Supreme LeaderSnoke’s true identitywill not be fully revealed inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. His is a mystery that will be unspooled over the course of the next two chapters in the final Skywalker saga. In fact, director Rian Johnson has warned fans that Snoke has very little screen time inStar Wars 8. But that doesn’t mean we won’t eventually learn where he truly hails from.
In the lead up tothe Last Jedi, it was rumored that Snoke truly does stand 8 feet tall, towering over his Sith pupil Kylo Ren. In fact, we heard that he would be played by a practical puppet this time out, voiced byAndy Serkisas opposed to the man doing motion capture as he did inThe Force Awakens. Leaked LEGO toys counter attack that notion, giving us a humanoid in gold robes who stands as tall as the rest of his First Order fleet. It has since been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm that while human in appearance, he is of reptilian, alien origin.
So what gives with this guy? And why is there such a huge mystery lingering over his head? Is he the true father of Rey? Some think Daisy Ridley is one of the Reptilian Humans that live amongst us here on earth, which, in turn, would be type casting for the poor girl. That craziness aside, a new theory has arisen. And it’s a pretty strong one. It purports that Snoke’s true region of origin will beunveiled in Star Wars 8, lifting the veil ever so gently to expose the snake man for whom he truly is.
Snoke is just one of the many mysteries yet unsolved as we head intoThe Last Jedi. It may be tied to Rey’s true parentage. And we know he has something to do with Ben Solo (or Organa, if you like that royal theory about his last name). He is also somehow tied to Luke Skywalker, who is said to spend the second half of the movie on a mission to hunt Snoke down and possible kill him off with his trusty Jedi walking stick (no joke!).
The Last Jediis juggling a lot of characters that in truth, we know very little about. Add to that it’s the last time we’ll see General Leia, and we have a pretty stacked narrative. So it makes sense that Snoke’s mystery will be threaded through all threeForce Awakenstrilogy entries. With the big payoff coming inStar Wars 9.
Lucasfilm Story Group exec Pablo Hidalgo has confirmed that Snoke is notDarth Plagueis, a popular fan theory that has been floated every sinceThe Force Awakenshit screens in 2015. Now some believe that Snoke’s true region of origin lies outside of the cinematic universe, and even delves into the Legends canon, which is made up of the books, radio shows, comics, toys, video games and shows that all arrived before Disney bought Lucasfilm.
ScreenRantwas the first to report on this idea of where Snoke actually comes from. And the idea is taking hold amongst fans. It is believed that theSupreme Leaderhails from the Unknown Regions. This is the barely explored though often talked about section of deep space that goes beyong the Outer Rim of the known galaxy where the mainStar Warsnarrative takes place. Some have even speculated that The Unknown Regions are where our own planet resides. Take that for what you will.
In trueStar Warscanon, it’s well known that Emperor Palpatine was fascinated, perhaps even consumed, by the Unknown Regions. This despite countless lives being lost their as explorers sought to discover the true nature of this area.
We already have one character from the Unknown Regions. Grand Admiral Thrawn was once a member of the Star Wars Legends family, but he became canon when he was introduced in the currentStar Wars Rebelsanimated TV series. He belongs to a race known as The Chiss. He claimed that a threat was building in the Unknown Regions that could possibly destroy the Empire. This knowledge helped him rise up, becoming the highest ranking non-human servant in the Imperial Fleet.
These are all details that are covered in the recent Timothy Zahn novel Thrawn, which directly ties into the current trilogy of movies and the TV show. That’s a pretty big hint as to whereThe Last Jedimay be taking fans. Though, an even bigger hint towards Snoke’s region of origin comes in Chuck Wnedig’s Aftermath book series. These bridge the gap betweenReturn of the JediandThe Force Awakens.
Here, Sheev Palpatine’s contingency protocols are enacted by the remnants of the Empire. The remaining Imperial forces leave the galaxy, charting a course for the Unknown Regions. Sure, this was not possible before the second Death Star blew up. Developments right before and just after the Emperor died allowed for a path of safe travel to be charted into this potentially deadly section of deep space. Think of it asStar Wars' own version of the deep web. This is were the First Order was formed.
In the books, it is revealed that the waining Imperial Fleet left with a different Supreme Leader, and they came back with Snoke, all decked out in his shimmery gold robes and black rings. The theory goes onto say that it makes since for Snoke’s species to be ‘unknown’ since he is from the Unknown Regions. This will allow for more details to be slowly unveiled in the next two movies. Not too mention all the TV shows, books, comics and other merchandise that is coming our way in the next decade.
It’s believed that placing Snoke’s origins in the unidentified realm of the Unknown Regions allows for the filmmakers to create a new backstory for Snoke the likes of which have not yet been explored in previous movies. This will certainly help expand the scope of the overall franchise.
