Hello it is ominoose and you have me on scholarly kylo character analysis kick !!
If Kylo and Hux met closer to Kylos fall (since we know Snoke was in contact with Brendol before Kylo destroyed the Jedi temple), do you think it would change their relationship to be more or less antagonistic?
Howdy, @ominoose! Much to chew on, here.
Certain aspects of the Kylo Ren/Armitage Hux dynamic were always going to generate conflictātheir differing perspectives on the Force, for oneābut the timing of their introduction (circa 29 ABY) almost certainly adds to the animosity, and Iām convinced Snoke engineers it this way. Consider, if you will, the following:
Kylo and Hux don't meet until Kylo has taken command of, and subsequently abandoned, the Knights of Ren. Throughout The Rise of Kylo Ren, Ben Solo is only playing at Darkness: in one notable incident during his time with the KOR, Ben urges the original Ren to release a group of captives and is horrified when they're slaughtered instead; in another, he seriously considers running away from both the KOR and Snoke because a friend and fellow (former) Padawan, Tai, earnestly asks it of him. Ben only sheds his former self after displacing the original Ren, which he does in large part because he believes all other paths have been closed to him as a result of Taiās murder. By the time the Knights answer Tava Renās questions about their former leader in Legacy of Vader, Kylo has established himself in their memory as an unstable, remorseless killer devoted to the Shadow. Kylo Ren spends his year-ish as Master of the Ren creating his new self, and Snoke comes to retrieve him at the end of that period because he believes his apprentice has steeped long enough in Darkness to no longer be tempted by compassion to follow any will but Snokeās own. (Or so he thinks.) Kylo joins the First Order as a man assured of his purpose and fresh off the high of command; by assigning Kylo to the Finalizer, Snoke traps Kylo with the officer whose self-assurance and Force-skepticism will trigger his insecurities most.
Kylo and Armitage meet right around the time of Brendolās Huxās murder. Itās unclear whether they meet before or after the deed is doneāat least, I canāt recall canon making pronouncements in either directionābut the proximity is the most important thing. After suffering for years under his father, Armitage eliminates Brendol and takes his ārightfulā place at Snokeās right hand, only to be blindsided by the knowledge that the Supreme Leader has an apprentice with whom heās expected to share command. Armitage knows exactly what kind of man Snoke is, because heās survived tyrants before, but this newcomer is both fiercely, fearfully devoted to and frustratingly indulged by their shared master, and he has to tread carefully, again. Armitage claws his way to the top, or as close to it as he can get without being named Supreme Leader, by killing his father; by assigning his apprentice to the Finalizer, Snoke thrusts Armitage back into a situation where heās competing for an authority figureās approval.
If they had met earlier, when Kylo was still unsure of himself and Hux was still under his fatherās thumb, whoās to say what might have happened? Hux might have looked at Kylo and seen a potential ally in his scheme to be rid of his abuserāor a wide-eyed dupe whose loneliness and longing for connection could be exploited for selfish ends. Kylo might have looked at Hux and seen a man so unshakable in his convictions as to be worthy of admirationāor a ruthless pragmatist whose willingness to let the ends justify the means would drive him back to the Light. Both of them might have recognized in each other the knowledge of how it feels to be a tool in the hands (and at the mercy) of powerful men, and found strength in that shared experience. In any case, Snoke is wary enough of a genuine partnership between them that he makes a point of feeding their animosity.
Whether or not Kylo and Hux see Snokeās manipulation for what it is comes down to the viewer. I personally think Kylo canāt see it, because heās been so thoroughly groomed to believe his grand Force-destiny renders everyone ālesserā irrelevant that the thought of Snoke considering Hux a threat in any scenario is laughable to him, whereas Hux can see it, because Snokeās strategy of pitting him against Kylo to keep him āin his placeā mirrors Brendolās history of pitting him against Cardinal. (This is, in my view, a main source of Kylo and Huxās conflict in Legacy of Vader. Armitage is trying to build a working relationship with Kylo based on something other than one-upmanship and mutual disdain, meanwhile Kylo is so rattled by the events of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi that heās having a spiritual and mental health crisis, complete with a Dark side Force-pilgrimage to Fortress Vader.)
For what itās worth, I think their canon relationship is a lot more complex than it appears at first blushāKylo Ren and Armitage Hux are foils all the way downābut those particular musings are a bit beyond the scope of this ask, so Iāll spare you.
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