Rian Johnson explains why the Knights of Ren weren’t in The Last Jedi

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

SPOILERS for STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI below. Several of the mysteries J.J. Abrams presented in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS were seemingly tossed aside by Rian Johnson in THE LAST JEDI. Whether those choices were for good or ill is up to you, but when it comes to the Knights of Ren, the mysterious group of dark side force users under the command of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), their absence from THE LAST JEDI is easily explained – there just wasn't room for them. While speaking on The Empire Film Podcast, THE LAST JEDI writer/director Rian Johnson said that although he found them "interesting," he just couldn't use them in a film which was already bursting at the seams.

You can see we have a very full movie already. There literally was just not room for another element at them. I guess I could've used them in place of the Praetorian guards, but then it would feel like wasting them because I knew all those guards had to die pretty quickly. And if Kylo had some kind of connection to them, it would've added a complication that wouldn't have helped the scene. So the truth is I just didn't see a place for them in the movie.

Part of me had kind of assumed that the Praetorian guards were the Knights of Ren, but apparently I just wasn't paying attention. Shame on me. With J.J. Abrams returning to take the helm of STAR WARS: EPISODE IX, it's possible that the Knights of Ren may make a reappearance. "It's intriguing who they are," Johnson said. "If J.J. takes it up in the next chapter, I'll be very curious to know." With the death of Snoke (Andy Serkis) at the hands of Kylo Ren, who has now taken on the mantle of Supreme Leader, I'd be surprised if Kylo didn't recruit the Knights of Ren to serve as his new bodyguards in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.

Do you hope the Knights of Ren make their return in EPISODE IX?

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is still playing in theaters, and STAR WARS: EPISODE IX will arrive on December 20, 2019.