'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' Leaks: 'Last Jedi' Book Spills Kylo's Ending

Despite Kylo Ren’s dark past, he’s arguably one of the most compelling characters in the new Star Wars trilogy. His redemption has constantly been speculated by fans, and it turns out they may have been onto something. A novelization of Star Wars: The Last Jedi may have actually spoiled Kylo’s potential Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker storyline by revealing his eventual redemption.

Caught between the Light and the Dark Side of the Force, Kylo’s position is unclear heading into The Rise of Skywalker. In fact, his character arc is ultimately very similar to that of his grandfather, Darth Vader (aka, Anakin Skywalker), who chose the Dark Side before deciding to sacrifice himself to save Luke.

Sound familiar? Yup, Vader and Kylo’s stories seem to parallel one another (minus the sacrificing part, for now). While Vader had Luke to help pull him from the depths of darkness, it’s been heavily implied that Rey will end up doing the same for Kylo.

In fact, a novelization of The Last Jedi, published back in March of 2018 and reshared in a now-deleted post by redditor u/bothanspy89, seems to hint at some form of redemption for the wayward Kylo. One theory even suggested that he’d be redeemed by sacrificing himself and his reward would be entrance to the Jedi afterlife.

In an excerpt from the novel, Luke admits his guilt for letting Kylo down while Leia mourns the loss of the son she raised before he turned to the Dark Side. However, it seems Luke knows something Leia doesn’t, implying all hope is not yet lost for Kylo. “No one’s ever really gone,” he tells his sister.

It’s Leia’s internal contemplation of Rey that leads to the idea that she could be the one to “help them all—even Ben.” Rey’s already got a lot on her plate, but there’s no denying her Force-connection with Kylo, which played heavily into The Last Jedi. It might have been there to further the story of Kylo’s eventual redemption, especially considering how much he tried to get into her head.

She was able to resist and that proved how strong she really was that she could withstand Kylo’s psychological manipulation. It does put a lot of pressure on Rey to be the one to save Kylo, which can be frustrating when examined objectively. Still, it’s also clear that Kylo has a fighting chance. He still feels the pull of the Light Side of the Force and continuously attempts to quell it and one of the only good people he’s interacted with is Rey.

So yes, Kylo will probably be redeemed, but it’s the implication that Rey will somehow support him in this storyline that provides the biggest clue for the path Episode IX could take. There’s no doubt Rey and Kylo will meet again and, thanks to this Episode VIII novelization, we can anticipate how their antagonistic relationship might develop.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20, 2019.