In the sequel movie The Force Awakens, Han Solo confronts Kylo Ren on a narrow catwalk across a chasm, and demands:
Ben, take off that mask! you don't need it!
Indeed, he is clearly not dependent on it as we frequently see him without his helmet for extended periods.
We know that Kylo Ren models himself on his ancestor Darth Vader, and hiding his face behind an intimidating mask is consistent with this. It could easily be thought that his helmet is nothing more than a scary-looking accessory.
However whenever he does remove his helmet there is a hiss of gas escaping indicating that it is at higher than ambient air pressure. Therefore his helmet seems to have some functional purpose. Does it supply oxygen to him at higher pressure or concentration, to reduce fatigue during lightsabre battles? Does the eyepiece act as a heads-up display or enhance his vision in some way, e.g. by making the infrared spectrum visible to him?
What does Kylo Ren's helmet do in a functional sense?
Edit: I'm not asking why he wears a helmet/mask, as it's pretty clear that the real reason is to look scary.
My question is whether the helmet has a function / justification apart from the intimidation factor, and if so what it could be.
