Adam Driver’s perspective on Kylo Ren’s redemption arc is exactly what Star Wars needs to move beyond its current problematic trend. While the sequel trilogy doesn’t necessarily rank highly among Star Wars’ best movies, many agree that Kylo Ren was a standout character. In part, this was because he was such an excellent, refreshing villain.

While some found Kylo Ren to be too emotional or a Vader copycat, Kylo had all the makings of an incredible Star Wars villain. Even without being in the upper echelon of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, Kylo was strong in the Force, full of violent rage, and driven by deep-seated revenge. Unfortunately, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s story arc ultimately contradicted Driver’s point-of-view on the character, and many Star Wars movies and TV shows are now following suit.

Adam Driver’s Perspective On Ben Solo’s Redemption Was Spot-On

In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Adam Driver was asked if he thought redemption was in Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s future, and his response was perfect for the villain (and the actor playing him). Driver responded, “What does he have to be redeemed for?” He then followed that up with an even deeper exploration of the flawed logic. Driver explained:

“[Kylo Ren] has a different identity, a different definition of what redemption is. He’s already been redeemed in his story. I don’t think there is a thought of redemption. He doesn’t have an outside lens of the events, you know — you know what I mean? That’s more of an outsider’s view of his world.”

Driver perfectly captured the perspective of his character and highlighted that redemption isn’t the end goal for every villain, nor should it be from a narrative standpoint. Kylo Ren didn’t feel he needed to be redeemed because he believed he was right. Rather than viewing himself as the evil one, Kylo saw the Jedi as deeply flawed, in part because Luke had tried to kill him. Interestingly, this is one of the best connections to Darth Vader in a trilogy that made the Vader similarities a bit too heavy-handed; like Anakin, Kylo Ren saw the Jedi as the true evil.

Kylo Ren’s convictions meant that rather than hoping to be ‘redeemed’ and welcomed back to the Jedi, the light side of the Force, and the Resistance alongside his mother, Kylo believed Rey should join him and the Jedi and the Resistance should die. While, yes, his perspective was ‘wrong’ from a certain point-of-view, this is what made him a villain. Kylo Ren was willing to kill and torture to achieve his own ends, and while that makes him an immoral and at times disturbing character, it also made him a very good villain.

Star Wars Is Overplaying The Redemption Card

Star Wars has, in part, been built on stories of redemption. Arguably, the main arc of the original trilogy was inherently tied to redemption, as Luke’s end goal became saving his father from the dark side of the Force. This is also what makes Return of the Jedi so compelling; despite all he had done for decades, Vader was still able to be turned back to the light and become Anakin Skywalker once more.

However, while that twist felt new and exciting in Return of the Jedi, redemption arcs can be overdone, and Star Wars seems to be veering in that direction. In fact, Driver’s point proves exactly that. As Driver articulated, Kylo Ren didn’t need to be redeemed. He believed he was right, and he had no desire for or even thought of redemption. Moreover, Driver has since revealed that the original trilogy arc would have seen Kylo Ren only becoming more evil with time, the inverse of Vader rather than the repeat of him.

Instead, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker fell back on old patterns and redeemed Ben Solo. Since then, numerous Star Wars characters, major and minor, have gotten their own redemption arcs. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, this arc began and ended for Reva Sevander, one of Star Wars’ Inquisitors. Although Reva was introduced in the show as a vicious, ruthless Inquisitor, by the end of the limited series, she had turned away from that path and been unable to kill young Luke Skywalker.

Characters who have been in the franchise for much longer have also been redeemed, some of them very recently. Star Wars: The Bad Batch shocked viewers with the return of Asajj Ventress, the once-Sith assassin turned bounty hunter from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, when she appeared in The Bad Batch, she was wielding yellow lightsabers, signaling a return to the light side of the Force, and she even helped test Omega’s possible Force sensitivity.

Another Clone Wars character, ex-Jedi Barriss Offee made her Star Wars return in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. Although the first episode in her three-episode arc showed her initiation into the Inquisitors and seemed to suggest how dark she had become, the second episode revealed her conflict, and the third episode concluded with her being fully redeemed. In fact, she had even become a Jedi healer before the end.

Star Wars Needs More True Villains

Overdone redemptions don’t only make for redundant, perhaps even disappointing narratives, though. The frequent redemption arcs in Star Wars also reveal that the franchise has a villain problem. Namely, Star Wars has been lacking quality villains of late, perhaps the most notable symptom of which was the confusing plot twist in The Rise of Skywalker wherein Palpatine “somehow” returned. Since then, Palpatine has remained a key villain. While that’s somewhat unavoidable in shows like The Bad Batch, which took place during the Dark Times, it does signal a need for new, better villains.

However, Star Wars may be on the right track with the upcoming Star Wars TV shows. While the details for both remain mostly under wraps, both the Star Wars: The Acolyte TV show and the upcoming Ahsoka season 2 could reveal much more inventive villain plots, with the mysterious dark side user Mae in The Acolyte and the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka. This would certainly be a positive change for Star Wars and perhaps heed Adam Driver’s advice for Kylo Ren by avoiding yet another redemption arc.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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