The Knights of Ren were an organization introduced in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Kylo Ren was a high-ranking member of this group and was considered a master among the knights, primarily by Snoke. Despite their alliance with the First Order, the Knights of Ren were not part of the formal hierarchy of the organization, as their agendas trumped that of the First Order's commanding officers. It was unknown how many knights exist, but eight have been seen so far. Dating back centuries, the Knights of Ren were an almost-mythical group of marauders that followed the ideology of their leader, Ren himself until Kylo Ren took his place. This ideology was based around following the will of the dark side itself, rather than their own selfish interests, as the Sith did; they lived how they chose, took what they wanted, and consumed what the dark side sent them. All the Knights of Ren were Force-sensitive, but their strength with the dark side of the Force was middling and amateurish. Additionally, each Knight of Ren was a weapons specialist, and trained with their own unique and deadly weapon of choice.
As of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Knights of Ren have all been wiped out by the redeemed Ben Solo.
Background
Organization
The Knights of Ren include Kylo Ren, whom Supreme Leader Snoke refers to as a master of the Knights of Ren. As a member of the Knights of Ren, Kylo is not officially part of the hierarchy of the First Order. Despite this, he operates freely within the order, who tolerate his presence with some hesitation as his agenda does not strictly coincide with their own. Kylo wears a black and silver helmet and garb similar to the battle gear worn by the other Knights of Ren.
Knights of Ren ranks
- Master of the Knights of Ren: Master of the Knights of Ren is a rank granted to the leader of the Knights, like Kylo Ren.
History
The Knights of Ren operated in the decades following the Galactic Civil War and were apparently active for many centuries before. They were originally under the command of Supreme Leader Snoke, who used them as a tool of the dark side of the Force, alongside the First Order. However, as Palpatine created Snoke and used him as a puppet, the Dark Lord of the Sith was their true commander. Approximately six years after the Jedi massacre, the Knights of Ren, particularly Kylo Ren, under the orders of Snoke, were to find and kill Luke Skywalker (the last surviving member of the New Jedi Order and the last surviving Jedi Master in the galaxy) as Snoke knew that as long as Luke lived, a new generation of Jedi Knights could rise again.
When Snoke was killed by Kylo Ren and the latter took his place, the Knights of Ren served him in the same way that Snoke's Praetorian Guards had, following him into battle and serving as his body guards. However, their true allegiance was to Palpatine when it was discovered that he had resurrected himself. They were stationed on Exegol when Kylo Ren returned as Ben Solo, having redeemed himself. Ben, after a lengthy battle where he was badly beaten, was given Luke's lightsaber by Rey through their Force Bond and quickly killed his former allies, ending the Knights of Ren forever.
Notable Knights of Ren
Appearances
The Force Awakens
In the sequel trilogy, the Knights of Ren are the newest threat to the Republic and subordinates to the First Order. Snoke serves as their leader, with Kylo Ren in turn leading under him, as he refers to Kylo as "Master of the Knights of Ren" in the film. They appear in a vision Rey had on Takodana, in which they are revealed to be responsible for destroying the fledgling Jedi Order that Luke Skywalker had tried to rebuild, their Jedi Temple, and an unnamed Jedi Knight.
The Last Jedi
Though they do not appear in the film physically, nor are they directly mentioned, it is implied by Luke Skywalker to Rey that the Knights of Ren were some of Luke's other apprentices that saw fit to join Kylo Ren and slaughter the rest of their fellow Jedi students in Luke's Jedi temple.
The Rise of Skywalker
The Knights of Ren are first seen accompanying Kylo Ren when he has his destroyed helmet repaired. They later join Kylo on Pasaana, where they kidnap Chewbacca after he gets separated from Rey, Finn, and Poe.
The Knights of Ren appear much later in the film, after Ben Solo has been redeemed. They corner him on Exegol before he can get to Sidious and Rey. They attack him, prompting Rey to give him Anakin's lightsaber via the Force. Ben then engages in a six-versus-one fight with the Knights of Ren and eventually manages to kill all of them.
Portrayals
In The Rise of Skywalker, the actors who played Knights of Ren are listed as follows:
- Ashley Beck - Ushar
- Martin Wilde - Cardo
- Joe Kennard - Kuruk
- Anton Simpson Tidy - Vicrul
- Tom Rodgers - Trudgen
- Lukaz Leong - Ap'lek
Gallery
Add a photo to this galleryTrivia
- The "Ren" surname is similar to the title of "Darth" used by the members of the Sith Order, however, unlike the Sith, the members of the Knights of Ren are addressed by their Knight names, before being addressed by the Ren surname.
- The Knights of Ren were originally slated to appear in The Last Jedi, but were cut due to their role being filled by the Praetorian Guards. Furthermore, director Rian Johnson disliked the idea of the Knights of Ren dying shortly after their first appearance were they to appear the the film.
- None of the Knights of Ren have any spoken dialogue in the films, save for a few grunts during the fight with Ben in The Rise of Skywalker.
- In some respects, the Knights of Ren are similar to the Inquisitorius, as they both are servants of the Sith.
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