There has been much ink spilled about what could have been and what should have been when it comes toStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Many complained about the way Kylo Ren used some neon red gorilla glue to puzzle his old helmet back together with the help of Caesar fromPlanet of the Apes. Well, if some original concept art had been carried through, Ben Solo would have become much more like his grandpa with an mazing Darth Vader style helmet.
This concept art comes from Luke D. Fisher at Pinewood studios. And it perfectly marries theoriginal Darth Vader helmetwith Kylo Ren’s helmet fromThe Force Awakens. Ben Solo destroyed his mask in the opening act ofThe Last Jedi, leaving Adam Driver more time to show off his scared face. Many complained about the way J.J. Abrams had the villain resurrect his old look inThe Rise of Skywalker. As we can see, that wasn’t always necessarily the case. Fisher says this about the concept art.
“Kylo helmet conceptfor The Rise of Skywalker. One of my ‘Kylo Mk.2’ versions, drawing closer on the Vader aesthetic.”
This helmet art does feel much more like the original trilogy. And there is nothing cooler than a bad guy in a menacing mask. The helmet would have stayed true to Kylo Ren’s story arc over the three movies, as set up inThe Force Awakens. Kylo was obsessed with his grandfather Darth Vader. And he coveted Anakin Skywalker’s old melted helmet that became instantly iconic whenA New Hopewas released in theaters way back in 1971.
Plenty of stuff changed from concept to screen when it comes toThe Rise of Skywalker.Jurassic Worldmastermind Colin Trevorrow was originally supposed to direct, and his script titledDuel of the Fateshas made the rounds on the Internet. Would it have been better than what we eventually got in J.J. Abrams’The Rise of Skywalker? Sadly we’ll never know.
Many believedKylo Ren mending his helmetwas J.J. Abrams trying to fix what many believe Rian Johnson broke inThe Last Jedi. Did the execution pay off? Many don’t think so, and are disheartened with the way that Ben Solo’s story came to an end, especially since he was the real last Skywalker, with Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter Rey taking up the name at the end of the movie, which is still seen as blasphemous to some. You can check outLuke D. Fisher on Instagram. Really, who knows what could have been?
