Knights of Ren

"Even you, master of the Knights of Ren, have never faced such a test."

- Supreme Leader Snoke, to Kylo Ren

The Knights of Ren was a group of dark side users that operated under the command of Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Kylo Ren, master of the Knights of Ren, ultimately succeeded Snoke as leader of the First Order during its war with the Resistance.

Organization
The Knights of Ren included Kylo Ren, whom Supreme Leader Snoke, the leader of these forces of dark side users referred to as a master of the Knights of Ren. As a member of the Knights of Ren, Kylo was not part of the formal hierarchy of the First Order but nonetheless operated with freedom among the military command, who tolerated his presence with some hesitation as his agenda trumped their own. Kylo wore a black and silver combat helmet based on the battle gear worn by the Knights of Ren.

History
The Knights of Ren operated in the decades following the Galactic Civil War. They were under the command of Supreme Leader Snoke, who used them as a tool of the dark side of the Force alongside the First Order. Rey, a Force-sensitive scavenger who hailed from Jakku, saw the Knights of Ren in a vision. After the death of Snoke, Kylo Ren took control of the First Order as the new Supreme Leader.

Behind the scenes
The Knights of Ren were created for the movie Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. According to Rian Johnson, writer and director of the sequel The Last Jedi, the reason why the group does not appear in the sequel is that the movie was already full and there literally was no room for them. Johnson mused that they could have been used in place of the Praetorian Guards, but it would be a waste because all the guards had to die and Kylo's connection to the Knights of Ren would have added unwanted complications to the scene.

The word "Ren" may derivate from the ancient Egyptian word transliterated as "rn". Egyptians did not use vowels when they wrote, so, according to a convention between Egyptologists, where two consonants sound "bad" together, an "e" is placed between them, causing "rn" to be pronunced "ren", as in "Knights of Ren".

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes