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Writer's pictureHayden

Reylo Haters - A People in Denial

Definition: The term ‘Reylo’ refers to the romantic relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. I feel like some sort of teenage fangirl using it but it’s by far the simplest way to refer to the relationship so I’m rolling with it.


Opinion on Reylo is split. Massively split. Colossally, magnificently and spectacularly split. Stupendously, amazingly and … well, you get the picture. People either lover Reylo or hate it.


And people are of course entitled to their opinions. If you like Reylo, that’s fine. If you don’t, that’s fine too. What baffles me though is that of all possible arguments against Reylo, one of the most popular from the ‘anti’ camp is that their kiss at the end of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker “came out of nowhere”.

And that, frankly, is bullshit. Pure, utter and unadulterated bullshit.


Reylo was on its way down the tracks from as early as the The Force Awakens (the first film of their trilogy), when Kylo is interrogating Rey. The scene ran as follows:


Kylo: “You still want to kill me”


Rey: “That’s what happens when you’re being hunted by a creature in a mask”


Kylo: *takes off mask*


Rey: *with visible confusion* Daaamn he’s actually hot (obviously, this was internal)

I thought the sexual tension in this scene was pretty palpable. But it was hardly the only one like it between the two.


The next came in the following film, The Last Jedi, while Rey and Kylo’s minds are connected through the Force – that is to say, they can see each other despite being on different planets. Rey turns around to look at Kylo and lo and behold, the dude is standing there shirtless. Which makes Rey… uncomfortable. If there is no attraction between the two, it wouldn’t have.


And lastly, I give to you the pièce de résistance of Reylo’s flirtation: the touching hands scene. Coming later in The Last Jedi, as the two are again connected by the Force (so, again, they can interact), Rey and Kylo reach out and touch hands.


Mark Hamill himself said after watching the film “that’s as erotic as Star Wars gets.”

In short, the existence of a romantic connection between Rey and Kylo Ren was as plain as day from the moment Kylo pulled off his mask. If you don’t like the relationship, or think it doesn’t make sense, fine – there are plenty of reasons not to. But to pretend that Reylo never existed until the pair kissed is equivalent to blindfolding yourself, shoving your fingers in your ears and yelling “I’m not listening” over and over until the thing you dislike goes away.


It’s just nonsensical.






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