We are less than four months away and director J.J. Abrams is loosening his notoriously tight lips about his little passion project known as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He was faced with one of the gargantuan tasks in film history by continuing the legacy of Star Wars, while making a new one for future generations of moviegoers. Abrams’ challenge was to create an iconic villain, for a new age of heroes to measure themselves against when The Force Awakens opens in December. In order to accomplish that he, and co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, had to project where the Empire would be thirty years after Return of the Jedi, along with who would be the faces of darkness in the modern era. The new mythology will be expanded with Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke, and the First Order, and Abrams explains for the first time the connections between the three. 

 

Kylo Ren

 

From the early glimpses of the The Force Awakens, it is immediately apparent that Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) will be one of the film’s greatest physical and emotional threats. The dark cloak and black mask bring to mind Darth Vader and that is not a coincidence. Abrams finally clears the air on the nature of Kylo and where his affiliations lie.

“Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force.”

It’s been widely assumed that Kylo Ren is not an actual Sith, despite his black clothing and red lightsaber, which are clear allusions to Darth Vader. In fact, the ragged construction of his hilted saber and the lack of the Darth affiliation, were clear signs of Kylo having roguish qualities since his introduction. His connection to the mysterious Knights of Ren and their motivations, should make his place in the Star Wars universe more clear, once it is eventually revealed. 

 

The Supreme Leader

 

It has already been revealed that pioneer motion-capture artist and actor Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Avengers: Age of Ultron) would be portraying Supreme Leader Snoke. Whose voiceover can be heard in the first trailer saying, “There has been an awakening in the Force…” Snoke’s design and look has been kept completely under wraps, but it is widely assumed that Serkis will be creating the next legendary mo-cap performance this December.

Star Wars Rebels has spent an entire season expanding the known Star Wars universe. They have done that by adding new factions of bad guys and scoundrels for the Rebel Alliance, now known as The Resistance, to evade and battle. It seems that much of the growing mythology will be clarified in The Force Awakens, with the addition of a few memorable characters. Kylo Ren is not a Sith, but he does report to a master, of sorts, in Supreme Leader Snoke. Does that mean that Snoke has been lurking in the background throughout the entire series? The secrecy around his character, signals that his eventual reveal may turn the Star Wars universe on its head.

 

The First Order

 

Many assumed when a new Star Wars episode was in the works, that the Empire would be totally dissolved after the victories in Return of the Jedi. However, the franchise has always included a small measure of real-world political logic. With that in mind, Abrams envisioned a more complex “end” to the Empire after the last installment. He renamed the Empire, the First Order, but they have retained much of the feel of the original, albeit with sleeker designs for the crafts and Stormtroopers. This is what Abrams had to say about his approach to the old Empire.

“That all came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina but then started working together again? What could be born of that? Could The First Order exist as a group that actually admired The Empire? Could the work of The Empire be seen as unfulfilled? And could Vader be a martyr? Could there be a need to see through what didn’t get done?”

Using real-world logic certainly works in this case and the themes of fulfilling Darth Vader’s failed quest seem to speak directly to the motivations of Kylo’s character. In the trailer, we are shown the charred remains of Vader’s mask, so there is a clear metaphor for this First Order rising from the flames of fallen Empire. There is a genuine opportunity to have fun with the politics, without letting the film fall into yawn-inducing senate debates, like in the prequels. More than anything, Abrams comments show us how little is actually known about the upcoming film. 

We will all find out the answers on December 18th, 2015, when Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in theaters.

What do you think Supreme Leader Snoke’s role in the new trilogy is? What do you think will be Kylo Ren’s fate? Let us know in the comment boards, , , and ! Share our stories by clicking below!

Source: Empire