The dyad at the centre of a fundamentally cohesive story

*TROS spoilers ahead*

Social media’s been an interesting place since The Rise of Skywalker hit cinema screens around the world, and considering the polarising effect of The Last Jedi, avoiding a degree of discourse was always an impossibility.

It seems to me, a fan of The Rise of Skywalker and someone who places the sequel trilogy above the original films as the best set of movies in the saga, that the majority of backlash can ultimately be sourced to a perceived lack of cohesion between the last three episodic films.

Whether it’s the idea that the breakneck pace of TROS was too much, a wonky arc for both Rey and/or Kylo Ren or for those who simply feel that the movie retcons too many of TLJ’s themes, characters and trajectories, all the criticisms be sourced back to the fact that this trilogy was not planned out from the beginning.

But a lack of roadmap doesn’t necessarily make for a story that is devoid of any through line. The main plot of the sequel trilogy – the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren – is absolutely cohesive and despite their vastly different approaches to Star Wars storytelling, Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams delivered two very satisfying arcs. You just have to look a little deeper.

Rey is supposed to be the hero of the galaxy. The last hope for the Jedi. Kylo Ren is desperate to be the villain and to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, albeit without the bottom of the ninth redemption. Which is, of course, the reverse of their bloodlines – Rey Palpatine is meant to be the villain of the piece while Ben Solo, with his mighty Skywalker blood, is destined to be a hero.

And this is telegraphed through all three movies.

Rey’s biggest weakness is her attachment to her parents. She has serious FOMO every second she spends away from Jakku as a result. Attachment leads to the dark side. Her fighting style during the duel with Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base, be it intentional or otherwise, is not radically dissimilar to Palpatine’s craft with a lightsaber – stabbing motions, small swings – a feature of the duel first brought to my attention by the brilliant Joseph Scrimshaw on the ForceCenter podcast.

Then in TLJ, during her first lesson with Luke, the dark side immediately calls to her as she sees a vision of the cave beneath the island. It’s irresistible to Rey and inspires fear in Luke. Later, during the Praetorian Guard fight, Rey’s the one that is screaming at the guards while Kylo’s combat style is composed. He looks like the serene Jedi in the scenario while Rey’s swinging her saber with anger and aggression.

And in TROS, we see more of the same. Rey has gloomy force visions, and channels the dark side of the force in combat as her attachments to her friends betray her. It follows a linear arc. Her bloodline dictates that she is to become the villain of the story and her being a Palpatine is not a stretch at all based on what we have seen.

Meanwhile, Kylo spends all three movies – well, two and a half movies – desperate to fully embrace the dark side of the force but his bloodline and destiny calls to the light. While Rey spends the trilogy trying to repress the darkness, Kylo is trying to repress the light. They are, absolutely, without question, a dyad in the force. Two sides of the same coin.

If Rey was a Kenobi or if, as TLJ had suggested, Rey was a nobody, this connection between the two would have been far less powerful and the sequel trilogy, far less cohesive as a result.

A trilogy plan established from the beginning, would have undoubtedly allowed for more clues planted through the movies and TROS would not have had to have raced along at such a pace. Chances are that we would have seen the chain lightning on Pasaana in the second movie rather than act one of the third. But to say that the trilogy isn’t cohesive fundamentally misses so many details and the core motivations of the characters.

And to those who liked the fact that Rey had power despite being from nowhere, the message is still the same despite her now powerful heritage. Where you come from does not define your destiny, whether you are a scavenger from Jakku or a granddaughter of evil, you have a unique heart and the choice of how to use your power.