Primeiro, ele usou seus poderes da Força, ou pelo menos tentou (em última instância, sem sucesso), naquele momento crítico :
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. (all quotes are from Foster's novelization)
Ele também os usou antes, quando ele jogou Rey contra uma árvore (o que a derrubou - razão pela qual ele estava lutando contra Finn antes dela em primeiro lugar).
Por que ele não lutou tão bem quanto seu talento e treinamento e desempenho passado indicou que ele poderia / deveria ter:
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Ele não estava atirando em todos os cilindros.
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Ele estava emocionalmente comprometido [1] de matar seu pai. Ele foi baleado no lado com um bowcaster como resultado.
Stunned by his own action, Kylo Ren fell to his knees. Following through on the act ought to have made him stronger, a part of him believed. Instead, he found himself weakened. He did not hear the roar of the enraged Wookiee above, but he did feel the sting of the shot from the bowcaster as it slammed into his side, knocking him back on the walkway.
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Ele está enfrentando um prodígio da Força sobre o qual ele é ambivalente. Ele produziu praticamente sem parar desde o início do filme (incluindo ter seu traseiro mental chutado pelo dito prodígio da Força) e seu Mentor não está muito feliz com ele.
There was as much curiosity in Supreme Leader Snoke’s voice as there was disappointment. “This scavenger—this girl—resisted you?”
“That’s all she is, yes. A scavenger from that inconsequential Jakku. Completely untrained, but strong with the Force. Stronger than she knows.” His mask off, Ren replied with what seemed to be his usual assurance. No one else would have sensed a difference. Snoke did.
The Supreme Leader’s voice was flat. “You have compassion for her.”
“No—never. Compassion? For an enemy of the Order?”
“I perceive the problem,” Snoke intoned. “It isn’t her strength that is making you fail. It’s your weakness.” The rebuke hurt, but Ren didn’t show it. “Where is the droid?”
Smooth and unctuous, the voice of General Hux rang out in the assembly hall before Ren could respond. “Ren believed it was no longer of value to us.” Turning, the quietly livid younger man followed the approach of the increasingly confident officer.
“He believed that the girl was all we need. That he could obtain from her everything necessary. As a result, although we cannot be certain, it is likely that the droid has been returned to the hands of the enemy.”
Though visibly angry, Snoke’s tone remained unchanged.e
He had to see for himself. As he strode down the corridor where walls of exposed igneous rock alternated with panels and consoles of metal and spun synthetics, Ren’s emotions were boiling. His present mental state contradicted all of his training, but he could not help himself. He had reacted poorly to what had happened earlier, and that had been reflected in the Supreme Leader’s judgment. To add to the discomfort, that slimy sycophant Hux always seemed to appear at the most awkward possible moment. He gritted his teeth, angry at himself. It was a measure of his current weakness that something like jealousy toward an insignificant simpleton like Hux could even enter his mind. It was nothing but a waste of physical energy and mental concentration. Hux—Hux was not worthy of such attention. The girl, on the other hand…
Isso, se você se lembra, é seguido por uma birra épica destruindo a sala com seu sabre de luz.
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Inicialmente, ele queria converter Rey.
Ren held his lightsaber, poised to strike. “I could kill you right now. But there is another way.”
Breathing hard, Rey looked up in disgust at the man looming above her. “You’re a monster.”
“No. You need a teacher.” He was beseeching and insistent all at once. “I can show you the ways of the Force!” -
Depois, ela basicamente o levou ao ponto de ser incapaz de fazer qualquer coisa, praticamente usando Dark Side of the Force (strongmente ecoando a derrota de Luke de Vader a bordo do Death Star 2).
A long moment passed, in which Ren sensed a change in the air, a change in her. Then she opened her eyes and attacked, viciously, in a way she didn’t know she was capable of, striking again and again as Ren was slowly driven back. The flaring energy from the interacting lightsabers was more pronounced than ever in the flurry of her attack. And - Ren went down.
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.
[1] - veja o que eu fiz lá? Referência de Star Trek na resposta de Star Wars! E ambos J.J. Abrams!