Rian Johnson Discusses Snoke’s Role in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

With Rian Johnson‘s first foray into the Star Wars universe about to premiere in theaters, more and more details are being revealed about the movie’s mysterious villain.

With Supreme Leader Snoke finally entering the fight to lead his First Order armies against the struggling Resistance, the director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi described the character’s role in the new film.

“Similar to with Rey’s parentage, Snoke is here to serve a function in the story,” Johnson said to Entertainment Weekly. “And, you know, a story is not a Wikipedia page.”

He continued with a comparison to the first Star Wars films George Lucas helmed.

“For example, in the original trilogy, we didn’t know anything about the Emperor except exactly what we needed to know, which is what Luke knew about him, that he’s the evil guy behind Vader,” Johnson said. “But then in the prequels, you knew everything about Palpatine because that his rise to power was the story. We’ll learn exactly as much about Snoke as we need to. But the really exciting for me is we will see more of him, and Andy Serkis will get to do much more in this film than he did in the last one, and that guy is just a force of nature.”

Andy Serkis previously revealed Snoke’s quest to inflict pain across the galaxy, as well as teasing a personal vendetta against the Resistance.

In fact, all of Snoke’s scars and wounds might be the result of the Resistance’s actions, according to the actor.

“The thing about Snoke is that he is extremely strong with the Force, the dark side of the Force. He’s terribly powerful, of course. But he is also a very vulnerable and wounded character,” said Serkis. “He has suffered and he has suffered injury. The way that his malevolence comes out is in reaction to that. His hatred of the Resistance is fueled by what’s happened to him personally.”

Though he barely appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, moviegoers will see him up close in the new film.

“You witness his physicality,” Serkis said. “His body is kind of twisted up like a corkscrew, and so he has limited movement. His aggression and his anger is contained and restricted by that physicality.”

But while the Emperor was slightly restrained in presentation and how he ruled over the Empire, Snoke employs a bit more grandiosity.

“He’s slightly oligarch. You know, he’s not afraid of showing his fineries. There is a luxury that’s native to him,” Serkis said, also referring to the designs of his crimson-clad Praetorian Guard. “The way that his court is presented, he’s very totalitarian in that way and flamboyant. He enjoys that theatricality, I think.”

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