Star Wars: Have We Figured Out Where Snoke Is From?

The seventh movie in the Star Wars saga introduced a whole new cast of characters in the ultimate [...]

By Joe Schmidt - November 9, 2017 05:44 pm EST

The seventh movie in the Star Wars saga introduced a whole new cast of characters in the ultimate battle between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force. While this conflict will propel the action in the sequel trilogy, subsequent movies will also examine some of the biggest mysteries in the galaxy.

While we want to learn who Rey's parents are, what Luke Skywalker has been doing, and how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren, one mystery has dominated fans investigations and speculations more than the others: Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?

We likely will not learn the answer to the question for some time, especially given that Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson said that he doesn't intend to explore the intriguing character's history in the new film, according to Vanity Fair writer David Camp. It's also unclear whether the mystery will be revealed in Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX.

Lucasfilm Story Group exec Pablo Hidalgo has already shot down a few of the wilder theories, such as the suggestion that Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis. Hidalgo also pointed questioning fans to a passage in the novelization of The Force Awakens which describes the character as "humanoid but not human."

As with a lot of great Star Wars stories, some more hints might lie outside of the trilogy of movies.

A new theory posited by ScreenRant supposes that we might have learned just where Snoke came from and when, helping pin down a few details regarding this mysterious character.

Details About The Unknown Region

The Unknown Regions are an oft-talked about, barely explored section of space beyond the Outer Rim of the galaxy. In Star Wars canon, Emperor Palpatine was fascinated with the Unknown Regions despite the countless explorers being lost or killed in their journeys.

Grand Admiral Thrawn hails from the Unknown Regions, belonging to a race called the Chiss. He claimed to have knowledge of a threat building within the Unknown Regions that could eventually destroy the Empire and ended up becoming the highest ranking non-human to serve in the Imperial Fleet.

These details are established in the Thrawn novel by Timothy Zahn, who initially created the character over two decades ago. But the biggest hint toward Snoke's origin comes in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath series of novels that bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

In those novels, the remnants of the Empire enact the deceased Sheev Palpatine's contingency protocols which causes a gathering of the remaining Imperial forces to leave the galaxy and embark for a newly plotted course through the Unknown Regions. While that was impossible before, developments right before and just after the Emperor died allowed a certain safe path to be charted into the potentially deadly section of space, where the remnants of the fleet depart to and establish the First Order.

Given that the fleet embarks with a different Supreme Leader, then show up in The Force Awakens with Supreme Leader Snoke, could lead to a clue into the character's origin…

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Snoke's Unknown Origin

Is Supreme Leader Snoke from the Unknown Regions? This would make sense, given the character's species being "unknown" in the Star Wars universe.

This theory allows more detail and exploration to be fleshed out in future movies, books, TV shows, and comics—more so than would be allowed if he were simply a clone of Palpatine or a resurrected Plagueis.

Despite the presence of the Story Group, Lucasfilm has stated that the filmmakers are given a lot of leeway in creating their entries in the Star Wars saga—more so than those dancing in the raindrops of continuity such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the Han Solo spinoff, which take place in the past.

It's why Lucasfilm discarded the bulk of the Extended Universe from the canon when Disney purchased the company, unburdening the directors and writers from myriad events and storylines that define the post-Return of the Jedi galaxy for years to come.

Placing Snoke's origin in somewhere as mysterious and undefined as the Unknown Regions allows the different storytellers a lot of opportunity to tell an intriguing story unshackled by previous events and continuity. Instead they'll be able to push the Star Wars universe even further and expand the scope beyond the well-trodden stories so many fans are familiar with. 

This in turn helps the long-term viability of the franchise, as Disney and Lucasfilm will likely continue telling stories in the Star Wars universe for years to come.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Are you excited for the next film in the sequel trilogy? Let us know with your vote in the Anticipation Rankings below!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi2017

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the second film in the new Star Wars sequel trilogy that began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. The film will deal with Luke training Rey to become a, and possibly the last, Jedi. Meanwhile, the Resistance, including Poe Dameron and First Order defector Finn, continues to fight against the First Order, led by General Hux, while Supreme Leader Snoke and his Dark Side follower Kylo Ren continue their mysterious plot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.

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