The Similarities Of Dooku And Kylo Ren
At first glance, the two dark side characters of Count Dooku and Kylo Ren look like polar opposites and have nothing in common. Count Dooku was a highly formidable foe against the Jedi and was seen as calm and collected, even in battle with Jedi Masters. Even when he was captured by Hondo and his group of pirates, he managed to keep his cool and work together with Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker to escape, albeit through gritted teeth and immense sarcasm. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, is often seen as rash and over-volatile in both combat and while commanding the First Order. The dark side warlord had several fits of rage, resulting in him brandishing his red lightsaber and destroying equipment on his Star Destroyer, when learning of the escape of Poe and later Rey. But fans will be surprised to learn that, while the two characters that fell to the dark side aren’t identical, they do share surprising similarities.
Like Kylo Ren, Count Dooku’s departure from the Jedi was heavily influenced by his family. Unlike most Jedi, Count Dooku was reunited with his family and learned of his parents and two siblings. He would even keep communication with his sister for many years while training to become a Jedi and was even allowed to attend his mother’s funeral. Later, Dooku’s sister would ask for his help against their brother, who planned on launching an attack on their home, in an attempt to turn the planet against the Republic. Just in several previous instances, the Jedi and the Republic refused aid, forcing Dooku to return to Serenno against the Jedi’s orders, where he was ultimately forced to kill his brother. Doing this gave him the title "Count of Serenno", along with his family’s wealth and status. These events are what ultimately drove the Jedi Master away from the Order, along with already believing the Jedi to be too connected with the government and therefore corrupt.
RELATED: What Qui-Gon's Role Will Be In 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Series
While there was a clear separation between family and the Jedi for Count Dooku, for the Jedi formally known as Ben Solo, the Jedi and his family were one and the same. With his uncle, Luke Skywalker, being the last official Jedi, he would greatly effect Ben’s view of both the Jedi and their family history. And while Ben was already being influenced by Snoke at a young age, his fall was also due to his family refusing to disclose the true identity of Darth Vader. This deception left Ben feeling isolated, a feeling which only grew when Luke decided to start training more students. When Ben learned the true identity of Darth Vader through the holonet, it left Ben feeling betrayed and only furthered his disillusionment of his family and, therefore, the Jedi Order itself. This ultimately led to the fateful night where Luke snuck into Ben’s room, nearly killing his nephew after seeing a vision of Ben turning to the dark side. While Count Dooku left the Jedi Order peacefully and Kylo Ren left with a literal bang that killed all of the new Jedi younglings, both ultimately left due to the actions of their family resulting in them losing faith in the Jedi.
Once fully turned to the dark side, both characters would play major roles in the galaxy wide wars that would take place. Count Dooku would set the foundation for the Clone Wars and lead the Separatist droid army while serving his master Darth Sidious. Kylo Ren led the charge for the First Order while serving his master, Supreme Leader Snoke, who would later be revealed to be an extension of Sidious himself. Both characters were ultimately just pawns for Sidious’ own plans. Sidious used Dooku to start the Clone Wars so he could play devil’s advocate while pulling Anakin Skywalker down the path of the dark side. He would use Kylo Ren to hunt down and kill the last remaining Jedi before ultimately wanting to use Kylo Ren as his new vessel. Sidious also ordered both characters to kill their apprentices, or in Kylo’s case, potential apprentice. Both failed in this endeavor, with Ventress surviving Dooku’s abandonment during a battle and Kylo Ren outright refusing to kill Rey, still convinced he could pull her to the dark side.
As fate would have it, both characters would meet their end at the hands of a Skywalker. Dooku was beheaded by Anakin Skywalker under the persuasion of Sidious himself. Kylo Ren used the Force to will Rey back to life after she defeated the Sith Lord but, in doing so, ultimately ending his own. Both characters fell from the Jedi due to their family ties and distrust in the Order and both were used by Sidious to start galaxy-wide wars. While their stories are not identical, the similarities are there and should be used as cautionary tales for future Jedi being tempted by the dark side. The dark side promised both characters power but, in the end, it only led to their death.
READ NEXT: New Concept Art Shows The Deleted Kylo Ren Storyline From 'The Rise Of Skywalker'
Source(s): Wookieepedia