J.J. Abrams Cites the Nazis As Inspiration for The First Order in The Force Awakens

According to this excerpt from Empire’s upcoming interview with JJ Abrams about The Force Awakens, the broadsaber-wielding Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He’s still firmly in “bad guy” territory, of course: “He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force,” says Abrams. We already knew Kylo Ren an ally of the First Order, but he does lack a “Darth” in his name.

As for the First Order, Abrams took inspiration from a former fear from world history:

That all came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina but then started working together again?’ What could be born of that?

Could The First Order exist as a group that actually admired The Empire? Could the work of The Empire be seen as unfulfilled? And could Vader be a martyr? Could there be a need to see through what didn’t get done?

History buffs will be well familiar with the fact that former Nazi leaders found refuge in Argentina after World War II, and that remnants of a possible Nazi hideout were found as recently as this year. It definitely seems like a fitting cultural reference point for anyone hoping to tell a story about the aftermath of a war against a truly abhorrent regime.

(via Coming Soon, image via She Knows)

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