On Kijimi, the KoR step into frame and the apparent leader says, “Palpatine wants the girl alive. Kill the rest.”
Since no one has mentioned it I need to point out that when we’re on Kijimi Palpatine still (supposedly) wants Rey dead. And during the force bond duel Kylo implies he sent Ochi to kill her. “Why would he want to kill a child?” etc.
The reveal that he wants her alive comes long after, when Finn talks to D-O on Ajan Kloss, and he discovers Ochi was actually supposed to take Rey to Palpatine alive, which for some reason we’re supposed to take as Palpatine still wanting her alive(?).
And this idea is only cemented once Rey reaches Exegol and Palpatine says “I never wanted you dead, I wanted you here”.
Point is that line doesn’t make sense at that point in the story, Palpatine is supposed to want Rey dead, while Kylo wants to turn her, and the Knights of Ren are working for Kylo, not Palpatine, he is their Leader, they only turn to Palpatine when Ben “betrays” them by turning to the light.
“Kylo wants the girl alive, kill the rest” would make much more sense at that point in the story. It doesn’t spoil the “reveal”, it works with what Kylo says in Passana, “I don’t want to have to kill you”, and it would be an opportunity to show Kylo’s bond with his Knights, as he trusts them enough to tell them his real plan, while he tells the people at the board room they’re going “hunting for the scavenger”. This would add more tragedy to their eventual duel, giving it a real sense of betrayal.
“Palpatine wants the girl alive” works to the opposite effect, making it seem the KoR are privy to more information than Kylo, since he believes Palpatine wants her dead, so it makes it seem like they had a direct link to Palpatine and were working on their own, always ready or planning to turn on Kylo. I don’t like this personally, we’ve seen enough bad guys plotting to betray their Masters, it would be more interesting to have the Leader betray his Knights, a bittersweet tragedy that results from his turn to the light.
Crap…