This story contains the biggest spoiler from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so if you haven’t seen the movie, you may want to stop reading now!
At a screening for the Writers Guild of America, The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams explained why he decided to have Kylo Ren kill off Han Solo, one of the franchise’s greatest and most beloved characters.
“Star Wars had the greatest villain in cinema history. So, how you bring a new villain into that world is a very tricky thing,” Abrams said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “We knew we needed to do something f—ing bold. The only reason why Kylo Ren has any hope of being a worthy successor is because we lose one of the most beloved characters.”
Furthermore, Ren is Han’s son! He goes to the Dark Side after training with Uncle Luke. Ren pushes his lightsaber through Han’s chest toward the end of the new film. No matter what theater you saw the movie in, the crowds gasped during the chilling scene.
Ren tells Solo before killing him that he needed his help, presumably to fully become part of the Dark Side.
“Long before we had this title, the idea of The Force Awakens was that this would become the evolution of not just a hero, but a villain,” Abrams said. “And not a villain who was the finished, ready-made villain, but someone who was in process.”
He continued, “As a father, as a friend to people who have children, I know what it’s like to see struggle, to be part of struggle. I know how painful it can be. I know how real it is. And this is, of course, an insane extrapolated version…patricide is not ideal.”
Finally, Abrams revealed how Harrison Ford took the death when he learned of the news.
“He was fine,” Abrams said.