“That Was Never Part Of It”: Adam Driver Confirms Kylo Ren’s Redemption Was Never Part Of The Sequel Trilogy Plan

Adam Driver has confirmed that one of the most critical moments of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker was not a part of the original sequel Star Wars trilogy plan. The third act of the final movie in the sequel trilogy sees Kylo Ren earning redemption at the hands of both his mother and his father, at last embracing Ben Solo as he rushes to Rey’s aid. As it turns out, this wasn’t ever meant to happen.

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In an interview with The Rich Eisen Show (via Adam Driver Archive), Driver confirms the original plan for Kylo Ren was for him to fall further to the dark side as the movies went on, with him ending the trilogy as the strongest Sith version of himself that he could be. Instead, things were taken in different directions, with The Rise of Skywalker making the biggest detour. Driver says “[Ben Solo] was never part of it,” confirming Kylo’s redemption was in fact a change made later on.

Kylo Ren Was Envisioned As The Opposite Of Darth Vader

Beginning with his uncertainty at the start of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Driver describes Kylo Ren’s original arc as something of an antithesis to Darth Vader’s, a villain whose strength in the dark side gets more and more powerful and certain as the movies progress. Instead, the creators chose to veer from this path, focusing on Ben’s dyad with Rey and ultimately giving Ren his redemption.

This reveals the true extent of the story changes made to the sequel Star Wars trilogy over time, specifically for The Rise of Skywalker – and no doubt shows how damaging those late-term changes can really be.