The FIRST ORDER reigns. Having decimated the peaceful Republic, Supreme Leader Snoke now deploys his merciless legions to seize military control of the galaxy.
Only General Leia Organa’s band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny, certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight.
But the Resistance has been exposed. As the First Order speeds toward the rebel base, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape...
Having failed to obtain the map to Skywalker, fallen in battle to an untrained girl, and still reeling from the murder of his father, The Last Jedi finds Kylo Ren, frankly, a complete mess. He's berated and mocked by his master, leading him to (after attempting to attack Snoke and being quickly put down) smash his mask in a rage and summon his starfighter, taking his anger out on the Resistance ship they've just tracked through hyperspace. However, even in his anger, he finds himself unable to fire on the bridge where he knows his mother stands—only for his escort ships to fire upon it instead. It's only through the Force he knows she doesn't perish, as impossible as it seems.
As the dwindling force of the Resistance struggles to find an escape route, Ren returns to Supreme Leader Snoke's ship, the Supremacy, and finds unexpectedly that he's able to see the girl Rey, as if she was right in front of him. While the first instance of this results in Rey attempting to shoot him, his curiosity is piqued, and he begins to ask questions about it, about what she can see and why they're connected. His interest in this scavenger girl who somehow managed to best him starts to rise, and he doesn't even attempt to resist the connection with her, even sharing with her the truth of why he turned against the Jedi and killed his father. After she shares her doubts and worries about a supernatural experience she had and they both reassure the other they're not alone, she asks for him to return and holds out her hand, and their projections reach out to each other. When they finally touch, it's almost as if Ren manifests physically on Ahch-to, where Skywalker has been hiding for years. But Luke comes upon this and interrupts them, using the Force to destroy the hut Rey sat in and shocking the two of them into breaking the connection.
We discover the truth of the Jedi's exile: Luke Skywalker, while training Ben, became so fearful of the darkness inside his nephew that he lit his lightsaber as if to strike down the boy. Even if the desire to do so passed immediately, the damage was done—Ben saw a man standing over him with an active weapon, whom he had already begun to distrust thanks to the darkness that Snoke cultivated in him. Fearing for his life and convinced that the Jedi aimed to follow through his obvious threat, Ben summoned his own lightsaber to defend himself, bringing the building down on the two of them. After this, he took several of Skywalker's students and killed the rest, reducing the temple to ruins and escaping.
Back in the present, Kylo and Rey both realize they've seen visions—hers is of a redeemed Ben Solo, who will come with her to the Resistance if she simply goes to him. Ren, meanwhile, sees her joining him and fighting by his side. Despite Luke's doubts, Rey departs and uses an escape pod to launch herself towards the Supremacy, where Kylo Ren is already waiting for her. They speak briefly in private on the way to Snoke's throne room, revealing their visions to each other, Rey earnest in her desire to bring Kylo back with her and claiming he won't kneel before Snoke, and Ren claiming he's seen the truth of her parents.
While Kylo does indeed kneel before Snoke as Rey is mocked and tortured for information, Snoke's constant taunts, belittling, and eventual command to kill Rey result in Kylo's betrayal. His uncertainty regarding the situation becomes resolve, as Snoke sees, but while the Supreme Leader sees the killing blow he wants to see, the recipient is indeed Kylo's "true enemy"—that is, Snoke himself. He uses the Force to subtly manipulate the lightsaber at Snoke's side, activating it and cutting his former master in half. Snoke's guards then descend on the pair, and Kylo and Rey fight together to kill them all.
With the battle done, Rey begs Kylo to order the First Order to stop attacking the Resistance, thinking he's redeemed himself, but killing his master wasn't something Kylo was quite prepared for, and in that moment he decides to take the mantle of Supreme Leader. He tells Rey he still intends to let the past die, revealing that Rey's parents were nothing more than junk traders, claiming they sold her off and have been long dead, his point being that her origins are utterly mundane and unimportant.
"You come from nothing. You're nothing," he says. "But not to me." He asks Rey to join him to fight and rule by his side, even pleading as he holds out his hand towards her, but she similarly pleads for him to not go down that path. He holds his hand out once more, and Rey reaches for it... only to attempt to pull the blue lightsaber towards her from Kylo's belt. The two of them struggle to pull it towards themselves, but their conflict is so great that the lightsaber breaks, split in half.
The Resistance leader Admiral Holdo, alone on a ship in the hopes of allowing her fellow rebels to escape, changes course towards the Supremacy and goes to lightspeed—tearing both ships to pieces.
In the chaos, Ren is knocked unconscious and Rey escapes on Snoke's ship, taking the pieces of the lightsaber with her. General Hux, seeking orders from Supreme Leader, discovers the scene and nearly pulls out a blaster to kill the unconscious knight, but Kylo jolts awake and explains the situation. The girl killed Supreme Leader, he claims, and begins to direct Hux to order his troops to follow the Resistance to Crait, the nearby planet they'd escaped to. The general doesn't seem to be having it at first, but Kylo quickly silences his arguments with a Force choke, bringing him to his knees. "Supreme Leader is dead," says Ren. "Long live Supreme Leader," replies Hux, recognizing Kylo Ren's authority, at least for the moment.
Ren commands the First Order down to Crait, bringing with them a cannon that will pierce the wall of the old base that protects the few Resistance members left. Livid when he spots the Millenium Falcon, he impulsively orders their fighters to focus fire on his late father's ship whose weapons Rey is currently manning. Despite that, their attack on the barrier is successful, but Luke Skywalker suddenly appears, stepping forward from the base. Determined to fulfill his destiny, he orders every gun to fire upon the Jedi, but finds that it does nothing. He decides to take care of the matter himself, ordering his ship to land so he can face his former teacher, and Ren expresses his anger towards his uncle and attempts to attack. But even though Luke deactivates his lightsaber and seems to get hit—again, nothing happens.
Kylo realizes that Luke was never actually there at all; he was projecting himself through the Force as a distraction for the Resistance to escape. Luke says his goodbyes, though claims Kylo will see him again, and disappears. Although he and his soldiers march into the base, it's now empty, aside from the golden pair of dice his father kept on his ship. Through his connection with Rey, he watches her and the Resistance escape in the Millennium Falcon.
Updated Personality:
Kylo Ren still feels conflict over his actions, and while the main instigator for his turn to the dark has been eliminated, it doesn't mean he's immediately turned back to the light. Snoke's manipulations coming to a breaking point, his failure to kill his mother, his failure to kill his uncle, and Rey's rejection of his offer have only further driven him into chaos, anger and hatred. He is, essentially, on his own at this point, and without Snoke's guiding hand, he's less focused despite being more motivated. He intends to follow through on the First Order's goals, having become Supreme Leader, even if he has little idea how to truly accomplish this other than destroying the Jedi and the Resistance—that is, Rey and his mother's small group.
That said, the way he looks at Rey when she departs on the Falcon isn't exactly the look of a man who wants to kill.
He is still capable of caring for people, as shown in his relationship with Rey, defending her and asking her to join him so they can rule together. It's also made clear with his inability to fire upon the bridge of the ship his mother was commanding. He's also come to a point where he no longer intends to suffer the manipulations and insults of Snoke, and he quickly decides to take on that authority he feels he's destined for, not bothering to humor Hux's arguments about his new role. The way he treats his underlings doesn't change; he's still very much willing to display his power when he's questioned. Hux gets tossed around a bit.
Overall, he hasn't changed so much at his core; we simply understand him a bit more, and we've seen the more intense parts of both sides: his ability to care, and the amount of darkness and anger he still holds over the past. Still, he has felt a harsh rejection, been made a fool of by his uncle, and is taking on a position of leadership he may not entirely be able to handle. It makes his temper easier to trigger, for certain—he's reduced to screaming orders when he sees his late father's ship ruining his plans to destroy the Resistance. Not that he was the most stable man in the first place...
Updated Abilities: It's confirmed he can do mind tricks I guess? (Or at least he tries to do one.) And he has a telepathic link with Rey through the Force, through which they can project themselves so it seems as if they were standing in front of the other. ... obviously this won't affect anything but his CR with Rey. :v
Canon Update
Updated Background:
The FIRST ORDER reigns. Having decimated the peaceful Republic, Supreme Leader Snoke now deploys his merciless legions to seize military control of the galaxy.
Only General Leia Organa’s band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny, certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight.
But the Resistance has been exposed. As the First Order speeds toward the rebel base, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape...
Having failed to obtain the map to Skywalker, fallen in battle to an untrained girl, and still reeling from the murder of his father, The Last Jedi finds Kylo Ren, frankly, a complete mess. He's berated and mocked by his master, leading him to (after attempting to attack Snoke and being quickly put down) smash his mask in a rage and summon his starfighter, taking his anger out on the Resistance ship they've just tracked through hyperspace. However, even in his anger, he finds himself unable to fire on the bridge where he knows his mother stands—only for his escort ships to fire upon it instead. It's only through the Force he knows she doesn't perish, as impossible as it seems.
As the dwindling force of the Resistance struggles to find an escape route, Ren returns to Supreme Leader Snoke's ship, the Supremacy, and finds unexpectedly that he's able to see the girl Rey, as if she was right in front of him. While the first instance of this results in Rey attempting to shoot him, his curiosity is piqued, and he begins to ask questions about it, about what she can see and why they're connected. His interest in this scavenger girl who somehow managed to best him starts to rise, and he doesn't even attempt to resist the connection with her, even sharing with her the truth of why he turned against the Jedi and killed his father. After she shares her doubts and worries about a supernatural experience she had and they both reassure the other they're not alone, she asks for him to return and holds out her hand, and their projections reach out to each other. When they finally touch, it's almost as if Ren manifests physically on Ahch-to, where Skywalker has been hiding for years. But Luke comes upon this and interrupts them, using the Force to destroy the hut Rey sat in and shocking the two of them into breaking the connection.
We discover the truth of the Jedi's exile: Luke Skywalker, while training Ben, became so fearful of the darkness inside his nephew that he lit his lightsaber as if to strike down the boy. Even if the desire to do so passed immediately, the damage was done—Ben saw a man standing over him with an active weapon, whom he had already begun to distrust thanks to the darkness that Snoke cultivated in him. Fearing for his life and convinced that the Jedi aimed to follow through his obvious threat, Ben summoned his own lightsaber to defend himself, bringing the building down on the two of them. After this, he took several of Skywalker's students and killed the rest, reducing the temple to ruins and escaping.
Back in the present, Kylo and Rey both realize they've seen visions—hers is of a redeemed Ben Solo, who will come with her to the Resistance if she simply goes to him. Ren, meanwhile, sees her joining him and fighting by his side. Despite Luke's doubts, Rey departs and uses an escape pod to launch herself towards the Supremacy, where Kylo Ren is already waiting for her. They speak briefly in private on the way to Snoke's throne room, revealing their visions to each other, Rey earnest in her desire to bring Kylo back with her and claiming he won't kneel before Snoke, and Ren claiming he's seen the truth of her parents.
While Kylo does indeed kneel before Snoke as Rey is mocked and tortured for information, Snoke's constant taunts, belittling, and eventual command to kill Rey result in Kylo's betrayal. His uncertainty regarding the situation becomes resolve, as Snoke sees, but while the Supreme Leader sees the killing blow he wants to see, the recipient is indeed Kylo's "true enemy"—that is, Snoke himself. He uses the Force to subtly manipulate the lightsaber at Snoke's side, activating it and cutting his former master in half. Snoke's guards then descend on the pair, and Kylo and Rey fight together to kill them all.
With the battle done, Rey begs Kylo to order the First Order to stop attacking the Resistance, thinking he's redeemed himself, but killing his master wasn't something Kylo was quite prepared for, and in that moment he decides to take the mantle of Supreme Leader. He tells Rey he still intends to let the past die, revealing that Rey's parents were nothing more than junk traders, claiming they sold her off and have been long dead, his point being that her origins are utterly mundane and unimportant.
"You come from nothing. You're nothing," he says. "But not to me." He asks Rey to join him to fight and rule by his side, even pleading as he holds out his hand towards her, but she similarly pleads for him to not go down that path. He holds his hand out once more, and Rey reaches for it... only to attempt to pull the blue lightsaber towards her from Kylo's belt. The two of them struggle to pull it towards themselves, but their conflict is so great that the lightsaber breaks, split in half.
The Resistance leader Admiral Holdo, alone on a ship in the hopes of allowing her fellow rebels to escape, changes course towards the Supremacy and goes to lightspeed—tearing both ships to pieces.
In the chaos, Ren is knocked unconscious and Rey escapes on Snoke's ship, taking the pieces of the lightsaber with her. General Hux, seeking orders from Supreme Leader, discovers the scene and nearly pulls out a blaster to kill the unconscious knight, but Kylo jolts awake and explains the situation. The girl killed Supreme Leader, he claims, and begins to direct Hux to order his troops to follow the Resistance to Crait, the nearby planet they'd escaped to. The general doesn't seem to be having it at first, but Kylo quickly silences his arguments with a Force choke, bringing him to his knees. "Supreme Leader is dead," says Ren. "Long live Supreme Leader," replies Hux, recognizing Kylo Ren's authority, at least for the moment.
Ren commands the First Order down to Crait, bringing with them a cannon that will pierce the wall of the old base that protects the few Resistance members left. Livid when he spots the Millenium Falcon, he impulsively orders their fighters to focus fire on his late father's ship whose weapons Rey is currently manning. Despite that, their attack on the barrier is successful, but Luke Skywalker suddenly appears, stepping forward from the base. Determined to fulfill his destiny, he orders every gun to fire upon the Jedi, but finds that it does nothing. He decides to take care of the matter himself, ordering his ship to land so he can face his former teacher, and Ren expresses his anger towards his uncle and attempts to attack. But even though Luke deactivates his lightsaber and seems to get hit—again, nothing happens.
Kylo realizes that Luke was never actually there at all; he was projecting himself through the Force as a distraction for the Resistance to escape. Luke says his goodbyes, though claims Kylo will see him again, and disappears. Although he and his soldiers march into the base, it's now empty, aside from the golden pair of dice his father kept on his ship. Through his connection with Rey, he watches her and the Resistance escape in the Millennium Falcon.
Updated Personality:
Kylo Ren still feels conflict over his actions, and while the main instigator for his turn to the dark has been eliminated, it doesn't mean he's immediately turned back to the light. Snoke's manipulations coming to a breaking point, his failure to kill his mother, his failure to kill his uncle, and Rey's rejection of his offer have only further driven him into chaos, anger and hatred. He is, essentially, on his own at this point, and without Snoke's guiding hand, he's less focused despite being more motivated. He intends to follow through on the First Order's goals, having become Supreme Leader, even if he has little idea how to truly accomplish this other than destroying the Jedi and the Resistance—that is, Rey and his mother's small group.
That said, the way he looks at Rey when she departs on the Falcon isn't exactly the look of a man who wants to kill.
He is still capable of caring for people, as shown in his relationship with Rey, defending her and asking her to join him so they can rule together. It's also made clear with his inability to fire upon the bridge of the ship his mother was commanding. He's also come to a point where he no longer intends to suffer the manipulations and insults of Snoke, and he quickly decides to take on that authority he feels he's destined for, not bothering to humor Hux's arguments about his new role. The way he treats his underlings doesn't change; he's still very much willing to display his power when he's questioned. Hux gets tossed around a bit.
Overall, he hasn't changed so much at his core; we simply understand him a bit more, and we've seen the more intense parts of both sides: his ability to care, and the amount of darkness and anger he still holds over the past. Still, he has felt a harsh rejection, been made a fool of by his uncle, and is taking on a position of leadership he may not entirely be able to handle. It makes his temper easier to trigger, for certain—he's reduced to screaming orders when he sees his late father's ship ruining his plans to destroy the Resistance. Not that he was the most stable man in the first place...
Updated Abilities: It's confirmed he can do mind tricks I guess? (Or at least he tries to do one.) And he has a telepathic link with Rey through the Force, through which they can project themselves so it seems as if they were standing in front of the other. ... obviously this won't affect anything but his CR with Rey. :v