Director J.J. Abrams recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Empire and he explained a few details regarding villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order. One of the important details he stated was that Kylo Ren is not actually a Sith Lord but more of a Dark Force user such as the Inquisitor from "Star Wars Rebels."
"Kylo Ren is not a Sith," he explained. "He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force."
In a previous report from IndieRevolver, "Ren" isn't even Kylo's last name but a title similar to the "Darth" in Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. According to this report, Kylo is part of a group of Force users known as the Knights of Ren.
Supreme Leader Snoke, currently being played by Andy Serkis via motion-capture performance, is reportedly leading the First Order in order to revive the Order of the Sith and the ideals of the Empire that was crushed during the events in "Return of the Jedi." To be exact, Abrams likened the First Order to the Nazis.
He said, "That all came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina but then 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?"
Comic books and novels from "Star Wars Legends" (formerly the "Expanded Universe"), which are no longer considered canon in "Star Wars" lore, explored this concept of survivors of the Empire banding together and attempting to restore their great but evil Empire. This was prominently seen in the "Thrawn Trilogy" and the "Dark Empire" comic book series.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens in theaters on Dec. 18.
