Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?

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