Marvel’s The Fall of Kylo Ren comic reveals the Knights of Ren call the light side “the Shine” and the dark side “the Shadow.” The Jedi and Sith terms aren’t going anywhere.
Star Wars fans spent the weekend arguing about whether the Force just got a new name.
It didn’t, at least not for everyone. A new Marvel comic reveals that the Knights of Ren, Kylo Ren’s masked crew from the sequel trilogy, have their own words for the two sides of the Force, GamesRadar and The Direct reported.
To them, the light side is “the Shine,” and the dark side is “the Shadow.”
The reveal comes from Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren, a five-issue limited series from writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney. Issue #3 came out Wednesday, Oct. 21, according to Marvel.
The Force has had other names before. Here’s Kanan meeting the Bendu in Star Wars Rebels:
What are “the Shine” and “the Shadow” in Star Wars?
They’re the Knights of Ren’s terms for the Force, not new official names for it.
An earlier issue of the series had the Knights call the dark side “the Shadow,” which they can draw on, The Direct reported. In the new issue, it turns out the light side is “the Shine.”
The words come from Tava Ren, who led the Knights of Ren after Kylo Ren sided with the First Order, according to GamesRadar.
Issue #3 adds one more term. Tava describes someone as possibly “radiant,” which seems to be how the Knights refer to people who are Force-sensitive, GamesRadar and The Direct reported.
So did Star Wars rename the Force?
No. Some headlines made it sound that way, but the Jedi and Sith still say light side and dark side.
The Knights of Ren aren’t Jedi or Sith. They’re an ancient order with their own traditions, so it makes sense that they’d have their own vocabulary, The Direct noted.
Think of it like a regional word for something everyone already knows. The Force is still the Force. Different groups in the galaxy just describe it differently.
Has Star Wars used other names for the Force?
Yes, and fans of Star Wars Rebels have heard them.
In the Season 3 premiere, “Steps Into Shadow,” Kanan Jarrus meets the Bendu, a huge Force creature on the planet Atollon. The Bendu calls the Jedi side of the Force the “Ashla” and the Sith side the “Bogan,” and says he sits in the middle, The Direct noted.
Those names go back even further. “Ashla” and “Bogan” first showed up in George Lucas’ early drafts of the original Star Wars, long before the 1977 movie.
So the Knights of Ren join a long line of Star Wars groups with their own spin on the Force.
How are Star Wars fans reacting?
They’re split, The Direct reported.
Some fans on X said the Force didn’t need new terms. Others pointed out that it’s just characters describing the Force in their own way. A few said it sounds too close to “the shining,” Stephen King’s term for psychic powers.
GamesRadar took a kinder view. It said details like these make the galaxy feel “bigger and more lived-in.”
What is The Fall of Kylo Ren about?
It’s set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, The Direct reported. Kylo Ren is now Supreme Leader of the First Order, and he’s back with the Knights of Ren.
Marvel’s description of issue #3 says Kylo takes “brutal control” of the Knights just as a new threat attacks his flagship. Generals Hux and Pryde are also maneuvering for control of the First Order, Marvel said when it announced the series in May.
It’s the third Kylo Ren comic from Soule:
The Rise of Kylo Ren (2019-2020), with Sliney, about how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren
Legacy of Vader, about Kylo’s search for answers about his grandfather, Darth Vader
The Fall of Kylo Ren (2026), which Marvel said leads straight into The Rise of Skywalker
The series is five issues, so two more are still to come. If the Knights have more names for things, that’s where they’ll show up.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
GamesRadar (Oct. 23, 2026), the Shine, Tava Ren and “radiant”
The Direct (Oct. 25, 2026), the Shadow, the comic’s timeline, the Bendu and fan reaction
Marvel (2026), issue #3’s release date, creators and description
AIPT (May 15, 2026), the series announcement
Star Wars Kids on YouTube (Sept. 26, 2016), the Bendu clip
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