Star Wars novel fills a Kylo Ren mystery from The Rise of Skywalker

Yes, we're still learning about major points in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that were left out of the movie. From the Sith Eternal to Luke's lightsaber, so many details were left out that fans are beginning to get testy.

As Elijah Wood so succinctly tweeted...

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When we began The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren was rampaging through the desolate planet of Mustafar in search of a Wayfinder which would lead him to Emperor Palpatine.

Audiences took this at face value but were left slightly confused by the abrupt jump from Kylo Ren mowing down faceless Mustafarians to him in a ship, tearing through the galaxy towards Exegol.

Enter the novelisation of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition, written by Rae Carson.

Century Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker novel (Expanded Edition)

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The novelisation understandably has more room to fill in gaps left out by the films – it's just unfortunate there were so many gaps...

But we digress. StarWars.com has published an excerpt from the novel, and it begins by giving us more information about how Kylo Ren got the Wayfinder, and what else he found on Mustafar.

It turns out that Mustafar is the home of Darth Vader's castle (from Rogue One, which also appeared in Colin Trevorrow's script). The planet was teeming with the Force, despite appearing barren, and Kylo Ren observed: "It was no wonder his grandfather has chosen this place for a home."

The castle sat on the edge of a lake, and from the lake emerged "a giant hairless creature sheening with wetness, bits of lake detritus clinging to its pasty skin. Its eyes were squeezed shut, but it could still see after a fashion, because draped over its massive bald head and across one shoulder was a second creature with long spidery tentacles."

This creature, it is revealed, is the Eye of Webbish Bog – a bit on the nose – and it guards the Wayfinder Kylo Ren is seeking. The Eye of Webbish Bog warns Kylo: "If you proceed down this path, you will encounter your true self," before giving him the Wayfinder.

What jumps out at us as curious is the mystery surrounding the signal coming from Exegol. The novel says that the transmission is purportedly from Palpatine, which means there was lingering doubt for Kylo Ren about its veracity.

It also reveals the exact nature of the transmission: "At last the work of generations is complete. The great error is corrected. The day of victory is at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith."

Kylo Ren wastes no more time. The Eye of Webbish Bog slips back beneath the surface and he returns to his ship to find Palpatine, or whoever was sending the signal. Whether the next section of the novel picks up with Kylo on Exegol, or whether it digs deeper into his unravelling psyche, remains to be seen.

We can't help but wish that we'd seen the Eye of Webbish Bog in the latest Star Wars movie, though. It sounds creeptastic.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available to pre-order on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now.

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Gabriella Geisinger

Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.