When the trailer for Knights Of Ren in action: they pretty much just followed Kylo around until he had to betray them.
If anything, they were a little underwhelming. Luckily, their backstory and the mythology around them makes them much more interesting in a post-Skywalker Saga world.
They Used To Follow A Different ‘Ren’ Before Kylo
One of the things we never gleamed from the main entries into the Star Wars franchise was what the Knights Of Ren were up to before they crossed paths with Kylo. They served a different master, a man actually called Ren. He was the one who ed Kylo and brought him into the group, but Kylo also ended up being the one to kill the original Ren and ascend to the role of Master.
They Were Devoted To The Dark Side, But Not The Sith
Despite our strong association between the Dark Side and the Sith in Star Wars, the Knights Of Ren didn’t come to exist until after the Sith was wiped out (as far we knew).
This meant that they didn’t follow the Sith teachings to the letter, but they were still devoted to the Dark Side of the force and the wreaking of havoc that came with it.
One Was Called Vicrul
Each member of the Knights Of Ren was more than an empty shell of a person guided only by hate; they all had a distinct personality and approach. Vicrul was a humanoid male whose helmet looked alarmingly similar to Kylo’s. He wielded a scythe and was gifted at close combat fighting and had a mostly unharnessed control over the force.
One Was Called Cardo
Cardo was also a humanoid male, but he didn’t have as much similarity to Kylo Ren in costume. He actually looked more imposing, carrying heavy weapons and wearing a long, flame-proof cape under his fierce metal mask. He didn’t care for precision, and instead used a huge canon that was able to create huge, but inaccurate, destruction. This weapon obviously wasn’t very helpful against Kylo, as he was second to die.
One Was Called Ushar
Ushar was one of the most unique looking of the Knights Of Ren, with his twisted helmet looking a bit like a dark stormtrooper gone wrong. He had a semi-moral approach in which he allowed strong warriors a quick death.
Despite his blunt, brutal club and skill at using it, he was also one of Kylo’s easiest foes when he turned against his bodyguards.
One Was Called Trudgen
Trudgen had an interesting approach to battle, as he would often collect trophies from his victims; this is what allowed him to create such unique armor. Like Cardo, he was gifted at hand to hand combat, with his primary weapon being a vibrocleaver, which was basically a very big, very powerful knife.
One Was Called Kuruk
Like the rest of the knights, Kuruk was force sensitive but unable to use his gift to his advantage. Despite this, he may have had more control over the gift than his comrades, as shown by his excellent precision.
He was the sniper of the group, rarely involving himself in close-quarters fighting and acting as their pilot.
One Was Called Ap’lek
Ap’lek’s fierce, terrifying demeanor looks like it would fit a death eater more than the Knights Of Ren. He was one of the most intelligent of the group, as he would rather use intelligence and cunning than the fierce aggression of the rest of the group. Despite this, he still wielded a terrifying ax that could slice through just about anything like butter.
They Were Basically Glorified Bodyguards
Despite the description of each member of the Knights Of Ren making them sound like fierce warriors capable of forming their own Sith-like legion, they actually weren’t that impressive on the whole.
Their primary function was basically nothing more than to act as bodyguards to Kylo Ren, the truly powerful member of their ranks. Of course, this indirectly meant that they were all operating under Sith rule still, and their comparative lack of power was shown by how easy it was for Kylo to slaughter them all at once.
They Were Based On Rejected Versions Of Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren is one of the very few things about the sequel trilogy that didn’t divide audiences. He was powerful, cool and interesting. Obviously a lot went into creating his character, including a huge amount of drafts of what he was going to look like. There is a reason many of the Knights Of Ren look so similar to Kylo: they were all rejected draft designs of their leader.
