Here are some thoughts on Kylo’s “new” helmet, shown in the Episode IX teaser trailer.
If you do not wish the read the whole meta, skip the first three paragraphs, and go right to the point.
In The Force Awakens, Kylo is first shown wearing his helmet. He hides behind the expressionless, creepy mask, desperately trying to convey a lack of emotions (something we now know is far from how things really are). He tries to put the mask between the world, which I can only suppose he finds cruel (based on what we can read about his childhood and youth in the novels (the being sent off to the Academy abandonment problem, the traumatic reveal of his heritage), as well as on the Luke with a lightsaber flashbacks, and the way he is (mal)treated by Snoke in The Last Jedi), and his very vulnerable self.
After being criticized that he is a “child in a mask” in TLJ, I believe that Kylo tries to sort of put himself out there in the world, out of shame and spite, as the man that he “trully” is. We get to see more of “Ben”, especially in those sweet moments where he feels for and is protective of Rey, or when he chooses not to fire at Leia. On the other hand, we get to see that “Ben” has a lot of growing up to do, as his emotional outbursts and bad rejection issues suggest. I believe that this is understandable if we bear in mind that he went through Jedi training where he was supposed to suppress his emotions, and then lived what seems to be a very isolated life, in which he was being manipulated and tortured.
One of the problems is, as we hear in TFA, that Kylo/Ben finds “Ben” weak and foolish, as he told Han, and believes that the “strength” lies in “Kylo”. Ben tried his best to identify with the “Kylo” persona, which, ironically, kept making him weaker.
Now, back to what I like about the new mask, and what I believe it is trying to convey.
I am pretty sure that there will be a reason why that fluffy creature is fixing Kylo/Ben’s mask (as in, it was urgent, and that was the only person who could do it at the time). That sort of wielding where the cracks are filled with that red material is probably be the only technology available at that time and place.
I am aware that marketing/merchandise, and well, simply - costume design, are a part of that decision.
However, I also do believe that there is a symbolic layer to it.
The way I see it, in Episode IX, Rise of the Skywalker, we will have Ben “bleeding” - hence the red - into the Kylo persona, and the two will merge. We will be able to see Ben even when the mask is on.
By uniting the two, properly integrating his Jungian shadow, Kylo/Ben will become a complete person. I believe that this will lead to Kylo/Ben not having emotional meltdowns anymore (not having his “violence” as a separate entity overriding every now and then), and that he will finally be able to gain control over himself, and not have his “shadow” whims rule over him.
I do believe that it is virtuous is to be capable of violence, but to choose not to exert it just to prove something to yourself or others (TFA Kylo, killing Lor San Tekka being a possible example of misusing that capability), but rather to protect what is good, if necessary. What I am hoping to see in Episode IX is not simply “harmless” Ben, but Ben’s compassion and love seeping/”bleeding” into the Kylo “mask”. The design also makes the mask seem more organic, as opposed to a cold block of metal.
Finally, it seems to me that in Episode IX, the helmet/mask is actually being used for physical protection, as helmets are supposed to be used (and that that’s why it is being urgently wielded), and not as a mental/emotional barrier between Ben and his surroundings.
As always, thoughts, comments and discussions are welcome! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the image used, nor any part of Star Wars, entertainment purposes only.
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