The Force Awakens certainly gave us a lot of talk about. Ten years after Revenge of the Sith was released, this new Star Wars film came with new characters, new stories, and, of course, new exciting battles.
In perhaps the most tragic moment of this film, Han Solo met his untimely death at the hands of his own son. Struck with shock and grief, Chewbacca fired his blaster at the unsuspecting Kylo Ren.
The shot was a direct hit, finding the side of Kylo. However, it was not enough to kill him. While we can discuss why the shot was not fatal, what comes afterward is even more bizarre.
Kylo chases Rey and Finn to a snowy forest where they then engage in a lightsaber duel. All throughout the duel, Kylo takes time to punch the wound on his side. Some may just brush this off as nothing, but we, avid Star Wars fans, always want to know more.
There is no official answer, but fans have come up with some great theories for this. So why does Kylo Ren hit his wound?
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The answer may have something to do with bringing up the power of the dark side. Fear, anger, hatred, and pain all lead to the dark side. It is through these emotions that the dark side gains its strength.
Then there’s Kylo. Despite being the grandson of the great Anakin Skywalker, Ben Solo was quite a weak Jedi. He soon found that the only way he could become powerful was through his emotions. And, as we all know, giving in to your emotions takes you to the dark side.
That’s why Kylo continuously hits his wound while fighting. This is to increase his pain, and by doing so, tap deeper into the power of the dark side. This helps him become even more powerful while fighting.
Of course, this is all theory. Another possible explanation is he did this to numb the pain. But that isn’t a very exciting theory, is it?
Whatever the case, it’s clear that at that point, Kylo had embraced the dark side. So it makes perfect sense for him to do crazy things to bring up this power.
Is Han Solo Really Dead?
I still remember the audible gasp around the cinema the moment Kylo turned on his lightsaber on Han Solo. It was truly heartbreaking to see one of the main characters of the Star Wars universe go down in such a tragic way. And the way Han held the face of his son one last time was almost too much to watch.
But back in the wonderful world of Star Wars theories, some say Han Solo didn’t actually die. What are the bases of these theories? Are they true?
Some fans picked up a few clues here and there that support this theory. Most of it is related to the way Obi-Wan Kenobi went down to Darth Vader in A New Hope.
In that film, Darth Vader was about to deliver a finishing blow to the Jedi master. But instead of slicing Obi-Wan in half, his lightsaber went right through the now empty robes. It is said that Obi-Wan never died, instead, he vanished and became one with the force.
This is the reason why all throughout the original trilogy, Obi-Wan appears to Luke Skywalker. He trains and mentors him, even though he is no longer alive in a strict sense. He’s there all the way to the very last scene of the Return of the Jedi.
This is why hopeful fans theorize that Han Solo didn’t die either. They supplement this by the last conversation he had with his son. Kylo asks his father, “Will you help me?” to which Han replies, “Yes, anything.”
Some take this to mean that just like Obi-Wan and Luke, Han Solo’s “spirit” will follow Kylo wherever he goes. And even though he was “killed”, Han Solo became one with the force just like Obi-Wan.
Though this theory has some roots, it’s not the most difficult one to debunk. For one, Han was never strong with the force. He may or may not have had some force sensitivity, but not as much as Obi-Wan had. And unless someone is very special in the force, death just means death.
Another reason why we can say Han Solo is dead is that we see him die. Remember, Obi-Wan disappeared right before Vader could deal the finishing blow. Whereas Han was clearly stabbed right through his torso.
Some turn to the fact that lightsabers cauterize everything they cut. So if by any chance none of Han’s vital organs were hit, he may still be alive. Well… let’s say that even if Kylo missed all the vital organs, surviving a free-fall into a seemingly bottomless pit is very unlikely.
What Lightsaber Form Does Kylo Ren Use?
Whenever a new lightsaber-wielding character is introduced, one question that immediately enters the fan’s mind is, “What lightsaber form is he using?”
The seven forms of lightsaber fighting make duels more exciting and interesting. A lot of times, it is the style of fighting that gives one Jedi the edge over the other. There is a lot you can learn about someone by the form that they use.
That’s why when Kylo dueled against Finn and Rey, some fans looked deeper than the outcome. They were trying to analyze Kylo’s movements to see which form of lightsaber he employed.
From what we saw in that battle, Kylo used a combination of form I (Shii-Cho) and V (Shien). His strikes were simplistic, yet he kept forcing Rey back with his strikes.
Shii-Cho is the most basic of lightsaber forms. It was the first form developed, at a time when there were very few lightsaber wielders. It is also the first lightsaber form that young padawans were taught.
Form I isn’t the most effective for dueling. It is characterized by broad strokes, and its parries are simple. This is why against other lightsabers, Shii-Cho isn’t very effective.
It makes a lot of sense for Kylo to use Form I. For one, The Force Awakens takes place in a time where there were very few lightsaber wielders. Most of Kylo’s enemies would use blasters and other sabers, all of which Form I could easily overwhelm.
But in his fight with Rey, Kylo is also very aggressive, always forcing Rey backward. This isn’t an element of Form I since this form always returns to a defensive stance after every strike. Instead, it looks a lot more like Form V, Shien.
Shien is known for its aggression. After holding a defensive position for a while, the wielder then engages in an all-out attack. There is always an element of surprise in Form V, and the user attacks his opponent before they get the chance to defend themselves.
Despite its aggression, Form V isn’t very complicated. Unlike other forms, Shien isn’t a dance, it is a simple march forward. And in the duel, it’s very easy to see how straightforward Kylo is in pushing into Rey.
Where did Kylo learn this? It’s possible that he picked it up when Luke Skywalker trained him.
With these two forms, we can understand Kylo a lot more. Both of these forms are simple, and both aren’t the best for lightsaber duels. Both of these forms also don’t need a lot of mobility, which is why we don’t see Kylo doing crazy flips while fighting.
Did Kylo Ren Lose His Hand?
Despite supposedly having the upper-hand, Kylo Ren lost his first duel with Rey. This shocked a lot of viewers since Rey wasn’t as strong or experienced as Kylo. And right before they were separated, Rey delivered a blow that sent Kylo to the ground, defeated.
This blow slashed across Kylo. Where it hit, we can’t be certain. But this has caused some speculation, did Rey cut off Kylo’s hand?
Star Wars is notorious for dismembered limbs. Luke, Anakin, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, and Darth Vader have all had their hands sliced off by lightsabers. That’s why when Rey slashed Kylo to the ground, some couldn’t help but feel this was another dismemberment.
But the simple answer to this question is no, Kylo did not lose his hand. Rey’s slash seems to have hit Kylo’s chest and face. This explains why he had a cut on his face from then on.
When Kylo is on the ground, you can see he still has both of his hands. Yes, it’s a bit dark, but if you squint, you’ll see that it’s there.
Also, there’s never a big deal made out of it. Whenever a character loses his hand in Star Wars, the movies always emphasize this. It vividly shows the hand getting cut off, and it also shows the mechanical hands that these characters use as replacements.
With Kylo, there is never any clear dismemberment. If that happened, the movie would surely give us a graphic scene with his hand flying off. Also, there’s no sign that Kylo got a mechanical replacement in the following movies.
So it’s safe to say that Kylo never lost his hand.