Summary
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerintroduced the Force Dyad, but never really explained it; however, an unexpected tie-in has just supported a massive theory about its true nature. Although theStar Warssequel trilogy didn’t exactly come to a satisfactory conclusion,The Rise of Skywallkernonetheless featured some interesting ideas that will hopefully be explored in greater detail down the line.The most intriguing of these was theForce Dyad.
There’s a hint in Rae Carson’s novelization ofThe Rise of Skywalkerthat the Force Dyad requires both the light and dark sides of the Force. During their final confrontation with Emperor Palpatine, it reveals that the bond between Rey and Kylo Ren had been “refined in the fire of mutual searching, shared grief, rage and hate, but also of compassion and empathy.” The ancient Jedi consideredbalance an aspect of the Force, and it’s reasonable to assume the Dyad is tied to this aspect.
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Star Wars Unlimited Supports This Interpretation Of The Force Dyad
IGNrecently revealed upcomingStar Wars Unlimitedcard game set, “Shadows of the Galaxy.” Every character inStar Wars Unlimitedhas what is called an “aspect,” which help decide how best to use a card. They are:
Ideally, you want to play cards with similar aspects; if you play a card with an aspect provided by your leader or base, you must pay 2 extra resources to play the card. This is known as the “aspect penalty” in-game. But here’s the striking thing about Rey and Kylo Ren; if you have both of them in play,their Heroism and Villainy - light and dark - aspects don’t carry a penalty.
What this effectively means, then, is that Rey and Kylo Ren together are neither light nor dark. This game mechanic strongly suggests the Dyad’s true nature is indeed something of a balace - and iit’s worth noting that game mechanics are assessed by Lucasfilm as much as story details, meaning this is an important clue to the Dyad’s true nature. Five years afterThe Rise of Skywalker,Star Warshas finally confirmed more about the Dyad, but in a very strange way.
Rise of Skywalker’s Force Dyadwas one of the better ideas in the movie, and that made the film’s resolution all the more disappointing; Ben Solo died, sacrificing himself to save Rey’s life. Barring a resurrection plot, it means the Force Dyad story is over, and in such an unsatisfying way. Butthese game mechanics hint at the reason this was necessary.
Notice that Rey and Kylo Ren are light and dark by nature, but lose those aspects when they are both in play. We know Rey will re-establish the Jedi Order, becoming a champion of the light side, and she could not do that while her counterpart was in play. Watching the sequel trilogy as a whole, it’s striking how the two characters affect one another, with one tilting towards the light as another veers towards the darkness. Rey could never truly choose the light while Ben Solo was still there.
As noted, though, the ancient Jedi considered balance an aspect of the Force - and there is evidence thefirst Jedi served balance, not the light. Rey is restoring the Jedi Order using the sacred Jedi texts, some of which date back to the Prime Jedi themselves. Given that’s the case, it’s quite possible she will ultimately establish a Jedi Order that is tied to balance, meaning her experiences with the Force Dyad could still be brought into play. That would hopefully meanStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s best idea wasn’t completely wasted.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Cast
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concludes the Skywalker saga with Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron leading the Resistance against the First Order. As the final battle unfolds, they draw upon the wisdom and strength of previous generations to confront their adversaries. Released in 2019, the film concludes the sequel trilogy.
