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- Who Is Each Member Of The Knights Of Ren?
- What Weapons Do The Knights Of Ren Use?
- Why Does Kylo Ren Lead The Knights Of Ren?
Thanks to the limited time and all the studio constraints that are placed on the Star Wars movies, there are bound to be a few characters that leave fans wanting more. There might not be a single better example of that very thing than the Knights Of Ren. Poised to be a massive threat in the Star Wars universe, the mysterious group failed to make a major impact on a lot of people.
Due to their limited role and screen time in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, there aren’t too many people with a solid grasp of who the Knights Of Ren are. Most of the group’s lore comes from the extended Star Wars materials, leaving fans who only watch the movies in the dark. Luckily, the history of the Knights Of Ren has been fleshed out relatively well at this point.
Who Is Each Member Of The Knights Of Ren?
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The Knights Of Ren |
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Base: |
The Night Buzzard |
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Leader: |
Kylo Ren (previously Ren) |
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Date Founded: |
Roughly 3 ABY |
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Date Destroyed: |
35 ABY |
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Affiliations: |
The Sith, the First Order, the Sith Eternal |
Considering the group operated as early as the Imperial Era, there have actually been different iterations of the Knights Of Ren. Of course, the group seen within the Rise Of Skywalker makes the most sense to be focused on. When considering this group, the different members are Ap’lek, Cardo, Kuruk, Trudgen, Ushar, and Vicrul, with Kylo Ren as the leader of the group.
Ap’lek
This member of the Knights Of Ren manages to stand out from the others for being one who enjoys the use of strategy. Whereas the other members often know they are powerful enough to wipe out their foes, Ap’lek seems to be the Witcher type and enjoys hunting and trapping his enemies. It’s likely that Ap’lek is one of the most dangerous members of the group as he’ll think through a way to defeat his enemies, making his fights much easier than most.
Cardo
Cardo can be thought of as the mechanic of the group, often working on each member’s weapons and armor. Despite how much attention to detail something like that would take, Cardo is also known as one of the more brutal members of the group. He simply reveled in creating destruction with whatever modifications he made to his trusty weapons.
Kuruk
Considering someone in the group needed to be a pilot, it is fitting that Kuruk takes up that role. As one of the only ranged fighters in the group, Kuruk was a powerful foe who tended to spend his time away from the battlefield. It’s much easier for a sniper to hit his mark when everyone else is embroiled in the chaos as the Knights Of Ren attack.
Trudgen
Interestingly, Trudgen is one of the members of the group with little of note. One of the most interesting aspects of Trudgen’s character is the fact that he enjoys taking a keepsake from his fallen opponents. It’s his desire to collect trophies that results in such unique armor as he would have the trinkets worked into the suit’s design.
Ushar
As far as the demeanor of the group goes, Ushar might be one of the most sadistic. Any foes who surrendered or simply didn’t die would become his twisted playthings. Anyone who comes across Ushar would be better off simply trying to defeat him and dying for it in order to avoid a slow and agonizing torture session.
Vicrul
Vicrul is an interesting member of the group because his power just continues to grow the more he kills. His connection to the dark side and hatred for life just continue to increase the more he is locked in combat. His explosive connection to the Force made him one of the most powerful members of the whole group.
Kylo Ren
Of course, there’s no forgetting the leader of the group, Kylo Ren. He took control of the group after defeating the previous master of the group, simply known as Ren. As he continued to rise through the First Order, the Knights Of Ren took on more of a personal guard role for their leader.
What Weapons Do The Knights Of Ren Use?
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Knights Of Ren Weapons |
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Kylo Ren: |
A red crossguard lightsaber |
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Ap’lek: |
An executioner’s ax |
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Ushar: |
A war club (also a secondary vibromachete) |
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Trudgen: |
A vibrocleaver |
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Vicrul: |
An ultrasonic scythe |
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Cardo: |
An arm cannon |
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Kuruk: |
A custom blaster rifle |
Surprisingly, the Knights Of Ren didn’t use uniform weapons across the group. Instead, each member of the group chose to specialize in unique weapons that they were already skilled with in order to give them an edge over their enemies. Fans of Star Wars will already know that Kylo Ren wields an iconic red lightsaber with a crossguard, something similar to the previous leader Ren who also used a red lightsaber.
Melee
Ap’lek, Ushar, Trudgen, and Vicrul all use their own unique melee weapons that are unlike anything most Star Wars fans have seen. Ap’lek wielded an upgraded Mandalorian executioner’s vibro-blade ax, and Ushar wielded a mighty war club with the ability to release a shockwave of concussive energy. Trudgen used a vibrocleaver, a massive blade with brutal cutting power, and Vicrul used a vibro-blade scythe with equally destructive power that also granted him the ability to latch onto and disarm opponents.
Range
The two remaining members, Cardo and Kuruk each used ranged weapons. Cardo had a unique arm cannon weapon that was capable of unleashing a rain of blaster fire on anyone he pointed his arm at. At the same time, Kuruk used a relatively simple blaster rifle with the capability to give him effective pressure at nearly any range.
Why Does Kylo Ren Lead The Knights Of Ren?
Unfortunately, for much of his life, Ben Solo was being manipulated by Snoke, and in turn, Darth Sidious, resulting in his distrust in the ways of the Jedi and a draw to the dark side. After Solo’s turn away from the Jedi, Snoke was really the only person he could turn to, but he also knew he could have become a powerful member of the Knights Of Ren. Intending to join the group once he found them, the Knights Of Ren, specifically their leader Ren, weren’t sure if Solo could join, but he eventually was allowed to spend time with the group until he was either officially inducted or died. Before Solo ever joined, Snoke made it clear in Star Wars: The Rise Of Kylo Ren comic series that not just anyone can try to join the group:
“The Knights of Ren could be your first step on that path. They always seek powerful people to join their ranks. But be warned… the price of admission is steep.”
Ultimately, it would be a conflict that sets Ren and Solo against each other that would see Solo’s rise to the leadership of the group. Ren attacked Solo, but Solo managed to kill Ren, something that resulted in the remaining Knights of Ren serving him as he took on the mantle of Kylo Ren. He wouldn’t join the group for any reason other than the manipulation of Snoke and Sidious, something that makes Kylo Ren’s destruction of the group poetic in a way once he returns to the light as Ben Solo.
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