grounderbellamy:

I see posts asking why Kylo Ren wears a mask since Vader’s mask served a functional purpose (to breath), and they tease him saying he’s trying to copy Vader or be dramatic. But they conveniently forget that all the foot soldiers who work for the Galatic Empire and the First Order wore masks. The Knights of Ren, the Stormtroopers, Captain Phasma, etc. The only ones who don’t wear masks are the officers and generals who don’t go out into the field.

I can’t speak for the writers of Star Wars, but I always assumed that members of the Galatic Empire and later on the First Order wore masks to dehumanize themselves. The same reasons warriors have always worn masks (knights, Samurais, etc.) If the enemy can’t see your face or look into your eyes, it’s like you’re a monster. It strikes fear into them. And it also strips away the individuality and identities of the soldiers (the same way Stormtrooper’s having numbers instead of names does). It’s all about control. Controlling the soldiers and controlling the reactions of the enemies.

Like that scene where Rey describes Kylo as a “creature in a mask”. She didn’t see him as human until after he removed the mask. And that’s the whole point.

Yaaaas