Daisy Ridley Explains Why Kylo Ren & Rey's Controversial Star Wars Kiss Is Important

The "Star Wars" sequel trilogy received some backlash from sections of the galaxy far, far away's most vocal fan base, but Daisy Ridley has defended some of series' creative decisions. While speaking on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, she discussed the polarizing kiss between Rey (Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in "The Rise of Skywalker," stating that it was a fitting way to end their journey together.

"I felt like we all...it felt earned," Ridley said when asked about the kiss. "What was interesting again is intentionality. My feeling in that moment was that it was a goodbye, and that felt earned. You can call a kiss a thousand things, but I felt it was a goodbye. That whole scene felt emotional, and I felt I was saying goodbye to the job, too."

The kiss puts a bow on Rey and Kylo's story while simultaneously confirming the latter's redemption following his days as a dastardly galactic villain. That said, some fans hate the smooching scene as they feel the ex-First Order commander doesn't deserve to be forgiven for his past misdemeanors.

Kylo Ren is a bad guy when introduced in "The Force Awakens." He even kills his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and continues to display questionable behavior for a while afterward. With that in mind, some people think it was problematic for Rey to look past his heinous crimes, even if he eventually changed his tune. As Redditor u/Nice_Listen8513 noted, the character has a history of blowing up planets and enslaving people — and that's unforgivable, so he shouldn't be getting kissed. 

Another Reddit user noted that the kiss may have been included because Hollywood movies need romance. "Part of the Hollywood formula is there has to be some romance, they just shoehorned this one in to hit that point even though it was gross considering how much of an abusive, manipulative, creep and genocidal sociopath Kylo was," they wrote. Meanwhile, another Redditor claimed that Kylo's redemption and the following kiss was a clumsy attempt at replicating Anakin Skywalker's redemption arc, but in reverse. "I think they had an idea TO do a reverse-Anakin from dark to light story, but no freakin clue HOW to do it. And they just happened upon the worst way possible." 

Elsewhere, u/ROK247 argues that the kiss scene was simply the result of bad writing and a lack of cohesive, creative vision. Overall, just like anything related to "Star Wars," fans shouldn't expect the discussions and debates surrounding Kylo and Rey's kiss to end anytime soon.