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It occurs to me that the editors of the TLJ novel probably knew Reylos wouldn’t like it, and that’s why the first words of the jacket blurb are, “Written with input from director Rian Johnson…” Like we would read that and think, “Oh, well this must be how Rian intended it, then. I guess the sexual tension was all in my head.” You underestimate Reylo. It will be your downfall.
I was scrolling through writing prompts on Pinterest and came across this one. Literally the first thought in my head was, “It’s already been told. It’s called Reylo.”
Since hunkering down for this Ben Solo character study essay, I’ve had his motivations on the brain. And it just occurred to me– While I’m NOT convinced Ben was solely and completely responsible for the destruction of Luke’s temple (I could talk circles around the quotes that imply he was; maybe I will sometime)…if he was… Does that make it the Star Wars version of a school shooting? Jesus. And we thought killing his father was dark… Was Ben bullied? …
On Snoke’s page in the TLJ visual dictionary, there is a picture of a tall creature draped in a deep purple robe. You can see nothing but the robe and two glowing circles where their eyes should be, and very faintly, a buggy-looking face. I don’t recall seeing them or hearing about them in the film, so either it’s from deleted material or it’s just fun information for the dictionary. Wookieepedia says they were considered for TFA and Rogue One, …
“I took him, and a dozen students, and started a training temple.” TLJ Luke, thinking he’s too cool for the number thirteen to give him bad luck. Hubris, indeed. lol
Oh my god, guys, I’m freaking out. I decided to read Bloodlines (Claudia Gray, Del Ray, LucasFilm) for the sake of my Ben Solo essay–well, if I’m being honest, I’m skimming it for Ben information; politics really don’t interest me–and I found this. It’s a little flashback to a moment: “Never imagined this,” Han had murmured, sitting up in their bed at night, Ben’s tiny head resting in the crook of his father’s arm. “Having a kid. Even wanting a …
Also, I noticed a parallel I hadn’t yet: Snoke at the beginning of the movie, mockingly: “The mighty Kylo Ren.” Luke during his second lesson with Rey: “For many years, there was balance–and then I saw…Ben. My nephew. With that mighty Skywalker blood.” Probably a coincidence (is anything in this movie a coincidence?), but still interesting.
As I study Luke’s second lesson, I find myself wondering: Why was R2D2 just hanging out, watching the temple burn? I think he’s watching it; he seems to turn and look at Luke as the man approaches from behind the droid. The quote, “Some people just like to watch the world burn,” comes to mind. (Not sure where that originated, can only think of Alfred’s line in The Dark Knight.) But seriously, did R2D2 know Luke went to confront Ben? …
Another juicy morsel from the TFA novel: Halting, Ren slowly scanned his surroundings. Even though they knew what he was doing, the troopers still marveled at the display. After a long moment of deliberation, he motioned them toward the upper levels. “They’re here. Find them. Up there.” The squad immediately went into action, moving off rapidly in the direction he had indicated. Once they were out of sight, Ren turned slowly—and headed downward. Ben deliberately steered the troops in the …
As I continue to study Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, I’ve come across interesting tidbits of information that make me rethink what I thought I knew. For instance, in the visual dictionary for TFA, there’s a segment that reads: “The Supreme Leader believes Ren to be the ideal embodiment of the Force, a focal point of both light and dark side ability.” Furthermore, on Ben’s page on Wookiepedia (they also cited the TFA dictionary): “…Ben was eventually, in his late teens, targeted …