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Ben Solo

Charactercanon

Also known as Kylo Ren

See Ben Solo on Timeline, HyperPanels, Wookieepedia and Databank.

Ben Solo

Heir to both the Skywalker legacy and the Solo name, Ben Solo is best known as Kylo Ren, the masked "Jedi Killer" who turned against his family and rose to rule the First Order. The son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, he was born on the day the Galactic Civil War formally ended. He grew up lonely while his parents were busy with their careers, and from childhood Snoke whispered to him in his mind, a voice that was secretly a tool of the resurrected Darth Sidious. At about ten he became his uncle Luke Skywalker's first and most gifted Padawan, and Luke expected him to help lead a new Jedi Order. In 28 ABY he learned from a public news broadcast that his grandfather was Darth Vader. Soon after, Luke briefly considered killing him in his sleep. Ben brought the temple down, abandoned the Jedi, killed the leader of the Knights of Ren to take his place, and became Snoke's enforcer. When the First Order went to war in 34 ABY, he killed his father on Starkiller Base, formed a Force bond with Rey, murdered Snoke to become Supreme Leader, and faced Luke on Crait. A year later Sidious offered to make him the new Emperor if he killed Rey. Instead, his mother's final act and the memory of his father drew him back to the light. As Ben Solo he fought beside Rey on Exegol and gave his life to bring her back, ending the Skywalker bloodline and becoming one with the Force.

Facts

Born
5 ABY
Died
35 ABY
Gender
Male
Pronouns
He/him
Height
1.89 meters (6ft, 2in)
Hair
Dark brown
Eyes
Brown, yellow
Skin
Light
Type
Jedi

Connections

Species
Human, Chandrilan
Homeworld
Chandrila
Affiliations
Jedi Order, First Order, Knights of Ren, First Order Supreme Council
Trained
Itai
Trained by
Darth Sidious, Luke Skywalker, Snoke, Ren (human)
Parents
Leia Skywalker Organa Solo, Han Solo

Appearances

479 Star Wars works, first in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens (2015).

See all 479 appearances in release order ›

Notable works

Key events in Ben Solo's story

View Ben Solo on the Timeline ›

5 ABY - Birth on Chandrila

Born in Hanna City to Leia Organa and Han Solo, one year and four days after the Battle of Endor, on the same day the Galactic Concordance ended the Galactic Civil War. Han named him after "Ben" Kenobi.

~7 ABY - A Near Miss in the Nursery

When he was a toddler, the family's culinary droid BX-778 was corrupted by a virus and nearly killed him. Han stopped it by destroying the Phylanx Redux Transmitter.

~5–15 ABY - A Troubled Childhood

His Force powers surfaced early, often in bursts of anger. With his parents frequently away he grew lonely, and Snoke's voice, secretly an instrument of Darth Sidious, began whispering to him.

15 ABY - Padawan of Luke Skywalker

Shortly before his tenth birthday he began Jedi training under his uncle Luke and became the first student of the new Jedi Order.

~16 ABY - The New Jedi Temple

Other students, including Voe, Hennix and Tai, joined him at Luke's temple on Ossus. Ben outpaced them all in the Force and with the lightsaber, and he built a blue-bladed lightsaber of his own.

~19 ABY - Mission to Elphrona

He went with Luke and Lor San Tekka to an ancient Jedi outpost, where they clashed with the Knights of Ren. Their leader, Ren, sensed the darkness in Ben and invited him to seek the Knights out.

21 ABY - Senior Student

By now one of Luke's senior pupils, he supervised the younger students' lightsaber training while Luke travelled with Lor San Tekka.

28 ABY - The Vader Revelation

At twenty-three he learned from a public broadcast that Darth Vader was his grandfather. He felt betrayed by his family's secrecy, and Snoke used that anger against him.

28 ABY - Fall of the Jedi Temple

Sensing Snoke's hold on his nephew, Luke briefly ignited his lightsaber over Ben as he slept. Ben fought back and brought the temple down, then fled with several students as the temple was destroyed.

~28 ABY - Becoming Kylo Ren

He killed Ren on Mimban to take command of the Knights of Ren, took the name Kylo Ren, and became Snoke's apprentice and the First Order's enforcer.

34 ABY - Massacre at Tuanul

He hunted for the map to Luke Skywalker on Jakku, killed Lor San Tekka, and captured Poe Dameron.

34 ABY - Takodana and Starkiller Base

He captured Rey at Maz Kanata's castle and killed his father, Han Solo, on Starkiller Base. Rey then defeated and scarred him in a lightsaber duel.

34 ABY - The Force Bond

Snoke opened a Force connection between Ben and Rey. Through it, Ben learned the truth about the night Luke's temple fell.

34 ABY - Supreme Leader

Aboard the Supremacy he cut Snoke in half and fought beside Rey against the Praetorian Guard. He then took the title of Supreme Leader of the First Order.

34 ABY - Battle of Crait

He led the assault on the Resistance's last base and dueled Luke, only to discover he was fighting a Force projection while the Resistance escaped.

35 ABY - Summoned to Exegol

Hunting the source of the Emperor's broadcast, he found Sidious's wayfinder on Mustafar and travelled to Exegol. Sidious promised him an empire if he killed Rey. He had his broken helmet reforged and hunted her across Pasaana and Kijimi.

35 ABY - Redemption on Kef Bir

He dueled Rey in the wreckage of the second Death Star. Leia reached him with her last strength through the Force, and Rey healed his wound. A memory of his father then led him to cast his lightsaber away and become Ben Solo again.

35 ABY - Battle of Exegol and Death

With Luke's lightsaber he fought beside Rey against the Knights of Ren and Sidious. After Sidious was destroyed, he gave his life force to bring Rey back to life, shared a kiss with her, and became one with the Force.

Often seen with

Data from Wookieepedia (revision 15628199, 2026-09-26), licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.

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