Star Wars novel clears up a major Rise of Skywalker moment – only to make it more confusing

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker proved to be divisive amongst fans, which came as a surprise to absolutely nobody. The final chapter in the Skywalker saga was never going to make everybody happy, and most rational people were okay with that fact.

Yet, Disney seems to be trying to do the impossible: please all Star Wars fans. With both the visual dictionary and the novelisation of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by Rae Carson, we've had some very important plot holes and unanswered questions filled and answered.

The one thing we didn't need to hear any more about – and would rather forget happened in its entirety – is the kiss between Ben Solo and Rey. In case you couldn't tell, we were not on board with this particular display of affection, and you can read why here.

We posited: "If the point was to show they've finally overcome the barrier of physical distance between them, a kiss wasn't the only option. They could have shared a look, rested their foreheads against each others', laced their fingers together, breathed in unison... Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley have proven they are capable of doing a lot with just a little."

It seems we were at least partly right about the point of the kiss, which has been clarified in Carson's novelisation of The Rise of Skywalker. It was a kiss of gratitude. Yep.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

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The text reads: "His heart was full as Rey reached for his face, let her fingers linger against his cheek. And then, wonder of wonders, she leaned forward and kissed him. A kiss of gratitude, acknowledgement of their connection, celebration that they'd found each other at last.

"But then she drew back, concern on her face. She could feel him growing cold. Ben smiled at her. He had given Rey back to the galaxy. It wouldn't atone for the darkness he'd wrought, but it was what he could do."

Many have taken this to mean that the kiss had nothing to do with all those raging young adult hormones or their deep-seated love for each other. Instead, it was about something holier than that, something above and beyond desire. It was about celebration!

Ceeeelebrate good times, c'mon!

Okay, back to the point. Many have assumed this means there was no romance in the kiss. But there's the confusing matter of the whole "found each other at last" line. Though friendships are undeniably foundational to our happiness, it's not the kind of descriptor one uses for a platonic relationship, and it definitely doesn't relate entirely to geography, because they've been in the same room/jetty before.

Separate to those with strong feelings about the ReyLo ship, there is another set of fans annoyed by the novelisation: those who didn't want Ben to die.

The book continues: "A voice came to her through the force, clear and strong. I will always be with you, Ben said. She smiled. Let the truth of it wash over her. 'No one's ever really gone,' she whispered."

Despite Ben Solo not being one of the Force ghosts featured in the final moments of the film, the novel gives us Force-ghost-voice Ben, in what seems to be a ham-fisted attempt at closure for Ben Solo devotees.

Whether or not you agree with his death as A Thing, what we get in the novel isn't much better.

What this part of the book does is take something that didn't need further clarification and clarified it to the point of confusing us. It talks around what happened without specifying friendship or love interest, giving vague enough words that those who want more weight for the argument can point to the text and say 'See, I'm right and you're wrong.'

Fundamentally, the novel doesn't actually clear anything up. Instead, it muddies the waters by refusing to stick to its own guns. We may not like the kiss, but it happened and what we, as fans (and journalists), get to do now is whinge about it.

But trying to retcon ambiguity into it to make everyone happy will only make Star Wars fans look back on the moment in the film with added frustration.

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.