Star Wars: 10 Facts You Should Know About Kylo Ren’s Mask

With Rise of Skywalker soon to release, here are 10 things about Kylo Ren’s mask that fans will need to understand before the sequel trilogy wraps up.

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Of all the villains in the Star Wars Saga, Kylo Ren presents a unique take on the classic black-clad, red lightsaber wielding nemesis. A powerful yet reckless Dark Side user, he struggles to control his pull between both the Light and Dark Side of the Force, resulting in violent emotional outbursts. Chosen by Supreme Leader Snoke to follow in Darth Vader’s footsteps, Kylo Ren mimics the Dark Lord of the Sith in certain respects, including an imposing uniform of black robes and cape, complete with a face mask and helmet.

Not only does the helmet give Ren an intimidating appearance, but it also obscures his identity. The helmet has become an iconic symbol of evil for the First Order, as Vader’s was when he was the aggressive enforcer of The Empire’s will. Though Ren looked to have destroyed his helmet in The Last Jedi, the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker implies he may be seen donning its fearsome visage once again. Here are 10 facts you should know about Kylo Ren’s mask.

10 It Pays Homage To His Grandfather

Before Star Wars fans even knew that Kylo Ren and Darth Vader were connected by way of his mother, General Leia Organa Solo, they might have suspected the two Dark Side warriors were connected given how much Kylo Ren’s helmet resembles his grandfather’s iconic headgear. Ren’s helmet has a similar curved dome and flared back piece to Vader’s, and it utilizes a vocoder to obfuscate his voice and lend to it a far more intimidating tone than it would normally have. On his quest to become more powerful in the Dark Side, Ren believes that by modeling his helmet to resemble his grandfather’s, his spirit will give him strength. The remains of Vader’s charred helmet is one of Ren’s most sacred possessions.

9 He Doesn’t Need It To Breathe

Darth Vader’s recognizable helmet was connected to an intricate breathing apparatus that helped his lungs, damaged by the flames of Mustafar, to facilitate normal airflow. Vader received a steady flow of oxygen via tubes connected to the inside of his helmet, and without it, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

Kylo Ren doesn’t use his helmet as a piece of survival gear, but rather as a means to instill fear into his enemies and subordinates. His ability to remove the helmet at will has certain advantages to his autonomy, but only reinforces the fact that he is separate from the image he tries to convey.

8 He Uses It For Intimidation

Given that Kylo Ren’s helmet doesn’t act as a means of life support, it’s more impactful purpose lies in intimidation and scare tactics. By shielding his subordinates in the First Order from his facial expressions, he’s able to appear devoid of emotion and weakness when he gives commands. By concealing them from his enemies, he’s able to appear inscrutable and unreadable. The vocoder built into his helmet makes his voice sound mechanical, absent of the warmth of his humanity. It also makes it deeper and more threatening than his normal voice, purposefully mimicking the booming chords of Darth Vader (minus the mechanical wheezing).

7 It Resembles The Battle Armor Of The Knights Of Ren

As addressed by Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren is “Master of the Knights of Ren,” an elite cohort of warriors who were followers of the Dark Side of the Force (though not Sith). The Knights of Ren wore distinct battle armor and helmets that Ren chose to incorporate into his own imposing ensemble.

Kylo Ren was not part of the military hierarchy of the First Order over which Snoke ruled. He operated independently of it, utilizing the Knights of Ren at his discretion. Their rugged, aggressive tactics favored brute force as they attempted to track down Jedi Master Luke Skywalker at Ren’s command.

6 Its Used To Conceal His Identity As Ben Solo

As Supreme Leader Snoke identified the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa as a powerful Force user, he reached out to lure him into an apprenticeship in the ways of the Dark Side during the rise of the First Order. As Ben Solo became more enthralled with his training, he selected a mask to conceal his former identity.

As the military leaders in The Empire weren’t aware of the fact that Darth Vader used to be former Jedi Anakin Skywalker, so too were the members of the First Order just as unaware the intimidating warlord in their midst was once the son of two of the most celebrated Rebel heroes in the galaxy.

5 It Has Several Mechanical Components

While the design of his mask may seem fairly simplistic at first, it has several complex internal mechanical components that help it to function. The face mask itself is connected to the rest of the helmet with small articulated arms that are run by servomotors, which are mechanisms that use a hinged method to seal the two components together. The mask also has a vocoder in it that drops Ben Solo’s natural voice an octave, as well as gives it a hollow, mechanical sound. This makes his speaking voice more intimidating, and devoid of any emotion when making threats or giving commands. It also serves to better conceal his identity.

4 It Conceals His Insecurities

Along with the fact that Kylo Ren’s helmet is successfully intimidating and gives him a more threatening presence, it also conceals his insecurities. He is in a constant state of flux between the Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force, pulled between his former life as Ben Solo, with heroes of the Rebel Alliance as parents, and the immense powers and abilities offered to him as a Dark Side user in command of the First Order. Whatever latent insecurities Ben Solo has are successfully concealed by the mask, which gives him a feeling of confidence and control over his emotions. He tends to remove it only during feelings of intense emotional paroxysms.

3 It Almost Looked Like Captain Phasmas

When costume designer Michael Kaplan was coming up with Kylo’s Knights of Ren costume, it wasn’t the all-black outfit that sparked many an emo meme. It was originally based on another famous character as well as their original backstory. Instead, Kylo was originally envisioned as the Lord of the Stormtroopers, covered in shining silver armor. The concept art by Dermot Power was promptly rejected by Abrams because it wasn’t a good fit for the character. However, Kathleen Kennedy expressed satisfaction for the design, and J.J. ended up writing the character of Captain Phasma.

2 He Shattered It Because Snoke Mocked Him

Supreme Leader Snoke was fond of goading and jeering his young apprentice. He felt it toughened him up and made him release the hatred and aggression associated with drawing from the Dark Side’s power. There was truth in his mockery of Kylo Ren’s mask however, since it didn’t seem to improve his ability to locate Luke Skywalker or kill Rey or his mother. After being derided, Ren smashed his mask against a turbolift wall in a fit of rage. The trailer for Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker showed someone—though it may not be Ren—fusing it back together, so it may be that he reconsidered its importance.

1 His Enemies See It As A Weakness

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