In The Rise of Skywalker, audiences had one last encounter with Han Solo. It happened when Ben engaged with Han after his duel with Rey. Yet, when Han appeared, he couldn’t be a Force ghost, so what was he? Han emerged as a Force vision that could have been internal or external to Ben’s consciousness.
What Did Kylo See When Han Returned?
Based on the movie, Han could have emerged from Kylo’s memory. After Rey healed Kylo, he relived the moment when he killed his father. Han didn’t appear like a Force ghost and was not known to have that kind of Force sensitivity. So, we may just conclude that Ben was “simply remembering this moment” to move back toward the light side of the Force.
Yet, what kind of memory emerged here? And, was it more of an internal manifestation or a more substantial, external one through the Force?
One way to explain this memory is that Kylo could have been hallucinating in this scene. Leia’s death may have triggered a wavering mental state in which Kylo was susceptible to images about his last moments with his father. That’s an interesting idea, but most likely not what happened.
Another stronger explanation is along the lines of “the force manifesting as Han Solo,” as suggested in this forum. We could take this statement to mean that the Force conjured up an image of Han through its interaction with Kylo and Leia. On this basis, it seems that Ben has had a true envisioning of Han.
It could have just been an internal vision based on a Force-inspired memory aimed at reconciling Ben’s previous dark decision. If this is the case, Ben struggled to come to terms with his guilt and how to move toward the light side, prompting this visualization.
This short video leads us to a similar conclusion, with Ben feeling the weight of “his father’s final words.” In essence, the power of Han’s memory sparked a recreated vision to prompt that change in Ben. This internal vision was also induced by Leia’s passing and impact on the Force.
Some argue, as in this article, that Leia was primarily responsible for engineering the vision of Han. Her efforts to awaken Ben’s inner feelings could have even led to her death. We should certainly be aware then of Leia’s part in this internal memory-vision, but also include some agency for Ben.
An External Vision
However, we could equally claim that Ben experienced an external vision that ran out from the Force and the combination of Leia’s and his interactions with it. The memory could have been so strong that it led to a psychological casting of the Force into the outside world.
We are familiar with Luke’s Force projection in The Last Jedi, in which he cast himself before Kylo Ren to allow the Resistance to escape. This form of Force projection required “extreme concentration and focus.” Yet, it may be just one type of projection. Different interactions with the Cosmic Force could lead to alternate forms of projection.
That is, the intensified grief of Han and Leia dying that enveloped Ben, Han, and Leia (and others) could have prompted Ben to project the vision of Han before him. We might describe the process as the Living Force enmeshing with the Cosmic in times of death in a way that allows the energy field to spawn actual visualizations, not just within Ben’s head.
What Ben Saw on That Day
Ben didn’t see a Force ghost, but he did have a Force vision that was so intense that it registered internally and potentially externally. Either manifestation was entwined with deep regret, remorse, and hope of redemption. The experience worked as well as a Force ghost like Obi-Wan could have hoped for.