10 Star Wars Mysteries Explained Outside Of The Films
5. Who Are The Knights Of Ren?
The Mystery:
The mysterious Knights of Ren were briefly introduced in The Force Awakens, and fans hoped that The Rise of Skywalker would finally reveal what they were actually about. But alas, no dice. So, what's the deal?
The Answer:
The comic series "Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren" goes into considerably greater depth about the Knights of Ren, thankfully.
It reveals that the Knights - named Ap'lek, Cardo, Kuruk, Trudgen, Ushar, and Vicrul - are a group of Force-sensitive mercenaries who are neither Jedi nor Sith.
They are collectively named after their leader, Ren, a scarred soldier whose red lightsaber, also called the Ren, the group effectively worships.
Ren left an open invitation for Ben Solo to join their ranks after crossing paths with Ben in his younger days, and following Ben's burning down of the Jedi Temple as featured in The Last Jedi, he meets with Supreme Leader Snoke, who urges him to seek out the Knights.
Ren informs Ben that he will need to carry out a "good death" before he can join the squad, and when Ben refuses, Ren decides to kill him in frustration.
However, Ben surprises Ren by giving in to the Dark Side and fighting back, ultimately murdering Ren, taking his name, and inheriting his Knights, all of this having been orchestrated by Snoke and, therefore, Palpatine.