Chewbacca Played A Part In Kylo Ren's Star Wars Redemption - We Just Never Saw It
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Times were tough for Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy. First, he watched helplessly as his decades-long pal Han Solo got impaled by a lightsaber, then his longtime friend Luke died after years of exile, and then his other friend Leia died not long after. To make things worse, Chewie was also accidentally blown up in a spaceship in "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker." Well, not really, but it sure looked like it at the time.
The reveal that Chewbacca hadn't died was a happy moment, but it wasn't for long. Our furry friend was subsequently taken prisoner by the villainous First Order and had to contend with Han and Leia's angry, wrathful son, Kylo Ren. Not a ton happens between the two in the finished version of "Rise of Skywalker," but there was a deleted scene where things got rough. As confirmed by Joonas Suotamo, who plays Chewbacca in the sequels, and as detailed in the movie's expanded novelization by Rae Carson, there was originally a scene where Kylo tortures Chewbacca for information about the other members of the Resistance.
The scene was meant to be a dark, heartbreaking one, showing Kylo at the very depths of his depravity. He'd start the scene off being unspeakably cruel to Chewbacca, even mocking him over the death of Han. But then he'd look into Chewie's mind for useful information, only to find Chewie's happy memories from Kylo's childhood. The moment would've unexpectedly reminded Kylo of the innocence of his youth, back when he was far away from the dark side's clutches. This would've also been the real turning point where Kylo finally, after two and a half movies of struggle, started to make his way back towards the light.
Should it have been cut?
Fan opinions on the deleted scene seem generally divided, with most agreeing that the decision to cut it was reasonable. For a movie that already struggled enough with making Kylo's return to the light seem convincing and unrushed, another scene where he tortures a fan-favorite character would've made that even more difficult. Even with the emotional moment near the end, harming Chewbacca is an unforgivable offense and something that might've rendered Kylo's redemption even more hollow.
Then again, it could've been interesting if "Rise of Skywalker" had the guts to go so dark, if even just for a moment or two. One of the film's biggest flaws is that it's seemingly too afraid of fan backlash; it hastily undid most of the ambitious, controversial plot points and themes "The Last Jedi" set up, and it took what was (on paper at least) the safest route of just repeating the basic plot beats of "Return of the Jedi." Whereas its predecessor broke up the status quo and took the series in a fresh direction, this movie brought us right back into a familiar formula, to the point where, somehow, even Emperor Palpatine returns.
Sure, maybe Kylo torturing Chewbacca would've been controversial, but it also would've given audiences a break from a movie that is otherwise as predictable and safe as they come. It would've been dark and unsettling and perhaps too mean for comfort, yet it also would've been compelling and unprecedented. For a film that tried way too hard to please the "Star Wars" fandom at large, maybe something like this was exactly what it needed.