#The Rise of Skywalker Has No Alternate Ending Where Ben Solo Lives

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sparked much debate amongst fans. And many of the movie’s finer points will be debated for years to come. Certain elements of the behind-the-scenes drama may never be resolved. But Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey in the franchise, has definitively answered at least one question. Regardless of what changes were made late in the game, Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, was always going to die in The Rise of Skywalker.

Recently, reporter Sariah Wilson caught up with Daisy Ridley. While the full interview has yet to be published, as of this writing, Wilson took to Twitter to put this one to rest. Wilson asked Ridley about the possibility of an alternate ending where Ben Solo lived following his redemption ark. According to Ridley, that was never on the table. Though some alternate versions of the ending were considered. Here’s what Wilson had to say about it.

“Reylo fans: Daisy says the only two possible TROS endings was kiss or no kiss, she said Ben dying was the only thing that never changed from the beginning and that there was no dialogue in the kiss scene other than ‘Ben’ and her saying ‘No, no, no, no’ when he died.”

So there you have it, Star Wars fans. While a whole lot changed with Episode IX during director J.J. Abrams’ tenure with the project, Ben Solo was never going to make it out alive. There is no version of the movie in which Ben and Rey ride off into the twin sunset on Tatooine as fellow Skywalkers. It was always going to be redemption in death for Kylo, and Rey Skywalker for Daisy Ridley.

Be that as it may, the production did face quite a few changes during development. Originally, Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) was signed on to direct the final entry in the Skywalker saga. However, he parted ways with the project following creative differences with Lucasfilm. J.J. Abrams, who directed The Force Awakens before handing off The Last Jedi to Rian Johnson, was then brought back to finish what he started. Rumors have circulated that changes were being made to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker right up to the last minute. Even if that’s true, this one important element of the plot was always there in Abrams’ version.

Star Wars now faces a very different future beyond the Skywalker saga. Thanks to the massive success of The Mandalorian, we are getting a ton of new shows on Disney+ set in a galaxy far, far away. But movies are still happening as well. Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman 1984) is set to direct Rogue Squadron), which will hit theaters in December 2021. Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) is also currently co-writing a mystery Star Wars movie that he will direct as well. Disney has dates set aside in December 2025 and December 2027 for future installments. You can check out the original post from Sariah Wilson’s Twitter.

Reylo fans: Daisy says the only two possible TROS endings was kiss or no kiss, she said Ben dying was the only thing that never changed from the beginning and that there was no dialogue in the kiss scene other than “Ben” and her saying “No, no, no, no” when he died.

— Sariah Wilson (@sariahwilson) February 3, 2021