From: mr@sandman.net   
      
   It seems to be the consensus, but I have some thoughts about that.   
      
   Kylo Ren seems to be in his early twenties or thereabouts. Now, most other   
   Siths in Star Wars have been adults well into their path to the dark side,   
   fully consumed about it. Maul had no weaknesses, only evil kickass without   
   regrets, but he was older than Kylo Ren.   
      
   Ok, and Palpatine, we don't know how his path to the dark side went, or how he   
   handled it.   
      
   And Vader, this epitome of evil villainy, this master of wordless retribution,   
   surely he was never a whiny kid... Oh, wait.   
      
   Indeed, according to prequel canon, Anakin was a lot whinier than Kylo Ren ever   
   was in the same age. Anakin was even a *jedi* at the time, only slightly lured   
   by his inner emotions and rage at times, but otherwise surrounded by people   
   that supported him, yet he whined like he wanted to go to the Toschi station   
   every day.   
      
   Kylo Ren, on the other hand, was influenced and lured to the dark side at a   
   much earlier age, and is still torn between his past and his desires.   
      
   So what about what we see him do? A First Order officer comes to him with bad   
   news about a failure. Now, if this was bad-ass Vader, that officer would be   
   limp on the floor within thirty seconds, but no - Kylo Ren is such a "wimp"   
   that he just trashes the computer console in a fit of adolescent rage.   
      
   Yes, but even though this displays a less degree of control over his emotions   
   than Vader, it says even more about his role on board the star destroyer.   
   Whereas Vader was the numero uno commander that everyone had to report to, Kylo   
   Ren is not. He is just a ride-along that Snoke has put there. He has no   
   authority, and he certainly can't go around killing First Order officers.   
      
   In ANH, vader has a similar role, where he is under the command of Tarkin, and   
   isn't allowed to kill another officer, merely threatening him. But once Tarkin   
   is gone and Vader is the sole survivor of the demise of the Death Star, he is   
   now the new commander of the entire imperial star fleet.   
      
   But think again about the path of Anakin and Ben. Anakin was seduced by the   
   dark side of the force as a result of his desire to save his wife. And his   
   first step towards is was the rage he felt when his mother died. The *reasons*   
   are fully understandable. Over time, this led to Anakin turning against the   
   Jedi and bending his knee for Palpatine. BUT! And a big but, not until his *own   
   blood* turned up on his doorstep some 20 years later was he able to over time   
   overcome the dark side and reject it.   
      
   Contrast this with Ben Solo. We don't know the circumstances that led to him   
   being lured to the dark side, but at the most crucial time he was faced with   
   his own blood, his father and he decides to *kill him in cold blood*. He seals   
   his path to the dark side by murdering his own father, quite the opposite of   
   Vader - making Kylo Ren one of the most cold-hearted and villainous villans in   
   Star Wars yet. While fearing he may never be as great as Vader, he shows that   
   not only is his resolve much stronger, it is also done at a much earlier stage   
   and will give a lot of time to solidify his path to the dark side.   
      
   Kylo Ren - most badass sith yet.   
      
   --   
   Sandman   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)