With Star Wars: The Last Jedi a little under two months away from being released, many fans of the franchise set in a galaxy far, far away, will be re-watching The Force Awakens to prep themselves for the next installment of this new trilogy. Which means they'll have to once again endure the tragic moment when Han Solo was killed by his son, Ben, who's been known as Kylo Ren since he turned to the dark side. For Adam Driver, watching this scene was difficult afterwards, as he wasn't sure how people would react to seeing such a beloved cinematic character being killed off, and at his "own hands" no less. Driver recalled:
When I watched the premiere, I felt sick to my stomach... Immediately, I thought I was going to puke. I was holding my wife [Joanne Tucker]'s hand, and she's like, 'You're really cold. Are you OK?' Because I just knew what was coming -- I kill Harrison Ford -- and I didn't know how this audience of 2,000 people was going to respond to it, you know?
In the years after Return of the Jedi's release, Harrison Ford said on several occasions that he wished Han Solo had been killed off during the final chapter of the Original Trilogy, as he wanted the character to sacrifice himself "to a high ideal." More than three decades later, Ford's wish was granted, as the smuggler-turned Rebel hero was stabbed by Kylo Ren after he attempted to bring his son back to the light. As if the lightsaber wound wasn't enough, Han then fell into the reactor pit below, making it painfully clear that he's gone and never coming back (at least in the present day). Han's death was a devastating moment for the Star Wars mythos, but as Adam Driver told GQ, seeing that moment unfold at The Force Awakens premiere was challenging since he wasn't sure how the audience would feel about this shocking plot development, to the point that he could have gotten sick.
Since The Last Jedi is taking place shortly after The Force Awakens, Star Wars fans will see how Kylo Ren is dealing with the aftermath of killing his father and losing to Rey in a lightsaber duel. He'll still be serving as one of the lead antagonist in this year's Star Wars offering, although arlier this year, Driver implied that Kylo Ren may feel regretful for committing patricide, suggesting there may be still be hope for him. However, given that the most recent Last Jedi trailer seemed to frame him as willing to destroy the ship that his mother, Leia Organa, is aboard, we're left wondering if Kylo is capable of redemption or if he'll remain an agent of darkness.
The next chapter of Kylo Ren's journey will unfold when Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens on December 15. And for all the Han Solo fans out there, you can see what the smuggler was like in his younger years when Solo: A Star Wars Story is released on May 25, 2018.
