Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams has confirmed a popular fan theory about Kylo Ren’s repaired mask referencing the Japanese art of Kintsugi, also known as Kintsukuroi.
In a recent interview with Empire magazine, the Episode IX filmmaker discussed Ren’s decision to wear his fractured headwear in the final instalment of the Skywalker saga, having previously smashed the black helmet during a furious rage in The Last Jedi.
“Having him be masked, but also fractured, is a very intentional thing,” Abrams said, as per an excerpt on Reddit. “Like that classic Japanese process of taking ceramics and repairing them, and how the breaks in a way define the beauty of the piece as much as the original itself. As fractured as Ren is, the mask becomes a visual representation of that. There’s something about this that tells his history. His mask doesn’t ultimately hide him and his behaviour is revealed.”
Source: IGN.com J.J. Abrams Confirms Theory About Kylo Ren's Repaired Mask in Episode IX