Han Solo’sseemingly harmless first words to his newborn son unknowingly foreshadowed the tragic path that would lead Ben to become Kylo Ren. This subtle and humorous comment made in classic Han Solo fashion would go on to reflect the pressure and expectations that would haunt the young Ben Solo, hinting at the crushing weight of the Skywalker and Solo legacies.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker#5, written by Jody Houser with art by Will Sliney, explores the emotional core of the Skywalker saga’s conclusion. However, it’s a flashback to a tender moment of Han Solo speaking to Leia Organa as they look upon their newborn son that offers a new, heartbreaking perspective on Kylo Ren’s journey.
In the family moment,Han remarks,“good thing he looks like me”while looking at the baby. These words carry the unspoken expectations placed upon Ben Solo from birth, subtly setting the stage for his eventual turn to the dark side.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker#5, Written By Jody Houser With Art By Will Sliney
The desire for a child to resemble their parent is a common, often endearing sentiment. However, in the context of theSkywalker and Solo lineages, “Good thing he looks like me” takes on a far deeper and ultimately devastating meaning. Ben Solo was not just any child; he was the son of two of the galaxy’s greatest heroes,Han Solo and Leia Organa, nephew to the equally heroic last Jedi, Luke Skywalker, and the grandson of the legendary Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala.
Ben’s heritage, while undoubtedly a source of pride for his parents, inadvertently became a suffocating burden for him.The expectation to live up tosuch an extraordinary family and birthright, to possess their strengths, and avoid their weaknesses, wasimpossible, even for the most talented of people. This seemingly innocent comment from Han introduces the theme of inherited legacy and the immense pressure it placed on Ben, hinting at the internal struggle that would fester and ultimately lead to his downfall as Kylo Ren.
The Inescapable Shadow Of Parental Expectations Tainted Ben’s Perception Of The Very People Who Loved Him
Both Leia And Han Consistently Attempted To Remind Kylo Ren That They Still Loved Him As Ben
As Ben grew, the weight of his lineage only grew heavier. He was expected to embodythe best of both Han and Leia; the roguish charm and piloting skills of his father, the strong Force connection and leadership of his mother.Yet, he also carried the potent Force abilities inherited from his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, which proved to be a double-edged sword.This constant comparison to his heroic parents and powerful grandfather, both living and legendary, created an environment where Ben felt he could never truly measure up.
Ironically, it would be the same feelings of inadequacy and resentment that sealed Han’s own fate at his son’s hands, making his simple remark about his newborn son’s resemblance even more tragic.
The Rise of Skywalker#5doesn’t explicitly show Ben’s internal turmoil during the montage of him growing up. Han’s comment, however, viewed through the lens of hindsight, does more than enough tosow the earliest seeds of inadequacy and resentment that would later blossom into Kylo Ren’s fractured identity and his desperate attempts to forge his own path, however dark.Ironically, it would be the same feelings of inadequacy and resentment that sealed Han’s own fate at his son’s hands, making his simple remark about his newborn son’s resemblance even more tragic.
At the climax of the issue, when Rey confronts Palpatine and his offer to embrace her own dark lineage, the offer mirrors Ben’s struggles, emphasizing the generational pull of the Force. While Rey ultimately chooses a different path,Ben’s journey was largely shaped by the pressure of his family’s legacy and his twisted perception that he constantly had to prove himself worthy.
Han’s statement unwittingly set the stage for Ben Solo’s deeply conflicted journey, where the very family he was meant to honor became the source of his greatest internal fight. The desire to be seen as an individual, rather than an extension of his extraordinaryparents, uncle, and grandfather, ultimately sent him down a path of darkness and self-destruction as Kylo Ren.The Rise of Skywalker#5 drives home the point that inherited greatness, when coupled with overwhelming pressure and a lack of self-acceptance, can lead to devastating consequences, makingHan Solo’sproud observation a heartbreaking precursor to Ben’s tragic fate.
