The Star Wars sequel trilogy features many story beats and plot points that proved to be divisive, but there’s one in particular from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that continues to inspire debate. In that film, General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) reveals that he is secretly working as a spy feeding First Order intel to the Resistance. In a Reddit discussion about this twist, some fans are still trying to understand how Hux, a dedicated First Order officer who seemed to relish being evil, could possibly be the one who helped the heroes get an upper hand. “That part was so bad I’ve forgotten all about it,” wrote one user.
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While The Rise of Skywalker earned the worst reviews of the sequel trilogy in part due to an underwhelming script, there are several fans who do not take issue with the Hux subplot. As many point out in the Reddit thread, Hux didn’t become a spy for altruistic reasons. He was attempting to undermine Kylo Ren, who became Supreme Leader after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Some commenters even directly quoted Hux’s line, “I don’t care if you win. I need Kylo Ren to lose.”
Hux’s storyline in The Rise of Skywalker didn’t come out of nowhere. Throughout the sequel trilogy, it’s clear that there is some sort of rivalry between Hux and Kylo Ren. The two appear to be at odds with each other during The Force Awakens, and in The Last Jedi, Hux has nothing but disdain for Kylo Ren. Though Kylo tried to pin Snoke’s death on Rey, Hux likely suspects Kylo was the real culprit. Considering how loyal Hux was to Snoke, it isn’t surprising he’d take action against Ren.
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At the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance discovers Emperor Palpatine is alive and on Exegol — information they received from a mysterious spy within the First Order’s ranks. When the main heroes infiltrate a Star Destroyer to rescue Chewbacca, Hux assists Finn, Poe, and Chewie in their escape, revealing to them that he is the spy. Unfortunately for him, Allegiant General Pryde deducts Hux is a traitor and executes him. Hux dies because of a petty grudge.
The Rise of Skywalker has some notable storytelling issues, but Hux’s spy subplot isn’t a bad development. It feels like a natural continuation of the Kylo/Hux arc that had been established in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If anything, Rise of Skywalker‘s Hux storyline suffers from being underdeveloped. The prospect of infighting amongst First Order ranks is a tantalizing one, and it would have been interesting to see separate factions led by Kylo and Hux in conflict with each other, adding a bit more depth to the film and its villains. As it stands, Hux has very little to do in The Rise of Skywalker and could have benefitted from stronger writing. Again, the idea of having him try to undermine Kylo Ren’s authority and gain favor with the Emperor is good, it just wasn’t executed in the best way.
The poor execution might be why some fans are confused about Hux being the spy, but the character clearly spells out his intentions in the film. It’s a shame this plot twist wasn’t as captivating as it could have been. Star Wars has found success telling stories about Imperials who defected over the years (see: Agent Kallus in Star Wars Rebels), and The Rise of Skywalker could have featured a fun variation of that concept. Perhaps one day there will be a Hux novel or comic series that dives deeper into his attempts to usurp Kylo Ren.
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