Ben Solo

BACKSTORY {

Soon after the battle of Endor, Organa and Solo married and conceived their son, Ben Solo. During her pregnancy, the Force-sensitive Organa could sense her son through the Force, and felt both the light side and the dark within him. Ben was born in 5 ABY, one year and four days after the Battle of Endor, in Hanna City, Chandrila. His birth was on the same day that the Galactic Civil War was formally ended with the signing of the Galactic Concordance between the Empire and the New Republic, the government that arose after the Battle of Endor. Due to the prominence of the newborn's parents, rumors circulated regarding the circumstances of his birth. Solo was Force-sensitive and possessed prodigious strength by virtue of his Skywalker lineage, a trait that he shared with his mother, uncle, and grandfather.

As the son of an adopted Alderaanian princess, Ben Solo would have inherited the title of Prince of Alderaan if that planet and the House of Organa that ruled it had not been destroyed by the Empire before he was born. Upon his birth, he was considered a member of the Elder Houses and entitled through hereditary succession to ceremonial titles, such as the Supreme Governor of Birren.

Ben Solo was prone to crying as an infant, particularly in the first months of his life, and had difficulty falling asleep. He would settle to sleep when he was held by his fatherr or upon sensing the presence of his parents or their friend, Han's Wookiee First Mate Chewbacca. During the Fenril crisis and other early conflicts in the New Republic era, young Solo was a consistent concern on his parents' minds and often found himself adjacent to their involvement. On Nagi, Han Solo received a call from Organa, who was with Ben at their apartment. Han requested help from the New Republic, and Organa worriedly held her son. She later attempted to depart for Nagi with Ben in a hover pram, but was convinced by Mon Mothma to stay, lifting Ben out of the pram.

Organa was with Solo for multiple milestones: when he took his first steps, when he said his first word, and when he first instinctively harnessed the power of the Force to telekinetically throw a toy across the room in anger. As a toddler, Solo continued to demonstrate his ability to use the Force without either anger or training to bring objects to himself. Though Han lacked the Force bond that Organa had with their son, he had a fatherly bond with Ben. One night, when Ben was two years old, Chancellor Mon Mothma contacted the Solo house in an attempt to speak with Organa while Han and Ben were asleep following multiple nights of insomnia. The household protocol droid, T-2LC, awakened the father and son by activating a holo-projection of the chancellor; Han then soothed Ben's crying until they both slept.

At that time, the Solo family utilized the class-3 culinary septoid droid BX-778 to help them with the household chores. While supervising Ben at T-2LC's direction, a virus within BX-778 activated and caused the droid to consider cutting Ben's throat in order to stop the toddler's temper tantrum. The droid's programming was restored as a result of Han destroying the Phylanx Redux Transmitter, erasing the command to kill organics that BX-778 had been infected with. The child was not consciously aware that his life had been endangered and he may not have remembered it later; however, the incident may have been retained subconsciously as a near-death experience

Solo grew close to his parents' friends in his childhood; in particular, he showed great affection toward Lando Calrissian, whom he referred to as "Unca Wanwo"—and later "Uncle Lando" when he was older—and who told him stories of Han's days as a smuggler. Chewbacca, whom Solo referred to as "Uncle Chewie," mentored him as he learned how to fly a speeder and fire a blaster, and he sometimes provided childcare when the boy's parents were occupied with their respective careers.

Solo heard many stories about the time of the Galactic Civil War from his family. His father told him about the time he was frozen in carbonite while being held as a prisoner of the Hutt gangster Jabba Desilijic Tiure; he learned about about the challenges that the Rebel Alliance faced in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth from his mother; and Calrissian told Solo about the Syndicate War as well as the Scourge crisis. Solo was surprised that all of those events occurred in only one year. He would also come to know that Luke Skywalker confronted Darth Vader on more than one occasion. By the time of his Jedi apprenticeship, Solo knew that Vader and Emperor Palpatine were both Sith. He had also been told the Emperor died on the second Death Star.

In 9 ABY, Ben's name was included on a list of heroes on the gauntlet of Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi Knight and an ally to the efforts to find the missing Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Galactic Empire.

In his youth, Solo's parents had active lives in their respective professions. Restless with settling in one place for long, Han began mentoring young pilots; he hoped to someday help Ben learn how to repair the hyperdrive of the Millennium Falcon and acquire a starship of his own. He also hoped that Ben would someday choose the same simple path of adventurer rather than the path of a Jedi like his uncle and grandfather. Ben enjoyed playing with the gold dice that belonged to his father and would often follow him around. The boy aspired to become a pilot like his father and inherited piloting skills from both his father and his maternal grandfather. Meanwhile, Organa was a respected senator of the New Republic, and as she worked to repair the galaxy and prepare for the future conflict she sensed, she became occupied with routine senatorial duties.

His parents' increasing reliance upon a droid caretaker and their busy lives contributed to Solo developing a sense of loneliness. Although he was told his parents were away doing important work, a benefit his mother hoped he would realize and appreciate in time, the child had difficulty accepting and believing it.

Growing up, Solo was unaware of his Sith heritage as the grandson of Darth Vader. Only his parents and uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, knew the truth of Anakin Skywalker's past. Organa decided to delay telling Solo the truth about Vader until he was older and her brother could explain how had returned to the light side as Anakin Skywalker. However, Solo perceived that his family was keeping something from him.

Solo's doubts about his family were encouraged by voices that communicated with him telepathically throughout his young life, one of which he knew as Snoke. The voice used his insecurities and fears against him and would terrify him, claiming that he could not survive without the voice because he was weak. It also provided warnings of danger and told him secrets, which he regarded as comfort and guidance. Solo did not tell anyone about the voice.

In truth, Darth Sidious was the apex of the dark influence. Invested in the powerful bloodline of his last apprentice, Sidious intended to convert Solo to the dark side as he did with the child's grandfather. He therefore used Snoke as a proxy to hold sway over Solo. In addition, Sidious infiltrated Solo's mind through the Force, influencing his thoughts and actions in order to turn him against his family and the light side.

Despite being happy in his youth, Solo had rough upbringing; As the Force awakened in young Solo, his parents recognized that he needed guidance despite their efforts to build a normal life for him. In childhood, Ben Solo had unintentionally destroyed objects with the Force when angry, and eventually Solo developed feelings of abandonment from his parents because of their busy lives. He also was led to believe that his parents thought he was disturbed, having overheard their conversations about him and his lack of control over his innate Force abilities.

Beginning from his early childhood, Solo was drawn toward the dark side of the Force by Snoke. Snoke would utilize Solo's feelings of abandonment, desperate need for a teacher, and fascination with his family legacy to seduce him. Having known of Snoke's interest in her son's potential for power, Organa sought to protect Solo from the mysterious dark side adept. However, she did not inform her husband about Snoke's designs on their son, believing that, as a non-Force-sensitive, Han would not understand Organa's responsibility to shield Ben.

Beyond Snoke's influence, Organa recognized similarities between her son and her father; therefore, she counted on her brother to train Solo and prevent him from following his grandfather down the path of the dark side. It was because of Solo's heritage of Anakin Skywalker's grandson, Snoke saw a focal point within the boy, believing he had the right balance of both light and the dark, and desired to claim him as his own apprentice.

In 15 ABY, prior to his tenth birthday, Solo decided he would begin his Jedi training and joined Skywalker's initiative to restore the Jedi Order. It was apparent to Skywalker that his nephew was inherently powerful with the Force despite his lack of training in the Jedi arts. Solo learned the ways of the Jedi, in its many forms, under the tutelage of Skywalker who impressed on his pupil the importance of practicing discipline and control. Solo gave his best efforts to gain his Master's approval, although at times their familial bond caused him to address Skywalker as uncle instead of Master. Skywalker had committed his life to reestablishing the Jedi Order's teachings, which had virtually nothing to do with family ties; therefore, he taught Solo that detachment and distance were necessary to gaining the pure focus that every Jedi aspired to achieve.

Solo and Skywalker traveled across the galaxy to search for lost lore of the Force, accumulating artifacts and learning more about the Jedi Order's ancient history in the hope of fully restoring it. Through his training, Solo developed a strong sense of devotion to the ways of the Jedi; he endeavored to gain greater knowledge of the Force and ways of the Jedi Order, desired to prove himself worthy of inheriting the mantle of a Jedi Knight, and learned a great deal of the teachings about the light side of the Force.

As the grandson of the Chosen One and nephew of the last Jedi, Solo felt immense pressure to live up to the Skywalker family legacy, a burden that weighed heavily upon him and ultimately fueled his insecurities. Under Skywalker, Solo learned much, leading the young Jedi to acknowledge and idolize his uncle for the knowledge of the Force and power he possessed, considering him a legend. However, Solo had misgivings about Skywalker's teaching methods, feeling as though despite all of what he learned, he was never able to utilize it, and he privately disagreed with his mentor's decision to store and lock away the Jedi knowledge they uncovered within the new Jedi temple.

As a Padawan, Solo constructed his own blue-bladed lightsaber and became skilled with its use, ultimately proving to be the most gifted student with a lightsaber Skywalker would ever train. Solo would also keep a calligraphy set, a set which once belonged to his namesake Obi-Wan Kenobi, within he would record and fill with his own Jedi insights, in his quarters during his time with Skywalker.

Solo was taught by Skywalker to also exercise a level of restraint when he grew more powerful within the Force, a way his uncle attempted to manage his progress in Jedi training. Skywalker placed his hope for the future of the Jedi in Solo, convinced for a time he would not die the last of the Jedi Knights. At one point, Solo believed in his own destiny as a Jedi, with Skywalker encouraging his belief and resolve. Solo and Skywalker traveled the galaxy extensively, gathering lost Jedi knowledge, including ancient Jedi texts filled with arcane writings and holocrons filled with teachings from forgotten bygone eras of the Force.

Aside from his mother, whose Jedi training was cut short, and Grogu; a former Jedi youngling who abandoned his training to return to his friend and adoptive father Din Djarin, Solo was the first student in Skywalker's initiative to rebuild the Jedi Order on Ossus, where the Jedi Temple of Luke Skywalker was built to serve as an academy for the new generation of Jedi. Skywalker, like his sister, had tried to shield Solo from the secrets of their family. His efforts to protect his nephew inadvertently left Solo feeling isolated, especially after Skywalker took it upon himself to train multiple apprentices at the same time.

Over the course of their travels, Skywalker gathered disciples, young lost souls adrift with no way to harness their Force-sensitive powers as a result of the Jedi purge, who went on to become his first students by 16 ABY.

In addition to several new recruits, Hennix, Tai, and Voe were apprenticed to Skywalker; as such, they became acquainted with his first and strongest pupil. As younglings, they would sit on the temple grounds and learn about the Force through Skywalker's lectures while simultaneously honing their skills by levitating rocks. Together they were all trained in lightsaber combat, meditation, and telekinesis.

Amongst all these students, in terms of Force powers and lightsaber skill, Solo was the most gifted; Solo's natural affinity with the Force did not go unnoticed by his peers, particularly Voe, who struggled to hone her skills despite training just as hard as Skywalker's nephew. While training on the temple grounds, Voe watched as Solo levitated a large rock with ease, and wondered why he was far stronger than her. According to Skywalker, however, strength had nothing to do with how the Force worked. He likened using the Force to opening a door, explaining that the Force flowed more easily through those who were open to its energy. Notwithstanding Skywalker's view on the Force, Solo surpassed his peers in every aspect of their training, including lightsaber combat and meditation.

His relationships with the other students were different. Hennix could make Solo laugh, and Tai tried to help him cope with the pressures of being a Skywalker. Solo assured his fellow Jedi student that he held nothing back, but through the Force Tai perceived a side to Solo that he hid from the others, including himself. Solo listened, but said nothing while Tai expressed his belief that everyone should be themselves. In Voe, despite being friends, Solo found a rival to push himself against during their training, Voe trying to surpass and beat her fellow Jedi at nearly everything within their training. At one point, he defeated Voe in a sparring match. As their training progressed, Solo suspected that Voe resented him for his power.

Though he befriended the other Padawans while training with them under Skywalker's watch, Solo also suspected that they viewed him as a symbol of preferential treatment, benefitting from his Skywalker bloodline instead of earning his place in the restored Jedi Order. This belief led Solo to feel like an outcast rather than part of a new generation of Jedi. At some point during his training, Solo would face a group of IG-RM assassin droids alongside his uncle.

Around 19 ABY, Solo accompanied his uncle to uncover knowledge of the Jedi Order. Lor San Tekka, a traveler noted for his expertise on the Jedi Order, informed Skywalker about the discovery of an ancient Jedi outpost on the planet Elphrona. Embarking on a mission to investigate San Tekka's findings, Skywalker brought his apprentice with him, knowing that, like himself, Solo was interested in discovering Jedi artifacts. Along the way, Solo was contacted by Snoke without Skywalker's knowledge. Snoke, having sensed anxiety in Solo, inquired after the boy's state of mind. They conversed telepathically while Skywalker and San Tekka talked about the outpost, noting that it may have dated as far back as the High Republic Era, when the Jedi greatly expanded their activity throughout the galaxy.

Solo digressed about the length of their journey, traveling to the edge between the known galaxy and unexplored space. He believed that his Master would only collect what they found but never use any of it, to which Snoke stated that the Jedi had a history of hoarding knowledge, believing themselves to be masters of the Force. As Solo's unrest grew, he became melancholic at having nothing to do on this mission except to follow Skywalker's lead. Though he expressed admiration for his uncle as a teacher, Solo confided in Snoke his belief that Skywalker was holding him back in his evolution as a Jedi. Snoke told Solo that his Master only saw him as a child, but, in time, he would become aware of his apprentice's true potential.

Their private conversation was interrupted by Skywalker and San Tekka; as they drew closer to Elphrona, Skywalker talked about how they not only had a chance to gain new insights into the ancient Jedi, but also how the mission could give Solo an opportunity to indulge his fascination with ancient weapons, knowing that his pupil was particularly interested in them. Solo smiled when his Master expressed how pleased he was to have his apprentice by his side, and told Skywalker that he felt the same.

The outpost that they discovered was well preserved and the entrance intact. Both master and apprentice were impressed by it, though Skywalker warned that they should exercise caution while exploring the outpost, recounting a similar situation that nearly ended with his death in years past. The outpost was a repository of holocrons and other artifacts that Skywalker likened to a treasure trove. Solo had been inspecting a lightsaber rifle up close when he and his Master grew cold upon sensing the power of the dark side.

A group of marauders, dressed in black, had entered the outpost after the two Jedi and their explorer companion. A warrior calling himself "Ren" spoke on the group's behalf, declaring that the outpost and its contents were claimed by the Knights of Ren. Rejecting the Knights' claim, Skywalker drew his green-bladed lightsaber and introduced himself as the last Jedi, and therefore, the heir to all that belonged to the Order. Solo also activated his lightsaber, but remained out of the ensuing fight, as Skywalker instructed him to protect San Tekka.

Ren conceded the battle after his Knights were defeated by Skywalker. During the confrontation, however, he sensed that the dark side was strong with Solo. He invited Solo to seek out the Knights in the future, offering to teach the young apprentice about aspects of the Force contrary to Jedi teachings.

Solo was one of Skywalker's senior pupils by the time he became a teenager; as such, he was entrusted with some of his Master's responsibilities, such as the supervision of training sessions in which the younger students practiced with training lightsabers. In 21 ABY, Lor San Tekka visited the temple on Ossus to speak with Skywalker. Solo went to Skywalker's hut to inform him of San Tekka's arrival, inadvertently interrupting Skywalker's meditation. Embarrassed at his intrusion, Solo accidentally referred to Skywalker as uncle instead of Master. Having been lectured by Skywalker on the need to exercise discipline and control, Solo composed himself and addressed Skywalker by his formal title as he informed him about their visitor. After Skywalker welcomed his old friend to the temple, San Tekka addressed Solo directly to inquire on the progress of his training. Solo's efforts at formality amused his Master, who assured San Tekka that Solo was a better student than he could have hoped for.

Skywalker told Solo to return to his studies while he and San Tekka spoke in private. Returning to the temple grounds, Solo replaced the Twi'lek Enyo as an instructor for a class of younglings who were exercising with training lightsabers. He ended the training session after his Master signaled him to return to his hut. San Tekka had invited Skywalker to travel with him to an archeological site on Yoturba, and also noted that Solo could benefit from his Master's absence by taking on more responsibilities at the temple.

During his training on Ossus, Solo was asked by his Master to accompany him on a walk through the temple grounds. At the time, Solo was practicing his skills in telekinesis, using the Force to levitate several objects such as his lightsaber, his calligraphy set, and a few books around him inside his hut. As they walked, Skywalker told Solo that he was almost ready to undergo the Jedi Trials, the completion of which would mark the end of their time together as Master and apprentice. According to Skywalker, Solo would no longer have to listen to a master since he would be free to make his own decisions as a fully-trained Jedi Knight. In addition, Skywalker acknowledged Solo's potential to become a future leader in the Jedi Order that he was working to restore, given his nephew's status as a Skywalker, his strength in the Force, and the fact that he stood poised to be among the first in his generation to complete his instruction in the Jedi arts. Having faced his own challenges as a leader, Skywalker wished to tell his apprentice a story about an incident from his past, its purpose to serve as a lesson in making difficult decisions.

Skywalker's story centered on his discovery and subsequent use of the Grim Rose, an ancient weapon that he discovered upon returning to the Living Sea on the planet Gazian. Solo learned that Skywalker had considered using the Grim Rose to assassinate Emperor Palpatine; using a sample of Palpatine's blood, the weapon could be used to target and kill the Emperor. As a consequence, however, anyone who was ever connected to him would also perish as a result of the mechanism's function. Solo theorized that the weapon had the capacity to destroy the Sith. Being aware of Vader's connection to Palpatine, Solo was certain that the weapon would have scanned Vader as well, ultimately resulting in the deaths of both Sith Lords. Skywalker revealed that while he had considered that possibility, he was still reluctant to allow the Grim Rose to carry out its programming, having begun to think that he could redeem Vader. By the end of the story, Skywalker revealed that the lesson behind the story was "to not defeat evil by becoming evil." Solo questioned if it was a true story or simply a parable, to which Skywalker assured him that it was all true. }

PERSONALITY {

Ben Solo was a human male who stood at 1.89 meters and weighed 89 kilograms. He had dark brown hair, light skin, and brown eyes that appeared ancient to his father when Solo was a child. There was a strong family resemblance between Solo and his parents; he had his father's long face and posture, as well as his pronounced nose and lopsided smile. He also had his mother's warm, piercing brown eyes, a feature Organa was sure was inherited from her own birth mother, Padmé Amidala. He also mirrored his parents in personality. He was very much like his mother. He also had his father's sarcastic sense of humor, which sometimes emerged in serious or violent situations. However, Solo was also similar to his grandfather, to the dismay of his parents who saw "too much of Vader" within their son.

Possessing an inquisitive mind, Solo endeavored to gain greater knowledge of the Force and the Jedi ways during his apprenticeship under Skywalker. Solo was particularly interested in ancient Jedi weapons; on one occasion, he marveled at a lightsaber rifle. He practiced the art of fancy handwriting or "calligraphy," an art that had fallen into disuse as almost no one wrote by hand during the era of the New Republic. He recorded his handwritten insights into the Jedi on parchment scrolls which he kept next to his calligraphy set. His interests included dark aspects of the Force not taught by Skywalker.

When Skywalker's attention was divided by teaching multiple students, Solo turned to the dark voice he knew as Snoke. Solo struggled with the expectations of his family legacy; he was descended from some of the most powerful Jedi and Sith in galactic history. }

General Characteristics {

• Homeworld: Chandrila
• Born: 5 ABY, Chandrila
• Full Name: Ben Solo
• Nicknames: Ben, Solo.
• Age: 19 years old
• Species: Human, Chandrilan
• Gender: Male
• Pronouns: He/him
• Height: 1.89 meters (6''2')
• Mass: 89 kilograms
• Hair color: Dark brown.
• Eye color: Brown
• Skin color: Light
• Clothing: Standard white plain Jedi training robes, he sometimes uses a brown cape. }