I will finish...
...what you started.
Umm what? So you mean you will turn back to the light side of the force and stop with your pointless family-killing antics? Get a life, kid.
Kylo is definitely misguided. I don't believe he knows that Vader willingly turned to the Light in the end. By "finishing what you [Vader] started," he most likely means wiping out the Jedi, but there could be other possible interpretations as well.
shareIndeed, it's a frustrating moment for me in Ep7, as it seems he totally misunderstands what happened to Darth Vader and the choice Vader made to to remove Emperor Palpatine...
shareAs far as I know, Snoke brainwashed/influenced Kylo starting at a young age, which explains part of why Kylo's so messed up. Snoke would certainly want to keep Vader's redemption quiet, even if only to protect his own hide from the same sort of betrayal.
shareThat's one problem he shares with Grandpa in the prequels - he seems like a dim bulb. I doubt it was intentional in either case, but neither of them understands diddly and it makes them much less effective as screen characters.
I doubt they're going to make Darth Emo there any brighter as the films go on, his Hallmark is inconsistency and he's got to be dumber than Snoke for their relationship to be plausible.
I don't see why they keep going that route of making them troubled teens. Vader was talked about being more machine than man. He was heartless, cruel. If they really wanted a true villian have him believe the jedi failed the republic or lead it too economic ruin after destroying the empreror. Keep him in shadow instead of showing him as a human having fits.
shareAnd that's why Darth Vader is AWESOME, and Anakin Skywalker is a pest!
And a moron.
Unless what he meant by "finishing what he started" was finally vanquishing the Sith, which Vader (or really Anakin, in that moment) believed he did when he killed Palpatine. It's reasonable to assume that Snoke was unknown to him. Remember the seductive power of the Dark Side -- Kylo may have been corrupted to believe that it was stronger and that its power was the only way to defeat Snoke.
shareThat is one possible interpretation, and an interesting one at that. The only thing is "Show me the power of the Dark Side" sounds like he wants to embrace it, not eradicate it. Unless he just wants to earn Snoke's trust to get close enough to deal the killing blow, which would involve progressing towards the Dark.
shareHe does want to embrace the Dark Side, because he believes it is more powerful. But, like Anakin, he possesses that oh-so-dangerous combination of impatience, arrogance and self-delusion.
Luke: Is the Dark Side more powerful?
Yoda: No. Quicker, easier, more seductive.
Kylo impatiently seeks the quicker and easier path to power. I have always thought that using the Dark Side provides its wielder with a euphoric feeling, almost like using an addictive drug, that enhances its seductive power. (I am not aware of a canon source to support this. Maybe EU?)
Kylo arrogantly believes he can control the Dark Side and even use it for good ends. Much like Anakin believed he could use it to save his wife from death, vanquish the Emperor and bring order to the galaxy. I dont think either of them really wanted to join the Sith or continue its legacy. I don't think either of them thought of themselves as being evil, even after slaughtering villagers or a group of Jedi younglings.
Anakin, after becoming a mass murderer of children: "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!". The self-delusion is strong with this one.
Yes; very good points.
Both Kylo/Ben and Anakin were very self-delusional, arrogant, and impatient.
Anakin definitely sought to use the Dark Side for good (at least at first). Kylo, I'm not so sure about. I have a feeling part of it was trying to get back at his parents. Kinda like Syndrome in The Incredibles: he couldn't become a superhero, so he became a villain instead.
I have heard the simple of the Dark Side being like a drug before. I think it's very easily to get "hooked" on it, and nearly impossible to stop. Vader avoided this conundrum by sacrificing himself, but if he survived I have a feeling that he would have still had many Dark impulses, and perhaps suffered some kind of withdrawal in addition to his crippled health.