Kylo Ren, a Force-sensitive a Human male, was a dark side warrior who ruled the First Order as Supreme Leader during its war with the Resistance.

Given the name Ben Solo, he was born in 5 ABY, one year after the Battle of Endor, on the planet Chandrila to Princess Leia Organa and General Han Solo, whose busy lives left Ben with feelings of abandonment. He was a scion of the Skywalker bloodline on his mother’s side, and therefore possessed raw strength in the Force which ultimately attracted the attention of a dark side practitioner known as Supreme Leader Snoke.

Though Organa hoped to help her son by sending him away to learn the Jedi arts under his uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Ben Solo’s inner turmoil was exploited by Snoke in an effort to tempt him to the dark side of the Force. He destroyed his fellow Jedi students and became Snoke’s apprentice as well as a Knight of Ren, and was given the moniker of “Jedi Killer” among the First Order ranks.

“Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. It’s the only way to become what you were meant to be.“ – Kylo Ren, to Rey

Ren idolized his grandfather, the fallen Sith Lord Darth Vader, and hoped to finish what Vader started: the elimination of the Jedi. As a leading member of the First Order, he represented its mystical side and had authority to command its armies, leading to tense competition between Ren and First Order officers, particularly General Armitage Hux.