In the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the Knights of Ren don't have any speaking lines, and one Star Wars comic explains the R-rated reason why.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Crimson Reign #4!
While Star Wars is known for being a franchise that is appropriate for children to watch while also being mature enough for adults to enjoy, he Knights of Ren's reason for keeping silent on the big screen has a surprisingly R-rated explanation.
The Knights of Ren are a group of Force-sensitive warriors who, in the sequel trilogy, serve under their leader, Kylo Ren. Even though they worked for Kylo Ren in the films, Kylo wasn’t the one who gave them their name, as the Knights of Ren have existed at least since the Galactic Civil War. They originated as a group of religious zealots who followed the ways of the Ren, a philosophy that enforced Dark Side usage and also highlighted the importance of the red-bladed lightsaber. While their histories run deep in Star Wars lore, the Knights of Ren were overall of little consequence in the movies, though they are further explored in the comics.
In Star Wars: Crimson Reign #4 by Charles Soule and Steven Cummings, the leader of the criminal syndicate known as Crimson Dawn, Qi’ra, is searching the starways for the legendary Knights of Ren as she is hoping to recruit them to help her take down the Empire. Since they are not aligned with the Sith and fear for their safety as Force users operating outside of the control of the Empire, the Knights of Ren decide to join Qi’ra on her mission. While on their ship discussing the details of the plan, one which has them infiltrating Castle Vader on Mustafar to steal something valuable from Darth Vader himself, the Knights of Ren voice their doubts about heading straight into the belly of the beast. One member, Bazzra, seemingly speaks an alien language that is shown as speech bubbles full of blocks instead of words. However, during the conversation, another member of the Knights of Ren responds to the unreadable dialogue by saying, “By the Shadow, you have a foul mouth, Bazzra. I always think you can’t get any filthier, but you always manage to surprise and delight me.” It seems this speech is actually censored because it's too R-rated to print.
It is indicated here that Bazzra was just spewing out a constant stream of curses every time they opened their mouth, and the other Knights of Ren are not only completely used to it, but delighted by Bazzra’s vocabulary, implying that they speak that way on a regular basis. If the Knights of Ren are just throwing curse words at each other whenever they’re together, it quickly becomes obvious why they didn’t receive any speaking lines in the Star Wars films, as the movies are supposed to be suited for audiences of practically all ages.
This characterization is a funny detail, but it also fits with the Knights of Ren, who differ from the Sith in being chaotic and undisciplined in their connection to the dark side. While effective warriors, the Knights are ultimately brutes who tour the galaxy taking whatever they want, so it makes sense that out of all Star Wars' characters, these would be the ones to curse a blue streak across the stars.
In the movies, the Knights are basically just a gang of Kylo Ren’s best Force-sensitive fighters, which is much more appropriate for younger audiences than the truth that they are actually a foul-mouthed death cult. With their religious views kept out of the story and with not a swear word to be heard from any of them, it seems as though Star Wars eliminated any chance of becoming an R-rated franchise by making sure the Knights of Ren didn’t speak.
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