10 Major Reveals From The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Novelisation
10. The Story Behind Darth Vader's Redemption
Going into Star Wars: The Force Awakes, it appeared as if Darth Vader would have a major presence in the movie. However, his charred helmet was there for only a slightly longer version of the scene in the trailer, and other than seeing what might have been his ashes, The Force Awakens never really got around to exploring Kylo Ren's fascination with his grandfather in any sort of detail. That's led to many fans asking the same question which has been doing the rounds since the Sith Lord's helmet was first spotted; why would Kylo Ren worship someone who had returned to the Light before his death? It turns out that Supreme Leader Snoke has twisted Vader's history and convinced Kylo that what brought down the Empire was, "Sentiment. Such a foolish error of judgement. A momentary lapse in an otherwise exemplary life. Had Lord Vader not succumbed to emotion at the crucial moment - had the father killed the son - the Empire would have prevailed. And there would be no threat of Skywalkers return today." Those are the actual words of Snoke to Kylo in the novelisation, and while there's a chance he believes that to be true, the mysterious villain has clearly manipulated the young Sith warrior into thinking that while Vader's one mistake was a costly one for the Empire, it ultimately meant very little, hence why the former Ben Solo believes that his grandfather can help him remain on the path to the Dark Side.
