Regardless of your thoughts on the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy as a whole, most fans would probably agree these movies failed to take advantage of the Knights of Ren. After being briefly teased in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Knights were completely MIA in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And though they finally made a real appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, they were little more than silent minions to Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, minions who were quickly and easily dispatched by their master in the end. They didn’t exactly live up to their fearsome reputation.
As ever, it falls on the Star Wars novels and comics to fill in the giant blanks left by the Sequels. That’s where Star Wars: Legacy of Vader comes in. The latest issue of the series (which is set shortly after the events of The Last Jedi) offers new insight into the relationship between Kylo Ren and his Knights and explains why these characters took so long to appear in the movies. Read on to find out what we learned, but beware of full spoilers for Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #8 ahead!
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader – Preview Art Gallery
Legacy of Vader writer Charles Soule has been largely responsible for fleshing out the Knights of Ren, having previously featured the characters in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren and 2020’s Star Wars. The former series was the first to establish who these characters actually are and their place in the galaxy.
As revealed in The Rise of Kylo Ren, the Knights of Ren are a nomadic band of mercenaries and treasure hunters devoted to a philosophy of wanton destruction known as The Ren. They’re all Dark Side adepts, though most don’t wield lightsabers and they refer to the Dark Side as “the shadow.” During the Original Trilogy era and leading up to the Sequels, the Knights were led by a human male named Ren. It was Ren who recruited the newly fallen Ben Solo to their cause, only for Ben to kill Ren and take his place.
Art by Derrick Chew. (Image Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm)
So where were the Knights during The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi? As revealed in Legacy of Vader #8, Kylo Ren has a bit of competition. This issue introduces a new character named Tava Ren, one who has usurped control of the Knights. After her Knights abandon her during a botched heist mission, Tava demands to know why the group has sunk so low. Cardo then recounts the history of the Knights following the events of The Rise of Kylo Ren.
Initially, life under Kylo Ren was good. The Knights roamed the galaxy, free to loot, pillage, and destroy to their hearts’ content. But eventually, Kylo Ren’s mood darkened, and their missions took an even bloodier turn. The Knights began to suspect that someone was pulling their leader’s strings. Their suspicions were proven correct when they were finally approached by Supreme Leader Snoke and his First Order troops.
Snoke informs Kylo that his time with the Knights of Ren is at an end. Ben Solo has a greater destiny to pursue. Kylo offers to kill his men for Snoke, but Snoke insists that his own troops can handle the job.
Art by Stefano Raffaele. (Image Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm)
The Knights are forced to flee the battlefield and go into hiding. Ever since, they’ve been fugitives of the First Order. And by taking control of the group, Tava Ren has placed herself in danger.
Tava tells her Knights they’ve become “broken.” But she seems to have a plan in mind to repair the damage. Tava immediately travels to the First Order flagship The Finalizer and presents herself to the new Supreme Leader. She proclaims herself to be at Kylo Ren’s service. No doubt she has ulterior motives in mind.
Art by Stefano Raffaele. (Image Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm)
We’ll see how the reunion between Kylo Ren and his Knights plays out in future issues. Based on how The Rise of Skywalker plays out, we can probably assume that Kylo kills Tava and takes back personal control of the Knights. But given how Ben Solo is currently wracked by emotional turmoil, who knows what sort of damage she can inflict before she dies? Hopefully future issues will also flesh out the relationship between the Knights and Snoke’s puppet master, Emperor Palpatine.
What do you think of these new revelations? Is Marvel finally giving the Knights of Ren their due? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
In other Star Wars news, we recently got our first look at Star Wars: Starfighter, which recently entered production. Here’s what little we know about the plot of Star Wars: Starfighter.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.