Is Kylo Ren lying to Rey? [closed]

Question

In Star Wars : The Last Jedi, we saw multiple instances where Kylo Ren is going through a conflict between the light and the dark side. In the last confrontation scene between Kylo and Rey, he mentions twice about knowing who Rey's parents are. On one of the mentions he tells Rey something on the lines of "You will join me and turn to the dark force once you know who your parents are". This got me thinking a bit.

If it was true that Rey was sold off for cheap booze money by her birth parents, why would it enable her to join the dark force, how is Kylo's quote relevant? Or is there an Easter egg situation and Kylo's lying about her parents. Is Kylo hinting that both him and Ray share the same family lineage and that would be a reason for her to support Kylo instead?

Answer 1

I think the over all nature of what happened is unclear, but Rian Johnson had the following to say about it, which includes that Kylo is not lying.

But for me, in that moment, Kylo believes it’s the truth. I don’t think he’s purely playing chess. I think that’s what he saw when they touched fingers and that’s what he believes. And when he tells her that in that moment, she believes it. https://www.elitedaily.com/p/was-kylo-lying-about-reys-parents-in-the-last-jedi-rian-johnson-weighs-in-7637660

“It felt like the way to go because it’s the hardest thing that she could possibly hear. It would be the easy thing for her to be defined by, “Yes, this is how you fit into this story — it’s because your parent is so and so!” In that moment, for Kylo to be able to use that [information] as a knife and twist it to try and get what he wants, felt like the most dramatically potent option.” https://screenrant.com/star-wars-last-jedi-rian-johnson-rey-parents/

Just a few things to consider:

1. Even though it seems like Kylo Ren broke with Snoke and the audience feels taken aback by Snoke's sudden departure, does not mean that either Snoke isn't/wasn't powerful (Snoke's Ring?) or important to the future of this story and/or that Kylo Ren isn't doing exactly what Snoke wants, whether Ren believes it or not. After all, Snoke takes credit for their link, which isn't broken after his death. Was he manipulating both Rey and Ren and how they "felt" during some their experience? How genuine was it?

2. It's possible that he did tell her a partial truth, even if he didn't know it was partial, such as maybe her family was poor, but perhaps they weren't drunkards? I think at this point it does make sense for the narrative that she is at the very least not a Skywalker, but an outsider. However, just because she's an outsider doesn't mean her destiny isn't special. It seems clear that she and Kylo Ren's fates are intertwined and that they are both extra strong with the Force for an yet to be disclosed reason.

3. Usually the dark side of the Force is thought of as a "corruption" of the Force, including the idea of bleeding Kyber Crystals to make them red for use of dark-side Lightsabers. Going back to that link between them and two visions of truth presented, we may be seeing things either only half true, or that the truth lies in the middle and again, Rey's parentage could pertain to that. And either Snoke, Luke/Yoda/Ahc-To could of played an influence in this outcome...

Answer 2

You're conflating two different things that Kylo said and assuming there is a connection where there might not be one at all.

After Rey tells Kylo that she's seen the future and that he will change sides, what Kylo actually says is closer to:

I've seen something too, and because of what I've seen I know that when the time comes, you will be the one to change.

In that line he doesn't mention her parents. He does mention that he knows who her parents are, but not in the same line; it was a separate thought. What kylo might have been referring to was the scene where she and Luke fight and it does look like she's turning to the dark side immediately before leaving Luke's island to seek out Kylo.

If you care to speculate, it is made clear during the movie that one of the major factors in Kylo turning to the dark side is the pain his uncle Luke inflicted on him by not trusting him and trying to kill him, so it makes sense to speculate that Kylo would think that her parent's abandonment would have a similar effect on Rey.

So, is he lying? I think it's safe to say, no (but again, this can only be speculation; there's no way to know for sure). If he was lying he would have said what he wanted to say when they were talking via the force (when their hands touched). If he was lying he wouldn't have waited until later to reveal the lie since he couldn't have known they would meet again.

Edit..

According to this website, Johnson says it's not a lie:

While Abrams (who is penning the script for Episode IX with Argo’s Chris Terrio) could conceivably retcon Kylo’s revelation as a lie, as it stands now according to Johnson, it’s true. All of it. Rey is a hero who comes from nothing—just like Finn and Rose and Poe. It’s a welcomely populist rejection of the idea that the fate of the galaxy hinges on Skywalkers — people born special and considered elite by virtue of their last name.

Answer 3

Kylo is not lying

One of the major reasons Kylo is so deep into the dark side is because everyone, in the fear of him becoming Sith mostly, "betrays" him (Examples: Solo never trusting him to be trained, Luke's act, Snoke playing with his head, Rey not standing on his side), this sense of abandonment causes him great pain and increases his tendency to the dark.

He belives that that the same sense of abandonment would tear Rey apart, turning her to the dark side.