Ben Solo

"Nothing will stand in our way [...] I will finish what you started."

- Kylo Ren to Darth Vader's mask.

Kylo Ren, born as Ben Solo was a Force-sensitive human male who was a member of the Knights of Ren and ally of the First Order, approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor.

Biography
"Together, we will destroy the Resistance and the last Jedi."

- Kylo Ren

Born as Ben Solo, the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, Ben studied alongside other Jedi students, instructed and led by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. However, the man who became Kylo Ren betrayed and destroyed his former Jedi peers, preventing Skywalker from fully restoring the Jedi Order. Ren became a follower of the dark side of the Force, and a member of the Knights of Ren, taking on Ren as a surname. He built his own lightsaber, a dangerous and ragged design, using an unstable lightsaber crystal, making the blade distorted and crackle unlike that of a typical lightsaber.

He was allied with the First Order, a military junta born from the remnants of the Galactic Empire, and he worked under the organization's leader, Snoke, a powerful figure in the dark side. Ren desired the destruction of the Resistance (an organization that opposed the First Order) and the Jedi, with his primary concern being hunting down Luke Skywalker the only Jedi known to have escaped Ren's uprising. Following Ren's failed attempt to capture a map leading to Luke Skywalker's location, from the Resistance, Ren interrogated the captured Resistance pilot Poe Dameron by mentally torturing him with the Force. Later while aboard the Starkiller station, Ren engaged in a confrontation with Finn, a former First Order Stormtrooper, and Rey, a scavenger from Jakku, who possessed a strong connection to the force. Using Luke Skywalker's original blue lightsaber, that had previously belonged to Anakin Skywalker, Rey managed to defeat Ren but the Starkiller station's destruction meant she was unable to kill him and he escaped, not before receiving significant wounds and a facial scar from Rey during their battle.

Personality and traits
"I am immune to the light."

- Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren was a male human. Before he adopted the name of Kylo Ren, he was known as Ben Solo. As Kylo Ren, he wore a black hood and cloak, a dark mask, and wielded a dangerous and ragged lightsaber he built himself. The lightsaber projected a main red blade, with a red cross guard projected out of its sides. Ren was strong with the Force.

Ren was obsessed with the fallen Sith Lord Darth Vader, his maternal grandfather and a powerful figure of the First Galactic Empire, and is believed to have modeled his appearance and behavior after him, and vows to finish what the Sith Lord started. One of the motivations for his obsession is the duty he feels to Vader. The dark warrior was also known for his fiery temper.

Despite his loyalty to the First Order and devotion to Darth Vader, Ren demonstrates deep conflict within himself. Although he has committed himself to Snoke and the Dark Side, he constantly feels the pull of the Light and his family, and struggles to keep himself disconnected from his former life. In those regards, he was quite similar to his grandfather.

During the events of The Force Awakens, he kills his father by piercing him through with his lightsaber in an attempt to end his internal conflict between the Light and Dark.

Behind the scenes
"I’ve written four ‘Star Wars’ movies now, and there’s never been a character quite like the one that Adam plays."

- Lawrence Kasdan

Kylo Ren was first revealed in the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens on November 28, 2014. Ren's name was revealed by Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive trading card. He also appeared in the second teaser trailer, and will appear on all The Force Awakens merchandise. On May 4, 2015, it was confirmed by video footage released by Vanity Fair that Kylo Ren is portrayed by Adam Driver.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Lightsaber Rescue

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0