#bazzra

It’s like being newly christened, which, I like to think that similarly to Kylo, the other Knights of Ren replaced their names with new ones, in addition to the new title. Just adds a bit more pomp and circumstance, the Catholic motif to a group clearly fashioned after the crusaders. The title makes the Knights a united front and whole, even interchangeable, as Ren, just its many facets. For fun, I like to think that the official ceremony in which one is knighted is referred to as being renowned... Now renowned as a Knight of Ren, plus the obvious pun.

And Ren as a universal title adds an additional intrigue to “Ren”, the leader before Kylo; Given his claims that he’s nobody and that Ren isn’t actually his name, there’d be plenty of implications if he didn’t have an individual name himself, just the title alone. Like the only thing we can pinpoint for a fact about this dude’s identity is that he IS a Knight of Ren, but... That’s it, and it fits with how he claims to be the group’s face and representative. Ren only cares about being a Knight of Ren, he himself doesn’t matter and it aligns with him having dedicated his life to the philosophy.

Additionally, Ren being shared also makes Kylo look less indecisive (granted he very much is), because if we go by canon implications, it’s like he couldn’t decide between being his childhood name of Kylo and assuming the title of Ren as tradition, so he just slapped them both together and called it a day. Which does happen sometimes when companies merge for example, but regardless. Plus, this theme could lead to some humorous misunderstandings, like Hux calls out “Ren!” and they all turn to face him. Hux, exasperated, specifies Kylo Ren; The surname is second-nature to all and they truly see it as a part of themselves and who they are.

I just think the title of Ren has a nice, noble and dignified ring to it; It adds a nice spice and flavor to character names that would otherwise be another Glup Shitto in the lore. There’s a weight to a name like the Knights of Ren, and I want to incorporate the formality it implies. Just look at these;

-Vicrul Ren

-Cardo Ren

-Marinda Ren

-Massif Ren

-Bazzra Ren

-Fyodor Ren

-Ushar Ren

-Ap’lek Ren

-Kuruk Ren

-Trudgen Ren

From Star Wars: Crimson Reign #005, “The Crimson Queen”

Art by Steven Cummings, Victor Olazaba and Guru-eFX

This lack of focus and characterization also means their deaths don’t exactly hit as hard as they could and should; I did mourn Bazzra and liked her, but Fyodor is mostly just the dude who spat in Vader’s bacta to me, we weren’t really given anything to grieve over for these characters. Most of the time, it feels like you could switch out one Knight of Ren for another, and I hope future issues fix that; Especially in regards to Vicrul and Cardo, who have a lot of staying power as the longest-running Knights of Ren throughout the saga... Likewise, Marinda and Massif could really benefit from being fleshed out, esp since the writers now have to balance less Knights of Ren with Fyodor and Bazzra’s deaths, so it shouldn’t be as hard. It’s all but stated that Marinda and Massif will die in Hidden Empire, and while I can glean some personality from each, I’d like a bit more while their presence in the story still lasts.

On another note, I gotta say; I feel for the Knights of Ren a lot in these recent series, because they have the opposite of plot armor; Most of them HAVE to die by the end of this storyline, so it really makes it feel like they’re the ones who sacrificed and gave the most for Qi’ra’s plan. And given their underdog status as relatively weak compared to other force-sensitives, and I’m just really rooting for these scrappy characters who struggle to get by in a narrative that doesn’t care for them, and is far more callous as a result. They really do feel like poor pawns and victims most of all, between Crimson Dawn and the Sith, tossed aside for Kylo’s redemption; They’re the little guy, the forgotten ones who aren’t chosen, and it’s hard not to relate as a result.

From Star Wars: Crimson Reign #004, “The Knights”

Art by Steven Cummings, Victor Olazaba and Guru-eFX