Star Wars Finally Reveals The Knights Of Ren’s Full Origin

The Knights of Ren have always been one of the bigger mysteries of Star Wars in Disney’s Sequel Trilogy, but thanks to the last installment in the Skywalker Saga and its companion books and comics, we now know their full story.

The group of legendary dark side warriors were first introduced in The Force Awakens, but Rian Johnson decided against using them in the sequel, which is why they were mysteriously absent from The Last Jedi. In The Rise of Skywalker, J.J. Abrams brought the Knights of Ren back and established them early on as absolute badasses. But here’s the catch; since Episode IX already didn’t have much time to spare explaining all the different aspects of the Sequel Trilogy and the world Disney created, the Knights had as little screentime as all the other disposable characters that filled the background of the last movie in the saga.

If you still find yourself asking what their deal is, though, the official novelization for the movie and The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series can provide you with all the answers. As we read in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, Palpatine’s plan involved Sith loyalists all around the galaxy establishing dark side cults to advance his plans, including the Acolytes of the Beyond and the Sith Eternal. The Knights of Ren appear to be one of these cults, created by a man called Ren.

In The Rise of Kylo Ren, this dark-side practitioner travels the galaxy looking for followers with weak links to the living Force. Ren taught his disciples to use the dark side, which he called “the Shadow,” and based his methods on Sith philosophy. Ben Solo ultimately kills Ren and takes command of the Knights. However, in Rae Carson’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novel, we learn that they have always been loyal to Palpatine and knew of his whereabouts on Exegol even before Kylo. In fact, the redeemed Ben Solo was surprised to see them in the Unknown Regions when he arrived to help Rey in the movie’s third act.

Of course, the resurrected Emperor’s plans were foiled when Rey and Ben came together and defeated him and his cultists on Exegol, marking an end to both the story of Star Wars and Disney’s Sequel Trilogy, at least for the time being.

Tell us, though, are you satisfied with this resolution? Or did you expect more from the Knights of Ren? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.