Who
is Supreme Leader Snoke?
This
is one the top questions of the EPVII TFA movie. There are really several
theories on Internet currently. Some more at each release of interviews,
trailers, book … Some are quite interesting and some are quite extreme (or
better said: out of the box) ..
In
this article I will try to summarize a little bit what I found on searching the
net and thinking by myself.
Of
course at then end it is only speculations from all the fans. So you have to
make your own idea of it all.
So
Snoke could be ….
1.
Darth Plagueis
2.
Ezra Bridger
3.
Grand Inquisitor
4.
Dark Vader
5.
Grand Moff Tarkin
6.
Simply A new character
7.
Out of the box : Leia / Force Ghost / Jar Jar
Binks
As
an introduction we need to recall obvious facts from TFA ; Supreme Leader Snoke
seems a force sensitive, extremely powerful leader of a huge and high
technological army (The first order). He seems to have infinite ressources. He
is also very interested in both Light and Dark Side. He looks always very calm
for a dark side Lord. So the experience with the force is coming for long age
and deep knowledge. He is also the
leader of the Dark Jedi's (not Sith) called the Knights of Ren.
Snoke
is also very well aware of the rise and fall of the empire (this is detailed in
the TFA novelization). So, somehow he was around at that time of Clone Wars for example.
He
appears to have been strongly injured in the past.
His
focus is to hunt down Luke Skywalker (last Jedi?).
Darth Plagueis: This is the most popular theory you can find on the
net. Remember in ROTS, Palpatine explained to Anakin who was Darth Plagueis : a
dark lord so powerful and so wise that he could create life from the force. Palpatine
explains that Plagueis even found the way to immortality using abilities of the
dark side.
We know that Plagueis was
actually the Master of Palpatine and the true first initiator of the plot by
supporting and infiltrating Palpatine inside the corrupted republic senate with
the one and only goal of the Sith Lords since millenniums: destroy the Jedi
Order and take control of the galaxy.
Palpatine explains that darth
Plagueis was killed by his apprentice (Palpatine himself as Darth Sidius). So
off course at this point nobody expects to see him again.
But in TFA, the Snoke music
theme recalls nearly exactly the music of the moment when Palpatine speaks
about Plagueis. So a lot of people think that this a clear clue to the
reference. I am personally not sure because the music in ROTS is linked to the
“opera” Palpatine is watching and not really to his speech…
So this would mean that
Plagueis survived Sidius attempt to kill him. Stayed in the shadow while his
old apprentice raised the Empire and destroyed the Jedi. And he finally
returned with a new identity after the death of Palpatine to finish the plot.
This makes sense to me.
Ezra Bridger: (warning Spoiler of Star wars Rebels) This is very
interesting theory to my mind and it would connect TV show “star wars rebels”
to the new trilogy with the effect to bring really a lot of public to look a Rebels.
Ezra is an orphan, turbulent
child of the planet Lothal of the outer rim. He is born on the “Empire Day” (the
day the Empire was official set up) . The Jedi Knight Kannan discovers him on
Lothal and takes him as his apprentice.
Ezra shows rapidly very strong abilities in the force but he is disturbed
by the loss of his parents generating fear, hate of the empire and desire of
vengeance. We see also Yoda feeling the unstable feelings of the young
apprentice (he reminds of Yoda being worried of Anakin path…). At the end of
season 2 he even finds a sith Holocron and he seems to be really willing to
open it. The next season will probably further develop on the fragility of the
character and the high risk that he falls to the dark side.
If we even make the
hypothesis that he joins the dark side with Darth Vader as a master. he could
get responsibility of a part of the Emperial fleet (but I am getting to far
probably).
This character would be quite
young at age of Episode VII and of course the face is not matching to Snoke.
But it could easily be the result of a battle like what happened to Palpatine
during duel with Mace Windu.
Against is also the fact that he was not witnessing the creation of the Empire.
So
what do you think ?
Grand
Inquisitor: The Grand Inquisitor (a Pau’an) is a former Jedi Temple Guard
force sensitive that has been seduced by the Dark Side. During Empire era, he
reports to Vader and he is searching through the galaxy the remaining Jedi in
order to kill them or turn them to the dark side. (see
article SITH).
Some info from MoviePilot.com are also linking
Inquistor to General Hux father by having served the Empire on the same base.
So this creates a link Inquistor-Snoke-Hux-First Order.
We
saw the Inquistor killed by hand of Kanan at the end of Rebels Season 1. He
falls done in a pit inside an Imperial Cruiser that even explodes after.
So
for sure it seems improbable that he survives, but this would not be the first
time we have such kind of returns of strong force sensitives (think about Maul
being cut half). And this would fit with the strong injuries on Snoke face.
Snoke
plot would also match with Inquisitor former activity of hunting down old the
Jedi.
Last
but not least, of course the physical match between him and Snoke: long white
face and skinny silhouette.
Dark Vader:
This picture that is
very common on the web has launched the theory that Snoke could be Dark Vader.
There
is a noticeable similarity : the white skin, the scares.
But
I do not see any valid theory there: Dark Vader has redeemed (major fact of the original trilogy) and he is dead (we
can even see the Force ghost in ROTJ). Moreover what would be the reason to
hunt Luke again?
Write
me new arguments in comments because I am anyway interested.
Grand Moff Tarkin : Well this is a very very interesting
hypothesis! Grand Moff Tarkin is one of the most evil characters of the Empire.
He is responsible of atrocities all around the galaxy and he is the man of
the largest mass destruction with the annihilation of Alderan!The loss of him
at the end of EPIV is considered by some fan disappointing because the
potential of the character was huge. That is probably why he was reintroduced recently : we discover this
young admiral during the Clone Wars. Already at that time he is not supporting
actions of the Jedi order and clearly express the will to use much more direct
war methods in order to defeat the enemy. We can also see him and Anakin
getting similar point of view… We can also see him in StarWars Rebels and a
Novel has been dedicated to him. So there is a clear wish to develop and expand
the story of this character.
Tarkin
is supposed to be dead on the first death star but could he survived? Being
strongly injured by the explosion. He would have to retire in order to heal
himself and perhaps hide from the Emperor that could consider him responsible
of the destruction of the weapon. (Similar to Darth Maul story)
He
knows the Dark Side off course by being often in contact with Vader but he is
not a force sensitive… are we are 100% sure that Snoke uses the Force? Perhaps
that is why he needs Kylo Ren.
Concerning
the plot of the First Order, it fits pretty good: Tarkin comes back after
Emperor death and take over part of the fleet using his former contacts, he enhanced the technology of the Empire, he builds a new super
weapon to get revenge over the Rebellion/New Republic and he wants to kill Luke
that destroyed the Death Star.
Snoke
and Tarkin have also similar very skinny figure…
For
me this theory is the best! This come back would be awesome.
A new character : This is what is explained by Andy Serkis in an
interview with Entertaintment Weekly . Off
course we do not know if Serkis is reliable or simply does not know the story
in order not to make mistakes…
Personally, I hope that Snoke
is linked to someone of the past because then the revelation of the true or
past identity could a really twisting moment!
Out of the box :
Leia: well the Leia theory sounds very
complex but it is based on Leia being the “antagonistic” part of Luke In the
Force Balanced Universe: Luke is the Light, Leia the Dark. She trained her son
to the Dark Side and starts to hunt Luke to continue the fight Jedi vs Sith.
Luke could have discovered it and that is why he has gone in exile because he
cannot fight against her.
Force Ghost: No comment on that, would
it be the ghost of Sidious then ??
Jar Jar Binks: Now this is really
crazy. Just look here.
Well,
this is all very interesting! Let me know your ideas, point of views or evidences
in comments. I will also start a POLE on that
