In theStar Warssequel trilogy, fans were introduced to the mysterious new villain, Supreme Leader Snoke. Though answers regardingSnoke’s originwere presented in the trilogy’s final movie,Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker,Snoke is still a very secretive character, with lots of mystery surrounding his rise to power, past, and motives- especially considering the origin that was revealed for him in the films.
Supreme Leader Snoke first appeared inStar Wars:The Force Awakensin 2015, played by Andy Serkis in motion capture. The character only appeared as a hologram until 2017’s sequel,Star Wars:The Last Jedi, where Snoke appeared in the flesh - and was killed by Kylo Ren. This shocked fans all over the world, and dramatically changed how they viewed Snoke. Now, almost 10 years on from his first introduction, here’s everything thatStar Warshas revealed about Supreme Leader Snoke.
8Supreme Leader Snoke Was Created By Palpatine
A Strandcast Experiment From Exegol
As revealed inThe Rise of Skywalker, Snoke is who nobody expected him to be: a genetic creation of the late Emperor Palpatine. During the film’s opening scene, Kylo Ren walks past a vat full of yellow liquid and more copies of the dead Supreme Leader.Palpatine created Snoke to act as a puppet, controlling theFirst Orderand crafting Kylo into a suitable heir to the Empire.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
As for Snoke’s creation date, it’s highly likely that the being who would become Supreme Leader was actually created before the events of the original trilogy. Snoke was said to predate the creation of Dathan, the failed clone of Palpatine who becameRey’s father, who was made in 12 BBY – 12 years before the original trilogy. This means Snoke was likely present on Exegol for a very long time even before the creation of the First Order.
7Supreme Leader Snoke Didn’t Know He Was A Strandcast Pawn
The Mystery Of Snoke’s Motivation & Palpatine’s Control
Another confusing and intriguing aspect of Snoke’s identity is how much control Emperor Palpatine actually had. Was Palpatine puppeteering Snoke using the Force, or was Snoke an independent actor? And how much knowledge did the Strandcast have in this situation?
Why Is Supreme Leader Snoke So Deformed?
Supreme Leader Snoke was a mysterious presence in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and his disfigurement raises a few questions about his origins.
The one thing that is known for certain is thatSnoke did not know about his true origins. Snoke was unaware of the fact that he was created via cloning technology, and was likely influenced by the Emperor without his knowledge. He expanded the First Order’s borders just as Palpatine had planned, and due to his influence.
Snoke is implied to be part-Palpatine, combined with the DNA of other Force users.
6We Still Don’t Know How Snoke Met Ben Solo
Master & Apprentice Drawn Together
Snoke was not only the First Order’s supreme leader, but was the master of Kylo Ren, training Ben Solo in the ways of the dark side. Though both Solo’s fall to the dark side and the later years of his training have been depicted inStar Warsstories, their first meeting has never actually been established.
I Think I’ve Finally Figured Out The Real Reason Ben Solo Fell To The Dark Side
Why did Kylo Ren really fall to the dark side? One surprising clue may finally give an answer - and reveal the genius of Palpatine’s strategy.
We still don’t know how Snoke met Ben Solo. Han Solo and Leia seem to know who Snoke is and speak of him as instrumental to Ben’s fall to the dark side, but their first meeting or introduction is still largely a mystery.The Rise of Kylo Rencomics by Charles Soule and Will Sliney have, however, shown that Ben was mentally connected to Snoke and went to the dark sider after the destruction ofLuke Skywalker’s Ossus Jedi Temple.
5Snoke Fought Luke Skywalker Sometime Before Ben Fell To The Dark Side
Snoke Claims Skywalker Injured Him… Is He Lying?
Shortly after Ben Solo arrived at the Amaxine Space Station, where Snoke was waiting for him, Ben remarked on Snoke’s scars, saying “Snoke… look what Master Luke did to you.” This vastly changes the general idea of who Snoke is in relation to the main characters ofStar Warsduring theNew Republic era, implying thatSnoke fought Luke Skywalker before he met Ben. Was Snoke known to the likes of Luke and Ben before his villainous identity was revealed?
Snoke… look what Master Luke did to you.
This also complicates the Snokes seen in the vat on Exegol, because those apparently untouched Snokes already have the same exact scars that we all know Snoke to have. This leads to the assumption thatSnoke may have simply fabricated this story, claiming his pre-made scars were from Skywalker to further convince Ben that his uncle wasn’t to be trusted. This hasn’t been confirmed either way, but the idea of Snoke fighting Luke would make for an incredible story sometime in the future.
4Snoke’s Role In Kylo Ren’s Fall
A Solo Drawn To The Darkness
Whenever Snoke did indeed meet Ben Solo, he began to have an influence on his life – though it also may have been Palpatine speaking through Snoke’s voice. The young man was training under his uncle, going on missions across the galaxy, and he constantly heard Snoke’s voice in his head. Luke even detected this too, noticing dark moments in Ben’s training.
Did Ben Solo Ever Become A Jedi Knight, Or Was He Still Luke’s Padawan When He Became Kylo Ren?
Ben Solo’s transformation into Kylo Ren was a pivotal moment in his and his family’s life. How old was he when he fell to the dark side?
This culminated in the night when Luke looked into Ben’s mind, where he saw the extent to which Snoke had turned Ben’s heart was much more than he’d expected. Luke ignited his lightsaber, startling Ben, who then reacted by initiating the fire that burned down Skywalker’s temple. Snoke was immediately there for Ben as Solo retreated to Snoke’s space station, wherethe Supreme Leader directed Ben to the Knights of Ren, helping him further down the dark path.
3How Snoke Ruled The First Order
Secretive, Cunning, Mobile Leader
During the late New Republic era, the First Order began to gain hold in the galaxy through Imperial sympathizers, and theImperial Remnant. After the Galactic Concordance was signed, ending the Galactic Civil War, Imperials were disarmed and left in their own areas of space, with strict rules governing their ability to produce weapons and ships. This all changed when these worlds seceded from the New Republic in 28 ABY.
After the Galactic Civil War, many of the surviving Imperials retreated into theUnknown Regions, where they met Snoke. The benevolent being helped them survive in the dangerous area of space, but slowly took power for himself as he culled the rest of the Imperial leaders, eventually reforming the remnant into the First Order. Snoke ruled the fascist military junta from his seat of power on theSupremacy, the largest star destroyer ever built, to stay mobile as they conquered the galaxy.
2Supreme Leader Snoke’s Death
Betrayed By Kylo Ren
After the destruction of the New Republic’s central government and Defense Fleet at Hosnian Prime by Starkiller Base, Snoke deployed his legions throughout the galaxy. During this time, inThe Last Jedi, Kylo Ren brought the young Jedi student Rey to Snoke onboard theSupremacy. There,Snoke tried to force Ren to kill Rey, but instead, Kylo ignited the Skywalker lightsaber next to Snoke, slicing him in half and killing him.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Cast
Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues the saga as Rey hones her powers under the guidance of Luke Skywalker. As her abilities unsettle her mentor, the Resistance faces the First Order in a pivotal battle.
The death of Snoke immediately resulted in a battle between hisPraetorian Guardsand the newly allied Rey and Kylo Ren. The two fought off and killed all eight guards, but their alliance soon fell apart, asKylo Ren took the role of Supreme Leader for himself. Kylo Ren ran the First Order much differently than Snoke did, giving leadership responsibilities to a Supreme Council while he raged across the galaxy trying to snuff out the Resistance.
1We Still Don’t Know Why Palpatine Was Creating More Snokes
Was Snoke To Be Replaced?
After Snoke’s death, when Ben Solo arrived on Exegol to find the resurrected Emperor, he encountered a vat full of other Snoke clones. This has introduced one last mystery to the character, with the reasoning for multiple Snokes being rather confusing. Why did Palpatine need more than one Snoke?
Were the Snokes in the vat simply failed clones? Or was Palpatine planning on using Snoke for other things? One theory even posits that Snoke may have actually been multiple Snokes, replaced at different times. Either way,Star Warsstill has a lot of explaining to do when it comes to Supreme Leader Snoke.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
