Rian Johnson has been accused of changing J.J. Abrams' plan when he didn't include the Knights of Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but what if they were only absent because they wouldn't actually be formed until Star Wars: Episode IX? After a brief tease in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans expected the Knights of Ren to get more attention in The Last Jedi, but they weren't anywhere to be seen.
Some have criticized Rian Johnson for ignoring what J.J. Abrams set up by ignoring the Knights of Ren, but according to Johnson, there simply wasn't room for them in in the plot of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. There was no time to add any subplot that would utilize them, and while he considered using them as Snoke's Preatorian guards, that would have resulted in them all dying, so he opted to not reference them at all.
Related: Theory: Snoke IS Darth Plagueis (And Star Wars 9's Real Villain)
Leaving the Knights of Ren out of both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi may make it awkward to finally bring them into the plot of Star Wars: Episode IX, but if it turns out the glimpse of them in Rey's "Forceback" vision was actually a glimpse of the future, then it just might work.
- This Page: There Were Probably Never Plans to Actually Use the Knights of Ren
- Page 2: How the Knights of Ren Could Be in Kylo's Future
There Were Probably Never Plans to Actually Use the Knights of Ren
One of the biggest complaints some fans had against Star Wars: The Last Jed was that it seemed to abandon a number of things J.J. Abrams set up in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. What those criticisms miss is that many of the things Abrams introduced in The Force Awakens were merely part of his famous "mystery box," existing only to create intrigue, or mask the movie's big twists, particularly the reveal that Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo.
Naturally, Ben Solo can't go by his real name or it betrays the reveal in the movie, so he's given a new name, like Darth Vader. Only he's not a Sith so he can't be "Darth Kylo." Instead, they gave him the name Kylo Ren and invented the Knights of Ren as a backstory to where the "Ren" title came from. The only explicit references to the Knights of Ren in canon are in Star Wars: The Force Awakens when Snoke calls Kylo the "master of the Knights of Ren" or the shot of them in Rey's vision.
Once it's revealed that Kylo is actually Ben Solo, both the mask and the name are suddenly less important. Rian Johnson has Ben literally destroy the mask in the opening minutes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, never even mention the Knights of Ren, and Rey and other characters refer to him as Ben.
Related: Star Wars 9 Theory: VADER Corrupted Kylo Ren, Not Snoke
There simply isn't any purpose to the Knights of Ren anymore, and, as Rian Johnson pointed out, there's really no place for tehm in the story. Abrams seems to agree, because he said he said he thinks they would make a great spin-off movie, implying he didn't see a place for them to be fleshed out in Star Wars: The Last Jedi or Star Wars: Episode IX.
Ultimately, like Ben Solo's mask and alternate name, there wasn't much use for the Knights of Ren once we know his true name and origin story, but that doesn't mean they can't still have a future in Star Wars: Episode IX.
Page 2: How the Knights of Ren Could Be in Kylo's Future
Rey's Vision is Out of Order
Even without a plan for the future of the Knights of Ren, the appearance of the Knights in Rey's vision is a significant point that merits expansion. The shot is unexplained, so it could mean anything, but contextually it looks like it was being suggested at the time that the Knights were a part of Kylo destroying Luke's temple. This is evident because of the look at Luke and R2-D2 watching the temple burn bleeds into the reveal of Kylo and the Knights of Ren, and, as we recently pointed out, there's a Jedi Temple-like structure visible in the background.
If that was indeed the intent, then Rian Johnson's version of Kylo's turn was indeed a retcon of J.J. Abrams' intent, but there's enough confusion in the "Forceback" vision that it's easy to dismiss as another moment in time altogether. It could have been a flashback to Kylo and the Knights of Ren subjugating another planet, like we recently heard about in Star Wars: Resistance, but it could also be an even that hasn't happened yet.
The vision jumps all over the place chronologically, showing events fromt the distant past like Cloud City from Luke and Vader's duel in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, more recent events with Rey being left with Unkar Plutt on Jakku, and future events like Rey encountering Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base. If one of the events in the vision was a flash forward, could any of the others be one as well? It's certainly possible, but the only other moment without enough context to pin to past events in the timeline is Kylo and the Knights of Ren.
Theory: The Knights of Ren Haven't Actually Formed Yet
Thinking about the Knights of Ren appearance in Rey's Forceback vision from Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a future event, instead of a past event, makes a lot of sense, explaining why they haven't actually appeared in a movie yet, and making them something J.J. Abrams could certainly be incorporating into Star Wars: Episode IX.
The key assumption is that there's a time jump between the movies, and Kylo Ren uses that time to form the Knights of Ren himself. When Snoke told him he was the Master of the Knights of Ren, he wasn't declaring Kylo's past accomplishments, but telling him his destiny. Maybe Snoke seduced Kylo Ren and intended for him to train a group of Force-wielding dark side warriors.
Related: Why Star Wars 9 Needs To Include ANOTHER Death Star
If we run with this minor retcon, it would mean the Knights of Ren are actually named after Kylo and not vice versa, which actually makes more sense in the context of everything we know about this part of the Star Wars timeline. And if Kylo takes the time between Star Wars: The Last Jedi to start training his own dark side warriors, will Rey and Leia have also begun training some new Jedi?
Kylo isn't restricted by the "Rule of Two" since he's not a Sith, so it makes sense for him to build his own power by training new warriors. Star Wars: The Last Jedi ended teasing the next generation of Jedi inspired by the legend of Luke Skywalker. That generation will obviously be trained by Rey, and with Leia still alive until at least the events of Star Wars: Episode IX, she'll surely have a hand, too. They're in possession of the ancient Jedi texts, and, as Leia says at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they have all they need.
There's no word on the exact plot of Star Wars: Episode IX yet, other than the fact that it will be the end of the Skywalker saga, so the concept of legacy will doubtless be at play (a fan favorite subtitle for the movie is Legacy of the Force), and there's no better way to judge the legacy of the Skywalkers than by pitting the students of Ben Solo (who will presumably be the last Skywalker) against the students of Rey (and possibly Leia, herself a Skywalker), who are the continuation of Luke and Anakin's legacy.
MORE: Star Wars 9 Theory: Flashbacks Will Finally Show Full-Power Jedi Master Luke
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2DkTgrE
0 Comments