In Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Supreme Leader Snoke will likely tempt Rey to join him on the Dark side of the Force. But beyond being evil and having the unlikely name of “Snoke,” will fans learn anything else about the guy? Snoke Actor Andy Serkis has confirmed that he is aware of Snoke’s backstory, but will we see it?
On October 13, speaking to IGN, Andy Serkis admitted that he knows what Snoke’s backstory is at this point, saying, “Oh yeah, absolutely I know it.” This seems to be a revision of an earlier statement made by Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. On September 5, Johnson told Empire, “I wasn’t interested in explaining where he [Snoke] came from or telling his history, except where it serves this story.” So which is it? Does Snoke have a backstory or not? And even if he does, will that backstory make it into The Last Jedi … or will we have to wait until Episode IX?
Since his appearance as a hologram in The Force Awakens, Snoke has been the source of more fan speculation than perhaps any other Star Wars character in history. And that’s mostly because he truly embodies the term “phantom menace.” We know almost nothing about him, and his ability to cause problems for the good guys is already renowned. If we combine Serkis’ claim that he is aware of Snoke’s backstory with Johnson’s flippancy about explaining such a thing, it’s possible to arrive at one conclusion: The backstory is happening, just not in The Last Jedi…. This means J.J. Abrams could be saddled with explaining Snoke and whatever his whole deal is.
The current Star Wars trilogy has a unique challenge previous iterations of the saga have never faced. Each installment after The Force Awakens must must must must not only push the story forward but also provide some exposition as to how we got here in the first place. Things like the downfall of Luke’s Jedi Academy and Rey’s parents are a big part of that, but just how long Snoke has been lurking around is perhaps an even bigger mystery, or retcon, depending on how you look at it. Back on November 12, 2015, Serkis told Entertainment Weekly this about Snoke: “He’s aware of what’s gone on, in the respect that he has been around and is aware of prior events. I think it’d be fair to say that he is aware of the past to a great degree.”
Snoke being aware of the past and us being aware of Snoke’s past are, of course, not the same thing. Hopefully, the future of The Last Jedi will give curious fans a little more to work with than we’ve had previously. Because if tradition holds, dark lords with big secrets can’t keep those stories to themselves forever.
*The Last Jedi — complete with Snoke rocking that golden robe — will hit theaters everywhere on December 15.*
If you liked this article, here are are are are even more crazy ideas about Snoke in The Last Jedi….
