Rise Of Skywalker Cut Kylo Ren’s Greatest Feat

The Rise of Skywalker showed Kylo Ren’s redemption, but left out a key scene that could have shown the full potential of his connection to the Force.

Despite his many accomplishments, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may have glossed over Kylo Ren’s greatest feat in the sequel trilogy. Many events led to the final battle that happened on the Sith world Exegol, and though Kylo Ren wasn’t involved in the airborne fight, he and Rey’s confrontation with Palpatine on the ground was among the most pivotal moments of the Skywalker saga’s final installment.

The reward for believing in his parents and Rey’s faith was witnessing Kylo Ren turning back to the light in The Rise of Skywalker. For the entirety of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Ren grappled with the pulls of the dark and light sides of the Force. Kylo ascended to Supreme Leader of the First Order himself after betraying Snoke, but remained haunted by his past and the whispers of Palpatine. His return to the light side and acceptance of Ben Solo was a defining moment in his journey and may have contributed to his strongest accomplishment.

Related: Star Wars Should’ve Dropped Kylo Ren’s Darth Vader Obsession

Kylo Ren Found Exegol Again – Without A Sith Wayfinder

One of the major plot points of The Rise of Skywalker was Rey, Finn, and Poe searching for Darth Sidious’ wayfinder to locate the returned Emperor and his Final Order on Exegol. In the opening sequence of the film, it was revealed to be nearly impossible for Exegol to be found without the help of the device – and even with it, navigating the chaos of the Unknown Regions of the galaxy was perilous. As opposed to Kylo Ren’s initial meeting with Palpatine, when Ben Solo arrives on Exegol to help Rey in the final act of the film, he doesn’t possess a wayfinder.

While the other ships of the Resistance were able to reach Exegol through a beacon broadcast by Rey, there’s no evidence that Ben also used that beacon, considering he flew to Exegol in an old TIE fighter. The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t show his second trip to Exegol at all; rather, he reappears in the middle of the battle running past the Imperial TIE and Luke Skywalker’s X-wing, which serves as a convenient explanation. However, the film had already shown that finding Exegol without the wayfinder was near impossible. It begs the question of how Kylo Ren found Exegol again.

Kylo Ren Proved His True Force Potential Off-Screen

The more likely scenario for Kylo Ren finding his way back to Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker is that he used the Force to guide himself there. Between his strong bond with Rey and the strength of his Skywalker lineage, it’s not surprising Kylo Ren is that powerful. Using the Force as his own personal wayfinder shows what potential Ben Solo had as a Jedi. It’s puzzling why this great feat wouldn’t be shown onscreen, as it would’ve been a prelude to the power demonstrated when Ben Solo dies to save Rey.

While Ben Solo was never shown to live up to his full potential Jedi as the prequels had done for Anakin Skywalker and the original trilogy did for Luke, it was still meaningful to see Kylo Ren turn towards the light side of the Force after suffering through so much internal conflict. Though he did find a way to transfer his life to Rey, it’s a missed opportunity to not see Kylo Ren show absolute trust and command in the Force by letting it lead him back to Exegol in the final act of The Rise of Skywalker.

More: How The Force Awakens Tried To Kill The Sith & Failed