Even before Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out and moviegoers learned that Kylo Ren was really Ben Solo, Darth Vader’s grandson, it was clear that Adam Driver’s character was a big fan of the more-machine-than-man Sith Lord. This was showcased by him having Vader’s charred helmet and even speaking to it, but nearly a decade after The Force Awakens’ release, we still don’t know how Kylo obtained the helmet. Well, it’s looking like an upcoming Star Wars story will finally shed light on that mystery.
As Star Wars fans will recall, at the end of Return of the Jedi, following the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker burned his father’s body in a funeral pyre on the forest moon. But clearly Anakin Skywalker’s remains were disturbed afterwards, and Allegiant General Enric Pryde may be the one who did so. Pryde, who was played by Richard E. Grant in The Rise of Skywalker, is getting his own short story in the upcoming book From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi. Titled “The Steadfast Soldier” and written by Adam Christopher, an excerpt from the story shared by Del Rey Star Wars reveals that Pryde arrived to see the wreckage of the main Imperial fleet and the second Death Star, as you’ll read below.
Pryde after the fall. #FromaCertainPOVReturns@ghostfinder pic.twitter.com/AfDd5R3W6GAugust 1, 2023
So here we find Pryde still getting over how the Empire lost this conflict that paved the way for its ultimate collapse and the establishment of the New Republic. However, it’s the mention of the “dawn” that’s arguably more important here, as it means that Pryde is having these thoughts on the surface of Endor. Why Pryde decided to step onto the forest moon rather than just take a look from space and then leave is unclear, as is why he wasn’t present for the Battle of Endor. However, given that we know Darth Vader’s helmet didn’t end up staying on Endor, it’s entirely possible that “The Steadfast Soldier” will see Pryde coming across Vader’s corpse and bringing the helmet back with him.
Granted, Endor is a large moon, but since the Ewok village near where the funeral pyre was held was also not too far from the Empire’s shield generator bunker, it makes sense why Pryde would know to land in that general area. Of course, we know in the decades after Return of the Jedi that Pryde becomes one of The First Order’s key leaders, so one can infer that he either willingly gives it to Kylo Ren in the immediate years before The Force Awakens or, if Kylo is feeling pretty daring, has it taken from him. It’s a quite a valuable trophy to relinquish to someone else either way, but at least Pryde had the benefit of knowing that Palpatine was still alive long before Kylo did.
We’ll know for certain what awaits Pryde in “The Steadfast Soldier” when From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi is released on August 29. Meanwhile, you can stream all the Star Wars movies in order, as well as the franchise’s TV shows, with a Disney+ subscription, or you can look to the future with our guide of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
