The Rise of Kylo Ren: 7 pressing questions we want answered

We’re getting Kylo Ren’s story—and with it, the story of the Knights of Ren. But what other details might we gain from this long-awaited Star Wars tale?

Rejoice, Star Wars fans! Last week, at its publishing panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Lucasfilm announced a four-issue miniseries called The Rise of Kylo Ren. 

Writer Charles Soule, the mastermind behind Marvel’s acclaimed Darth Vader series, promises this to be the “one story everyone’s dying to see.”

Star Wars fans of all stripes—including those who felt miffed that the origins of the Knights of Ren weren’t explored in The Last Jedi—can rejoice at this news. Here are a few big questions we’re likely to get answered—and a few others where we’d love to have some light shed.

Who are the Knights of Ren?

Okay, this one’s for certain. The Knights have been teased since 2015, when we caught a glimpse of them in Rey’s Force vision in The Force Awakens? But who are they, aside from a club for people who share an eccentric taste in headgear? We’re about to find out.

Who’s Snoke?

I count myself among those who have few complaints about the way The Last Jedi sacrificed the Supreme Leader to advance the development of more central characters, but my inherent Star Wars fan curiosity wouldn’t mind knowing a bit more about Andy Serkis’s gold-bathrobed Emperor wannabe. Where did he come from? What was his role in Kylo Ren’s descent to the dark side? Where did he get his facial scars? How did he ascend to the top of the First Order?

Where was Luke’s Jedi academy?

All we know where Luke Skywalker built his new academy was that it was a pleasant-looking place until it was on fire. What planet was it on? Why did Luke choose it? Was there some nexus of the Force that led him to an unknown planet, or did he build it on a world we’ve heard of before?

What kind of parents were Han and Leia?

We’ve caught glimpses of Han Solo and Leia Organa as parents. In Bloodline, we felt Leia’s concern for her son, and in Last Shot, we saw Han as a new dad. But what was it like to discover their son had fallen to the dark side? Was it anything like when Jacen Solo fell in Legends?

What’s the deal with Kylo’s janky lightsaber?

Kylo Ren’s cool crossguard lightsaber, evoking the look of weapons from the distant past, nevertheless looks a bit like a high-tech Pinterest fail. Did Snoke never teach him how to build a lightsaber properly? Or did Kylo just like a rough, sputtering lightsaber as a tangible metaphor for his broken soul? The latter sounds a bit like the kind of emo thing Kylo would do.

Why is Kylo Ren not a Sith?

Kylo Ren’s a powerful wielder of the dark side, but as far as we know he’s never claimed the ancient title of Dark Lord of the Sith. If Kylo Ren idolizes his grandfather so much, why not follow in Darth Vader’s Sith footsteps? The reveal of the Sith Trooper from The Rise of Skywalker suggests he might be soon embracing that dark legacy, but in the meantime, what’s stopping him from naming himself Darth Kylo?

How does he keep from getting really bad helmet hair?

Okay, come on. Admit that you’ve been wondering this since he first removed his helmet in The Force Awakens, revealing perfectly coiffed black locks. That’s got to be a previously unknown Force trick on par with Luke’s Force projection.

What are you most excited to find out? Tell us in the comments.