'Star Wars' Confirms That Kylo Ren Was Freed By Rey's Force Healing
When it comes to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, some argue that Kylo Ren is the most interesting character of those films, even if the execution of his arc has mixed reception. Very few would have guessed that a chance of redemption for the character would have involved Force healing. While Force healing has been a thing in Star Wars Expanded Universe material, it did not have a significant appearance on the canonical onscreen material until The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019. In the former, Grogu uses it to heal Greef Karga's wound. In the latter, Rey heals a serpent, and later Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, who later uses it to bring Rey back from the dead. That last action is something that some fans' argue "breaks the universe," and having Ben Solo die as part of his redemption is something that has rubbed some viewers the wrong way. However, it is worth noting that Rey Force healing Ben affected more than just his physical ailments.
The recently released book Skywalker: A Family at War is an in-universe biography that tells the story of the Skywalker family, retelling events of the saga. Among the passages that have been getting attention on the internet is the one below pertaining to the moment when Rey stabs Kylo Ren with her lightsaber and then heals him:
"Healing through the Force is a peculiar thing. Rey transferred her own Force energy to the wounded man at her feet; however, the interaction did more than merely mend a gaping wound. Burned flesh and damaged organs were made whole again, and even the scar on his face disappeared. For the first time in more than a decade, Ben Solo's mind cleared."
It may be easy to miss upon first viewing, but the scar on Ben Solo's face does in fact disappear when he's wounded. But more interesting is this idea that the Force healing affected Ben on a mental and spiritual level. It seems that Rey is able to clear his head of the dark side that has been such a huge influence on him for apparently more than 10 years.
Of course, the Force healing is the first step. With Ben's mind cleared, he is able to "redo" an interaction without the influence of the dark side. Leia, who has previously expresses that it is possible to bring her son back and that his actions are the influence of Snoke (revealed to essentially be Palpatine's puppet). Leia uses her remaining energy to reach out to her son through the Force and set in motion an interaction between Ben and the father who is dead because of him. The scene between Ben and Han allows Ben another chance to repent against the dark side and receive forgiveness for his dark deeds. It makes it easier for the audience to accept him as a hero for the rest of the film after spending years feeling sorrow over the villain killing one of their favorite heroes.
We may still have questions about the mechanics of Force healing, but the way that it is used to bring Ben back to the light is something that arguably works on a thematic level. While Anakin's fall to the dark side is cemented by a swim in the fire, his grandson's redemption is comparable to a baptism by water, his sins cleansed away in the process. Ben's mental state becomes balanced, and he knows what he has to do in order to set things right.
Source(s): Screen Rant