with no experience with family would be the one “That can possibly understand him better than anyone could have” if family is the whole problem. She’s spent her whole life WANTING family. As Daisy Ridley recently said in an interview, Rey can’t understand how someone can murder anyone, much less a father that she has dreamed about having for her whole life. Rey straight hates Kylo, and no amount of explaining that ‘having a family is hard’ can fix that. No, what Rey had was hard. What Finn had was hard.

        And I think the backstory you’ve given Ben is rich and interesting. But I’m sorry to tell you this, but it makes Kylo even less redeemable to me. I feel sorry for him that he grew up in a uniquely difficult situation, but there is nothing about that history that makes me think, “Ah, I can understand and forgive his murder of children and old men and his father.” It makes me think, “It’s too bad he chose to react to his personal demons by killing people. That’s wrong. He should be defeated, as the villain that he is.”

        There are real heroes in TFA who choose good despite horrible backgrounds. Rey doesn’t sell a intelligent droid despite it potentially feeding her for months which she needs more than literally anything else. Finn leaves the FO because it was wrong despite being conditioned to believe it was right. Finn went back to the place he said he’d never return to in order to save his dear friend, though it likely meant death. Han Solo approached Kylo because he loved him, even if he thought he was lost forever. Rey accepted her destiny and the light saber she feared in order to fight evil and save her friend.

        Rey raised by sand: not evil.
        Finn raised by the First Order: not evil.
        Kylo raised by loving parents (as evidenced by their communication in TFA and in extended material like Bloodline): Evil.

        Kylo repeatedly chooses darkness when given the opportunity for light. I’m still trying to understand why we want him redeemed? Nobody was clamoring for Vader’s redemption before RotJ. And we sure loved seeing him as the villain he was in Rogue One again. Why can’t we just enjoy Kylo as the great villain he is?

        Finally, Vader absolutely deserves to rot in jail. Having wisdom or power does not absolve someone from crimes. That’s everything wrong with a justice system. He can still aid Luke from behind bars where he belongs. Again. Because he murdered a lot of people.

        • October 9, 2017 at 10:28 pm
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          Oh I can care less if he’s redeemed or not, it’ll just suck to have the Skywalker bloodline die with Ben. Unless luke has a son out there somewhere (I won’t let that go lol) I’m just saying that a romance between Rey and Ben could work provided with the proper story and reasons. That’s just my opinion though. And yea no one was cheering for Vader’s redemption because most in the audience at the time thought that would be impossible. But here we are.

          • October 9, 2017 at 10:54 pm
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            As someone who thinks Rey is a Skywalker, I don’t think that problem exists if Kylo dies. Also, a Dark sider can have children, too, and a future installment of evil Kylo’s child turning to the light is interesting.

            Also, not attacking here, but reducing Rey to a way of producing Kylo’s babies is pretty sketchy. I know you didn’t mean it that way, but it came across that way. She and Finn are the main characters of the ST, regardless of their last name. We shouldn’t mold their story to fit any sort of redemption arc or reproduction of the villain.

  • October 9, 2017 at 10:05 pm
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    Anything that’s different than what has come before will be welcome. I still love the idea Rey falls and Ben turns to light. I know that wont happen as there aren’t enough episodes left to cover all that.

    Still these two doing anything other than just fighting to the death in the typical good v evil would be quite nice. I know Vader technically had his turn too… but often the bad guy going good makes the best characters… IMO.

    • October 9, 2017 at 10:20 pm
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      >Still these two doing anything other than just fighting to the death in the typical good v evil would be quite nice.

      Well, Star Wars has never set a precedent for that! Sure, we get the fairly flat villains like Palpatine and Grievous, but from what we’ve seen before, those with more development like Vader and Kylo typically have more profound arcs than simply being a head for the good guy (and in this case girl) to chop off!

      • October 9, 2017 at 10:24 pm
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        Right. I even mentioned Vader. I guess I meant in most movies in general. I mean it’d be pretty disappointing to have it be a clean cut battle to the end. I mean he is Han and Leia’s son. I’m hoping for more.

  • October 9, 2017 at 10:21 pm
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    Padme was a Skywalker! She just had to keep it hidden. In the TCW episode, the Force priestesses tell Yoda, “There is another… Skywalker…” It’s an echo of Yoda’s last words but something more too. I think she meant Padme, who no one at the time suspected of being important.

  • October 9, 2017 at 10:46 pm
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    This set of films should end with the Resistance crushed and the FO in charge of the galaxy. KR completely fallen to the dark side. Luke dead. Rey goes into hiding. Finn ends up being the top ranking official in the FO after turning his back on the resistance. Poe in charge of a small rebel group. Then in 10 years they do another trilogy where Rey comes out of hiding and teams up with Poe to try and get Finn to reject the dark path he has taken

  • October 9, 2017 at 11:55 pm
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    #JustSayNoToReyLo

  • October 10, 2017 at 12:12 am
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    God I hope not. Dumbest idea since the star killer, ohcrap, this could be right

  • October 10, 2017 at 12:30 am
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    There’s a real threat of an ick factor in this idea, given Kylo’s torture of Rey. A lot of folks thought of that scene as suggesting–even if in a very subtle way–a kind of metaphorical rape. And, there’s a history of stories where women fall for men who victimize them. Think of how gross some scenes from old James Bond movies seem now.

    If there’s a ‘they’re about to kiss’ scene, it will be hard for it to avoid seeming visually parallel to the torture scene, or the scene where Kylo immoblizies Rey usingthe Force, or when he’s trying to kill her at the end of TFA–since these are the scenes when they have the closest physical proximity: including Kylo reaching out to Rey physically, and/or leaning in close.

    One thing you said would help address this: if Kylo–unlike with Anakin and Padme–submits emotionally to Rey. If Rey falls for him, it can’t be a case in which she seems to relinquish her power in doing so. This so often happens in love stories. Especially in the fairy tales you mention, the romantic bond is often sealed through the woman falling under the man’s power: the helpless girl is rescued by the prince, the poor waif marries the powerful prince, the Little Mermaid leaves her own world behind and enters into his world.

    An easy way to avoid this thicket is to have the ‘love story’ be, as you mention, platonic. I don’t think the only way to ‘go big’ is to make it a romantic love story. In fact, I fully agree that Star Wars is largely a fairy tale, and it would be quite ambitious (a way of ‘going big’) to have a fairy tale unfold between a man and a woman *without* its being a romance: a unique spin on the fairy tale mode…

  • October 10, 2017 at 1:51 am
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    I hope they dont go this way, but if they did it would have well after kylo is redeemed (if he is). I definately don’t want some sort of beauty and the beast situation where rey’s love redeems kylo. I think the OT did well to keep the romance to han & leia and let Luke stand alone. Leave the Rey romance for future stories down the road or just leave her be. Besides I’d put money on a Finn / Rose relationship so I don’t need multiple will-they-won’t-they subplots at the same time. Not to mention lost stars already filled the star-crossed lovers niche for me.

  • October 11, 2017 at 4:30 pm
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    Kylo is going to die- he has to; he’s done too many terrible things and in the Star Wars universe there are punishments for that. However, seeing as he idolizes Anakin so much, he might go out the same way his idol did: sacrificing himself for someone he loves.

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