While all the talk this week has, rightly and understandably, been about Adam Driver’s Star Wars movie that Disney shot down, there was another part of Driver’s interview with the Associated Press that went a bit under the radar.
The AP story mentioned this: “Driver had undertaken the trilogy with an arc in mind for [Kylo] Ren that inverted the journey of Darth Vader. As the trilogy evolved, it didn’t pan out that way. Driver felt there was unfinished business for Kylo Ren, or as he was known before turning to the Dark Side, Ben Solo.”
It’s always interesting to get a bit of a glimpse into the mindset of the actors as they portray their characters on-screen, and therefore it’s cool to hear about how Driver approached playing Kylo Ren as if his story was going to be the inverse of Darth Vader’s. And while Driver obviously feels that didn’t play out as he quite expected, or as strongly inverted as he hoped, I do think he’s nonetheless right: Kylo Ren’s story is the inverse of Darth Vader’s story.
Let’s consider:
- Darth Vader’s story: Anakin Skywalker was born of nobody (he didn’t even have a father), yet rose to become a great Jedi. He fell in love, and it was this love that drove him toward the dark side. He was consumed by a lust for power more than purity of love, and in desperation and descent to the dark side he wound up killing the woman he loved. He wanted to save her, but in the end, he couldn’t. This cemented his darkness.
- Kylo Ren’s story: Ben Solo was born of two of the galaxy’s most prominent heroes (Leia Organa and Han Solo), and he was on his way to becoming a great Jedi. Yet he was determined to grab power and control, as he descended to the dark side. It was only when he met the woman whom he would fall in love with that he was pulled back from the darkness. In the end, he wanted to save her, and he could. This cemented his return to the light.
Yes, there are similarities in their stories – plenty of them, in fact – but this key thematic difference is huge. Anakin tried to save the one he loved from dying, but wound up robbing Padmé of life. Ben tried to save the one he loved from dying, and wound up bringing Rey back to life. Anakin fell in love yet through this (though indirectly) fell to the dark side. Ben fell to the dark side yet upon falling in love he was redeemed back to the light.
There is a certain poetry to their stories that serve as both a similar case yet with important differences, making it true that it’s inverted. But one thing that would have made it even more inverted? When Anakin was redeemed to the light he died right away, and that’s pretty close to the same thing as Ben. Had he lived, and gone on to deal with his sins and make atonement in the galaxy? That would have been even more different. So it’s no wonder Adam Driver wants Ben to be brought back, considering his story unfinished.
Star Wars Thoughts 