It's a great time to be a Star Wars fan. Because with Disney now in charge of the property, we can expect either standalone films or main installments every year for the foreseeable future. The next film hitting theaters is Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which will continue the narrative started by J.J. Abrams in The Force Awakens. One of the returning characters will be Adam Driver's villainous Kylo Ren, who has garnered quite a bit of hate after killing his father Han Solo. But since everyone knows who Kylo is, why does he bother to wear that mask? We just found out, courtesy of a display at New York Comic-Con. It reads,
Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, protege of Luke Skywalker, and eventual master of the Knights of Ren. He is known as the 'Jedi Killer' among the ranks and file of the First Order. His helmet was crafted to mask his visage and voice, concealing his identity as he delves further into the power of the Dark Side of the Force.
Suddenly, Kylo Ren just got way cooler. It looks like his mask is all part of him abandoning his identity as Ben Solo, and fully embracing the dark side. It's no wonder why Stormtroopers are so terrified of the new villain.
Because while the audience may be privy to Kylo Ren's origin, the average Star Wars denizen isn't. They only see a horrifying figure in all black with a badass lightsaber. The First Order is already a scary presence in the galaxy far, far away, and Kylo's mask and outfit help to strike fear into the hearts of The Resistance. And with The Jedi all but extinct, Kylo's signature red lightsaber helps to inspire fear as well.
In the same display at NYCC, the origins of Kylo Ren's lightsaber was also explored. It turns out that Kylo designed his signature cross hilt lightsaber himself. This should help explain why we've never seen a saber with those two smaller blades in live-action; they didn't exist until Ben Solo attempted to craft a new weapon for his evil deeds. We were able to see the cross hilt's damage in Kylo Ren's duels with Finn and Rey, and the small blades are just as deadly as the proper one.
It should be interesting to see if we are shown more of Kylo Ren's backstory in The Last Jedi. The villain's dirty deeds and relationship with his parents and uncle were only described in The Force Awakens, but being able to see him descent into the dark side might help audience connect with Adam Driver's character more easily.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will fly into theaters on December 15th, 2017. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release schedule to plan your next trip to the movies.
