Ahsoka: The Episode 6 Detail That Links Thrawn's Forces To Kylo Ren
"Ahsoka" may primarily function as an extra season of "Star Wars Rebels," but seeing as it takes place after the fall of the Empire in "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi," it also lays the groundwork for what will happen in the sequel trilogy. Many Easter eggs hint at what's to come, and there's a slight connection between the night troopers, and especially Captain Enoch (Wes Chatham), depicted in Episode 6 and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).
When viewers first see the night troopers, there's something off about them. Their usual stormtrooper armor is battered and damaged, with parts seemingly put back together with gold. "Star Wars" has always been influenced by Japanese cinema, and in this instance, the armor takes after the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which involves repairing broken ceramics with gold-dusted lacquer. The idea is that the "scarring" becomes part of the piece's beauty.
This has been seen in "Star Wars" before, namely in "Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker." Kylo Ren wears a mask he previously broke that's been repaired with noticeable red scar lines. It's not gold, but the influence of Kintsugi has been alive and well in the franchise for years.
JJ Abrams intentionally used Kintsugi to symbolize Kylo Ren's journey
"Star Wars" fans quickly took note of the artistic Easter egg. A Reddit thread dissecting "Ahsoka" Episode 6 had multiple comments about the night trooper armor, with u/2th writing, "OK, I love the Troopers have had to fix their armor with gold. It's Kintsugi!" And it wasn't just the stormtrooper armor that had the gold markings. Redditor u/Kittycat-banana noted, "The ship was fixed with gold too!" The designs definitely make Thrawn's battalion stand out, and if they actually end up getting their former galaxy, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.
Obviously, there's a lot of symbolism intrinsic within Kintsugi, namely how something broken can still be beautiful, which is why JJ Abrams opted for the influence when designing Kylo Ren's reforged helmet. In an interview with Empire, quoted by Nerdist, Abrams said, "Having [Kylo Ren] be masked, but also fractured, is a very intentional thing. 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 behavior is revealed."
It's unlikely the night troopers will receive the same kind of redemption as Kylo Ren, but any use of Kintsugi in popular media will be welcome by fans.