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Knights of Ren
"If it were easy to join us, everyone would do it."note
A group of mysterious yet deadly marauders aligned to the Dark Side who were feared throughout the Unknown Regions. During the reign of the Empire, a masked group of warriors emerged who claimed to be the fabled Knights of Ren. They aligned with Crimson Dawn in opposition to the Sith before eventually allying with them, and decades later would answer directly to Supreme Leader Snoke under the leadership of Kylo Ren after he had slain the new generation of Jedi and the previous leader of the Knights.
In General
- Advertised Extra: Their presence was teased in The Force Awakens, and early on when The Rise of Skywalker was being made with set photos, although they didn't get much focus in the marketing overall. In the end, they only have a couple of scenes in The Rise of Skywalker, zero dialogue and a grand total of one fight scene, and against their former leader following his Heel–Face Turn at that. That leaves the comics The Rise of Kylo Ren, Crimson Reign, and Hidden Empire to flesh them out.
- The All-Solving Hammer: Luke calls them on this in The Rise of Kylo Ren, treating the Dark Side of the Force as a mere blunt instrument. In fairness, most of them don't have the training or the skill for anything flashy.
- All There in the Manual: Multiple facts about them, including their names, can be found The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary, such as Trudgen's mask being modified from the helmet of a Death Trooper he defeated.
- Ambiguously Human: While they're definitely humanoid, it's unknown if some or all of them are human. Ushar's helmet seems to be non-human, though the patchwork nature of the Knights means that this isn't necessarily an indication of his species, and some of the comics show that at least a few of them are non-human with one of them being a wolf-like alien and Bazzra clearly being a Twi'lek.
- Ascended Extra: While being in exactly one scene in The Force Awakens and absent from The Last Jedi, they got more screentime in The Rise of Skywalker. However, the screentime they get is very minor.
- Badass Longcoat: Three of the Knights have one, although Vicrul's is sleeveless. Vicrul's is made from reptile-hide, Cardo's is made from riftaworm hide and is flame resistant, which comes in handy for someone wielding a flamethrower, and Kuruk's helps dampen the sounds he makes, appropriate for the Cold Sniper of the group.
- Became Their Own Antithesis: War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, and Hidden Empire shows them fighting against the Sith, but by the time of Hidden Empire's final issue, they join up with the Sith and ruin Qi'ra's plan to defeat the Empire by freeing Palpatine and Vader from the time stopping effects of the Fermata Cage. During the New Republic Era, they work FOR the Sith fulltime, meeting Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo, while their leader Ren unintentionally helps Snoke and Palpatine complete Ben's turn to the Dark Side.
- Beneath Notice: As Ren pointed out, this was how they survived the time of the Empire for so long. The Emperor was busy going after the actual threats first.
- Black Knight: As a whole, they fit this. They dress in dark uniforms and helmets, they are powerful Elite Mooks, and they follow Kylo Ren's commands without question.
- The Blacksmith: The metalsmith Albrekh is kept on their ship and tends to their armor. However, he is not a member of the Knights himself.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Despite having the obvious advantage over Ben, they settle for drawing things out by beating him up with glancing blows than try to kill him, this gives Rey enough time to send her lightsaber to him, turning the battle in a heartbeat,
- Bodyguarding a Badass: They're Kylo Ren's Praetorian Guard in The Rise of Skywalker, but it becomes evident in his Curb-Stomp Battle of them in the climax that he hardly needed protection.
- Co-Dragons: They collectively serve as this to the Master of the Knights of Ren.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Knights may have some connection with the Force and prove capable of defeating Death Troopers and Wookiees, but they fare extremely poorly against trained Force users.
- Their chronological first outing against Darth Vader ends with one of their number being crushed, and Ren having to tell the others to Run or Die.
- Their next showing is against Luke Skywalker, who utterly embarrasses them while delivering a "Reason You Suck" Speech. They only escaped because Ren had threatened to suicide bomb everyone, otherwise the order would have ended then and there.
- Years later, after Ben's Heel–Face Turn is fully cemented and he gains the Skywalker lightsaber, he proceeds to clean house and decimate the Knights in short order.
- Dark Is Evil: They're all Dark Side users clad in black armor.
- Et Tu, Brute?: According to the novelization of Rise of Skywalker, Ben Solo is a little surprised to find them before confronting the Emperor, while the rest of the Knights never really cared about him as a person one way or another.
- Evil Wears Black: They all wear black-colored armor and are a gang of ruthless marauders.
- Expy: The Knights of Ren are similar to the Jokerz of Batman Beyond, both being crummy knockoffs of a character/religion that they embody (The Joker himself and the Dark Side) and both being called a far cry from said aforementioned character/religion by someone more experienced by them. (Bruce Wayne and the Joker for the Jokerz, Luke, Anakin/Vader, and Palpatine for the Knights of Ren)
- Fake Ultimate Mook: Appearances aside, the Knights are little more than a gang of looters and thugs with a rudimentary grasp of the Dark Side that renders them ineffectual against trained Force users like Luke, Vader or Ben.
- Flat Characters: None of them have a particular amount of focus on them, nor are their characters really explored, which leaves them mainly characterized as psychopaths who love instilling fear and killing others.
- The Ghost: The group as a whole is mentioned through The Force Awakens, but they only appear in a single flashback/vision of Rey's. Exactly where the other six Knights were during the film's events goes unsaid. Likewise, they don't show up at all in The Last Jedi, and are only possibly alluded to with a bit of dialogue suggesting that they were Kylo Ren's fellow Padawans, whom he left with after killing everyone else at Luke's Jedi school. They finally appear in person in Rise of Skywalker as his new Praetorian Guard.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: In their glory days, the Knights were at least formidable enough that Darth Vader had heard of them, a far cry from what they've become.Vader: You and your... rabble... you are the Knights of Ren? Pathetic. How far you have fallen. But there is still further to fall.
- Informed Ability:
- Their threat level leaves much to be desired, as despite being apparent Jedi slayers, they have a total of one fight scene, in which they are rather easily disposed of once Ben gets a lightsaber.
- According to the official guides, they have a similar level to the inquisitors, which is never demonstrated.
- Mage Marksman: While they are Force users, some of them such as Cardo, Kuruk and Bazzra fight with with blasters.
- Magic Knight: They're Force users who call themselves knights, similar to the Jedi.
- The Magnificent Seven Samurai: Inverted; not only are they all evil, but their first onscreen appearance as a group shows them killing a clan of villagers instead of protecting them.
- Malevolent Masked Man: All of them cover their faces with helmets to allow their victims to project their fears onto the blank faces.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": All of them are taken aback when Ben whips out the famed Skywalker lightsaber.
- Mook Chivalry: They attack Ben one at a time, which leads to their deaths.
- Non-Uniform Uniform: Unlike the stormtroopers, there's no real cohesion to their outfits beyond "black, masked and scary-looking".
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: They pose a threat to nonforce sensitives well enough, but fair against anyone with force sensitivity extremely poorly.
- Oddly Small Organization: Counting Kylo Ren, there's a grand total of seven of them. Justified since their recruiting process consists of finding Force-sensitives who are already murderous.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: They were able to ambush and capture Chewbacca offscreen. Given Wookies are renowned for their strength and for being notoriously difficult to overpower, this is a pretty impressive accomplishment.
- Older Sidekick: They are older than Kylo. And as shown in the comics, they were already adults before Kylo was born.
- Older Than They Look: The exact origins of the Knights is murky, with rumors saying the Knights have been operating in the Unknown Regions for centuries. War of the Bounty Hunters shows that whatever the case, the Knights have been around since the Galactic Civil War at the very least.
- One-Steve Limit: Sort of. According to the Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary, the original founder of the Knights was someone named Ren, who Ben Solo renamed himself after on joining.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: All things considered, the Knights are fairly dangerous in combat, as they are shown massacring large swathes of normal opponents with ease and possess some decent coordination, but they often try their luck against opponents who far outstrip their power and skills through their better understanding of the Force.
- Paper Tiger: The Knights of Ren may look imposing but their connection to the Dark Side is rudimentary at best and their actual combat skills don't stack up. Luke Skywalker mops the floor with them and are only saved by Ren at the last minute. They only have one action scene on film, and it's against their own master after he returns to the light. Once he gets ahold of a lightsaber, they're soundly beaten in under a minute.
- Praetorian Guard: They become Kylo Ren's in The Rise of Skywalker. Justified, since Kylo had to kill Snoke's guards and thus was in need of Elite Mooks to fill their shoes.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Downplayed Trope. All of them are armoured in black and metallic colours, but their weapons all have dark red hilts as a possible reference to Sith lightsaber blades. They're also all Dark Side users and their armour is meant to look anonymous and intimidating.
- Retcon: J. J. Abrams and the writers of The Force Awakens created them just as an Expy of the Inquisitorius and as an easy way to show that the Sith were really gone and that Kylo Ren was part of a new Dark Side cult with no ties to Palpatine. Then, in the Aftermath novels it's implied that they were descended from a cult known as the Acolytes of the Beyond but later The Last Jedi hints that they formed from some of Luke Skywalker's students who fell to the Dark Side along with Ben Solo, only for the comic The Rise of Kylo Ren to ignore that explanation, establishing them as Sith wannabes who existed before Ben Solo fell to the dark side, with their leader being the first "Ren" before Ben usurped him and took the name.
- Rule of Seven: There are seven knights in all, including Kylo Ren.
- Shoddy Knockoff Product: All the Knights' equipment is meant to look battered and crude. Even the Night Buzzard has been crudely modified to be more powerful, at the cost of spewing noxious smoke.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Inquisitors, being a small group of dark side force wielders who are led by The Dragon of the Big Bad. However, comparing the two groups, the Inquistors were better trained and their numbers were slightly bigger.
- They were also this to the Sith when The Force Awakens was released, being an ominous dark side group who the main Force-sensitive villain of the film is associated with. This changed after more was revealed about them, making them much smaller in the grand scheme of things.
- Underestimating Badassery: They thought they could take on their former master when he defected from the Emperor's plans. They were very wrong.
- Undying Loyalty: Subverted. Despite being led by Kylo for years, they only believe in Strength Equals Worthiness, turning on him soon after he switches sides.
- Unskilled, but Strong: All the Knights have latent Force abilities but little training. Vicrul, for example, mainly uses the Dark Side to strengthen the strikes of his scythe.
- Vibroweapons: Some of the Knights like Trudgen and Ap'lek utilize these weapons.
- The Voiceless: They never say a word throughout The Rise of Skywalker. The most we hear are screams as Ben Solo slices them down. Vicrul and Trudgen do have a few very short lines in The Rise of Kylo Ren, however, and they speak more frequently in the Crimson Dawn arc.
- Wizards from Outer Space: They probably could have become successors to the Sith, and in the days of the Empire would have been perfect Inquisitors.
- The X of Y: The Knights of Ren.
Age of the Empire Members
Ren
Ren
Click here to see his face
Species: Human
Appearances: War of the Bounty Hunters | Crimson Reign | Bounty Hunters | Hidden Empire | The Rise of Kylo Ren
"The Ren doesn't stop to worry about what it's burning or the right or wrong of it, or the goals it might achieve. The Ren just is. It lives, and it consumes, and it doesn't apologize. It is its nature and nothing else. I believe in that principle on a deep, deep level. In fact, I've dedicated my life to it."
The former leader of the Knights of Ren, who led the group prior to Ben Solo's fall to the Dark Side.
- Bigot with a Crush: Admits that he finds Qi'ra to be an impressive and attractive woman despite her not being able to touch the "shadow". He rules out pursuing anything with her as he figures one of them would end up dead by the end of it.
- Blood Knight: He lives for travelling around the galaxy getting into fights and causing mayhem. His idea of easing his boredom is going to find something to set on fire.
- The Corrupter: Served as this to Ben Solo in addition to Snoke, though Snoke was comparatively more subtle about it.
- Didn't Think This Through: Eventually turns against Qi'ra because he realizes pissing off Palpatine is a bad idea, and that sooner or later the man will survive and go after everyone responsible. Fair enough. But he also thinks saving Palpatine and Vader from the Fermata Cage's time stopping effects might have the Emperor thank him and the Knights for it. You know, the man who has made a life out of disposing of people when they're not useful to him. Palpatine is exactly as grateful as can be imagined, and zaps the Knights with Force Lightning, killing Massif and Marinda right there, and telling the remainder they work for him now.
- Doomed by Canon: Ren is doomed since Kylo is the leader of the Knights of Ren before the start of The Force Awakens. Kylo ends up killing Ren in issue #4 of The Rise of Kylo Ren and is accepted as the Knights' new leader.
- Eviler than Thou: He declares that Ben doesn't have what it takes to live in the Shadow due to his reluctance to kill people unnecessarily. Ben's response? "I am the Shadow." He then proceeds to show Ren who is stronger in the Force.
- Exact Words: After getting the information from the Mimban miners, Ren says to release them. The Knights of Ren then kill them all, "releasing" the miners from life.
- Exposed to the Elements: He doesn't wear a shirt even on a snowy planet and doesn't appear bothered by it.
- Foil: Charles Soule, the writer of The Rise of Kylo Ren, specifically created Ren to contrast Darth Vader by being a dark side force user with burns, but being far more charismatic and embracing his new damaged appearance instead of hiding it.
- Kick the Dog:
- He and his Knights massacre a group of prisoners even though Ben already got the information they wanted using a mind probe, and Ren had promised to let them go.
- He kills Tai even though he's currently defenseless and not threatening him or Ben. It's this that makes Ben turn on him.
- Know When to Fold 'Em:
- In a fight against Darth Vader, he's smart enough to realize running is the only way to get away with his skin intact (metaphorically speaking).
- After Luke beats the Knights of Ren, Ren knows they can't win and activates a kill switch on his lightsaber. He comments that if Luke takes the blade, it will explode and kill them all. Luke allows Ren and his Knights to escape.
- Laser Sword: He's the only member of the Knights to wield a lightsaber until Kylo joined. The red-bladed lightsaber was equipped with a kill switch that would when activated, causes the weapon to detonate if it left his hand.
- Revenge: He aligns with Crimson Dawn to destroy the Sith due to the Emperor stealing his pride and ambition, although what the details behind that have yet to be revealed.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Ren talks big but his Knights are little more than looters and thugs who can't even touch Luke and Ben with superior numbers.
- Smug Super: He's extremely proud of his ability to "touch the Shadow". He only accepts Force-sensitives into his ranks after they've killed a non-sensitive.
- Spanner in the Works: He and the Knights of Ren ruin Qi'ra's plan to defeat Palpatine and Vader by firing on the Fermata Cage, freeing them from being frozen in time.
- The Social Darwinist: His motto. He doesn't hold to the concepts of good and evil, saying that strong take whatever they want and do whatever they want, and if you're not strong enough to defend yourself then it's hard cheese.
- Surrounded by Idiots: His occasional opinion of the Knights. Not entirely unreasonable, given their response to being faced with an angry Vader was just standing there slack-jawed.
- Take This Job and Shove It: Near the end of Hidden Empire Issue 1, he tells Qi'ra that he and the Knights are done with serving Crimson Dawn, since using them as living batteries for the Fermata Cage was too dangerous and that Palpatine will bring his full wrath on them, which is exactly what happens from Issue 2 of the Hidden Empire series onwards.
- Unwitting Pawn: Plays right into Palpatine's revenge plan against the Skywalker and Solo bloodlines, as well as the New Republic by killing Tai, causing Ben to fully embrace the Dark Side, kill him, and becomes the new leader of the Knights of Ren.
- Virtue Is Weakness: He believes showing mercy or a reluctance to kill is a weakness.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: The guy is never seen wearing a shirt. However, it's Fan Disservice, both because his torso is horrifically scarred and because it serves to underline how abnormal he is that he never seems to get cold or worry about getting injured.
- White Hair, Black Heart: He has silver-gray hair and is not what you'd call a good person by any stretch.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: There was another Ren before him, who he killed to acquire the name, lightsaber and position as leader of the Knights.
Vicrul
Vicrul
Portrayed by: Anton Simpson-Tidy
Appearances: War of the Bounty Hunters | Crimson Reign | Bounty Hunters | Hidden Empire | The Rise of Kylo Ren | The Force Awakens | The Rise of Skywalker
A scythe wielding warrior who views himself as a reaper of the fallen and targeter of souls.
- Blood Knight: Prefers to wade right into the middle of battle and cut down his victims up-close to fuel the Dark Side power within himself.
- The Grim Reaper: He sees himself as a "harvester of souls".
- Sinister Scythe: Wields a curved blade referred to as a "vibro-scythe" that is resistant to a lightsaber and sees himself as a harvester of souls.
- Supernatural Fear Inducer: His untrained Force powers cause his prey to feel increased fear and dread as Vicrul hunts them.
- Sword and Gun: He doesn't often use them in tandem, but he does carry a blaster in addition to his scythe.
- Vague Age: War of the Bounty Hunters shows Vicrul was around at the time of The Empire Strikes Back, but since there's no clue whether he's even human, it's not clear whether this is an unusual situation for him.
Cardo
Cardo
Portrayed by: Martin Wilde
Appearances: War of the Bounty Hunters | Crimson Reign | Bounty Hunters | Hidden Empire | The Rise of Kylo Ren | The Force Awakens | The Rise of Skywalker
Unlike his fellow Knights, Cardo forgoes melee and precision weapons and opts for leaving swaths of destruction on the battlefield.
- Arm Cannon: Has a cannon barrel covering his right arm.
- Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: He's the heavy weapons specialist and is the first of the Knights, alongside Kuruk, to fall to Ben after his Heel–Face Turn. Since he and Kuruk were the Knights' ranged fighters, it made sense for Ben to take them out first.
- Fire-Breathing Weapon: One of Cardo's weapons is a flamethrower.
- One-Man Army: He's described as this, though he never gets to show it on-screen because Ben knows full well that he's this trope, and during his battle with the Knights he puts Cardo down swiftly both times he engages them.
- Slashed Throat: Ben takes him out this way after whipping out the Skywalker lightsaber.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: His Arm Cannon is equipped with a repeating laser blaster, a plasma bolt launcher and flamethrower.
- Walking Armory: He has an affinity for weapons and weapon modification, and is the most heavily armed of the Knights. He works alongside Albrekh to maintain and upgrade the Knight's weapons and armor.
Marinda
Marinda
A humanoid warrior in the Knights of Ren.
- Character Death: Gets killed by Palpatine's Force Lightning alongside Massif after the Emperor is freed from the Fermata Cage.
- Dual Wielding: Uses two batons that cackle with red energy in battle.
- Horned Humanoid: Possibly: their helmet has two horns that look similar to a Devaronian's. However, it is unclear if that is just a feature of the helmet or to fit their actual horns inside.
Bazzra
Bazzra
Species: Twi'lek
Appearances: War of the Bounty Hunters | Crimson Reign
A Twi'lek warrior in the Knights of Ren.
- Ambiguously Human: Inverted. Aside from Ren and Kylo Ren (who are both human), she is currently the only other Knight with a clearly-defined species.
- Heroic Sacrifice: She is crushed to death by a Dark Side giant's fist while protecting the Archivist in a Dark Side hellscape, using the Force to push her away before she could get crushed too.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Whatever it is she's saying, it's apparently very foul-mouthed.
- The Smurfette Principle: She is the only known woman among the Knights, although the gender of several other members is unclear.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Although her dialogue is untranslated, this is clearly her reaction when the Screaming Key awakens numerous giant rock constructs powered by the Dark Side.
- The Unintelligible: She speaks in a language that is untranslated for the reader.
Fyodor
Fyodor
Appearances: War of the Bounty Hunters | Crimson Reign
An alien member of the Knights of Ren.
- Cat Folk: From the brief glimpse of their face, they appear to be from a feline-based humanoid species.
- In the Hood: Wears a hood up over their helmet.
- Neck Snap: Their death comes at the hands of Vader, who uses the Force to lift Fyodor into the air and twist all their limbs around, including their neck, snapping it and killing them.
- Red Shirt: The only casualty of the Knights' incursion into Castle Vader, getting crushed by Vader's powers.
- Spiteful Spit: During the infiltration of Castle Vader, Fyodor pauses briefly to spit into one of the bacta storage tanks in order to leave something for Vader to remember them by. Vader repays his remembrance via his usual methods.
Massif
Massif
A short humanoid member of the Knights of Ren.
- Character Death: Gets killed by Palpatine's Force Lightning alongside Marinda after the Emperor is freed from the Fermata Cage.
- Only Sane Man: The only Knight to raise objections to the sanity of robbing Vader's house. Massif also really questions the wisdom of Ren mocking Vader as they escape from his castle, and is instantly proven right when the Sith lord nearly takes back the Screaming Key from them with the Force.
- Savage Spiked Weapons: Wields a short club with numerous spikes on it.
New Republic Era Members
Trudgen
Trudgen
Portrayed by: Tom Rodgers
A collector of trophies, Trudgen wields his giant vibrocleaver into battle.
- Battle Trophy: Collects bits of armor and weapons from foes he defeats to modify and upgrade his own equipment. His helmet has pieces of a Death Trooper's included.
- BFS: His "vibrocleaver" is so heavy if he isn't fighting with it he has to rest it on his shoulder or the ground, and that's with the weight-reducing cutouts in the spine.
- Cool Sword: Wields a "vibrocleaver" which looks like a smaller version of Cloud Strife's Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII. It's also resistant to a lightsaber blade.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Trudgen is killed by Ben this way, getting his saber right through his chest.
Ap'lek
Ap'lek
Portrayed by: Lukaz Leong
The strategist of the Knights of Ren.
- Disney Villain Death: Meets his end on Exegol when Ben Force pushes into a chasm.
- In the Hood: He's the only Knight to be hooded, bar Kylo Ren himself in The Force Awakens.
- Nightmare Face: His helmet has a rictus designed in this manner.
- Smoke Out: His belt has a smoke dispenser that coats the battlefield so he can obscure his opponent's vision. His untrained Force talents allows him to see through smoke without issue.
- The Strategist: Prefers to use cunning and deception to defeat his opponents.
- Vibroweapon: He wields a Mandalorian executioner vibro-ax that is made out of beskar and is thus able to block lightsaber blades.
Kuruk
Kuruk
Portrayed by: Joe Kennard
The pilot and sniper of the Knights.
- Ace Pilot: Pilots the Knights' ship, the Night Buzzard.
- Cold Sniper: Is described as the most independent of the Knights, and thus functions as their marksman. He uses the Force to focus his aim.
- I Work Alone: Downplayed Trope. He's described as the most independent of the Knights, but also seems to have little issue working with them. However, several scenes depict him as standing further off from his fellows than the others, most notably on Pasaana.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: His rifle has pump-action capabilities.
- Slashed Throat: He and Cardo get taken out by Ben this way, in the same stroke no less.
Ushar
Ushar
Portrayed by: Ashley Beck
When the Knights of Ren take prisoners, they are given to Ushar to deal with for sport.
- Carry a Big Stick: Ushar's main weapon is a long club with a concussion field generator attached to the end.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Is killed by Ben this way, getting his saber right through his chest from behind.
- In the Back: Ben leaps over him and then skewers him from behind with his lightsaber.
- Torture Technician: His weapon is specifically design for heavy concussion blows, making him ideal for prolonged torture. When a prisoner begs for a quick death, they're turned over to Ushar.
- Villain Respect: His helmet bears a crumple mark inflicted by a prisoner that retaliated. Ushar showed them his respect by killing them swiftly.
- Worthy Opponent: Prisoners who beg for mercy get a slow, painful death from Ushar, but those who fight back are granted quick deaths.
Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren
- See his separate character page.
