Star Wars: The Force Awakens–New Mysterious Figures?

star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens_posterStar Wars: The Force Awakens does not bow in theaters until December 18. But new details continue to appear about the new, mysterious figures that debut in the seventh installment of the sci-fi franchise.

One of these characters is  Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, seen wielding a crossguard lightsaber in film’s trailers. While the red blade of the lightsaber evokes images of Sith villains like Darth Vader and Darth Maul, J.J. Abrams confirmed to Empire magazine that “Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He works under Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force.”

 

Abrams recently told Entertainment Weekly that Kylo is a member of a different faction. “He is a character who came to the name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren,” Abrams said that the character’s mask is reminiscent of a certain Sith lord’s for a reason. “The movie explains the origins of the mask and where it’s from, but the design was meant to be a nod to the Vader mask. Kylo Ren is aware of what’s come before, and that’s very much a part of the story of the film.”