‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Might Make Darth Vader A ‘Martyr’ Figure

J.J. Abrams has hinted that Darth Vader could be a “martyr” figure in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens film, the Guardian reports.

Abrams has a legendary reputation for secrecy when it comes to his films, but he uncharacteristically spilled the beans on Tuesday by revealing some plot details for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the most interesting of which is the long shadow of influence the deceased Anakin Skywalker would cast on the entire Star Wars universe.

For some background, early details on Star Wars: The Force Awakens suggest that The Empire has transformed into the First Order, whereas the Rebellion has turned into the Resistance. The two Star Wars trailers released so far have offered only glimpses of the new status quo in the Star War universe, leaving a lot of room for speculation.

Which brings us to Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, whom we saw on the first Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer wielding a crossguard lightsaber and wearing a Vader-like black robe and a face mask.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Abrams said that Kylo Ren’s costume in the upcoming Star Wars film was meant to remind viewers of Anakin Skywalker.

“The movie explains the origins of the mask and where it’s from, but the design was meant to be a nod to the Vader mask. [Ren] is well aware of what’s come before, and that’s very much a part of the story of the film.”

The above statement suggests that Kylo Ren’s First Order is a direct descendant of the evil Galactic Empire in the upcoming Star Wars film, at least until Abrams threw us another curve ball.

Kylo Ren is *not* a Sith. And the First Order are… Nazis? JJ Abrams reveals new plot detailshttp://t.co/3TGRMrt0it pic.twitter.com/ffbNIWOIXo

— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) August 25, 2015

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

As previously reported by Inquisitr, Snoke (played by Andy Serkis) is expected to be a CGI character with motion-captured movements in the new Star Wars film. In the first Star Wars teaser, the character was heard talking about the re-emergence of the Force, once described by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as the “energy field created by all living things.”

But if Kylo Ren is not a Sith, to what organization does he ultimately offer his allegiance? To backtrack, Kylo Ren is a member of an evil organization called Knights of Ren. Little is yet known about the organization’s background. Interestingly, it was confirmed that Kylo Ren has a manic obsession with Darth Vader. This obsession has urged him to undertake a quest looking for ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts, one of which is Anakin’s blue lightsaber.

With all these plot elements thrown into the mix, one can suppose that there’s a lot to the First Order than meets the eye. J.J. Abrams’s sheds more light about the organization’s nature with the following statement.

“That all came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina, but 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?”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is scheduled to open in cinemas worldwide on December 18.

[Photo by Sascha Steinbach / Getty Images]