The latest Star Wars: Episode IX rumors suggest Kylo Ren will face a new threat from "The Beyond." With director J.J. Abrams set to wrap production on the highly-anticipated sequel later this month, the galaxy far, far away is about to re-enter the pop culture conversation in a huge way. The franchise took a much-needed extended break following the premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story last May, but soon enough Lucasfilm will begin generating hype for their upcoming blockbuster. Seeing that this is the final installment of the Skywalker saga, the studio will pull out all the stops to make sure it's a special event.
Fans are becoming increasingly impatient for any information they can find about Episode IX. Speculation about a teaser debuting either over Christmas or the Super Bowl didn't pan out, meaning people likely have to wait until Star Wars Celebration in April to get their first look at the new movie. In the meantime, the ever-churning rumor mill can lead to some fascinating talking points, including what could be in store for the former Ben Solo.
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According to Making Star Wars, Episode IX features a new threat from a location referred to only as "The Beyond." Obviously, details are slim at the moment, but their source did say "it was really important that the Knights of Ren have returned from The Beyond." Whatever this enemy is, it's apparently a catalyst for the continuing evolution of Rey and Kylo Ren's dynamic.
Fans should keep their grains of salt handy for now, but these rumors are certainly plausible. For starters, the Knights of Ren remain one of the most significant dangling threads from the sequel trilogy, barely being explored in either The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. In the past, Abrams expressed interest in a Knights of Ren spinoff movie, so it'd stand reason to believe he'd look to include the group in a Star Wars movie he directed. If this pans out, it would provide a clear narrative reason for the Knights' absence in the previous two entries. Perhaps Kylo sent them on a mission to The Beyond so they could gain intel about a mysterious threat, and the Knights' return kicks off the proper Episode IX story. How Rey factors into all this will be interesting to see as well. From the sound of things, Episode IX could play into the two young Force users teaming up.
Of course, with such little information to go off of, it's difficult to plot out an Episode IX narrative trajectory at this point in time. Ideally, the first wave of marketing materials will provide some clarity on things, but even there, Lucasfilm has shown a preference to emphasize tone and atmosphere rather than story beats. They enjoy playing things very close to the chest, and that strategy likely won't change for Episode IX. There's no telling where the trilogy goes from here, but that's an exciting proposition.
More: Only Kylo Ren's Death Can End The Skywalker Saga
Source: Making Star Wars
