In The Rise of Kylo Ren #3, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Will Sliney, we get some flashbacks to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker training his students at his Jedi Temple.
The students in focus in this issue are (obviously) Ben Solo, as well as Voe, Hennix, and Tai. These three students were away on a mission the night Luke’s Temple was destroyed, and they assume that Solo killed Skywalker – causing them to pursue Ben Solo in a quest for justice.
In talking with Ren (the leader of the Knights of Ren), Ben gives some brief insight into these other three students. Voe was one who saw the Force as a contest to win, which meant she was always trying to best the young Solo – but never to any success. Hennix saw the Force as a puzzle to solve, which meant he was content to spend his life trying to do so. And Tai was an empathetic figure who seemingly was able to understand and perceive others’ thoughts and emotions on a deeper-than-normal level (and who seems to have been a genuine friend to Solo).
In the course of these sequences of flashbacks, we see Luke Skywalker standing by helping Hennix open a holocron, revealing an unknown Jedi greeting him. Luke tells his pupil,
“Every holocron is unique, based on the teachings held inside. You have to hear what it’s trying to tell you before it will open.”
That makes sense, but it’s cool to see that Luke has such a knowledge of holocrons and is helping his student to open one. It’s interesting that each holocron is unique to open, and I’m guessing there’s probably a story as to how Luke came across this particular one. It’s just pretty cool to see Luke instructing on something that we saw in the Republic era. It’s a fun connection.
But it’s what Luke says to Voe that I find especially interesting. When Ben and Voe are young kids, Voe watches as the young Solo effortlessly levitates a large rock and asks her Master, “Why is Ben so much stronger? I work just as hard as he does.” This is Luke’s response:
“Ben isn’t stronger, Voe. That’s not how it works. The Force can be a trickle, a stream, a river, a flood… for anyone who can sense it. Think of yourself as a door. The wider you open, the more easily the Force flows through you. Some people just start out with their door a bit more open. But any door can open wide.”
That’s a fantastic explanation of the Force. Luke uses two illustrations that help illustrate the Force to his young apprentice.
The Force is like water. Luke explains that the Force can be a trickle, a stream, a river, or a flood. Basically, what he’s saying is that there can be different levels of strength. Luke knows that the Force is not just for the Jedi (or the Sith, for that matter) and that everyone is connected to the living Force, whether they can sense it or not. For some people, this means just a trickle – barely noticeable, but it’s still there. But for others, this means a flood – like for Luke Skywalker, or Ben Solo. This isn’t about some video game-like power-up structure, but rather about the knowledge that the Force flows through all living things, simply expressing itself in vastly differing degrees.
The Force is like a door. To illustrate this point further to Voe, he explains that the wider she opens the door the more easily the Force flows, and that anyone can open the door wide – but some people are just born with the door more open than others. In other words, anyone who can sense the Force can open this door wide, but for some it will take far greater effort and connection than for others. Some people, like Ben Solo, are born with the door already open. They can sense a natural connection to the Force right away, like those kids seen using the Force in The Clone Wars, or like The Child in The Mandalorian.
I love these two illustrations about the Force. It keeps in line thematically with what Luke has learned by the time of The Last Jedi, as he realizes that the Force isn’t just for the Jedi (i.e. an exclusive group) and that anyone can open this door with enough focus. For some, though, the Force will look just like a trickle of water, wheras for others it looks like a flood. One of the main differences between people who can sense the Force, then, is about how wide their ‘door’ is when they’re born. I think this is what midichlorians were meant to measure, as it could suggest that Anakin Skywalker’s ‘door’ began open far wider than anyone else on record.
This all helps give a more visual meaning to opening yourself up to the Force, and I think it’s a great and really helpful explanation. I love seeing Luke Skywalker’s wisdom and him teaching his students, and I’m so glad that it’s Charles Soule who is bringing that to life.
Other articles about The Rise of Kylo Ren you might like:
- The Rise of Kylo Ren #1 gives us a shocking revelation about the destruction of Luke’s Temple
- The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 shows Jedi Master Luke Skywalker fighting the Knights of Ren!
- The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 ties in to Solo in a brilliant and emotional way
- The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 makes it seem like Ben Solo was initially not aware of Snoke’s connection to the First Order
- We’ve only heard the term “High Republic” twice in Star Wars… and it’s very interesting where they appeared
- The Rise of Kylo Ren #3 shows Ben Solo join the Knights of Ren
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