"Nothing will stand in our way. I will finish... what you started," Kylo Ren intones in one of Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailers. As he says it, were shown the burnt-out remains of Darth Vaders iconic helmet from the original Star Wars trilogy. Clearly, Adam Drivers Kylo sees Vader as something of a martyr whose work needs completing. This idea permeates throughout Rens soon-to-be-iconic design. The black coat, the concealed face, the red lightsaber it all has hints towards Anakin Skywalkers Sith Lord look, as first introduced to audiences in the opening scene of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Undeniably, Kylo has styled himself using inspirations from Star Wars history. From a filmmaking perspective, this makes perfect sense. Itd be nigh on impossible to top the villainous perfection of Vader, so having a character that seeks to echo his menace is quite possibly the next best thing. It allows us to have a new nefarious evildoer in the galaxy without forgetting the one that came before. Within the narrative of the films, as well this seems logical. Any tyrant as iconic, enigmatic and ferocious as Vader would surely inspire imitators. If Vader is Star Wars Hitler equivalent, then Kylo is the neo-Nazi fanatic who wants to carry on his despotic rein of terror.
