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The new 'Star Wars' movie took a big piece of inspiration from the expanded universe

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Warning: There are huge spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Do not keep reading if you haven't seen the film.

kylo ren

The biggest reveal in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the identity of Kylo Ren. 

Last chance to head back before spoilers!

kylo ren lightsaber

Towards the end of the movie, we learn Kylo Ren is actually the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. 

If you're a big "Star Wars" fan, you probably weren't TOO surprised.

After all, Han and Leia have a few kids in the expanded universe (EU) — two boys and one girl.

However, the big twist, which probably threw fans off, was the reveal of Kylo Ren's actual name — Ben. The names of Han and Leia's kids in the EU are twins Jacen and Jaina and Anakin, named after Leia's dad. 

It's actually Luke who ends up with a son named Ben Skywalker, which honestly makes more sense because Ben/Obi-Wan Kenobi has more of an influence on Luke in the originally trilogy from a viewer's perspective.

Though Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 rendered the "Star Wars" EU no longer canon, it looks like "The Force Awakens" is using some inspiration from one of Jacen Skywalker's most popular storylines.

darth caedus

Jacen appears in several series in the EU, but it's in the "Legacy of the Force" where he turns to the dark side and takes on the identity of Darth Caedus. 

In that series, Jacen is close with his cousin, Ben Skywalker. However, he's told in order to truly become a Sith lord he most kill someone close to him. Jacen ultimately ends up killing Ben's mother and Luke Skywalker's wife, Mara Jade.

Ben then vows to avenge his fallen mother.

There's much more to the nine book series, but those basic details look like they may have served as inspiration for "The Force Awakens."

Kylo may be a version of Jacen while Rey could very well be a genderswapped adaptation of Luke's son, Ben.

Of course, we have no clear idea who Rey is yet, but it seems very likely she could end up being Luke's daughter. Either way, it appears the new franchise could be leading to an exciting showdown between Rey and Kylo in later films.

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