In the Star Wars original trilogy, the three main characters are Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. However, Darth Vader is so popular and such a large presence that he, too, is a main character. This same trend continued into the Star Wars sequel trilogy, where the three main characters are arguably its three protagonists: Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron.
In addition, the “bad guy” main character, in the legacy of Darth Vader, is Kylo Ren. However, he’s not just the villain — he has his own entire arc throughout the three movies, culminating in a redemption at the very end. Kylo Ren can be considered the real main character in the sequel trilogy.
10 The Sequels Start By Showcasing Kylo Ren
The very beginning of the sequel trilogy kicks off with Poe Dameron, sent by General Leia Organa, being captured by Kylo Ren. This entire sequence showcases just how terrifying Kylo Ren is and what a dark and huge presence he’s going to be throughout the trilogy. First impressions are important no matter what, and they’re important for the first time characters are introduced, as well. An introduction like this indicates that Kylo Ren is important and that he’s going to continue being important throughout the franchise.
9 Kylo Ren Is Inheriting Darth Vader’s Role
Time and time again, Kylo Ren turns to his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, asking him to guide him on his path. He sees Darth Vader as a figure to emulate, and wants to follow in his footsteps.
Not only does he seek to become Darth Vader, but he surpasses him and becomes even more powerful in the duration of the sequel trilogy. He even indirectly seeks to learn the lessons that Anakin Skywalker, as he was at the very end of his life, would have found important, since Anakin similarly was redeemed by Luke in the last moments of his life.
8 Han Solo Is Killed By Kylo Ren
The great romance of the original trilogy is between Han Solo and Leia Organa. Though there’s a bit of a love triangle between the two of them and Luke Skywalker, it’s then made clear that Luke and Leia are siblings, and Leia and Han are the ones who get together in the end. By the sequel trilogy, they’ve not only built their lives together for years, but they’ve now had a son, too. Ben Solo, or Kylo Ren, is the son of these original trilogy main characters. Not only that, but Kylo Ren is the reason that Han Solo dies — he kills him in Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens. He’s indirectly responsible for Leia’s death as the last of her life energy goes to helping Rey stop him through the Force in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker.
7 Kylo Ren Drove Luke Skywalker Away
The main character throughout the entire Star Wars franchise is, arguably, Luke Skywalker. The movies that make up the Star Wars main timeline are referred to as the Skywalker Saga, and he appears in each of the trilogies, as well as throughout the many media types that make up the franchise.
It was Kylo Ren’s interactions with Luke as a young person that drove Luke Skywalker to flee the Rebellion and the Resistance, isolating himself far away. Kylo Ren is the reason that the main character is no longer present. This takes an immense presence that only a new main character could truly have.
6 Rey Is In A Force Dyad With Kylo Ren
The all-important Rule of Two in Star Wars appears again in the sequel trilogy in the form of Kylo Ren and Rey. The two of them form a Force dyad. Rey is the main protagonist of the sequel trilogy, and her bond with Kylo Ren through the Force is a huge part of her story throughout the three movies. As Kylo Ren is not only the other half of this Force dyad, but also a main villain, he arguably has the most going on, and is the real main character as a result.
5 Kylo Ren Kills Supreme Leader Snoke
For most of the sequel trilogy, it seems that the big bad is Supreme Leader Snoke. After all, he’s in charge of Kylo Ren, General Hux, and Captain Phasma, the other primary villains in the movies. However, in Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren teams up with Rey to fight against Snoke to take him down. It’s Kylo Ren who kills Snoke, his lightsaber cutting him in half before he and Rey fought against his guards to escape.
4 Luke Skywalker Dies Fighting Kylo Ren
If the main character of Star Wars as a whole is Luke Skywalker, the person who kills him has to be incredibly important. In Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker ultimately does train Rey in the ways of the Force, and he does join back up with the Resistance to stop Kylo Ren. He can’t get back to Crait to help them in time, but he reaches out through the Force.
The amount of life energy that it takes Luke to stop Kylo Ren is too much, in the end, and it’s this conflict that kills Luke Skywalker. If it weren’t for Kylo Ren, he would still be alive. It’s clear that Kylo Ren is vitally important and the main central character, because if he weren’t, he would not be significant enough to ever kill Luke.
3 Big Bad Supreme Leader Ren
After Kylo Ren takes down Supreme Leader Snoke and is responsible for the deaths of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, he takes his place as Supreme Leader Ren, the head of the First Order. Before, it seemed that the mysterious and apparently all-powerful Snoke was the main villain. However, after Kylo Ren kills him and gets rejected by Rey, he becomes the main villain, instead. His transition from Vader-esque villain placement to becoming the actual big bad shows that he’s the real main character: only a character like that would be given that space.
2 Ben Solo Rejects The Dark Side
Despite the fact that Kylo Ren becomes the sequel trilogy’s big bad, he still rejects the Dark Side. He’s given an arc so complex and so important to the Saga that he ascends to the highest role of villainy, and still attempts for redemption and turns from the Dark to the Light Side. Kylo Ren becoming Ben Solo shows that the sequel trilogy prioritizes Kylo Ren’s arc above all else. He’s the main character because, otherwise, there’s not enough time to do all of this character work on him.
1 The Final Sacrifice Is Ben Solo’s
Though Rey and Kylo Ren’s Force dyad connection alternates between being a bane and a boon to them, in the end, the two of them kiss before Ben Solo’s life energy drains from him. It is his final sacrifice that allows Rey to stop Palpatine once and for all. Without Kylo Ren’s ultimate sacrifice, the First Order may have won, Palpatine could have succeeded, and the Resistance — and Rey with it — would have been crushed. Kylo Ren proves himself to be the main character once and for all as the main story ends after his story ends.