Every new Star Wars film brings with it a wealth of brilliant concept art that sheds light on the unknowns of the universe, even when the art doesn’t end up being used in the movie. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is no different in this regard. A collection of concept art from the movie titled The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker offers a glimpse at several unused scenes from the pre-production phase of the movie and adds some transparency to the symbolism in the movie. Perhaps the most notable example is the bit about the design of Kylo Ren’s newly repaired helmet.
Early forms of the helmet design highlighted the cracks spreading across the helmet rather than letting them blend in. The lines along which the helmet was mended were to be lit from behind, giving them a distinct orange glow that really made them pop.
In the book, chief costume concept artist Glyn Dillon added to the symbolism:
When it wasn't backlit, it looked quite flat. So we had the idea of adding light behind it. The original joins looked a bit like the lava of Mustafar. In my mind, Kylo would constantly be using the Force to hold his helmet together, like when he used the Force to stop the laser bolt in VII. It would always be alive, this molten thing. But they've since gone through with a welding idea instead.
This shows the design has a level of depth many hadn’t considered before. With the comparison to the lava on Mustafar, Dillon draws a direct lineage between Kylo Ren’s reinvention and Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader.
Obviously, fans have known for a long time that the Ren helmet was influenced by Vader’s helmet. After all, Kylor Ren is the world’s biggest Vader fanboy, and the design of his original helmet is basically a trimmed-down version of Vader’s. Additionally, the deformed and melted remains of Vader’s helmet are a token of Kylo’s devotion to the dark side in the first of the sequel trilogy.
However, the symbolism is only deepened when it’s thought of as a physical tie to death and rebirth. When Kylo is repairing his helmet, he’s also undergoing a transformation. He’s ingraining his own internal damage into his helmet. In that way, the design is about a lot more than just a cool aesthetic.
The concept art involved in the Star Wars franchise is far and away some of the best that Hollywood has to offer, and it allows fans to connect with the films on a more intimate level when they see the evolution of these designs. It’s clear from the art involved in Kylo Ren’s costuming that the elements of his armor are carefully thought out to serve the narrative of the character. Just as the scars in his helmet will never heal, Kylo Ren retains the scars from his past in Episode IX.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong' o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant.