‘Rise of Skywalker’ Editor Reveals She Fought for Rey & Kylo’s Kiss: “I Cut 15 Versions to Make It Happen”

The Skywalker trilogy was controversial for many reasons. Some fans liked it, but others were unhappy with the story, characters, and changes from earlier movies.

Some people didn’t like how the new characters were written. Others felt the old characters, like Luke Skywalker, didn’t act like themselves. Fans also argued about who Rey was and how powerful she became. The trilogy changed some things about the Force and Star Wars history, which upset long-time fans, but one of the most controversial things was the kiss between “Reylo,” Kylo Ren, and Rey Skywalker.

Rey and Kylo’s kiss happens at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. After they fight together and Kylo saves Rey’s life, they share a kiss just before he dies.

The moment was emotional, but it caused a lot of debate among fans. Some people loved it and saw it as a powerful, romantic moment between two characters who had been connected throughout the trilogy. Others didn’t like it because they felt their relationship wasn’t romantic or because Kylo had done hurtful things earlier in the story.

The kiss became controversial because fans had different ideas about how Rey and Kylo’s story should end. Some thought the kiss felt forced, while others believed it was the perfect ending to their journey.

Now during the WonderCon panel, the movie’s editor Maryann Brandon explained the controversy and how the kiss came to be.

“That was the whole big controversy right, should they not kiss at the end? Should they kiss at the end? I’m a romantic so I really wanted the kiss so I worked very hard and I convinced a lot of people to put it in,” She explained.

“Whether I’m right or wrong I don’t know but I just felt he was going to die I mean you got to go the extra…you know. But that’s me so that was my…I was really for it,” Brandon added. “Everyone had an opinion: “no, yes, no, yes.” I think I cut 15 different versions of it and you know, it was really one of the things I was very verbose about I just felt like it had to go that far.“

“So much stuff happened, I mean we blew up this thing, this giant colosseum, you know she was dead then she’s alive it’s like…come on give us a kiss”

Whether you agree with Brandon or not, there’s no denying that the kiss is one of the most memorable moments in the sequel trilogy—famous for both good and bad reasons, depending on which side of the debate you’re on. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.