Even though the Star Wars sequel trilogy was not exactly something that the franchise fans envisioned, we can’t deny that Kylo Ren was an impactful character that carried the redemption theme of Star Wars well. Of course, one of the things that we know about Kylo Ren is that he was a fallen Jedi that went over to the dark side after experiencing a rough time when he was still younger. In that regard, he is much like Darth Vader, who turned to the dark side. But is Kylo Ren a Skywalker, and is he related to Darth Vader?
Kylo Ren is a Skywalker from his mother’s side. Born as Ben Solo, he is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, who we know is the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. As such, he is a Skywalker from Leia’s side, making him the only canon grandchild of Darth Vader.
The fact that Kylo Ren was a Skywalker the entire time was a continuation of the classic fallen Skywalker Jedi theme that has always been prevalent in the storyline of Star Wars. As such, throughout the entire sequel trilogy, he carried the burden of being the grandson of the man known as the Empire’s enforcer, which was one of the reasons why he turned to the dark side.
The Star Wars Skywalker Saga is full of antagonists lured to the Force’s dark side. In that regard, Star Wars has long been a battle between the light and dark sides. Of course, while fans aren’t entirely in agreement about the success of the sequel movies of Star Wars, the one character that carried the torch of the dark side was Kylo Ren.
Introduced in the first movie of the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren was a menacing enforcer who served as one of the leaders of the First Order, a militant group formed from the remnants of the Empire. The First Order sought to bring down the Jedi and the Resistance so that the Empire could rise again from the ashes. And it was Kylo Ren actively working as the man leading the forces of the First Order in his hunt for Luke, who was the final remnant of the Jedi Order.
Did Kylo Ren Kill Grogu After the Events of ‘The Mandalorian’?
But the thing about Kylo Ren was that his true identity was never kept a secret for a long time. That’s because it was already made clear that he was someone who fans were going to be familiar with due to his familial ties. And it was when Rey and Han Solo’s group attacked the Starkiller Base we understood who Kylo Ren was.
Kylo Ren was born Beno Solo, which means that he is the son of Han Solo. It was his connection to Han that Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, wanted Kylo to sever as this was one of the remnants of his past self as Ben Solo. And we all know who Han was romantically linked to during the events of the original trilogy.
In the original trilogy, Han Solo eventually formed a romantic relationship with Princess Leia Organa, who we learned was the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. Then, during the events of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Han and Leia reunited to talk about what they needed to do with their son. That means that Leia Organa was the mother of Kylo Ren.
Both Han and Leia hinted that the reason why their marriage failed was the fact that Ben Solo turned to the dark side. And that means they had trouble determining what they needed to do with their son.
Of course, Ben Solo became Kylo Ren because Snoke was already trying to lure him to the dark side while training under Luke Skywalker in his new Jedi Temple. Luke also had a vision of Ben’s dark side, which prompted him to try to kill the young man. However, Luke held back at the final moment, and the fact that Ben learned that his uncle tried to kill him pushed him over the edge and eventually made him kill all of Luke’s students and force the Jedi Master into hiding.
How Is Kylo Ren Related to Darth Vader?
One of the things that we also saw in the events of Episode VII was that Ben Solo kept Darth Vader’s damaged helmet in some sort of a shrine in his flagship. He often visited this helmet to try to converse with Vader so that he could gain guidance on how to become as powerful as he was on the dark side. So, is Kylo Ren related to Darth Vader?
The fact that Leia Organa is the mother of Kylo Ren is what gives him a familial tie with the fallen Darth Vader. As we learned in the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, Leia was the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. Then, during the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Leia was handed over to Bail Organa so that she would be raised as their daughter, all while Luke was handed over to his Uncle Owen in Tatooine.
Kylo Ren vs. Darth Vader: Who Would Win in a Star Wars Dark Side Duel?
Considering that Leia was Luke’s sister the entire time, that would mean that she has always been a Skywalker by blood. This also means that Darth Vader, known as Anakin Skywalker, was Leia’s father.
