Did this character lose a limb in “The Force Awakens?”

Question

Inspired by this answer which states limb loss as a recurring theme, I started thinking about the final lightsaber battle. After watching The Force Awakens the second time, I was not sure if

Kylo Ren

lost a limb or just lost his lightsaber. We definitely see

Rey slash at Ren’s right hand.

So knowing that context:

Did Kylo Ren actually lose his arm/hand?

I thought the same thing the first time I saw the fight, thinking "oh boy, she's going to cut it off", but I think I remember seeing that his hand is still attached after her swing. — Remy Lebeau, Dec 23 '15 at 19:15
Your answer to the other question might address this question as well, but that other question is not a duplicate of this question. That question was about Kylo's fate after the fight is over. This question is only about what happens to his hand during the fight. — Remy Lebeau, Dec 23 '15 at 19:17
@RemyLebeau They still consider that a dupe, for whatever reason. — , Dec 23 '15 at 19:18
@DVK Not sure, because in the movie the hand area is definitely hit. If the novelization leaves that out, not sure if it counts as a duplicate. — Dave Johnson, Dec 23 '15 at 19:22
when i saw this in the theater, i thought it may be his arm at first, but looked closely in subsequent shots, and his arm/hand was still there. the consensus in chat was that it was part of his cloak. — phantom42, Dec 23 '15 at 19:37
People on this site insist on claiming duplication based on answers, even though that is clearly incorrect, unfair, and arbitrary. — Martha, Dec 23 '15 at 19:53
@Martha - leaving aside the merits of the decision itself, if a majority of site users agree with it, it is far from "clearly" incorrect, and most certainly not arbitrary given the decision is based on well-argumented set of Meta answers. — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Dec 23 '15 at 19:56
@phantom42 We don't see him again, because right after that the chasm opens up, and Rey runs to Finn — Dave Johnson, Dec 23 '15 at 19:56
@DaveJohnson - I just re-watched. He was VERY clearly hit with a surface glance, cutting the cloths and MAY be a shallow wound. Absolutely certanily NOT severing. and right before the chasm opens, the show him with the hand clearly still in place. I'll give you a screenshot as soon as I can get access to one — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Dec 23 '15 at 20:02
@DVK He was hit hard enough that he dropped his lightsaber, which didn't happen the other times he was hit or shot. If you can find a screen shot post fight where we can see the arm/hand, feel free to post as answer. I will not be watching again until it is released on DVD. — Dave Johnson, Dec 23 '15 at 20:08
@DaveJohnson - I can find a screenshot right now but I'm pretty sure posting material of ahem questionable legality may be objected. If you ask on Meta and get site consensus that posting screenshots from film versions that are not DVD official is OK, I'll find one. — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Dec 23 '15 at 20:13

score 11 · Answer 1 · edited Dec 26 '15 at 17:11

11

I re-watched the film. No screenshots yet but the very last film moments before the chasm opens shows Ren lying on the snow, rising to a half-sitting position with his torso facing the screen square-on. His hand is clearly still attached and moving (he raises his forearm before raising his torso).

Sorry, Ren wasn't Anakined. He failed even at being de-limbed, looooser!

Also, the shoulder wound looks entirely superficial, mostly torn clothing.

This is confirmed in the novelization by Alan Dean Foster, where in the entire fight with Rey, his biggest injury is described as:

.. Unarmed, he raised a hand and utilized the Force to fend off one slashing blow after another, until finally her fury penetrated his remaining defenses. Taking a glancing blow to the head and chest, he went down, a prominent burn slashed across his face. Weakened, he reached out toward his lightsaber, trying to draw it to him.

edited Dec 26 '15 at 17:11

Mark Rogers

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answered Dec 23 '15 at 20:25

DVK-on-Ahch-To

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Calling him Ren is like calling Vader Darth. :P – Dec 23 '15 at 20:26
1

@CreationEdge - novelization calls him ren. Can't argue with canon, man. – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 23 '15 at 20:28
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@CreationEdge - also: "Only a master of evil, Darth" - Obi-Wan Kenobi :P :P – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 23 '15 at 20:28
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Obi did some dumb stuff, too, like finishing someone else's crossword puzzle. – Dec 23 '15 at 20:32
Not enough characters in my proposed edit, but you said "his should wound" instead of "his shoulder wound". – Joseph Hansen Dec 24 '15 at 21:18
Doesn't the novelisation also contain names like Beebee-Eight? Nobody else does that. – Mr Lister Dec 29 '15 at 17:27
@MrLister - that naming convention is present in ALL the novelizations of ALL films (or at least several, I didn't check all 6). – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 29 '15 at 17:31

score 9 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 16 '20 at 09:31

There's no indication that Rey chopped Ren's hand off.

He was up again in an instant, but not in time to fully deflect a following blow from Rey’s weapon. He succeeded in blocking it, but he still took the full force of the strike against the haft of his own lightsaber. The weapon went flying into the snow. Unarmed, he raised a hand and utilized the Force to fend off one slashing blow after another, until finally her fury penetrated his remaining defenses. Taking a glancing blow to the head and chest, he went down, a prominent burn slashed across his face. Weakened, he reached out toward his lightsaber, trying to draw it to him.

_{^{Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Official Novelisation}}

and

Staggering back to his feet, his parry could not match the strength of her swing. It cast his lightsaber out of his grasp.

Ren extended a hand, calling on the Force to ward off her attacks. At first it worked, as she slashed into the iron shield of his will, but then her blade cut across his face. It burned.

He looked up at the girl whose lightsaber hovered over his chest. He shivered under the coldness of her stare. He who had been so eager to kill was not eager to die. Kylo Ren was afraid.

The girl withdrew from him.

_{^{Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Junior Novelisation}}

and

She intensified her attacks, sensing more than seeing where he would strike next. Her blade cut across Kylo’s face before connecting with his saber hilt. Kylo’s weapon went flying into the snow.

Rey stood above him with her lightsaber raised. He was defenseless. She could strike him down right then and end it all.

_{^{The Force Awakens: Rey's Story}}

Nor the script

Rey closes her eyes for a long beat. When Rey opens them, she is centered, fortified, and she POUNDS BACK, SINGLE HANDED SWIPES, hitting Ren's gnarly, spitting saber with incredible FORCE. It's so fast now, so furious, that Kylo Ren FALLS BACK -- She ATTACKS HARDER!

Ren gets up again but she HITS HIS SABER'S HILT -- HIS BLADE GOES FLYING OFF, TUMBLING INTO THE SNOW -- and she SLASHES AGAIN AND AGAIN AND HITS KYLO REN SQUARE IN THE HEAD AND CHEST. HE GOES DOWN, SUDDENLY A FEARFUL MAN, A LARGE BURN SCAR SLASHED ACROSS HIS FACE! He still reaches for his saber. And she could kill him -- right now, with ONE VICIOUS STRIKE!

But she stops.

Also, y'know, counting skills

+1 and marked as answer for definitive screenshot with red circles. — Dave Johnson, Feb 16 '16 at 01:23
I would never have thought of actually counting the number of hands he has to know if one was cut off. Genius. — PointlessSpike, May 18 '16 at 08:23
@DVK-in-exile - I've had extra practice these last few weeks counting my downvotes. — Valorum, Oct 19 '16 at 16:03

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 26 '16 at 21:25

I think a lot of people misunderstand this issue. The question should be not "if" he lost his hand, it should be, "Did he ORIGINALLY lose his hand in one version of the movie and did not lose it in another version, with them putting the two shots together by accident?"

If you watch it, you can clearly see that he has two hands after fighting Rey, but if you watch the scene right before that, he clearly has his left hand lopped off. It isn't a piece of fabric, it isn't a lightsaber, it isn't something else, it is his black, cold, lifeless, gloved hand. It falls, and sways back and forth for the shortest amount of time.

Everyone gets all bent out of shape demanding that it is something else making every excuse even referencing materials out of the book, but watch it in slow motion... it's his hand. Watch it frame by frame backwards, you can literally trace the severed hand (you can identify a finger a thumb waving from it) from it's glorious moment of being sliced off to being back onto his arm! It's crazy, but it is definitely cut off.

If you have a new question, you should ask it as a new question. For the record, there's no indication that his hand was chopped in any prior version of the film, nor can you see them rehearing a hand-chop in the "making of" featurette. — Valorum, Jun 26 '16 at 21:10

Did this character lose a limb in “The Force Awakens?”

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