big spoilers for rise of Skywalker are ahead all right so let's talk about Ben's big decision when he stopped being kylo Ren and turned back to the good side and then asked ourselves how much did lay a know and when did she know it this is screen crush hey everyone I'm Ryan Arry we've seen Sith or evil force users turn good before or at least turn neutral in the Clone Wars cartoon both Darth Maul and asajj ventress wanted revenge on their former masters and swore to defeat the Sith and of course Darth Vader had a
change of heart when the Emperor was going to murder his son Luke this is one of my favorite scenes in Star Wars it was actually improved by the prequels when Vader hears Luke's cries it reminds him of Padme it's too late to save her but he can at least save her boy for Vader this was an incredibly brave act it's hard to admit you're wrong especially when you're a middle-aged man locked in a career path that's not right for you this moment in Return of the Jedi feels organic it was earned so how about Ben's
turned to the good side and the rise of Skywalker first let's look at how it was turned evil to begin with we hear repeatedly in force awakens in last Jedi that Snoke corrupted him Snoke is using you for your power it was Snoke smoke had already turned his heart Leia blamed smoke but it was me kylo has also seen praying to Vader's mask now in the comics a Sith Lord named Darth momment left his spirit in his mask for a thousand years so it's likely that Palpatine attached a portion of himself to Vader's mask that
way he could influence Vader and later kylo Ren and in rise of Skywalker Palpatine admits that he was the one manipulating Ben for all these years please so Ben's turned to the dark side was never 100% his choice for his entire life he's been the target of the greatest fifth Lord of all time so was he ever fully responsible for his actions I mean don't get me wrong he's still an a-hole for killing Han Solo what do you think can you forgive Ben for what he did so now let's look at his turn to the
good side in this duel he overwhelms Rey and he's about to capture her and then turn her to the dark side but then like Vader his family turns him good in this case his mother Leia we learned a lot about Leia in this movie most importantly that she was once on her way to becoming an incredibly powerful Jedi but then she had a vision that her son would die at the end of her Jedi path and someone else would take over her saber and finish her Jedi journey but what if the death of her son
actually meant the birth of kylo Ren your son he's gone he was weak and foolish like his father so I destroyed him then this new person who finishes her Jedi journey would bring him back to life essentially by bringing him back to the good side of the force if I go to him then solo will Tong this would mean that even as Leia was raising her son she knew there was a strong chance he could be corrupted this is in line with what she says I held out for so long I know what I saw
it's gone but she never gave up hope there's still light in him I know it Leia always knew that there was a more evil force behind her son's fault someone who is pulling the strings a greater threat that Ben would need to fight with the help of someone else Rey which brings up the weirdest reveal of rise of Skywalker the Leia always knew Rey was Palpatine's granddaughter the whole time the whole time you would whole time so how did she know well ray and Ben form a dyad in the force basically the space wizard version
of soulmates Leia would have sensed Rey because of her importance to her son so the big question when you watch her eyes of Skywalker is that if Leia could give her life to turn kylo good why didn't she do that years ago I just never should have sent him away that's when I lost him why didn't she purge the dark side from Ben when he was a teenager or before he killed Han the answer is Leia is a stone-cold strategic badass her adroit handling of this proof she's a master tactician on Palpatine's level she could
see 30 moves ahead knowing her enemies better than they know themselves she seized the matrix here's my theory when she's in her 20s Leia sees a vision of the future she will have a son and he will turn to the dark side she also sees that she can prevent this from happening now her father wouldn't think twice Anakin would have saved Padme at any cost you just told me save padme's life so with Luke he nearly murdered Vader just for threatening land if you will not tend to the dark side in fact Luke probably suspected
that then would turn to the dark side because Leia told him and that's why he was tempted to murder Ben in his sleep he would bring destruction and pain and death at the end of everything I loved because what he will become for the briefest moment of pure instinct I thought I could stop it but Leia didn't react emotionally she saw the greater threat of Palpatine as we learn in rise of Skywalker he needs a host body to be fully resurrected a host body that's strong with the force directly done with all of your hatred
and your journey towards the dark side will be complete this is probably why he coveted Anakin he wanted a new body filled with sweet sweet midi-chlorians and you young Skywalker we will watch your career with great interest but after Vader was burned he would need a new host someone with an ID Skywalker blood it also explains why he wanted Luke around it was a Skywalker who wasn't passed to sell by day teacher fathers please my shiny Palpatine wanted Rey but she was out of reach so he targeted Ben solo if Leia had saved Ben from
the darkside when he was a teenager then Palpatine would have latched him to someone else probably Rey and then he would have been unstoppable this is similar to why obi-wan didn't initially tell Luke that his father was Vader he wanted him to learn about the force and grow stronger so he wouldn't be tempted to join his father on the dark side he knew the power of a dog so Leia had to submit her family to unbelievable suffering her marriage ruined her husband killed her brother self-exiled and wracked with guilt but worst of all her son
living in pain oughta be torn apart it must have been agony for Leia to see him go through this but she sacrificed him for the greater good and by the way if she was this strong with the force kind of explains how she remembered her mother even though she died in childbirth she was very beautiful kind as a child she would have seen visions of her through the force and mistaken them for memories anyways Leia trains Rey apparently knowing that she was Palpatine's granddaughter the entire time she was training her so she would be prepared
to face Palpatine but also to help turn her son when the moment was right because and this is the key point Leia doesn't turn Ben alone she purchased the darkside influences from him like a fever burning out an infection so for the first time in years Ben can think clearly and she does this at the perfect moment when he's with Rey his counterpart in the force and in that moment she strikes him down and he should have died for his sins and then and there he deserved to that's the kind of just as a system
and apology accepted captain needa but instead Rey shows and mercy she heals her enemy this act mirrors luke's mercy and Return of the Jedi never I'll never turn to the dark side and it also fills Ben with the light side of the force afterwards Ben only has to confront his own guilt and reckon for his actions that's why he has the conversation with his dad to earn his father's forgiveness I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it and by extension the audience's forgiveness afterwards Ben
prevents Rey from falling to the dark side so she will have the strength to finally defeat Palpatine if Leia had turned him earlier he never would have met ray and couldn't have saved her from the dark side all of this had to happen at this exact moment for Palpatine to be defeated and Princess Leia planned the whole thing all along what so what do you think does all this makes sense or is it stupid retconning if it is stupid retconning you should remember Luke and Leia weren't II was supposed to be brother and sister originally
or else they wouldn't have done this well I guess you don't know everything about women yet you guys have any thoughts or questions let me know in the comments below and if it's your first time here please subscribe and ring the bell for screen crush I'm Ryan Arry [Music]
