One Subtle Force Awakens Detail Perfectly Set Up Rise Of Skywalker’s Force Dyad

Rey and Kylo Ren are revealed to be a dyad in the Force in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and one small detail in Star Wars: The Force Awakens – perhaps unintentionally – sets it up. Force bonds exist when two Force users share a strong connection in the Force, but the rarest and strongest form of a Force bond is known as a Force dyad. In the case of a Force dyad, two beings are connected across time and space and their bond is as strong as life itself.

Before adopting their Rule of Two, the Sith sought the power of Force dyads, attempting to create them artificially. Once the Rule of Two was implemented by Darth Bane, the Sith Doctrine of the Dyad survived through Bane’s mandate. Not only would limiting the number of Sith to two mitigate the Dark Lords’ inevitable backstabbing, it would also provide them a means to continue attempting to form a dyad, in this case between the Sith master and apprentice. Darth Bane’s dynasty would fail at every attempt to create a dyad, though one would form naturally between Rey and Ben Solo.

The Force Awakens’ Forceback Linked Rey & Kylo Ren Across Time & Space

Rey and Kylo Ren’s connection was inadvertently hinted at in The Force Awakens. Upon grabbing the lightsaber of the late Anakin Skywalker, Rey saw several visions of past events, from Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader’s duel on Bespin to the traumatic departure of her parents from Jakku. Rey notably sees Kylo Ren and the rest of the Knights of Ren as well. Shockingly, Kylo Ren turns towards Rey, “seeing” her, despite only being a vision.

The Dyad Connection Between Rey & Kylo Ren Allowed This Forceback Interaction

The concept of a Force dyad – and Rey and Kylo Ren’s creation of one – was likely not planned when Rey’s vision was ideated, yet the moment when Kylo Ren responds to her is incredibly fitting. As shown in The Rise of Skywalker, a Force dyad transcends time and space, so while Rey was seeing a vision of Kylo responding to her presence, the actual Kylo may have felt her presence while en route to Takodana. Their connection would only grow stronger from there, despite the two being nothing more than adversaries in the context of The Force Awakens.

Rey’s aptitude with the Force was augmented by Kylo Ren’s attempts to interrogate her in Starkiller Base, helping her learn Force powers like the Jedi Mind Trick, which would normally be too advanced for one so recently calling on the Force. By the events of The Rise of Skywalker, the two dueled each other through their dyadic connection, despite Rey being in orbit of Kijimi and Kylo Ren being on the planet’s surface. Kylo Ren coincidentally interacting with Rey in her vision in Star Wars: The Force Awakens retroactively teases their rare and powerful connection through the Force.

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