Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker redeemed Han Solo’s unceremonious death in a surprisingly beautiful way. Star Wars: The Force Awakens deliberately played the nostalgia card, with many aspects of the movie designed to recall the first Star Wars film. Han Solo’s death clearly parallels Obi-Wan Kenobi’s own death on the Death Star, for example.
Obi-Wan sacrificed himself so Luke and Leia could escape the Death Star. In contrast, Han’s confrontation with his son is no lightsaber duel; it’s an emotional moment, with Han offering himself up for his son. Audience reaction to this was mixed, with many viewers shocked at the twist. Since then, though, Star Wars has successfully redeemed Han’s death – most notably in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
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Han Solo’s Death Was Supposed To Bind Kylo Ren To The Dark Side
According to the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary, Han’s death was intended to serve as a twisted version of a Sith ritual. Would-be Sith were often forced to kill someone they cared about to bind themselves to the dark side forever, and Supreme Leader Snoke hoped this murder would serve that same purpose. Killing Han would symbolize that Ben Solo was truly gone, and that all that remained was the dark side.
But Han turned his own death into an act of love, a willing sacrifice. “I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it,” Ben tells his father, and then asks Han to help him. Han clearly knows what Ben is going to do, and yet he even helps Kylo Ren hold the lightsaber steady. Han is sorrowful, but he hoped he can bring his son peace with his death. This is why Ben’s last words to his father were “Thank you.“
Han essentially polluted the Sith ritual. This should have been a moment of ruthless, cruel resolve in which Ben Solo became committed to the dark side. Instead, it was a crying, terrified young man being helped find relief from his pain by a shockingly self-sacrificial father. This is why Kylo Ren still felt the call of the light side, in both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
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Han’s Memory Is The Final Step In Kylo Ren’s Return To The Light Side
In The Rise Of Skywalker, Kylo Ren reaches a crossroads where he has the opportunity to choose once again who he will be – Kylo Ren or Ben Solo. At that moment, Han appears to him. He speaks with his father, who tells him that Kylo Ren is dead, and Ben Solo is alive. Kylo then repeats the line he said when he murdered his father: “I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” This time, though, he is encouraged not to commit murder but to throw aside his lightsaber – officially transforming back into Ben Solo.
The Rise of Skywalker seems to present this as a manifestation of Kylo Ren’s imagination, although – given the same movie featured Jedi voices from individuals who never became Force ghosts – other interpretations are possible. Regardless, the implication is that Han’s sacrifice has been playing on Kylo Ren’s mind for a year, and it is his own father’s love that completes the process of redemption. Far from binding Kylo Ren to the dark side, the memory of Han’s death eventually freed him. Han has successfully subverted the entire Sith ritual.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may have its flaws, but its use of Han Solo was a stroke of pure brilliance. Initially, Han’s death felt like a combination of shock value and nostalgia. The movie turned this upside down, however, instead making it a vital part of Ben Solo’s redemption. It is fitting that the man who originally doubted whether the Force even existed became an agent of redemption in the Force.
