Star Wars Episode IX: Duel Of The Fates - 10 Things We Learned From Colin Trevorrow's Leaked Script

6. Kylo Ren Had A COMPLETELY Different Role

Adam Driver's performance as Kylo Ren was a standout highlight of the Sequel Trilogy, and it's no surprise that he ended up being one of the few bright spots from The Rise of Skywalker. His redemption was pleasantly handled, if not abrupt, but it could've been better - even if it did manage to convince some fans who had gone into the film hoping he'd stay a villain that Ben Solo was worthy of redemption. (I.e., me.)

On the topic of those who had hoped for Ben Solo to delve even further into the darkness, Duel of the Fates does exactly that. He's positioned in a similar fashion to how he is in The Rise of Skywalker, with that internal conflict between light and dark still evident, but he undergoes a different journey. He's treated as a bit of a maverick by the rest of the First Order in a way not all dissimilar to how Vader was perceived in the original Star Wars, and is currently spending his time as Supreme Leader looking to pick up where he and Rey left off - bringing an end to the Sith and Jedi.

Like in Abrams' film, Kylo journeys to Mustafar and to Vader's castle. Here he retrieves a Sith Holocron with a message from the Emperor addressed to his former apprentice in the event that Luke killed him on the Second Death Star. Vader was to take Luke to the Emperor's old master, Tor Valum (a potential stand-in for Darth Plagueis?), in order to receive instruction. The Holocron then scars Kylo even further, which leads him to adopt a Mandalorian faceplate for the rest of the film.

Kylo seeks Valum, and it's here where the film does a weird inversion of Episode V, when Luke was training with Yoda. Kylo confronts a Force vision of Vader and loses. He later returns to Coruscant, and it's assumed at some point that he learns about Mortis, a planet from the Clone Wars that would've served as the stage for his and Rey's final duel.