Page 71 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2020)

to grace the silver screen, but the
shadow of Darth Vader looms large
in the newest installment of the

Skywalker saga of Star Wars films.
We talked to a number of Star
Wars experts about what they think
makes a great villain and how Kylo
Ren stacks up to this standard.

Paul S. Kemp is the author of Lords
of the Sith, which made him a logical

first choice to turn to:
“A great villain is one whose
villainy makes sense, whose drives
are understandable, even if not
sympathetic. We don’t know all
of Kylo’s backstory, but he appears
in some ways to have been a
failure, as both an aspiring Jedi
and perhaps also as a son. That
sense of failure and the insecurity
it creates festered, and to overcome
both he turned to Vader, who—
to Kylo—embodied strength,
confidence, power, and maybe

even served as a kind of proxy
father figure since Han, obviously,

did not. That’s all relatable, right?
We can understand that. Of course,
emulating Vader doesn’t actually

fill his emotional holes, so he
piles frustration and rage onto his
insecurity and boom, we’ve got
this emotionally rich character
who vacillates between a rage-
filled teenager and a frightening

would-be Sith Lord. He’s a
character on the edge—or
the bridge, if you prefer—
and we’re watching his
formative years.
I found even the small
glimpse of him we got

in the film to be a
fascinating one.”

INSIDER 71