Is anyone else kind of fascinated by the character of Kylo Ren? Besides the obvious anagram name Kylo (Skywalker/Solo), there’s the actor himself. I’m not a fan of HBO’s show “Girls” but every interview I have seen with Adam Driver he just comes off as so down to earth. It makes me really very interested to see how that kind of fellow would play someone with presumably very complex motivations like Kylo Ren.

Also equally fascinating about this character is his costume design. I understand that the costume designer and Abrams really agonized on the look of Kylo. I’m not a fan of the EU (now legacy) but as I understand it the mask is something of a nod to Darth Revan. The cloak looks like something i can’t quite explain but there are also garments under the cloak that look almost samurai in nature. Then there’s his unique lightsaber design which, as I have read, Jony Ive from Apple might have suggested to Abrams that this character have an ‘unwieldy’ weapon. Very rough around the edges.

There’s also this, POSSIBLE SPOILER: when Kylo and Finn confront each other Kylo’s mask is knocked off, revealing that he is in some way disfigured. Which is why in the various advertisements and trailers, during that momentary interlude with Finn, we don’t see Kylo’s face; only the back of his head.

Obviously, we’ll know for sure in a few days, but piecing together various sources and theories, it would seem as though Kylo is perhaps the son of Leia & Han and that he is, perhaps, a black sheep of the family who is very much estranged from his parents or in denial, or both. Either way, I can’t wait to find out how this all unfolds. The trailers feel like they are note perfect in their presentation of the material, every beat is perfectly timed. Fingers crossed.

Thoughts?