Big Kylo Ren Spoiler Revealed Via Rise Of Skywalker Toys
His First Order underling says, "Oh Kylo, what a big starship you've got!" And the villain replies, "All the better to destroy the Resistance with, my dear!"
Kylo Ren – the Star Wars sequels' resident bad boy and dark side-abider played by Adam Driver — has walked a dangerous path in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, and will continue taking what he believes is rightfully his by whatever means necessary in the upcoming film The Rise of Skywalker. But Kylo will need more than his angsty attitude, hilted lightsaber, inexplicably high-waisted pants, and the burning desire to emulate his late grandfather Darth Vader to get where he wants to go. He'll need a ship — a big one, a stealth one.
Thanks to a photo of a yet-to-be-released The Rise of Skywalker toy obtained by Twitter user @_selenejade, we now know what model of ship Kylo Ren will pilot in The Rise of Skywalker — and the name seems to offer some pretty juicy information about what the baddie might get up to in the film.
Here's your one and only warning, friends: turn back now if you don't want to learn any spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker.
As seen on the packaging for the new for Kylo Ren, scheduled to hit shelves on Triple Force Friday on October 4, the villain will get behind the helm of a TIE Whisper in The Rise of Skywalker. The TIE Whisper looks to be a riff on the TIE Fighter and TIE Interceptor ships, both favorites of the Galactic Empire. It features a spherical black hull, accented with the same shade of red that Kylo Ren's lightsaber glows, and four round wings that may call to mind the design of the V-wing starfighters, in that the TIE Whisper's wings are oriented in sets of two on either side.
What's important to note about this new information isn't so much the model name itself but what "TIE Whisper" suggests about Kylo Ren's behavior and motives in The Rise of Skywalker. Specifically, "Whisper" implies that Kylo may take a new approach to battle in the upcoming film.
In The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Kylo had little issue killing (his own father Han Solo and his superior Supreme Leader Snoke are just two examples), resorting to violence, and being about as bold and brash as any larger-than-life villain can be. That may all be because that's just who Kylo has become since abandoning his family, the light side of the Force, and his birth name Ben Solo to align with the First Order, or it might be because he's actively trying to do what he believes his grandfather would have done in order to gain some semblance of importance. In any case, Kylo has been unapologetically bombastic over the course of last two Star Wars movies, and that's cost him a few things. Kylo lost his father at his own hand and a good chunk of his face in a fight, broke his beloved helmet, had his confidence knocked down a few pegs in lightsaber duels with Rey (Daisy Ridley), and was finally put in his place in a jaw-dropping battle against Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who Force-projected to Crait from Ahch-To to help the Resistance escape from the First Order.
Despite Kylo's best efforts, and in the face of great adversity, the Resistance is growing stronger even with diminishing numbers. Kylo may very well realize in The Rise of Skywalker that he must be stealthy and go undetected if he hopes to achieve his ultimate goal of total galaxy domination.
How will Kylo Ren use his TIE Whisper in The Rise of Skywalker?
But what exactly will Kylo Ren do in The Rise of Skywalker, and why does he need a new ship to get it done? Isn't his personal TIE Silencer, a nod to Darth Vader's own TIE advanced ship, enough? Well, not exactly.
According to the description of a new Kylo Mattel Black Series figure, he will continue to "search for secrets of the Force from the depths of the dark side" in The Rise of Skywalker. Given that his tactics have been hit-or-miss in the past, it stands to reason that Kylo would want to ensure success by being sneakier, more sly this time around — which is something that his laser-cannon-loaded, missile-launcher-equipped TIE Silencer can't exactly do. If he's going around the galaxy trying to dig up as much information about the dark side of the Force as possible, he likely won't want anyone to detect him, lest he want to engage in and (possibly lose) another fight with the Resistance. Where Kylo used the Silencer to attempt to literally silence the Resistance, drowning their forces out with fire and fury, perhaps he'll use the Whisper to sneak past his enemies.
Whether he'll at all be successful is another question, though recent rumors claim that Kylo will ultimately be completely crushed by the second act of The Rise of Skywalker. Allegedly, the struggles Kylo faces in the new movie will lead his late father Han Solo to appear to him in a vision, delivering him a rousing message that spurs him to abandon his Kylo Ren persona and turn to the light side of the Force. If that actually ends up happening, we hope Kylo — er, Ben Solo — at least gets to keep his cool new ship.
The Rise of Skywalker flies into theaters on December 20.