Star Wars’ failure with the Knights of Ren has become even bigger than we thought. Having been introduced as an enclave of dark-side warriors under the command of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the Knights were terribly underutilized throughout the entire sequel trilogy. Likewise, a reveal about Ben Solo and his corruption into Kylo has made the missteps with the Knights of Ren even worse.
Making their first appearance in The Force Awakens, the Knights of Ren were teased in a Force vision and flashback sequence experienced by Rey (Daisy Ridley) when she first touched the legendary lightsaber first owned by Anakin and Luke Skywalker. However, the Knights weren’t seen nor referenced in the entirety of The Last Jedi. Likewise, the Knights of Ren did extremely little in The Rise of Skywalker, though what they did do should have mattered far more for Ben Solo’s Kylo Ren on an emotional level.
The Knights Of Ren Were Supposed To Give Kylo Ren A Sense Of Belonging
Thankfully, the canon comics have helped flesh out the Knights of Ren, revealing their history during the Galactic Civil War as well as how Ben Solo became their dark leader. Shortly after Luke’s Jedi Temple was destroyed and Ben fled to Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order encouraged Ben to seek out the Knights and join their ranks, an opportunity to reinvent himself with the new name Kylo. Ultimately, Kylo found the Knights and killed their leader named Ren. Becoming their new Ren, it’s since been revealed that the band of dark side warriors were more important to Kylo Ren than the films ever let on.
As seen in Kristen Baver’s reference guide entitled Star Wars: 100 Objects, a section about Kylo Ren’s helmet is quite revealing:
“Although he did not require the helmet to instill fear in his followers, he found that he greatly enjoyed the way it made them cower. His helmet helped to cement his place among the Knights of Ren. He felt he really belonged.”
That final line is extremely telling, confirming that Kylo Ren found a group he finally felt he belonged to in the dark side. Likewise, the implication is made that this sense of belonging was far greater than he had ever felt as his Uncle Luke’s apprentice living at the Jedi Academy.
Rise Of Skywalker Failed To Give The Knights Of Ren Any Emotional Meaning
The reveal that the Knights were secretly serving Palpatine the entire time should have had an emotional impact on Ben Solo. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any despite the redeemed Ben facing the Knights in a duel that was far too brief in The Rise of Skywalker. The above quote clearly suggests that the Knights of Ren were meant to be a sort of found-family. They should have mattered so much more and their betrayal should have hurt Ben, perhaps even becoming a key moment in his arc in The Rise of Skywalker. Instead, it’s just yet another way in which the Star Wars sequels ultimately failed the Knights of Ren.