The Knights of Ren are confirmed to appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The newest Vanity Fair issue has confirmed the Knights of Ren will finally appear again in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

It’s been a minute since we heard about the Knights of Ren in Star Wars. But luckily, that won’t last for long. After years of knowing little to nothing about the group that Kylo Ren was a part of, the Knights of Ren will finally get their due by appearing in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This is all according to Vanity Fair, which published one epic preview toThe Rise of Skywalker. Of course, not much was revealed about their involvement in the movie, but Annie Leibovitz captured a great shot of the Knights on set with director J.J. Abrams in a desert scene.

The picture, which you can see in the tweet below, features six of the Knights of Ren, all in mismatched clothing and weapons on a planet called Pasaana, as the other Vanity Fair story notes. Like Kylo Ren, they all wear a helmet and dress in all black.

Vanity Fair, before updating its article, suggested that the Knights of Ren were the people Kylo Ren is battling in the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker. But in a follow-up AMA on Reddit, writer Lev Grossman clarified that was an error on their part, and it’s not clear if the dark figures he’s battling are truly the Knights of Ren or something else.

Although, if that were to be true, it could point to a falling out between Kylo and the Knights — whether it be during current events in the film, or in a flashback.

For a character who we still have a lot to learn about in this final film, a flashback with the Knights would be an awesome addition. We know Rian Johnson’s philosophy for The Last Jedi was let the past die, but you can’t deny that a well-rounded character deserves to have a fleshed out backstory. (We’re talking about an on-screen backstory, not just in the novels.)

We especially can’t let the past die since the Knights of Ren were already briefly teased in The Force Awakens during Rey’s vision. For them to be dropped out of the narrative altogether, we’d be dealing with Game of Thrones series finale levels of problems on our hands.

While they’re at it, a little more information about Supreme Leader Snoke’s relationship to the Knights of Ren would be well worth exploring in Kylo Ren’s backstory, too.

Were the Knights a group that Snoke encouraged to be formed? Did Kylo form the Knights, but then ultimately left to rule the First Order with Snoke?

Even with Snoke dead, there’s definitely more to the story than meets the eye, and we’re hoping J.J. Abrams will be able to round this trilogy off by giving Kylo Ren a complete backstory.

If the Knights won’t appear as a flashback and actually work themselves into the current events in the movie, the shot of Kylo Ren fighting them may indicate that he’s on the path to redemption. If that’s the case, Rian Johnson’s “let the past die” philosophy might just find its way into this movie as well, but perhaps for the better.

We’ll find out what the Knights of Ren are really up to when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out December 20.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include information from the Reddit AMA.