‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’: Daisy Ridley Drops Huge Snoke Tease

Fans were expecting answers from the long-awaited trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but the preview for Rian Johnson’s new film only raised more questions. Especially when it comes to Rey, who appears to have a major confrontation with Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).

Actor Daisy Ridley spoke about her character’s journey in a conversation with USA Today, offering some hints about Rey being tested by the evil leader of the First Order.

“He looks mental,” said Ridley. “Snoke is an evil guy, if you can call him a guy.”

The trailer features Snoke speaking a cryptic line with his arm outstretched, saying “Fulfill your destiny.” The following scene shows Rey bent over backwards, shaking and screaming in agony, in what appears to be Snoke’s throne room. Snoke’s ornate robes can be seen out of focus in the background, a possible indication that the Supreme Leader is using his powers to torture Rey.

“It was painful. My throat hurt after that one,” Ridley said about shooting those scenes.

But the actor also hinted that there’s a larger purpose to the confrontation, harkening back to the machinations of Palpatine when he was manipulating Anakin Skywalker into being his Sith apprentice.

“Snoke is one of those tests for Rey,” Ridley said. “And when I say testing, it’s the worst use of testing ever.”

Palpatine also “tested” Anakin, forcing him to murder the Jedi Order in order to prove his loyalty to the Supreme Chancellor.

There are some obvious parallels between Snoke and Palpatine, the least of which being a mastery over the Dark Side of the Force. While fans want to learn more about the Supreme Leader, Rian Johnson has only teased that Snoke’s motivations will be explored in the new movie but not his backstory.

Much like the Emperor was a mysterious, evil ruler in the original trilogy, Snoke is expected to be presented as such in the new trilogy. We only learned Palpatine’s backstory and rise to power in the prequel trilogy, decades after the end of Return of the Jedi.

We might learn more about Snoke in Star Wars: Episode IX, but maybe the character’s history is the least important part…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi premieres in theaters December 15.