Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow. You have been warned…
Supreme Leader Snoke was considered to be the biggest threat in the new Star Wars trilogy. Since his mysterious introduction in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the character has been the focus of a number of fan theories revolving around his identity, and his place in the Star Wars universe.
Well, for those who saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi this past weekend, those theories were put soundly (or rather violently) to rest, as Snoke became the victim of Kylo Ren’s wraith in a scene that you either loved or hated with a passion. Speaking to CinemaBlend, director Rian Johnson explains that big Last Jedi twist:
“That came out of the development of Kylo’s character. I kind of thought very early on, ‘Well, the most interesting thing to do with Kylo in this movie would be to take the rocky foundation he’s on coming into it — in terms of, he’s kind of a wanna be Vader, and see his insecurities… even this act of killing his father was a cowardly one, from the audience’s point of view. And to, basically through Rey’s eyes, learn more about him and then, but the end of it, get him to a place where he was standing on his own two feet as a complicated villain, but still, he’s come into his own. He has shed that rock thing, and we now understand him as a ‘Villain.’
“I thought, well, once we get him there, if he’s set up for that in [Episode IX], what’s Snoke’s place? Then I thought, ‘Well, huh. Interesting. If we really get Kylo to the place where he can carry it as the Vader of going forward, his own version of that at least, then Snoke… what’s the point of repeating the Palpatine [story]? That gives us the opportunity for a really strong dramatic beat in the middle of it, and it clears the decks so that you have less of an idea where you can predict what’s to come in the next chapter, which could lead to some much more interesting places.”
SEE ALSO: Star Wars: The Last Jedi deleted scenes detailed by Rian Johnson
Johnson also chatted to Entertainment Weekly about the decision not to reveal any of Snoke’s background, stating that:
“It would have stopped any of these scenes dead cold if he had stopped and given a 30-second speech about how he’s Darth Plagueis…It doesn’t matter to Rey. If he had done that, Rey would have blinked and said, ‘Who?’ And the scene would have gone on…and I’m not saying he’s Darth Plagueis!”
If unpredictability is what Rian Johnson was going for, then he certainly succeeded. At this point, Episode IX could go almost anywhere, and that is exciting — or infuriating — for some. That Snoke twist certainly led to an interesting moment though. Who thought, during that big fight alongside Rey: “Kylo Ren is switching sides!” only to be sunk when he ultimately chose evil? In a way, it was a brief glimpse of what could have been.
SEE ALSO: SPOILERS: Rian Johnson and Mark Hamill discuss Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi sees returning cast members Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Peter Mayhew and Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar), Mike Quinn (Nien Nunb), Simon Pegg (Unkar Plutt), and Warwick Davis joined by new additions Jimmy Vee (Pan) as R2-D2, Kelly Marie Tran (Ladies Like Us) as Rose, and Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Laura Dern (Jurassic Park).
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Originally published December 19, 2017. Updated December 19, 2019.
