Kylo Ren


 * "Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. That's the only way to become what you were meant to be."
 * ―Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren, a Force-sensitive human male, was the Supreme Leader of the First Order and Master of the Knights of Ren during the era of the Resistance. Once a promising student of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, the former Ben Solo was neither Jedi or Sith but a product of both orders' teachings. Though he embraced the dark side of the Force due to the machinations of his predecessor, Supreme Leader Snoke, Ren remained vulnerable to the pull of the light side of the Force. Nevertheless, he was determined to destroy the last remnants of the Jedi Order and also charted his own path to power, believing it was destiny to rule the galaxy.

The son of General Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, Ben Solo was born on the Core World Chandrila, on the day the Galactic Empiresurrendered to the New Republic in 5 ABY. Though he was given his father's surname, Solo was a Skywalker through his mother. He, therefore, inherited the raw strength of his maternal grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One of the Force. As his own powersmanifested in the years following the Galactic Civil War, Solo became part of a new generation of Jedi Knights trained by his maternal uncle, Luke Skywalker. Despite the potential Skywalker saw in his nephew, he also sensed darkness and grew to believe that Snoke succeeded in turning Solo to the dark side. Acting on instinct, Skywalker was prepared to end Solo's life before his future came to pass but could not follow through with the act. Solo felt betrayed, however, and reacted by burning down the training temple, resulting in the massacre of the other apprentices as well as Skywalker's self-imposed exile on the planet Ahch-To.

By severing his ties with Skywalker and the Jedi, Solo pledged his loyalty to Snoke and reemerged as Kylo Ren—the Jedi Killer, warlordand champion of the First Order, and Master of the Knights of Ren. In the waning days of the cold war, Ren oversaw the hunt for the map to Skywalker; his intention to kill the last Jedi and, therefore, complete the legacy of the fallen Sith Lord Darth Vader, his grandfather's dark side persona. This journey ultimately led to Ren's encounter with the Jakku scavenger Rey, whose own strength in the Force mirrored Ren's, and with whom he shared an unprecedented Force-bond with. They became allies as their connection grew stronger following Starkiller Base's destruction in 34 ABY, leading to the assassination of Snoke during the First Order–Resistance war. With ambition fueled by the dark side, however, Ren claimed the mantle of Supreme Leader and continued to pursue his goal of galactic domination, causing Rey to withdraw her support despite Ren entreating her to rule by his side. At this point, the New Republic had fallen; the Resistance, a group of insurgents led by Ren's mother, was decimated at the Battle of Crait; and Skywalker became one with the Force upon sacrificing his life to save the last remnants of the Resistance.

Pre-birth

 * "Let the past die."
 * ―Kylo Ren, as heard by Darth Vader

Even before his birth, Kylo Ren was the subject of Force visions. Shortly after the Battle of Fortress Vader, the Sith Lord Darth Vader, the Sith persona of the famed Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, heard the voice of Ren saying that it was time to "Let the past die" as he slaughtered illusions of Jedi while exploring the portal constructed by Lord Momin in Fortress Vader on Mustafar.
 * "I know where you come from. Before you called yourself Kylo Ren."
 * ―Qui-Gon Jinn's spectre, to Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren was born as Ben Solo in Hanna City, Chandrila on the day that the Galactic Concordance was signed between the New Republic and the Galactic Empire, formally ending the Galactic Civil War. This day was roughly one year after the Battle of Endor, in which his parents, Princess Leia Organa and General Han Solo, led the Alliance to Restore the Republic in a decisive victory over the Empire. Their victory resulted in the deaths of the Emperor, Darth Sidious, and Organa's biological father, Anakin Skywalker, who ceased to be Darth Vader when he was essentially reborn after decades of bringing despair to the galaxy.

While he was still in his mother's womb, Organa could feel him through the Force. She likened him to a living band of light that sometimes dimmed and was sometimes thrust through with a vein of darkness. Following his birth, there were contradictory rumors that Ben's birth took three days. Another tale claimed that it was a fast and painless birth. There were also rumors that Ben was born with a shock of black hair and a full set of teeth. Though Han lacked the same Force bond that Organa had with her son, he comforted himself with the fact that he had a fatherly bond with Ben. As a toddler, Ben enjoyed playing with the gold dice that belonged to his father and would often follow him around.