Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker Concept Art Shows More Kylo vs. Rey Fights

New concept art for Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalkershows that there was early potential for more fights between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). J.J. Abram’s Rise of Skywalker (2019) marked the end of the sequel trilogy that started with The Force Awakens in 2015, as well as concluded the Skywalker saga that began back in 1977 with George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. The Force Awakens first introduced the characters of Rey, who would later train under Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi, and Ben Solo, who after being betrayed by Luke Skywalker, turned toward the dark side to become the insidious leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren. 

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Rey and Kylo Ren have an interesting history throughout the sequel films that has seen the two powerhouses clash lightsabers as well as communicate with each other through the force. Rise of Skywalker was no different and saw the two fighting against each other in one scene, and fighting together in another. In one pivotal fight scene on a watery moon of Endor in the shadow of a crashed Death Star, Rey fatally impales Kylo Ren but uses the force to heal him before leaving in shame. At the end of the film Rey and Ben Solo, who denounced his dark ways, work together to battle Palpatine which results in Ben sacrificing his life for Rey’s

Concept artist Jon McCoy posted a whole sketchbook of concept art that he created for the most recent Star Wars film to his personal website. The images were created early on in the pre-production process and show Rey and Kylo in a variety of precarious scenarios with Rey almost always taking the upper hand. The most striking images include Rey holding Kylo Ren’s body in the air via force choke and Rey pressing Kylo Ren’s red lightsaber dangerously close to his throat. McCoy writes that he was “Simply exploring and feeling out the atmosphere and mood we were asked to think about.” 

The mood created by these images is much darker than the battles that made the final cut of the film, which saw Rey save Kylo’s life and vice versa. The images of Rey holding Kylo’s lightsaber in particular bring to mind a version of the film where Rey leaned more heavily into the dark side and didn’t let Kylo Ren survive. Throughout the series, fans began to question if Rey would become the first on-screen Grey Jedi, and these images help support a stronger push-and-pull between good and evil for Rey. 

While there’s no shortage of divisiveness amongst Star Wars fans regarding how the sequel trilogy unfolded, concept art such as this can serve as a reminder that the Star Wars universe is vast and uncharted. What might have been a piece of concept art for one film can inspire a plot point, a new location, or an entire character arc in another. Currently there’s only one Star Wars film in the works with Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron on the docket for 2023, but this healthy dose of Rise of Skywalkerconcept art continues to reinvigorate a love of that galaxy far, far away. 

Source: Jon McCoy

Key Release Dates
  • Rogue Squadron (2023)Release date: Dec 22, 2023
The Raid Is The Best Video Game Movie Of All Time… Despite Not Being One

About The Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *