WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in theaters now.
Ever since their introduction in The Force Awakens, a vocal segment of the Star Wars fanbase has hoped for a romance to blossom between Rey and Kylo Ren. Dubbed Reylos, fans were treated to a kiss between Rey and the redeemed Ben Solo in The Rise of Skywalker, only to be shocked by Ben's subsequent death as he became one with the Force.
According to the film's editor Maryann Brandon, the kiss between the two character's following the resurgent Palpatine's defeat was a moment that the filmmakers decided should be included after watching the performances between Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. Impressed, the filmmakers decided to keep the kiss in the final cut.
"I always said, ‘The movie will tell us whether they should kiss or not. We will know by the time we get to the end of our process, if it should happen.’ And I felt it should, and [director J.J. Abrams] agreed with me, and other people who saw the film agreed,” explained Brandon in an interview with The Huffington Post. "I know it’s not for everybody.I know there will be people who wish they hadn’t, but this is a film that was never going to please everyone, and I think that the reviews are kind of reflective of that. The things that certain people love, other people hated. And that’s the phenomenon of Star Wars.”
Romantic tension between the aspiring Jedi Knight and fallen son of Han Solo and Leia Organa had been apparent since their shared connection through the Force in The Last Jedi. By rejecting the Sith and saving Rey, Ben Solo had redeemed himself and earned one last kiss, ultimately, at the expense of his life.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film is now in theaters.