‘Star Wars’: The Snake in ‘Rise of Skywalker’ is an Important Callback to ‘The Last Jedi’
Just like in the other Star Wars movies, the heart and soul of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was the relationship between its two leads, Rey and Kylo Ren. While The Rise of Skywalker had a far more lukewarm reception than the other sequels did, it did do a few things well.
One of the things that it did well was that it gave a relatively satisfying conclusion to Rey and Kylo Ren’s story. Not only did the two share a lot of screen time with each other, but there were some subtle and important callbacks, too. Here’s a look at why the snake scene in The Rise of Skywalker is actually a relatively important scene in the movie.
A recap of Rey and Kylo Ren’s relationship
Kylo Ren, whose real name is Ben Solo, was tasked with finding Rey in the first movie. Obviously, she didn’t want to be captured, but other than that, he wasn’t that big of an enemy to her.
However, at the same time, Rey befriends Kylo Ren’s dad, Han Solo, and unfortunately, Rey saw Kylo Ren kill his own dad. This turned the two into mortal enemies, and she hated him for this act.
In the second movie, she even calls him a “murderous snake” at one point. He still wants her to join him by his side, but after the events of the second movie, Rey starts to believe that she can convert him over to her side. They team up at the end, but ultimately, neither end up joining either’s side.
However, by the third movie, Rey finally gets her wish. After a dramatic fight, Rey mortally wounds him, but decides to heal him immediately afterwards. This act of kindness, as well as a vision from his dead parents, ultimately turned Kylo Ren back into Ben Solo.
The snake that foreshadowed it all
And, like Star Wars fans on Reddit said, the snake scene in The Rise of Skywalker foreshadowed all of that. Before Rey and Kylo Ren had their final duel with each other, Rey and her friends encountered a giant snake that seemed extremely threatening.
However, Rey sensed that something was off. As it turned out, the snake was injured, and Rey decided to heal the snake by using the Force. This calmed the snake down, and the snake became harmless afterwards.
As Star Wars fans said on Reddit, that snake scene foreshadows Rey healing Kylo Ren since Rey called him a “murderous snake” early in The Last Jedi.
In her eyes, he was a murderous snake, however, after she realized that he was a troubled man, she decided that she could help him. And surely enough, after Rey helped him, Kylo Ren turned into a good guy, just like how that snake turned into a harmless creature.
The snake scene foreshadowed other things too
While the snake scene in the movie foreshadowed Rey reviving Kylo Ren, it also foreshadowed a smaller act of kindness. After Rey helps the snake, BB-8 talks to her. Obviously, it’s not clear what he says, but Rey simply told him, “I just transferred a bit of life. You would’ve done the same.”
Later in the movie, BB-8 finds a new droid friend called D-O. In a small moment in the movie, BB-8 decides to give D-O some of his battery power. This scene shows that Rey’s kindness towards that snake had an effect on BB-8, who decided to be kind to his new droid friend.
This sort of healing goes full circle when, in one of the final scenes of the movie, Rey gets mortally wounded, and Ben decides to return her kindness. He revives her and they kiss, but he’s given her all of his life force, and so, he dies.
