One of the greatest mysteries posed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the history of Supreme Leader Snoke, ruler of the First Order. Recently published materials in the franchise canon might suggest the character comes from the Unknown Regions where the First Order was presumably born. Ever since Episode VII came out, fans have generated a plethora of theories about Snoke, working with what limited resources are available to them. He is someone who seems to have knowledge of what happened with the Galactic Empire during the original trilogy, and Lucasfilm has already shot down the Darth Plagueis hypothesis. Other than that, everything sounds like fair game until further notice.
Another breadcrumb was revealed by Pablo Hidalgo when he shared a passage of the Force Awakens novelization on Twitter. In the book, Snoke is described as "humanoid but not human," meaning the story group has definitely decided to make him some kind of alien. Where they take the character in the future remains to be seen, but this is something else for viewers to keep in mind when trying to discover the truth. It makes it all the more likely Snoke is an individual moviegoers have never met before and not a John Harrison type ruse for a greater twist. Those impatient for the remainder of the sequel trilogy keep attempting to figure it out before the movies come out and now believe there's some evidence in this year's Star Wars novels.
The Aftermath trilogy already provided one Snoke theory that's been shot down, but it also has a far more plausible suspicion: the Unknown Regions. Based on the events of that series' finale, Empire's End, remnants of the old Imperial regime set course for this largely uncharted area of the universe, planting the seeds for the First Order that serve as the primary antagonists of the latest saga episodes. Among their ranks are a young Armitage Hux (played by Domnhall Gleeson in the movies) and presumably a young Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). While this group obviously returned to the galaxy far, far away we all know and love, their time in the Unknown Regions has largely been undocumented to this point. We've speculated before that it's possible during these travels, the old Empire encountered Snoke and he assumed command of the operation before heading back. It's not outside the realm of possibility; by the time The Force Awakens starts, the First Order is already established and fully functioning. Coincidentally, their big gun of Starkiller base was a mobile planet that originated in the Unknown Regions, so the organization's travels were fruitful in some respects at least.
Timothy Zahn's Thrawn also features the Unknown Regions, as the titular character hails from there. Thrawn, who is seen as an Imperial Grand Admiral in Rebels, came to the familiar Star Wars galaxy to warn Emperor Palpatine of great threats in the universe that could be found in the Unknown Regions, offering his knowledge of them. Some have speculated Snoke could be one of these mysterious threats, especially since Palpatine was intrigued by the Unknown Regions due to its connections with the Dark Side of the Force. Snoke, of course, is a Dark Side master who seduced Kylo Ren. The story group's emphasis on the Unknown Regions lately could be a sign of bigger things to come. One possible interpretation is that Lucasfilm is getting fans acquainted with this element now prior to Episode VIII, much like how Life Debt offered clues about Han Solo and Chewbacca's backstory before the Han Solo anthology film is released. Snoke being from the Unknown Regions is one of the more sound theories about him right now, but comments made by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson could imply the studio has something else up their sleeves.
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In the wake of Vanity Fair's massive cover story on Episode VIII, fans are taking any and all statements from the filmmakers and placing them under a microscope. Johnson generated headlines when he said Lucasfilm had not mapped out a complete story arc for the remaining installments of the sequel trilogy when he came on board. From the sound of it, the only thing Johnson had to follow when crafting the narrative for Star Wars 8 was The Force Awakens (meaning, Han Solo can't magically show up on Ahch-to). This revelation caused some people to panic, because it made it seem like the studio was making it up as they went along as opposed to sticking to a concrete plan. However, this is in keeping with the spirit of the previous movies (Darth Vader wasn't Luke's father originally), and really isn't a bad concept when one stops to really think about it.
Rogue One writer Gary Whitta told us that Star Wars canon (which spans multiple mediums now) is more sacrosanct than real world history. If something happens in a novel or comic book, that's the way it went down and nothing can contradict it. While the notion of an interconnected universe is appealing, it does box storytellers in somewhat and limits the leeway creative minds have. The fact that Johnson and Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow apparently won't be beholden to any pre-existing material outside of the sequel trilogy films should be championed. Disney controversially wiped out the old Expanded Universe so there would be a clean slate in the post-Return of the Jedi timeline, and it's smart to let the filmmakers take advantage of it. Lucasfilm probably plotted out the broad strokes of the overall story before Episode VII, but you don't get big names like J.J. Abrams and Johnson to just hand them a list of story beats to hit. Making a movie is a collaborative process, and it's valuable to hear other people's ideas to see what they can bring to the table.
If Johnson was given as much autonomy over The Last Jedi as he was suggesting, then it's worth considering Lucasfilm doesn't know all the answers yet - including the true nature of Snoke. After all, Johnson admitted the Supreme Leader isn't a character he covers in much detail during Episode VIII (save for a fancy robe and ship), so it could be on Trevorrow to bring the whole thing home. Granted, Trevorrow may decide to implement the Unknown Regions into Star Wars 9, but he'll also have the ability to complete the trilogy as he sees fit. As long as Episode IX is consistent with its direct predecessors, the studio isn't going to step in and force major alterations. The story group exists mostly to keep an eye on things and make sure references to smaller details like character names and events line up. They are not the all-controlling overlords of the Star Wars empire, manipulating it to their liking at every turn. That kind of environment is conducive to healthy moviemaking, given directors typically enjoy having some kind of say in how their projects ultimately turn out. Marvel and DC have lost some unique voices due to creative differences, so Lucasfilm is instead turning their prized possession over to the filmmakers they hired and trusting them to craft a compelling narrative.
This is all a long way of saying that while the non-movie canon materials may contain evidence pointing to Snoke calling the Unknown Regions home, it may not be worth reading too much into it right now. There's still a long way to go and the script for Episode IX is currently being developed before filming starts in January 2018. Star Wars, it's important to remember, was conceived as an original movie. It's not based on a decades-long comic book title or a series of novels (where certain things have to happen to stay true to the source material), so giving the directors the freedom to tell the story they want sounds good on-paper and has yielded excellent results so far. As Johnson said, it's not like they're improvising the entire film when they arrive on-set; the screenplays are carefully thought out by the time production begins. But allowing Abrams, Johnson, and Trevorrow to truly follow the footsteps of Lucas, Irvin Kershner, and Richard Marquand by playing in a sandbox without limits could make for a strong trilogy that potentially ends the saga on a high note.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Snoke portrait by Dmitrij Leppée.
