How far along was Star Wars? Ben Solo’s turn is one of the most pivotal moments in the Skywalker saga. As revealed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, when Luke sensed darkness in his nephew and briefly believed he needed to snuff it out before it could affect the galaxy, Ben felt betrayed, and Luke’s new Jedi Academy burned down in the aftermath. Luke’s short-lived moment of weakness was understandable – he wanted to prevent his nephew from falling the same way his father did.

There was more to it than that, though. As revealed by Charles Soule and Will Sliney’s Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, Ben Solo had been influenced by Palpatine/Snoke since he was a young boy, their whispers telling him that his family would never truly be able to understand him. This manipulation went on for years, and though Ben Solo’s actions as Kylo Ren were unforgivable, it’s hard to deny that he was set up to fail from a young age – the pressure of his family’s legacy, both light and dark, as well as Palpatine’s interference, changed him.

How Old Was Ben Solo When He Became Kylo Ren?

So, how old was Ben Solo when he changed and became Kylo Ren? Ben was born in 5ABY (five years after the Battle of Yavin, when the first Death Star was destroyed). This was a year after the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. Though Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren never confirmed when that story took place, the exact year was later revealed in the reference book Star Wars: Timelines by Kristin Baver, Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Amy Richau, and Clayton Sandell.

In 28ABY, Leia Organa’s identity as Darth Vader’s biological daughter was revealed publicly by her adversaries in the New Republic Senate, wrecking her political career and her relationship with her son. That revelation made it even easier for Palpatine to nurture Ben’s doubts about his family. In that same year, Luke “confronted” Ben. Ben believed his uncle was prepared to kill him, and he fell to the dark side and straight into Snoke’s, and by extension, Palpatine’s, waiting arms. As Ben Solo was born in 5ABY, the young Jedi was roughly 23 years old when he became Kylo Ren.

Did Luke Draw His Lightsaber On His Padawan ... Or Another Jedi Knight?

Unlike the Jedi younglings recruited by the Jedi Order before the Empire rose to power, Ben Solo didn’t start training with Luke until he was roughly 10 years old in 15ABY. By 28ABY, he’d been training with Luke for a total of 13 years. At that time, Ben was still a student, he was not yet a Jedi Knight. This was made clear in both The Rise of Kylo Ren and Skywalker: A Family at War by Kristin Braver.

Luke was still his Jedi Master. He was his mentor, his uncle, someone who was supposed to protect him no matter what. Even if Luke never truly intended to hurt Ben, Ben’s pain and anger were genuinely understandable.

Since Ben was still technically a Padawan when Luke went to check on him that fateful night, it makes sense that Ben would feel even more betrayed. Luke was his Jedi Master. He was his mentor, his uncle, someone who was supposed to protect him no matter what. Even if Luke never truly intended to hurt Ben, Ben’s pain and anger were genuinely understandable. That pain doesn’t excuse the choices Ben Solo made once he became Kylo Ren, but it does provide a little insight into who he was before the darkness overwhelmed him.