As with any fan theory: possible spoilers ahead…but we won’t know for sure until December 2017.
As we get closer to the release of “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi“, more and more theories are coming out about Rey’s lineage, Benicio Del Toro’s character’s backstory, who Emperor Snoke could be and so on.
Just for fun, let’s take a look at some of these theories and estimate the likelihood of them coming true!
We previously looked at various theories regarding Rey’s parentage.
Today we will look at a couple theories regarding Supreme Leader Snoke’s identity.
What we know about Snoke is very little. We know that he is the leader of the First Order and that he is Force sensitive from his line “There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?” We can also assume that he can be very persuasive because he somehow seduced Ben Solo to turn to the Darkside of the Force.
A. Former Storm Trooper
Was Snoke once Private Snoke in the Galactic Empire’s storm trooper ranks!?!
No.
This is obviously a joke, but it’s funny to me!
Geekydaddy Likelihood: 0%
B. Boba Fett
Could Snoke really be everybody’s favorite Mandalorian?
In the “Legends” universe (no longer canon stories), Boba Fett did escape the Sarlacc pit that he fell into in Return of the Jedi. That means that it is possible that he is still alive in the new canon stories and the scars we see on Snoke could be consistent with wounds suffered fighting his way out of the pit.
This is more wishful thinking on the part of Fett fans than anything else. Even if Fett is still alive at the time of The Force Awakens, the idea of him being the supreme leader of the First Order (and suddenly being Force sensitive) is a bit of a leap.
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 2% (a “2” just because Boba Fett is the $#!T)
C. Mace Windu
Everyone loves a good revenge story, right? (One of my favs is John Wick 2)
Could the new Star Wars Trilogy turn out to be one of the greatest revenge stories of all time?
Could the seduction of Anakin’s grandson all be an effort on the part of Windu to seek revenge on the Skywalker clan? We know that Mace was not a fan of the Jedi Order taking on Anakin as a Padawan to begin with. Then to have that same kid later cut your hand off! That’s gotta sting!
When Samuel L. Jackson took on the role of Mace Windu, he reportedly told George Lucas he would take the role so long as his character “didn’t go out like a bitch”. Well….Mace kind of did.
While we did see Mace get zapped with Force lightning and launched out a window, we did not actually see a body to confirm his death. The wounds we see on Snoke could easily have happened in the battle with Palpatine and subsequent fall from his chambers. Snoke’s pale skin could be explained away with injuries (or maybe that the hologram distorted his pigment) but I have never seen an injury result in an English accent.
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 10%
D. Darth Vader
Could Ben Solo have been corrupted to the Darkside by his own grandfather?
The rationale for this theory is based almost solely on physical appearance, which is eerily similar. The scars on the left side of his forehead and left cheek are not identical, but very close (and how many people in the universe can there be that are that pale?)
Unfortunately, logic gets in the way of this theory. We saw Darth Vader/Anakin’s body get torched in the pyre on forest moon of Endor at the closing of Return of the Jedi. We also saw Anakin’s Force ghost manifest (in the form of Hayden Christensen’s stiff acting body) at the Ewok’s celebration. So even if Palpatine or Plagueis had possessed his body (keep reading the article, I will get to that…), Darth Vader’s body was destroyed.
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 15%
E. Palpatine
In the old canon universe, the Dark Empire comic book series revealed to us that Palpatine had learned to cheat death by being able to transfer his Force presence into other beings. Is it possible he somehow transferred his presence into Vader or even Luke prior to being vaporized in the Death Star’s core?
While Snoke’s musical score does have some similarities to Palpatine’s and I would not put it past Lucasfilm to rehash the same villain again (seriously, how many times are we going to have to see rebel X-wings take down a Death Star with a giant planet killing laser?), I just don’t see this happening.
GeekyDaddy likelihood: 15%
F. The Grand Inquisitor
The last time we saw the Grand Inquisitor he was falling into an exploding reactor shaft, which seems to be a re-occurring occurrence with Sith users.
The physical similarities are there, both in build and skin pigment. I have never taken a plunge into a reactor, but I imagine that the scars we see on Snoke would be consistent with that kind of damage. Although I am not sure what chemical in the reactor would erase facial tattoos.
This theory is also supported by Disney’s love of cross promoting by bringing in characters from the Rebels television show (cough…Benicio Del Toro…cough).
Bringing television characters into the movies in supporting roles makes a ton of sense and worked well with the Saw Gerrera character in Rogue One. However Snoke is the main villain in this new trilogy! Are fans familiar enough with the Grand Inquisitor to make this a dramatic enough reveal?
GeekyDaddy Likelihood: 30%
G. Plagueis
This theory makes the most sense to me!
We learned from Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith that his master Darth Plagueis had found a way to cheat death…prior to getting murdered in his sleep by Palpatine.
But was he murdered by Palpatine or did Palpatine only kill his physical form?
Check out the smirk on his face as he talks to Anakin:
Now I want to make sure I throw credit towards my friend Lewis Barnes because this theory is something he and I discussed together.
Remember earlier we discussed how in the (now non-canon) Dark Empire comic book series, Palpatine had mastered the art of Force transference to move his essence from one body to another. This technique would not be all that dissimilar to the Force ghost technique that Qui-gon Jinn mastered and later passed on to Yoda and so on.
What if this Force transference is not only the way Plagueis found to cheat death, but also used this to possess Palpatine’s body just before his death?
If this is the case, he could have easily transferred his essence out of Palpatine’s body before it ignited in the reactor of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Perhaps temporarily into Vader or even Luke’s body. For all we know, he could have been hoping from Force sensitive body to Force sensitive body for centuries.
Many people that argue against this theory of “Darth Plagueis as Snoke” point towards the physical description of him in James Lucerno’s novel, “Darth Plagueis”, or Pablo Hidalgo’s denials about Snoke’s character.
However this novel is no longer considered canon, making the physical description irrelevant, and disinformation is common in today’s movie industry. Remember J.J. Abrams denied Benedict Cumberbatch was Kahn in Star Trek: Into Darkness right up until its release.
I love this idea because it draws all three trilogies together with one common villain and keeps the prequels (somewhat) relevant.
Geeky Daddy Likelihood: 75%
There is always the chance that Snoke is an entirely new character that we have never seen before as well, but where is the fun in that?
What do you think?
Shop our Clearance Category! Up to 50% off!
