It’s no secret anymore: Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a massive success for Disney. The movie has already topped $1 billion in ticket sales in less than two weeks since launch. J.J. Abrams took a rather safe approach with the new Star Wars when it came to characters and plot but the movie turned out great nonetheless.
Obviously, the first episode in the new trilogy leaves many questions unanswered, and there are plenty of theories that offer plausible explanations about some of the characters in the new film. One such theory provides more details about the Knights of Ren, a group that has the new Darth Vader as a member – Kylo Ren.
Do not proceed any further if you haven’t seen the movie, as major spoilers are ahead.
DON’T MISS: This fan theory explains who the new Star Wars villain might really be
Kylo Ren turns out to be Ben Solo, the son of Leia and Han Solo, who was trained in the ways of the Force by the missing Luke Skywalker. Kylo Ren turned to the Dark Side, killing some of Luke’s other Jedi students in the process. This is why Luke actually left and took to hiding, and that’s how Kylo Ren advanced in the ranks of the First Order.
Kylo Ren is, thus, the new Darth Vader. He’s eager to finish what his grandfather started, and the Knights of Ren might help with that in the future. It’s unclear at this point what the group’s purpose is and how it evoloved but Screen Rant has a theory about Rey’s vision of them.
Kylo Ren seems to be the main leader of the Knights of Ren, who also seem to serve Supreme Leader Snoke, a strange character whose background has yet to be explained. It’s not known whether any other members of the organization are former Jedis, but in the flashback only Kylo Ren is shown using a Jedi sword. They all seem to have the same kind of outfits, resembling Darth Vader’s costume. Obviously, Kylo Ren doesn’t need to wear a mask to survive like Darth Vader does, so his appearance might be more of a tribute costume choice for him.
The movie fan site further speculates that the massacre briefly shown in Episode VII might be related to Darth Vader as well. The Knights of Ren may have gone to Endor’s moon to retrieve the helmet of Darth Vader. It’s pretty clear that Kylo Ren has his grandfather’s helmet, so he must have gone there to retrieve it, considering that Darth Vader’s corpse was burned on that planet, complete with helmet.
In the process, he may have taken the other knights with him and they may have killed many Ewoks in the process. The brief sequences shown in The Force Awakens show a group of Knights of Ren surrounding Kylo Ren, whose lightsaber is clearly visible. Around them, on what looks like a battlefield, there are many corpses on the ground, as rain pours over everything.
Are these the bodies of Luke’s Jedis-in-training? Could Luke have found so many gifted kids in the galaxy all by himself after destroying the Empire to warrant an attack from what look like skilled warriors? Did the Knights of Ren help Kylo Ren kill his Jedi peers?
Screen Rant argues that Kylo Ren and his group may be on the Ewoks’ planet for the sole purpose of collecting the helmet of Darth Vader.
The fact that Abrams chose to show Kylo Ren surrounded by peers/disciples in Ray’s Force-related vision seems to indicate that the Knights of Ren may have a bigger role to play in the upcoming episodes.
For more theories explaining Star Wars characters including Rey (here and here), Kylo Ren, Han Solo and Snoke, check our previous coverage.
