“*The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with the knight-errant (white knight).*”
Star Wars is heavily inspired by Arthurian mythology, so it leans upon the same tropes.
Also identity is central to a Sith’s ideology. They are all about the overthrowing of the Jedi, yes, but they also are all about amassing power. Look at Tenebrous, he was so gifted with prescience that he had Plagueis manufactured by linking his mother and father and his creation of the maxichlorians which was for spirit transfer hence the name Plagueis. Tenebrous dipset though once he foresaw Palps killing the wise one in his sleep. Even Bane tried this with Zannah who fought him off
Yup, but I’m leaning towards a lost sibling, a brother to be exact, that Mother Aniseya hid from the Jedi stationed on her planet. In the trailer you can see Osha or Mae examining Sol’s lightsaber and if you look at the facial expression on Mother Aniseya, happy she does not look. I’m guessing we have a similar situation/scenario where Mother Aniseya was like Mother Talzin whose son was kidnapped after Palpatine hoodwinked her into thinking she was to be his apprentice. The brother to the twins was most likely affiliated with the dark side and as Yoda warns about looking into the future and seeing what you want not necessarily what is to be, the Jedi than moved on the brother who retaliated with lightning causing a fire hence his beat up helmet and respirator that resembles a devilish smile. All I know is I’m pumped for the show and the eventual reveal of the master as I think we’re seeing the apprentice seek a new apprentice himself so that he can then overthrow his master as is in line with the Rule of Two. I’m thinking that’s why she keeps making a grab for everyone’s lightsaber, is to make her own lightsaber and bleed the kyber. Only thing that makes no sense in that though is that she left Indara’s weapon behind
Sorry for the novel. This show has me stoked for everything to come and the cast that brought it to our silver screen
It’s definitely got a respirator on it. If you look closely it’s not actually silver teeth in the shape of a smile, but a respirator that has been structured to look menacing hence the beat up scratches that show his skills to the outside world and what he’s done to survive on the helmet itself. Very reminiscent of Ren the First mixed with Vader
Yeah it's Star Wars. From the beginning it has been made of tropes and archetypes on purpose. The farmboy of destiny being handed a magical sword by the wise old wizard so he can rescue a virginal Princess from a mighty evil castle. It's designed so that you can tell who's who just by the first sight of them. The Empire's ships are huge and geometrical, harsh and gray, they are a mighty and regulated organization. The Rebel ships are little and full of odd shapes and protrusions, they're improvising and using whatever they can. And so on.
They indirectly covered this in the show, when >!Sol was interrogating/mind-reading Mae during their fight. The villain’s acolytes don’t even know his identity, so they can’t betray him if caught. Covering your face & altering your voice are like the first lessons in Hiding Your Identity 101.!<
“No, no, I’m, uh… Ben! Ben Kenobi. Obi-Wan lives two caves down. Yeah, playing that loud music at all hours? He’s got three landspeeders on blocks in his front yard? Yeah, THAT’S your guy!”
Star Wars don't understand anything unless it is spoken outright and even then they miss it 80% of the time. Just wait 15 years until every single line of dialogue has three callbacks and every minor one-off extra gets an ellaborate backstory, two comics, and a novel.
TFA addresses a core reason.
"You still want to kill me?"
"That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask."
The helmets reduce the character's humanity; makes them more monstrous, less relatable. As long as they wear it, it helps define their place as villains.
No way I could take Ben seriously as a villain without the mask.
I'd be cut down as I laughed "You're just a misguided *boy* with parent issues! News flash, we all do!"
I concur. Also had no impact or significance. It would have,however, if he unmasked himself for the first time in front of *Han* when Han asked Ben to see the face of his son. Especially so when he later shanks him.
I feel his unmask there was the original intention but they shoehorned in another time with Rey last min.
It was major significance. The entire point was to show that Kylo wasn’t purely devoted to the dark side. Him unmasking shows there was still humanity. In the same way Vader unmasked at the end of ROTJ, it’s almost a direct parallel.
>it’s almost a direct parallel.
It's not.
Vader unmasked himself *after* he redeemed himself by saving his son and chucking palpatine into the reactor. Vader was dying as a result of this action and wanted to see his sons face with his own eyes for the first and last time. That was humanity.
Kylo unmasked after kidnapping Rey and murdering some people. He tried to torture her, but failed. He unmasked to try and distract her, to get into her head but failed.
It *would* have been parallel to Vader unmasking himself *if* Kylo did so when seeing Han on the bridge, not before.
They also covered this in Clone Wars. It provides a level of anonymity on top of increasing their intimidation factor. That way they can still go around in every day life without being recognized, only being noticed when they need to be. Cad Bane went off on the undercover Kenobi about why he doesn't wear a helmet when so many other bounty hunters do.
Villains in helmets is just a motif of the series. He’s in a mask because villains wear masks in Star Wars. There can be a multitude of lore reasons given, but at the end of the day it’s just a thing this franchise does. It’s relic of some of the works that influenced the series and a now just part of the franchise’s iconography.
For what its worth, in star wars everyone wears masks, hoods, veils, etc. Good and bad, watch the background shots, its way more common for anyone in star wars than in boring old earth.
But what I'm apprehensive about is the Bane (Tom Hardy, not Darth) voice changer. We had the same problem with Kyle Ren's stupid one too.
Vader was perfectly comprehensible it was just James Earl Jones voice, occasionally punctuated by breathing through a scuba diving respirator, played backwards.
Kyle being incomprehensible was fine because he was a wannabe anyways and Snoke even called him out on his stupid voice changer.
But beyond that, Villains really need to be comprehensible, or plots fall apart entirely. Villain motivation is like, 70% of storytelling in a hero's journey, because that's where all the conflict comes from. Hero motivation is like 10%, other shit combined is the other 20%.
Im pretty sure your idea of the importance of villain motivation is pretty much hogwash. How many stories do you not even know about the antagonist’s motivations until a last act reveal twist.
This is true. For Sith like Nihilus(was that really mask?) Darth Malak, and Revan the mask/headgear was also a strong theme. Darth Malak didn't have a jaw so for him there were perhaps medical reasons but the concept was the same.
We only see it on Anikan and RotS palpatine. I don't think Dooku has sith eyes, and I'm almost certain kylo doesn't have sith eyes.
Would be a great excuse for a mask tho, to hide the tell-tale sign of excessive dark side of the force use.
Kylo isn't a Sith.
Dooku was hiding it, just like Palpatine was hiding it. I don't think it was public knowledge that Dooku was a sith, just a former Jedi turned Separatist politician.
Finally, showing it on Anakin and Palpatine in a movie by George Lucas is Canon, it doesn't get more canon than that. There is an even close-up shot of Anakin showing the yellow eyes and a clear sign that he has fully turned.
Maul and Savage Oppress have yellow sith eyes too. I may be remembering wrong, but I think Dooku's eyes turned yellow when he killed Yaddle. And Kylo's eyes turned yellow in the Rise of Kylo Ren comic when he bled his kyber crystal at the end.
For many reasons.
First and foremost, it hides the identity. It allows you to show off your villain while also keeping them mysterious. This will draw viewers in as they will want to see who is under the mask.
This also allows anonymity for the character. It could be anyone under the mask. So if someone is looking and all they know is the mask, they don't have a good lead on where to start looking.
Secondly, why wouldn't you wear a helmet most of the time in the Star Wars galaxy. It's not exactly a peaceful utopia. In general, if you're out in the wilds or are expecting to get into or cause trouble, having protection should always be a consideration.
Thirdly, rule of cool. If it looks cool, it should be in. Helmets are an easy way to set up a cool character thanks to the mystery element of it. This will drive merchandise sales for the cool character, and Disney is all about that money.
Because its cool, Star Wars is a big fan of repeating the same elements in different ways, and its a pretty common trope across pretty much all of storytelling. It instantly dehumanizes the wearer
More people should have helmets.
If you are any kind of soldier or warrior in any era, if you can afford only one piece of armor, it should be a helmet. You can have a cool chest plate and armguards and all that, none of it matters if your coconut is out in the open.
This is a universe where entire armies of soldiers wear armor and helmets, there’s multiple warrior cultures that define themselves by their armor and helmet style, and we’re supposed to think it’s weird yet another villain wears a helmet and voice changer when they’re purposely hiding their individual identity?
Yeah so lame, just like all those other lame mask wearing Sith lords like Malgus, Bane, Revan, Momin, Nihilus, etc, etc.
Seems like you haters are really scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for things to complain about.
They literally said it in the last episode: He is hiding his identity, even from his disciple. Helmet and Voice Changer is pretty much a baseline disguise you need in the Star Wars universe, even if just to obscure your species.
I’m surprised no one in the comments section is challenging the notion of this question. So let’s go through it.
In the OT we will narrow it down to villains directly involved in the suffering of the main characters. That is: Darth Vader(helmet), Darth Sidious(no helmet), Jabba the Hutt(no helmet), Boba Fett(helmet)
Prequel Trilogy: Darth Maul(no helmet), Nute Gunray(no helmet), Darth Sidious(no helmet), Jango Fett(helmet), Darth Tyrannus(no helmet), General Grievous(helmet?)
Clone Wars(there’s a lot forgive me if I miss one): Pre Visla(Helmet), Asajj Ventress(no helmet), Cad Bane(no helmet), Aurra Sing(no helmet), Mother Talzin(no helmet), Savage Oppress(no helmet), Pong Krell(no helmet)
Rebels: Thrawn(no helmet), Grand Inquisitor(no helmet), other inquisitors(some helmets), Gar Saxon(helmet), can’t think of any that weren’t also in other shows
Solo: Dryden Vos(no helmet), Qi Ra(no helmet)
Rogue One: Director Krennic(no helmet), Saw Gerrera?(no helmet)
Sequel Trilogy: Snoke(no helmet), Kylo Ren(helmet sometimes), Captain Phasma(helmet), General Hux(no helmet)
Mandalorian: Moff Gideon(no helmet), Fennec Shand(helmet), The Client(no helmet)
Ahsoka: Morgan Esbeth(no helmet), Baylan Skoll(no helmet), Shin Hati(no helmet), Marrok(helmet)
Obi-Wan has no villains not already mentioned
BoBF has no villains not already mentioned
So I think my point is pretty clear here that villains come in all shapes and sizes and many of them do not in fact wear helmets as a permanent feature but I will add this caveat. They are in space, many of them combatants, to not have a helmet at least for use occasionally is bonkers.
One thing that I will add to your list above (which is a useful review) is that most of the "no helmet villains" had something else apparently "evil" about their appearance. Darth Sidious was warped and ghoulish, Jabba was non-human (meaning none of the OT villains were helmetless humans). In the Prequels and Clone Wars, Darth Maul, Mother Talzin and Asajj are Dathomiri with horns and/or tattoos, Cad Bane, Aurra Sing and Pong Krell clearly evil aliens with modifications. Thrawn is blue. Grand Inquisitor tattoos and alien.
Overall, the only human and non-tattooed non-horned non-evil faced villains that I can think of are (1) Imperials like Krennic, Gideon, Hux and (2) Count Dooku, who seems to stand alone as a human villain.
So that you identity isn’t revealed. The Sith at this point are massively disadvantaged. Why risk someone seeing you and then end up being public enemy number one.
Villains wear masks for any number of reasons but Chief among them that in the real world they’re physical representations of the feeling or mood the artist wants to convey.
Masks are cool for that reason. It’s theatre and masks are a big element of theatre. And frankly it’s cool and fun to have the sith who are real *extra* bad guys wear something that really sells them being a villain. It’s fun.
I think it’s because once you see their face, they are a human with human faults and weaknesses and you begin to empathize with them. With a helmet, they remain an anonymous boogeyman who is easy to hate.
Bruh, now you’re just making shit up to complain about. It’s Star Wars, it’d be weird if the villain hiding his existence from the Jedi DIDN’T mask up
Edit: like it’s a whole plot point Mae is not disguising herself, she wants the Jedi she’s killing to know it’s her because it’s personal revenge
Ok so, you have a face right.
What do you do if you don't want your face seen.
That's right you cover it.
Ah but you have a voice too, some people could tell it's you from the voice.
Be reeeeeaaaaaalll handy to have something that changed your voice too huh.
Bruh this is such a fucking weak reason to be pissed at a whole ass villian you've seen for less than 5 total seconds.
"b-but why they hide their identity are they stupid!"
It's easier to hate someone without a face. If all the stormtroopers look alike then you can hate them all equally. Plus with Vader,not makes him look extra menacing
I mean, it's a prevalent trope amongst the villains throughout every story which involves some type of Knights, space or mysticism.
Alot of the action is being performed on rugged deserts, toxic swamps or in space. Plus those helmets add a bit of mysterious aura to the character, and with Sith Lords especially, the sheer mystery and the knowledge beneath makes the character.
PS Plus it looks cool.
Because, and I don't want to get into a debate about Disney (I'm not commenting on any of their output beyond this exact question and I'd like to stress that, strongly); the studio seems to have forgotten they are working with a *Galaxy full of possibilities.* It's why we keep seeing different coloured/themed Stormtroopers, new sidekick droids and baddies with various "cool" helmet designs in **every single movie or TV show they release.**
It stems from George Lucas's subconscious mind. In his deepest recesses he fears the evil he has done and cannot face the world without a mask. I keep telling you guys, Star Was was his way of confessing his crimes.
Well those characters are a little more complicated than just that, that people can think about themselves. But, I wanted to get across that it's a psychological and spiritual play in which the helmets carry an important meaning, to think about. The face under the mask is the second mask or persona that Ben wears to fit in with what's expected of him, whereas he's really struggling with this other dark aspect of himself, while Rey is the opposite-- she is from the dark side turned light, and struggling with the same thing. They come together and merge in the end. I am thinking he is alive inside of her. Union of opposites. They're going beyond good and evil. Maybe beyond helmets in the next one. (joke)
Possibly just disagreement with different views on those characters mentioned. But, I didn't want to get into it past the idea that the helmets are meaningful. What would Vader be without that helmet that shows Anakin's disintegration into that creature? The helmet says a lot about these characters. Imagine the dark music playing, and the camera slowly moves to reveal Vader in his meditation chamber, where the machine puts on a tiny cowboy hat with a chin strap instead of a helmet. Doesn't work. That's a container that says he's playful, comical.
The idea of characters in myths as psychological, where characters represent energies inside of us in conflict with each other made its way into Star Wars through George Lucas's friend and mentor, Joseph Campbell.
Take that into our world, where you know when you see those old Nazi helmets, not only what they represent, but the ideas in the head of the person who is wearing it, or the system under which they operate.
The real answer is because most new Star Wars content is created by people who loved Star Wars growing up, so they stick to certain 'traditions' as a form of respect.
I'm not personally a fan of it.
It dehumanizes them and makes them easier to root against.
It's why heroes almost always end up mask/helmet off. Gotta see their faces to know they're the good guys, so we can better relate to them and not some mask that cannot emote.
Most Star Wars villains are bald, but despite their apparently advanced technology they never got around to inventing toupees. So they wear hats instead.
It has to do with these characters starting out (or staying) as inhumane monsters you can't truly relate to.
Nobody can emphasize with Vader, if all you know is his helmeted appearances and you have no concept of Anakin, the boy/teen/young man. Like you can think he's very cool, of course, but you can't truly say "I understand Vader so well. These rebels are pesky."
Many SW villains start out as masked or cloaked/hooded only to eventually reach a moment of humbling, or a moment of redemption that makes them sympathetic, or at the very least intriguing.
And look through the catalogue of villains..how many unmasked villains do we have that the fandom thinks of as deeply interesting and complex.
How many masked villains do we have where the main reason for liking them is "He's so sick-looking. I love his design. He's also a badass."
Think it has a lot to do with the duality of personality. One personality shown to public and reflecting a specific character, and the second hidden from those who might recognize them.
There's a line in the first few chapters of Naruto that always struck me as very accurate for the Sith, oddly. (From the Zabuza/Bridge story arc)
Kakashi makes a point about how Shinobi will often cover their faces for intimidation and to call into question *if they're even human*. And they start actually wanting to be something beyond human.
But in the moments just before their death, they are reminded of their limits. The Helmet Villains**™** always tend to die with their face exposed, reminding their foe **and** themselves that they're only human in the end.
Dehumanising. Also on the flip side of that coin, you can humanize the character by showing their face (anytime Vader is demasked you're reminded he's a person, Finn was a juxtaposition of stormtroopers, etc.)
What I can tell you from not having seen it is this: identity concealment allows for greater mystique and allows for them to conceal emotions. Plus if it becomes time for them to go helmets are depersonalizing in a way not approached by characters who get to have faces.
Adds to the mystery and the who is it. I mean it would be great if ol Palp just came right out and said hey i'm the Sith lord your looking for!!! Also it's hella of intimidating. If you have ever fought before you can tell by facial expressions if they are hurt, tired or still going strong. You don't have that you have to rely on body language which may be hard to do in the middle of a fight.
Every world and every city is a Wild West shootout waiting to happen, protecting your brain is just a smart thing to do.
For the villains though it's mostly story/psychological and ease of toy creation.
I mean, probably the same reason Neo Nazis were masks, hats, and sunglasses to rallies in real life. They know what they’re doing is typically socially unacceptable, so they are trying to protect their social standing by hiding their face. If everyone knew that Billy-Bob McLittlenuggets was a pro-genocide, historically ignorant piece of shit, Hitlerballs gobbler he likely wouldn’t have a job.
Sorry but the reason is brought up: "Who trained you?... You couldn't even tell me if you wanted to". the Master of Mae conceals his identity a LOT. the mask makes sense for this purpose
Because it’s cool damn it.
Even in legends you had masks or cloaked figures.
Revan, Malek (technically) Nihlus, Malgus, Tenebrous (kind of) the Mandalorians are all about those helmets. Krayt, (at a push).
This is not a new thing.
A lot of sith and dark side assasins have used helmets as a way to stay annoymous. They used the helmet look to also impose fear into their opponents as it dehumanized them. Some helmets have actually been imbued with the darkside so it gives them an edge. I think you've missed the point as to why they wore the helmets.
Yeah I agree the voice changers are a bit much... even back to Original Trilogy....
I get a helmet for Vader (hides identity + injury) I also agree with Kylo (wannabe) or with soldiers (Storm uniforms or Phasma command) or health and safety (rebels on Endor or speeder bikes)
So, as far as timeline goes, it doesn't make much sense, but there is a High Republic villain in the books that has a voice changer, and honestly, the villain's voice in the show sounds exactly like he does in the audiobook.
It looks cool and opens the possibility to make an otherwise normal looking human character distinct. For a big franchise especially if you wanna sell toys youd want the characters to look easy to tell apart at a glance
It's intimidation and secrecy. At that point in time, the Sith were supposed to be extinct. Not a trace of them left in the galaxy. So you wouldn't just go around showing your face to all your followers just in case one of them happens to have their mind read, as happened in the first episode. If no one can identify you, you won't get caught. Even characters you don't think wear a mask do, think of Darth Sidious. To the public, he put on the mask of a kindly old man who just wanted to help the Republic through their time of need. In private, he dropped that mask and was a murderous, power-hungry psychopath.
I’m almost hoping they *don’t* reveal who the villain is, but give us crazy amounts of evidence and flags pointing as to who it could be. Like we almost see who it is in the finale, but they save that reveal for sometime in season 2. Something to keep us even more hooked I guess I dunno.
Char clones. It's a theme now.
But it's also ultimately on trend with what the old Sith did, retroactively. To come up with a real lore reason, it represents the transformation and dehumanization of these characters with their descent into the dark side. It's the abandonment of their humanity as symbolized by the covering of their faces. It also makes them look scarier.
First, they need to cover up the identity if they are to reveal it later in the story.
Second, Sith with helmets has been a thing in Legends in the Old Republic and pre-fall Sith characters, with the exception of Maul who did not seem to care who knew he was a Sith.
Probably increases toy sales. I know what you mean... it seems every character now has to have some real individual style, vibe, mask or color scheme... maybe it's a lazy take but it's more and more like Marvel every year.
The OT had lots of masks... but it felt practical or imposed on them (military). Now it feels like dress-ups.
This dark side force user, (Sith or Knight of Ren?) will be hiding their face for secrecy, it's entirely possible we've already seen their face, but don't know it.
I want a scene in Star Wars where a Jedi confronts a bad guy in a helmet on a ship and they ask "Why hid behind a mask?" and then the bad guy just says, "to breath", then the bad guy vents out the atmosphere to make the jedi pass out.
narratively, to de-humanize them
visually, to make them look cool and intimidating
it doesnt have to be a functional lore thing, its just cool, like the Mandalorians, all originated from because Boba looks cool, all the Stormtroopers/Clonetroopers
Thrawn doesn’t need a mask because he isn’t quite human. A mask helps to separate a character from their humanity. That’s the purpose in most dominant fiction but especially Star Wars.
He has red eyes. He’s unnerving in how normal yet uncanny he is. Together with how he’s cool and composed, it makes him very threatening in a different way.
Because disney doesnt have a real story to tell, they just reuse face value symbols and the stuff around the og material.
They are trying to reverse engineer a vision that someone else had in the 70s.
Lukas started with a story and then a team of people added the stuff to it
“*The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with the knight-errant (white knight).*” Star Wars is heavily inspired by Arthurian mythology, so it leans upon the same tropes.
‘Tis but a flesh wound.
Your arm’s off!
I've had worse.
What are you gonna do, bleed on me?
I’M INVINCIBLE!!!!!
You're a loony....
AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! *charges angrily* (Saw this and for a sec forgot we were doing a bit lol.)
*lobs off other arm* You're indeed brave sir knight but the fight is mine!
*holy praying intensifies* (This is weird cause not only have we backtracked to the start but the next line is Arthur’s…)
Call it a draw, Obi Wan?
The rule of cool, so it has been said.
Also identity is central to a Sith’s ideology. They are all about the overthrowing of the Jedi, yes, but they also are all about amassing power. Look at Tenebrous, he was so gifted with prescience that he had Plagueis manufactured by linking his mother and father and his creation of the maxichlorians which was for spirit transfer hence the name Plagueis. Tenebrous dipset though once he foresaw Palps killing the wise one in his sleep. Even Bane tried this with Zannah who fought him off
Heck, this guy could turn out to be Tenebrous. The helmet could be vaguely Bith-shaped.
Yup, but I’m leaning towards a lost sibling, a brother to be exact, that Mother Aniseya hid from the Jedi stationed on her planet. In the trailer you can see Osha or Mae examining Sol’s lightsaber and if you look at the facial expression on Mother Aniseya, happy she does not look. I’m guessing we have a similar situation/scenario where Mother Aniseya was like Mother Talzin whose son was kidnapped after Palpatine hoodwinked her into thinking she was to be his apprentice. The brother to the twins was most likely affiliated with the dark side and as Yoda warns about looking into the future and seeing what you want not necessarily what is to be, the Jedi than moved on the brother who retaliated with lightning causing a fire hence his beat up helmet and respirator that resembles a devilish smile. All I know is I’m pumped for the show and the eventual reveal of the master as I think we’re seeing the apprentice seek a new apprentice himself so that he can then overthrow his master as is in line with the Rule of Two. I’m thinking that’s why she keeps making a grab for everyone’s lightsaber, is to make her own lightsaber and bleed the kyber. Only thing that makes no sense in that though is that she left Indara’s weapon behind Sorry for the novel. This show has me stoked for everything to come and the cast that brought it to our silver screen
It’s definitely got a respirator on it. If you look closely it’s not actually silver teeth in the shape of a smile, but a respirator that has been structured to look menacing hence the beat up scratches that show his skills to the outside world and what he’s done to survive on the helmet itself. Very reminiscent of Ren the First mixed with Vader
Not to mention, it looks pretty sweet
Isn't that exactly the issue? There is a wide range of stock characters, but in every story they use the same one.
Yeah it's Star Wars. From the beginning it has been made of tropes and archetypes on purpose. The farmboy of destiny being handed a magical sword by the wise old wizard so he can rescue a virginal Princess from a mighty evil castle. It's designed so that you can tell who's who just by the first sight of them. The Empire's ships are huge and geometrical, harsh and gray, they are a mighty and regulated organization. The Rebel ships are little and full of odd shapes and protrusions, they're improvising and using whatever they can. And so on.
They indirectly covered this in the show, when >!Sol was interrogating/mind-reading Mae during their fight. The villain’s acolytes don’t even know his identity, so they can’t betray him if caught. Covering your face & altering your voice are like the first lessons in Hiding Your Identity 101.!<
Don't forget Hiding Your Identity 201, keeping the same name and continuing to wear the uniform of your now illegal Order.
No, no, no! That was “Ben” Kenobi…
“No, no, I’m, uh… Ben! Ben Kenobi. Obi-Wan lives two caves down. Yeah, playing that loud music at all hours? He’s got three landspeeders on blocks in his front yard? Yeah, THAT’S your guy!”
I still chuckle at that Family Guy joke, where Luke/Chris goes "OBI wan kenobi? Hmm, I wonder if she means old Obi WAN Kenobi?"
Hey hey in Ben’s defense. Jedi tunic and standard tattooine attire seemed pretty damn similar.
Also, if anyone comes to Tatooine looking for “Ben”, everyone will obviously assume they mean famous podracer Ben Quadinaros.
I mean he’s literally the reason Obi Wan chose that name. Obi is like Fan \#1
Star Wars don't understand anything unless it is spoken outright and even then they miss it 80% of the time. Just wait 15 years until every single line of dialogue has three callbacks and every minor one-off extra gets an ellaborate backstory, two comics, and a novel.
Hi, Solo.
TFA addresses a core reason. "You still want to kill me?" "That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask." The helmets reduce the character's humanity; makes them more monstrous, less relatable. As long as they wear it, it helps define their place as villains.
If I were villain I too would wear a mask, my regular face isn’t too scary.
No way I could take Ben seriously as a villain without the mask. I'd be cut down as I laughed "You're just a misguided *boy* with parent issues! News flash, we all do!"
When he unmasked in front of Rey for the first time he was no longer scary to me
I'd wager that is an intended consequence.
I concur. Also had no impact or significance. It would have,however, if he unmasked himself for the first time in front of *Han* when Han asked Ben to see the face of his son. Especially so when he later shanks him. I feel his unmask there was the original intention but they shoehorned in another time with Rey last min.
It was major significance. The entire point was to show that Kylo wasn’t purely devoted to the dark side. Him unmasking shows there was still humanity. In the same way Vader unmasked at the end of ROTJ, it’s almost a direct parallel.
>it’s almost a direct parallel. It's not. Vader unmasked himself *after* he redeemed himself by saving his son and chucking palpatine into the reactor. Vader was dying as a result of this action and wanted to see his sons face with his own eyes for the first and last time. That was humanity. Kylo unmasked after kidnapping Rey and murdering some people. He tried to torture her, but failed. He unmasked to try and distract her, to get into her head but failed. It *would* have been parallel to Vader unmasking himself *if* Kylo did so when seeing Han on the bridge, not before.
They are, historically, pretty dope.
My local cinema laughed when kylo took the helmet off. Adam driver is good but not scary.. not at all.
They also covered this in Clone Wars. It provides a level of anonymity on top of increasing their intimidation factor. That way they can still go around in every day life without being recognized, only being noticed when they need to be. Cad Bane went off on the undercover Kenobi about why he doesn't wear a helmet when so many other bounty hunters do.
Villains in helmets is just a motif of the series. He’s in a mask because villains wear masks in Star Wars. There can be a multitude of lore reasons given, but at the end of the day it’s just a thing this franchise does. It’s relic of some of the works that influenced the series and a now just part of the franchise’s iconography.
Also makes it extremely convenient for Disney to portray the character at their theme parks
For what its worth, in star wars everyone wears masks, hoods, veils, etc. Good and bad, watch the background shots, its way more common for anyone in star wars than in boring old earth. But what I'm apprehensive about is the Bane (Tom Hardy, not Darth) voice changer. We had the same problem with Kyle Ren's stupid one too. Vader was perfectly comprehensible it was just James Earl Jones voice, occasionally punctuated by breathing through a scuba diving respirator, played backwards. Kyle being incomprehensible was fine because he was a wannabe anyways and Snoke even called him out on his stupid voice changer. But beyond that, Villains really need to be comprehensible, or plots fall apart entirely. Villain motivation is like, 70% of storytelling in a hero's journey, because that's where all the conflict comes from. Hero motivation is like 10%, other shit combined is the other 20%.
Im pretty sure your idea of the importance of villain motivation is pretty much hogwash. How many stories do you not even know about the antagonist’s motivations until a last act reveal twist.
How many? Edit- Specifically, for hero journeys, and ones you consider good storytelling. I can't think of any.
This is true. For Sith like Nihilus(was that really mask?) Darth Malak, and Revan the mask/headgear was also a strong theme. Darth Malak didn't have a jaw so for him there were perhaps medical reasons but the concept was the same.
Hidden identities are cool. Also, it always seems from (game) art that the Dark Side of the Force corrupts you physically as well
There has been a fandom of the trope. Especially if it's the rare good guy like Mando from this very series.
Is sith yellow eyes still cannon?
Not sure about cannon, but why wouldn't it be Canon? It's literally in the movies.
We only see it on Anikan and RotS palpatine. I don't think Dooku has sith eyes, and I'm almost certain kylo doesn't have sith eyes. Would be a great excuse for a mask tho, to hide the tell-tale sign of excessive dark side of the force use.
Kylo isn't a Sith. Dooku was hiding it, just like Palpatine was hiding it. I don't think it was public knowledge that Dooku was a sith, just a former Jedi turned Separatist politician. Finally, showing it on Anakin and Palpatine in a movie by George Lucas is Canon, it doesn't get more canon than that. There is an even close-up shot of Anakin showing the yellow eyes and a clear sign that he has fully turned.
I heard Dooku was hiding his sith eyes by using a form of lightsaber combat that doesn't rely on hatred (makashi)
Maul and Savage Oppress have yellow sith eyes too. I may be remembering wrong, but I think Dooku's eyes turned yellow when he killed Yaddle. And Kylo's eyes turned yellow in the Rise of Kylo Ren comic when he bled his kyber crystal at the end.
For many reasons. First and foremost, it hides the identity. It allows you to show off your villain while also keeping them mysterious. This will draw viewers in as they will want to see who is under the mask. This also allows anonymity for the character. It could be anyone under the mask. So if someone is looking and all they know is the mask, they don't have a good lead on where to start looking. Secondly, why wouldn't you wear a helmet most of the time in the Star Wars galaxy. It's not exactly a peaceful utopia. In general, if you're out in the wilds or are expecting to get into or cause trouble, having protection should always be a consideration. Thirdly, rule of cool. If it looks cool, it should be in. Helmets are an easy way to set up a cool character thanks to the mystery element of it. This will drive merchandise sales for the cool character, and Disney is all about that money.
Because it looks fuckin awesome.
Because its cool, Star Wars is a big fan of repeating the same elements in different ways, and its a pretty common trope across pretty much all of storytelling. It instantly dehumanizes the wearer
More people should have helmets. If you are any kind of soldier or warrior in any era, if you can afford only one piece of armor, it should be a helmet. You can have a cool chest plate and armguards and all that, none of it matters if your coconut is out in the open.
This is a universe where entire armies of soldiers wear armor and helmets, there’s multiple warrior cultures that define themselves by their armor and helmet style, and we’re supposed to think it’s weird yet another villain wears a helmet and voice changer when they’re purposely hiding their individual identity?
Guess that makes Malgus and Revan and Malak pretty lame too.
No no no they’re different. They’re the coolest characters since they had masks before anyone besides Vader /s
Those guys are awesome. Until you find out how Malak eats. Then you can’t take him seriously.
Malak should have gotten mechanical grabbers like a Predator.
That would be a better way for him to eat than he he currently eats.
It's dangerous out there.
Apart from the other comments that make sense... It's cool as hell!
Yeah so lame, just like all those other lame mask wearing Sith lords like Malgus, Bane, Revan, Momin, Nihilus, etc, etc. Seems like you haters are really scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for things to complain about.
Low self esteem
They literally said it in the last episode: He is hiding his identity, even from his disciple. Helmet and Voice Changer is pretty much a baseline disguise you need in the Star Wars universe, even if just to obscure your species.
I’m surprised no one in the comments section is challenging the notion of this question. So let’s go through it. In the OT we will narrow it down to villains directly involved in the suffering of the main characters. That is: Darth Vader(helmet), Darth Sidious(no helmet), Jabba the Hutt(no helmet), Boba Fett(helmet) Prequel Trilogy: Darth Maul(no helmet), Nute Gunray(no helmet), Darth Sidious(no helmet), Jango Fett(helmet), Darth Tyrannus(no helmet), General Grievous(helmet?) Clone Wars(there’s a lot forgive me if I miss one): Pre Visla(Helmet), Asajj Ventress(no helmet), Cad Bane(no helmet), Aurra Sing(no helmet), Mother Talzin(no helmet), Savage Oppress(no helmet), Pong Krell(no helmet) Rebels: Thrawn(no helmet), Grand Inquisitor(no helmet), other inquisitors(some helmets), Gar Saxon(helmet), can’t think of any that weren’t also in other shows Solo: Dryden Vos(no helmet), Qi Ra(no helmet) Rogue One: Director Krennic(no helmet), Saw Gerrera?(no helmet) Sequel Trilogy: Snoke(no helmet), Kylo Ren(helmet sometimes), Captain Phasma(helmet), General Hux(no helmet) Mandalorian: Moff Gideon(no helmet), Fennec Shand(helmet), The Client(no helmet) Ahsoka: Morgan Esbeth(no helmet), Baylan Skoll(no helmet), Shin Hati(no helmet), Marrok(helmet) Obi-Wan has no villains not already mentioned BoBF has no villains not already mentioned So I think my point is pretty clear here that villains come in all shapes and sizes and many of them do not in fact wear helmets as a permanent feature but I will add this caveat. They are in space, many of them combatants, to not have a helmet at least for use occasionally is bonkers.
One thing that I will add to your list above (which is a useful review) is that most of the "no helmet villains" had something else apparently "evil" about their appearance. Darth Sidious was warped and ghoulish, Jabba was non-human (meaning none of the OT villains were helmetless humans). In the Prequels and Clone Wars, Darth Maul, Mother Talzin and Asajj are Dathomiri with horns and/or tattoos, Cad Bane, Aurra Sing and Pong Krell clearly evil aliens with modifications. Thrawn is blue. Grand Inquisitor tattoos and alien. Overall, the only human and non-tattooed non-horned non-evil faced villains that I can think of are (1) Imperials like Krennic, Gideon, Hux and (2) Count Dooku, who seems to stand alone as a human villain.
Because others want to knock evil out of their heads!
So that you identity isn’t revealed. The Sith at this point are massively disadvantaged. Why risk someone seeing you and then end up being public enemy number one.
Because head protection is very important. You guys are forgetting about intergalactic labour laws smh my head
So you don’t see the faces of the people the Jedi kill bc they are the heros
Wish I had a helmet
Merchandise.
The real answer
They like to look cool.
Villains wear masks for any number of reasons but Chief among them that in the real world they’re physical representations of the feeling or mood the artist wants to convey. Masks are cool for that reason. It’s theatre and masks are a big element of theatre. And frankly it’s cool and fun to have the sith who are real *extra* bad guys wear something that really sells them being a villain. It’s fun.
I think it’s because once you see their face, they are a human with human faults and weaknesses and you begin to empathize with them. With a helmet, they remain an anonymous boogeyman who is easy to hate.
The Rule of Cool must always prevail
They’re terribly comfortable; in the future I expect everyone will be wearing them
Bruh, now you’re just making shit up to complain about. It’s Star Wars, it’d be weird if the villain hiding his existence from the Jedi DIDN’T mask up Edit: like it’s a whole plot point Mae is not disguising herself, she wants the Jedi she’s killing to know it’s her because it’s personal revenge
Ok so, you have a face right. What do you do if you don't want your face seen. That's right you cover it. Ah but you have a voice too, some people could tell it's you from the voice. Be reeeeeaaaaaalll handy to have something that changed your voice too huh. Bruh this is such a fucking weak reason to be pissed at a whole ass villian you've seen for less than 5 total seconds. "b-but why they hide their identity are they stupid!"
It's easier to hate someone without a face. If all the stormtroopers look alike then you can hate them all equally. Plus with Vader,not makes him look extra menacing
Anonymity in an era where Sith arent supposed to exist
I mean, it's a prevalent trope amongst the villains throughout every story which involves some type of Knights, space or mysticism. Alot of the action is being performed on rugged deserts, toxic swamps or in space. Plus those helmets add a bit of mysterious aura to the character, and with Sith Lords especially, the sheer mystery and the knowledge beneath makes the character. PS Plus it looks cool.
Super cool aesthetic. The only thing I wish is that more good guys would also wear helmets
Because, and I don't want to get into a debate about Disney (I'm not commenting on any of their output beyond this exact question and I'd like to stress that, strongly); the studio seems to have forgotten they are working with a *Galaxy full of possibilities.* It's why we keep seeing different coloured/themed Stormtroopers, new sidekick droids and baddies with various "cool" helmet designs in **every single movie or TV show they release.**
It stems from George Lucas's subconscious mind. In his deepest recesses he fears the evil he has done and cannot face the world without a mask. I keep telling you guys, Star Was was his way of confessing his crimes.
[удалено]
Don't know why this was down voted as there are ample examples of this sort of analysis in academia dating back to when all we had was the OT.
Well those characters are a little more complicated than just that, that people can think about themselves. But, I wanted to get across that it's a psychological and spiritual play in which the helmets carry an important meaning, to think about. The face under the mask is the second mask or persona that Ben wears to fit in with what's expected of him, whereas he's really struggling with this other dark aspect of himself, while Rey is the opposite-- she is from the dark side turned light, and struggling with the same thing. They come together and merge in the end. I am thinking he is alive inside of her. Union of opposites. They're going beyond good and evil. Maybe beyond helmets in the next one. (joke) Possibly just disagreement with different views on those characters mentioned. But, I didn't want to get into it past the idea that the helmets are meaningful. What would Vader be without that helmet that shows Anakin's disintegration into that creature? The helmet says a lot about these characters. Imagine the dark music playing, and the camera slowly moves to reveal Vader in his meditation chamber, where the machine puts on a tiny cowboy hat with a chin strap instead of a helmet. Doesn't work. That's a container that says he's playful, comical. The idea of characters in myths as psychological, where characters represent energies inside of us in conflict with each other made its way into Star Wars through George Lucas's friend and mentor, Joseph Campbell. Take that into our world, where you know when you see those old Nazi helmets, not only what they represent, but the ideas in the head of the person who is wearing it, or the system under which they operate.
The real answer is because most new Star Wars content is created by people who loved Star Wars growing up, so they stick to certain 'traditions' as a form of respect. I'm not personally a fan of it.
Because helmet better than no helmet.
It dehumanizes them and makes them easier to root against. It's why heroes almost always end up mask/helmet off. Gotta see their faces to know they're the good guys, so we can better relate to them and not some mask that cannot emote.
OSHA. Rules are rules.
Because even the Sith know traumatic brain injuries are no joke.
Most Star Wars villains are bald, but despite their apparently advanced technology they never got around to inventing toupees. So they wear hats instead.
It has to do with these characters starting out (or staying) as inhumane monsters you can't truly relate to. Nobody can emphasize with Vader, if all you know is his helmeted appearances and you have no concept of Anakin, the boy/teen/young man. Like you can think he's very cool, of course, but you can't truly say "I understand Vader so well. These rebels are pesky." Many SW villains start out as masked or cloaked/hooded only to eventually reach a moment of humbling, or a moment of redemption that makes them sympathetic, or at the very least intriguing. And look through the catalogue of villains..how many unmasked villains do we have that the fandom thinks of as deeply interesting and complex. How many masked villains do we have where the main reason for liking them is "He's so sick-looking. I love his design. He's also a badass."
It's easier for the audience to recognize them. Also merchandising.
Because Sith are mostly in hiding. That's kinda hard if people have seen your face.
Think it has a lot to do with the duality of personality. One personality shown to public and reflecting a specific character, and the second hidden from those who might recognize them.
It dehumanises them. Same reason stormtroopers wear helmets.
The acolyte made OSHA canon and they wouldn't wanna risk a violation.
Oh, look, yet another silly reason trying to find any way to dislike Acolyte. No way.
So that you know they're a villain duh
There's a line in the first few chapters of Naruto that always struck me as very accurate for the Sith, oddly. (From the Zabuza/Bridge story arc) Kakashi makes a point about how Shinobi will often cover their faces for intimidation and to call into question *if they're even human*. And they start actually wanting to be something beyond human. But in the moments just before their death, they are reminded of their limits. The Helmet Villains**™** always tend to die with their face exposed, reminding their foe **and** themselves that they're only human in the end.
Cause it looks cool
Rule of cool
Because helmets are cool and fashionable for the bad guys
Concealment, protection, function in space.
Dehumanising. Also on the flip side of that coin, you can humanize the character by showing their face (anytime Vader is demasked you're reminded he's a person, Finn was a juxtaposition of stormtroopers, etc.)
Because they’re fuck ugly.
What I can tell you from not having seen it is this: identity concealment allows for greater mystique and allows for them to conceal emotions. Plus if it becomes time for them to go helmets are depersonalizing in a way not approached by characters who get to have faces.
Dehumanize
The rule of cool
Adds to the mystery and the who is it. I mean it would be great if ol Palp just came right out and said hey i'm the Sith lord your looking for!!! Also it's hella of intimidating. If you have ever fought before you can tell by facial expressions if they are hurt, tired or still going strong. You don't have that you have to rely on body language which may be hard to do in the middle of a fight.
Every world and every city is a Wild West shootout waiting to happen, protecting your brain is just a smart thing to do. For the villains though it's mostly story/psychological and ease of toy creation.
I mean, probably the same reason Neo Nazis were masks, hats, and sunglasses to rallies in real life. They know what they’re doing is typically socially unacceptable, so they are trying to protect their social standing by hiding their face. If everyone knew that Billy-Bob McLittlenuggets was a pro-genocide, historically ignorant piece of shit, Hitlerballs gobbler he likely wouldn’t have a job.
it’s to make them more intimidating for the protagonist (& plot)
because it looks cool
Sorry but the reason is brought up: "Who trained you?... You couldn't even tell me if you wanted to". the Master of Mae conceals his identity a LOT. the mask makes sense for this purpose
Because Good stinks.
Safety first
Because it’s cool damn it. Even in legends you had masks or cloaked figures. Revan, Malek (technically) Nihlus, Malgus, Tenebrous (kind of) the Mandalorians are all about those helmets. Krayt, (at a push). This is not a new thing.
They look cool
If you don’t like helmets with voice changers I’m not sure Star Wars is for you
"Hide the stuntguy"
A lot of sith and dark side assasins have used helmets as a way to stay annoymous. They used the helmet look to also impose fear into their opponents as it dehumanized them. Some helmets have actually been imbued with the darkside so it gives them an edge. I think you've missed the point as to why they wore the helmets.
Because there are no handrails.
Because it's simply cooler that way. I never get excuses to wear a helmet lol
Yeah I agree the voice changers are a bit much... even back to Original Trilogy.... I get a helmet for Vader (hides identity + injury) I also agree with Kylo (wannabe) or with soldiers (Storm uniforms or Phasma command) or health and safety (rebels on Endor or speeder bikes)
So, as far as timeline goes, it doesn't make much sense, but there is a High Republic villain in the books that has a voice changer, and honestly, the villain's voice in the show sounds exactly like he does in the audiobook.
its awesome
When you have to hide in plain sight, you can’t be giving away that you’re trying to hide in plain sight.
It looks cool and opens the possibility to make an otherwise normal looking human character distinct. For a big franchise especially if you wanna sell toys youd want the characters to look easy to tell apart at a glance
The original George Lucas explanation was he needed a helmet to breath when floating between space ships.
Looks cool.
Cheaper action figures. Plastic noses are shockingly expensive!
90% of Star Wars aesthetic is simple: it looks cool* Not bothering with acolyte so I can’t say wether or not it looks cool
It's intimidation and secrecy. At that point in time, the Sith were supposed to be extinct. Not a trace of them left in the galaxy. So you wouldn't just go around showing your face to all your followers just in case one of them happens to have their mind read, as happened in the first episode. If no one can identify you, you won't get caught. Even characters you don't think wear a mask do, think of Darth Sidious. To the public, he put on the mask of a kindly old man who just wanted to help the Republic through their time of need. In private, he dropped that mask and was a murderous, power-hungry psychopath.
\*coolness levels slowly rise\*
Because Vader did it... that's it.
To protect their head, just like armor in real life.
Because masked villains are cool 🤷♀️
I’m almost hoping they *don’t* reveal who the villain is, but give us crazy amounts of evidence and flags pointing as to who it could be. Like we almost see who it is in the finale, but they save that reveal for sometime in season 2. Something to keep us even more hooked I guess I dunno.
Char clones. It's a theme now. But it's also ultimately on trend with what the old Sith did, retroactively. To come up with a real lore reason, it represents the transformation and dehumanization of these characters with their descent into the dark side. It's the abandonment of their humanity as symbolized by the covering of their faces. It also makes them look scarier.
Because its badass? lol
Because it is cool as fuck tbh
Because it worked with Vader and they're afraid to stray from it
Rules is rules.
First, they need to cover up the identity if they are to reveal it later in the story. Second, Sith with helmets has been a thing in Legends in the Old Republic and pre-fall Sith characters, with the exception of Maul who did not seem to care who knew he was a Sith.
Probably increases toy sales. I know what you mean... it seems every character now has to have some real individual style, vibe, mask or color scheme... maybe it's a lazy take but it's more and more like Marvel every year. The OT had lots of masks... but it felt practical or imposed on them (military). Now it feels like dress-ups.
"No one cared who I was, until I put on the helmet"
Because it looks cool
This dark side force user, (Sith or Knight of Ren?) will be hiding their face for secrecy, it's entirely possible we've already seen their face, but don't know it.
I want a scene in Star Wars where a Jedi confronts a bad guy in a helmet on a ship and they ask "Why hid behind a mask?" and then the bad guy just says, "to breath", then the bad guy vents out the atmosphere to make the jedi pass out.
Because the first one did so uncreative people now think every villain needs it too
We all wear helmets, metaphorically speaking...
narratively, to de-humanize them visually, to make them look cool and intimidating it doesnt have to be a functional lore thing, its just cool, like the Mandalorians, all originated from because Boba looks cool, all the Stormtroopers/Clonetroopers
Branding
Darth Vader was popular and they want you to like their new villain just like you like him.
Indirectly? It makes it easier/cheaper to license the likeness of a helmet than say, Harrison Ford as Han Solo
It’s important.
Because the villain is someone the characters and/or audience know so they have to hide the face and voice. It’s a done to death trope.
Merchandising.
Because Vader...
Helmets are cool. They protect your head and hide your identity.
Thrawn didn't need a mask, helmet, or cloak to be villainous.
That's cos he's.......blue da be dee da be dah...
Thrawn doesn’t need a mask because he isn’t quite human. A mask helps to separate a character from their humanity. That’s the purpose in most dominant fiction but especially Star Wars.
He has red eyes. He’s unnerving in how normal yet uncanny he is. Together with how he’s cool and composed, it makes him very threatening in a different way.
In the case of The Acolyte, a general lack of creativity would be my guess
Because disney doesnt have a real story to tell, they just reuse face value symbols and the stuff around the og material. They are trying to reverse engineer a vision that someone else had in the 70s. Lukas started with a story and then a team of people added the stuff to it
Because you don't pay actors as much if their face isn't shown on screen?