The Knights of Ren were an enclave of masked dark side warriors that adhered to the ways of the Ren, a religious philosophy epitomized by the lightsaber. A band of marauders from the Unknown Regions, the Knights roamed the galaxy causing wanton destruction. Imbued with the power of the Force, they were devotees of the dark side which they referred to as «the shadow.» In addition to their inherent abilities, the Knights of Ren were armed for ranged and close-quarter combat, making them fearsome opponents in battle.

The Knights of Ren were active during the Galactic Civil War between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire. They were one of the few remaining Force-sensitive groups by the time of the Imperial Era, the Empire having purged the galaxy of the Jedi Order and other Force-based organizations. Their leader, a warrior known by the name of Ren, personified the Knights’ creed. At one point, they were allied with Lady Qi’ra, the head of Crimson Dawn. As such, the Knights supported her goal of reshaping the power structure of the galaxy by overthrowing Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith and Galactic Emperor.

After the Empire fell, the Knights of Ren remained active and continued traveling across the galaxy, raiding worlds, hunting for artifacts, and searching for prospective recruits during the era of the New Republic. Ben Solo—the nephew and Padawan of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker—destroyed the new generation of Jedi and subsequently joined the Knights by killing Ren. Assuming the new name of Kylo Ren, the fallen Jedi became a warlord of the First Order and the apprentice of Supreme Leader Snoke. Under Kylo’s leadership as master of the Knights of Ren, the Knights of Ren filled the vacuum caused by the destruction of the Sith. Unlike the Knights of Ren who lacked training in the ways of the Force, Kylo was the grandson of the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and was gifted with the raw power of the bloodline. Unbeknownst to him, the Knights of Ren true loyalty was to Sidious who had been secretly resurrected on the planet Exegol.

During the First Order-Resistance War, the Knights of Ren became Kylo’s personal bodyguards after he usurped Snoke’s rule as Supreme Leader. In addition to enforcing Kylo’s reign, they served as trackers during the hunt for Rey, a Jedi apprentice who fought for the Resistance and shared a unique bond with Kylo. Following Ben Solo’s return to the light side of the Force, the Knights confronted their former master during the Battle of Exegol and were slain in battle against him.