Episode VII. Oedipus Tenebri I: The Birth of Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren is arguably the most compelling character in the Sequel Trilogy, but these Star Wars films leave several critical questions insufficiently or entirely unanswered. What are Kylo Ren's actual origins? That is, how and why did Ben Solo create him? Why did Ben choose the name "Kylo"? Was Kylo merely the inevitable result of Ben's genetic inclination to the Dark Side? What do the Knights of Ren have to do with this? Who or what exactly is "the Ren"? The first segment in a four-part series exploring (and perhaps redeeming) the Sequel Trilogy from a mythological perspective, and the first of two episodes concerning Kylo Ren, Chapter V (Episode VII) addresses these and other crucial questions. Drawing heavily from Charles Soule's excellent graphic novel Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, this chapter demonstrates that Kylo Ren is actually the personification of Ben Solo's Id rather than merely a reconstituted Darth Vader for a new generation of fans. That is, this Freudian psychoanalysis of young Ben Solo indicates that Kylo is at once made possible and limited by Ben's unresolved Oedipus Complex, causing his Id, his Shadow, to constantly drive him to the Dark Side even as his Ego is continually pulled to the Light.