With so much ground to cover – ending not only the sequel trilogy but also bringing to a close the entire 42-year-old Skywalker Saga – The Rise of Skywalker also almost included a scene that showed the brutality of Kylo Ren. With Chewbacca captured, the film was set to include his torture at the hands of Ren, and while the scene was included in Rae Carson‘s novelisation it was removed from the film and Collider look at the ommission and what it meant for Episode IX.
According to Suotamo, the cut scene saw Kylo resorting to mentally invading Chewbacca’s mind to find out where Rey, Finn, and Poe were going. It’s a skill the First Order’s leader used to terrifying effect on Rey and Poe during The Force Awakens. But he is overwhelmed by Chewie’s memories of his childhood past, and eventually leaves the Wookiee alone. Suotamo said the scene made him uncomfortable for many reasons; being restrained in a full Wookiee getup took a physical toll, and apparently, Driver was in full method mode during the filming of The Rise of Skywalker. He “psyched himself to be a real monster through it all,” Suotamo wrote.
The scene between Chewbacca and Kylo Ren also took place in the official Rise of Skywalker novelization by Rae Carson, which expanded upon the film’s events. It also played a major role in convincing Kylo to turn his back on the dark side, though Suotamo felt the scene was cut due to it being too dark, and that it might have impacted the weight of Kylo’s redemption. “Perhaps the transformation of Kylo Ren into Ben Solo would also have suffered with such an inhuman act that some viewers would see it as unforgivable even though he ended up saving the entire galaxy.”
