Seven years later, a controversial Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker mystery finally gets an explanation. Of the three Star Wars sequel movies, The Last Jedi is generally the most controversial, largely due to how aggressively it challenged expectations. The thirst installment in the sequel trilogy gave Luke Skywalker a deeply disillusioned characterization, killed Supreme Leader Snoke without explaining the mystery surrounding him, rejected the idea that Rey needed an important lineage, and questioned the value of preserving the Jedi exactly as they had existed before.
However, The Rise of Skywalker has its own set of controversial choices, with the return of Emperor Palpatine standing at the center of many of them. Episode IX reintroduces him without further explanation and almost immediately and makes him the architect of a hidden Final Order, despite his apparent death in Return of the Jedi. Rey’s revelation as Palpatine’s granddaughter created another major controversy after The Last Jedi had framed her parents as ordinary people. Besides, The Rise of Skywalker races through new characters and subplots, all while attempting to resolve threads from two previous movies.
While not as glaring as other flaws, the reason why Kylo Ren’s First Order collapsed isn’t fully explained, until now.
The Fall Of Kylo Ren Reveals Why General Hux Betrays Ben Solo
Star Wars: The Fall Of Kylo Ren; Written By Charles Soule; Art By Will Sliney & Guru-eFX
The Star Wars sequel trilogy comic Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren fills in the gaps between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, with new additions like Kylo’s own hallway fight action scene and a detailed look at why exactly General Hux turns against the Supreme Leader. Initially, Kylo Ren demands General Hux and Admiral Enric Pryde to leave their differences aside for the sake of the First Order. But after Pryde’s extremely risky decision to push through the defenses of Hetzal Prime defies the odds and succeeds, Kylo ascends Pryde to Allegiant General, leaving Hux feeling humiliated.
Prior to the battle of Hetzal Prime, Hux has already clashed with Kylo Ren and Admiral Pryde more than once. However, the fact that Hux is taking the most reasonable approach all along is what makes this experience so upsetting. Since the Dreadnoughts’ cannons malfunction, failure to break the Hetzelian shields could cost the First Order a significant number of ships a huge part of their forces. Yet, Kylo Ren and Admiral Pryde’s irresponsible decision somehow works out, and Hux ends up coming across as an obstacle. This embarrassment, combined with further abuse by Kylo Ren, motivates Hux to backstab the Supreme Leader.
Kylo Ren’s First Order Could Never Work In The Long Term
Hux Is A Symptom Of A Larger Problem
Kylo Ren’s First Order inherits the Empire’s obsession with centralized military power, but lacks the political foundations of Palpatine’s regime. The First Order’s spectacular military hardware could intimidate entire systems, but weapons like Starkiller Base also expose the organization’s vulnerabilities. The First Order invests an enormous amount of its strength into centralized superweapons, and Starkiller Base is destroyed almost immediately after destroying the Hosnian system. Its command structure is equally unstable. Snoke controls Kylo, Kylo resents Snoke, Hux despises Kylo, and the officers beneath them have to survive an increasingly irrational leadership hierarchy.
The First Order’s supposedly disciplined military culture has cracks running through it, as Finn’s defection shows that indoctrination can’t guarantee absolute loyalty. The regime possesses terrifying firepower, but its leadership has little cohesion, its internal rivalries are severe, and its authority depends heavily on fear and military superiority instead of genuine political legitimacy. Ultimately, Hux’s decision to secretly provide information to the Resistance is almost absurdly self-destructive, but it goes to show the type of poor leadership that led a capable General to sacrifice everything for honor and sheer spite.
What part of the Star Wars sequel trilogy do you want to see fixed?
Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren #1 is now available from Marvel Comics
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
