Kylo Ren's helmet

"Take that ridiculous thing off."

- Snoke, ordering Kylo Ren to remove his helmet

Having turned to the dark side of the Force, the First Order warlord Kylo Ren began wearing a helmet patterned on the battle gear of the Knights of Ren. Concealing the face of his former persona, the fallen Jedi Ben Solo, the helmet was designed to increase Ren's imposing demeanor. During the Battle of Starkiller Base, Ren was confronted by his father, the smuggler Han Solo, who implored Ren to remove the helmet so that he could see the face of his son. Although the dark warrior granted Solo's request, he ultimately chose to kill his father in an effort to suppress his inclination to the light side of the Force. Supreme Leader Snoke, the head of the First Order who trained Ren in the ways of the dark side, observed that the act of patricide only served to worsen the conflict within his apprentice, contributing to his defeat by the hand of Rey&mdash;a Jakku scavenger with no prior experience in lightsaber combat.

Upon returning to his master, Ren removed his helmet once more&mdash;revealing his wounded face to Snoke, who derided his apprentice as sentimental and unworthy of the legacy of Ren's grandfather, the fallen Sith Lord Darth Vader. Ren destroyed his helmet in a fit of rage and plotted to regain the status he lost as a result of his duel with Rey. He would ultimately succeed Snoke, whom he assassinated during the assault on the Resistance fleet, as Supreme Leader of the First Order in the year 34 ABY. After securing Snoke's throne for himself, Ren sought to bring the galaxy under the rule of a new order by destroying the Resistance as well as the combined legacy of the Sith and the Jedi Order.

Description
"Take off that mask. You don't need it."

- Han Solo, to Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren's helmet was a face-concealing black combat helmet with a silver inlay that radiated from the eyes as a symbol of power. Modeled on the battle gear of the Knights of Ren, the helmet served to hide Ren's former identity as Ben Solo&mdash;the nephew and fallen apprentice of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. In addition, its aesthetical design and integrated voice-projecting vocabulator enhanced Ren's imposing appearance.

The face mask was connected to the helmet via articulated arms driven by servomotors; a hinged mechanism sealed the mask to the helmet. Although he wore the helmet to make himself appear more intimidating, neither his father or master &mdash;Han Solo and Snoke, respectively&mdash;were impressed by it. Solo deemed the helmet unnecessary whereas Snoke thought it was ridiculous.

History
"You're just a child in a mask."

- Snoke, to Kylo Ren

During the rise of the First Order, Supreme Leader Snoke began training the fallen Jedi Ben Solo in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Adopting the persona of Kylo Ren, master of the Knights of Ren and champion of the First Order, Snoke's new apprentice took to regularly wearing a battle helmet that concealed his former identity as he sought to follow in the example of his grandfather&mdash;Darth Vader, who also wore a mask during his time as a Dark Lord of the Sith. In the year 34 ABY, Ren captured a Jakku scavenger named Rey during the hunt for his uncle and former master, Luke Skywalker, and brought her to Starkiller Base for interrogation. Assuming her captor was some form of a creature due to the way Ren concealed his face with a mask, she was surprised to discover that he was in fact a young human male. Ren donned his helmet once more after Rey escaped from her cell, but removed it again at the request of his father. Han Solo confronted his son in the hope of turning him back to the light side of the Force, causing Ren to drop the helmet and offer his lightsaber to Solo. Yet despite Solo's efforts to redeem his son, the First Order warlord killed his father by stabbing him through the chest with the lightsaber.

The act of patricide did not strengthen Ren's connection to the dark side, however. It weakened him and contributed to his defeat in a duel with Rey in spite of her lack of experience in lightsaber combat, as observed by Snoke. Disappointed by his apprentice's failings, the Supreme Leader ordered Ren to remove his helmet, revealing the facial scar inflicted upon him by Rey. Whereas Snoke was once impressed by Ren's raw strength in the Force and the potential of his bloodline, he now regarded Ren as a child who hid behind a mask and had too much of his father's heart. Consumed by rage, Ren smashed the helmet into a wall. Through his anger, the Force gave him the strength to hammer his helmet against the wall until it was destroyed.

Following the helmet's destruction, Ren endeavored to regain his status and prove his worth to Snoke. However, while the First Order pursued the Resistance fleet, Ren and Rey gradually grew closer to each other through the Force-bond that connected them across the galaxy. Sensing Ren's inner conflict, Rey urged him to turn back to the light whereas Snoke ordered Ren to execute the aspiring Jedi. Ultimately, Ren chose to kill Snoke instead of Rey but then moved to claim the Supreme Leader's throne for both Rey and himself, believing that they could create a new order by ruling the galaxy together. Rey rejected his offer, compelling Ren to take over the First Order by himself. As the new Supreme Leader, he vowed to put an end to the war, the Resistance, and the combined legacy of the Sith and the Jedi Order.

Behind the scenes
Kylo Ren's helmet was first introduced in the 2015 sequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams. It was later destroyed in Rian Johnson's 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Force Arena
 * Last Shot
 * Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens Graphic Novel Adaptation
 * The Force Awakens, Part I
 * The Force Awakens, Part II
 * The Force Awakens, Part III
 * The Force Awakens, Part IV
 * The Force Awakens, Part V
 * The Force Awakens, Part VI
 * Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi: A Junior Novel

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * Jedi Training - Trials of the Temple
 * Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens