The Star Wars sequel trilogy introduced a mysterious new phenomenon called the Force Dyad - and here's everything that contributed to the bond between Rey and Kylo Ren. The mysterious and intimate connection between Rey and Kylo Ren built up over the course of the sequel trilogy, with Emperor Palpatine finally revealing the two were bonded in something called a "Force Dyad." The nature of the Force Dyad was not really explained until the novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, however.
Both the Jedi and the Sith have attempted to cultivate a Force Dyad for generations; according to the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary the Sith tried to reproduce it through their Rule of Two, while it seems the bond between Jedi Master and Padawan was a weak copy of the Dyad. Neither Sith nor Jedi were ever able to create a Force Dyad, however, because it appears to involve both light and dark sides of the Force. However hard Rey attempts to commit to the light, there is still anger and pain bubbling up within her - explosively so, when she unleashed Force Lightning in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Ben Solo, meanwhile, has never been able to quiet the siren song of the light side of the Force. With both influenced by light and dark alike, the Force Dyad they shared became tremendously powerful.
But it seems a Force Dyad can be cultivated and amplified. Looking back at the Star Wars sequel trilogy, here are all the key moments in the history of the Dyad.
Ben Solo Falls To The Dark Side
The story of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren is told in Charles Soule's comic The Rise of Kylo Ren. This reveals that Ben never really committed to the dark side, but rather was manipulated into a position where he felt he had no choice but to accept it as his destiny. The point of - he believed - no return was the moment when Ben chose to kill a dark side cultist named Ren, and in so doing become Master of the Knights of Ren. Intriguingly, the comic suggests this was the moment the Force initiated the Force Dyad, because it shows a number of people who are important to Ben sensing his choice - and, on the desert planet of Jakku, a young scavenger named Rey suddenly feels cold.
Kylo Ren Probes Rey's Mind
Years later, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren captured Rey and attempted to use a dark side Mind Probe to invade her memories and learn Luke Skywalker's location. Although Kylo Ren was a skilled practitioner of the Mind Probe, in this case it backfired, because he was unaware there was already a bond between Rey and himself. To his shock and surprise, Rey gained access to his own mind and memories, and he was left reeling. Jason Fry's novelization of Star Wars: The Last Jedi reveals this was how Rey learned so much about the Force so quickly; because Kylo Ren unwittingly passed on his skills and experiences to her.
"Kylo had retreated at finding Rey in his head - had practically fled from her. But that had not been the end of that strange, sudden connection. She had seen more - far more. Somehow, almost instinctually, she knew how he accessed some of the powers at his commend - even though she didn't understand them. It was as if his training had become hers, unlocking and flinging open door after door in her mind."
Notice that, immediately after Kylo Ren's attempt to invade her mind, Rey is suddenly able to perform a Jedi Mind Trick on a First Order Stormtrooper in order to escape, and shortly after she proves to even be a skilled lightsaber combatant. All of this knowledge was absorbed into her on an instinctual level.
Supreme Leader Snoke Amplified The Bond
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Supreme Leader Snoke claimed he had established the connection between Rey and Kylo Ren. "Young fool," he snarled at Rey. "It was I who bridged your minds. I stoked Ren's conflicted soul. I knew he was not strong enough to hide it from you. And you were not wise enough to resist the bait." Snoke was clearly exaggerating; he had not created the Force Dyad. But it is reasonable to assume, given his successful manipulation of Rey, that he was telling the truth in that he amplified it. There is a certain degree of irony to this, in that Palpatine's puppet had absolutely no idea what he was meddling with - and until he saw them side by side, neither did Palpatine himself.
The Complicated Emotions Between Rey & Kylo Ren
The novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker suggests the complicated and conflicted emotions shared between Rey and Kylo Ren actually enhanced the bond. According to the novelization, the Force Dyad was "refined in the fire of mutual searching, shared grief, rage and hate, but also of compassion and empathy." Each was aware of the confusing surge of emotions they sensed from the other, and felt the tug of both light and dark sides of the Force through one another. This mutual awareness of one another only became stronger as Rey grew in the Force, as her presence in the Force increased.
Force Heal Likely Amplified The Dyad As Well
Finally, although it's not been officially confirmed, it is likely the Force Dyad was further strengthened when Rey used her Force Heal power to save Kylo Ren's life in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This form of Force Heal is different to anything seen before, whether in the Star Wars canon or in the old Expanded Universe, in that it sees one Force sensitive transfer their very life energy to another; it appears to be a balance power rather than one characteristic of the light or dark side of the Force. Notice there appears to be a redemptive aspect to this power, though, in that a person healed by this power appears to become more open to the call of the light; Rey's healing a serpent caused the creature to abandon its aggression, while Kylo Ren was redeemed immediately after he had been healed.
It's reasonable to assume this amplified the Force Dyad, given it involved a literal transfer of life energy between the two people who were part of it. What's more, note that Kylo Ren later uses Force Heal himself, suggesting he learned some of Rey's skills from this experience, in the same way Rey had previously absorbed his when he probed her mind in Star Wars: Force Awakens. That is the only possible explanation for how Ben Solo knew how to use this same Force Heal power in order to save Rey's life later, on Exegol, and further strengthens their connection in Star Wars.