Members of The Knights of Ren are featured prominently in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and its spinoff material, but considering their strength in the dark side and ties to the Sith Order, it is interesting that only two Knights actually use lightsabers. The Knights of Ren as a whole are only shown in a brief vision in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and several short scenes in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but one of their leaders, Kylo Ren, is the main villain of the sequel trilogy, making the Knights of Ren, as an organization, an extremely prominent antagonistic force in the films.
The Jedi and Sith are the most famous, powerful, and influential Force-using organizations in the Star Wars galaxy, but they’re far from the only ones. Numerous religions use and study the Force or its dark side, such as the Guardians of the Whills and the Nightsisters of Dathomir. The Knights of Ren are a gang of dark side-using marauders who originated in the galaxy’s Unknown Regions, terrorizing beings and earning a fearsome reputation for generations.
Lightsabers are the traditional weapons of both the Jedi and the Sith, with each order using unique versions of the weapon. While Jedi lightsabers are powered by Kyber crystals that are attuned to the Force, Sith use the dark side to “bleed” the gems, corrupting them into an aggressive red color. Other Force religions typically use unique weaponry, such as the Legends-era Baron Do Sages and their wooden staffs for self-defense, or the Guardians of the Whills and their lightbows. The Knights of Ren typically scavenge their weapons and armor from other cultures, with their leaders—who are, unsurprisingly, the strongest Knights—wielding lightsabers reminiscent of Sith weapons.
The Knights of Ren seem to have a lot in common with the Sith, but the key differences between the two involve their philosophies. The Sith Lords rule the dark side and seek to rule the galaxy, living by the Sith Code. The Knights of Ren, on the other hand, serve the dark side, eschewing a code in favor of following what they perceive to be the will of the dark side. With this philosophy, the Knights go where they please, take what they want, and kill whoever stands in their way.
With this in mind, it’s not surprising why they scavenge their gear. All Knights of Ren wear suits of armor, complete with imposing masks and deadly weapons. The Knights often take their gear from other cultures, such as the Mandalorians, and modify them into even deadlier and more unstable forms. Considering that their leaders are their strongest members and a red-bladed Sith-style lightsaber is the deadliest dark side weapon, it makes sense why only Ren and his successor, Kylo Ren, are shown using lightsabers.
The two lightsabers used by the masters of the Knights of Ren are different from those used by Sith Lords, despite sharing their dark side-corrupted red blades. Ren’s weapon featured a self-destruct dead man switch that took advantage of its Kyber crystal’s power for a potentially catastrophic explosion, indicating that Ren constructed his weapon. Kylo Ren’s famous crossguard lightsaber used a Kyber crystal that was both bled and cracked, resulting in a jagged and unstable blade. Kylo gave his lightsaber a pair of quillons as a means of both venting the blade’s excess energy and honoring the Sith of Malachor. Ren and Kylo Ren each used their lightsabers as expressions of power and their personalities within the Knights of Ren, making for unique and fascinating Star Wars villains.
Key Release Dates
Rogue Squadron
Release Date:2023-12-22
