Snoke has been one of the biggest mysteries in the new Star Wars trilogy, but The Last Jedi killed him before we learned any details on his backstory. Actor Andy Serkis has promised that details may be coming eventually - but when?The Force Awakens introduced fans to a galaxy at war once again, with the Empire resurgent as the First Order. The film revealed that the First Order was led by a mysterious being, Supreme Leader Snoke. But who was Snoke, and where had he come from? How had he gained control of the Empire's forces, and formed them into the First Order? The Force Awakens was silent on these things, possibly because Lucasfilm hadn't fixed the story down in the first place. By the time of The Last Jedi, though, Snoke's backstory had been decided. Serkis confirmed that he knew it all in October last year, but was naturally unable to give any details. Of course, Rian Johnson didn't elaborate any of this, instead killing Snoke as part of Kylo Ren's ascension.RELATED: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Explains That Major Snoke SceneSerkis is once again talking about Snoke's mysterious backstory, although still unable to give away any details. In an interview with EW, he stated, "I've been asked to not shed anything, should we want to bring him back in any way whether [in a] prequel or whatever". So, Snoke doesn't just have a backstory, Lucasfilm plans to explore it.THIS PAGE: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT SNOKE'S BACKSTORY?
What We Actually Know About Snoke's Backstory
Snoke seems to be one of the most powerful dark side users of all time, but he is no Sith. Rather, Snoke is something else; an ancient dark side being who watched the galaxy from deep in the Unknown Regions; according to the novelization of The Force Awakens, Snoke was old enough to watch the rise and fall of the Empire from afar. Even at that early a stage, he was fascinated by the lineage of Anakin Skywalker, perhaps sensing the Skywalker family's true power.
It seems Snoke wasn't always removed from the galaxy, though. The novelization of The Force Awakens stressed that he had trained many apprentices in his long life. Significantly, Snoke's battered and disfigured body seems to be the product of war. Lucasfilm has teased that Snoke's hatred of the Republic was driven by a desire for revenge. If that's the case, it seems likely he was injured in battle, presumably against the Old Republic although perhaps more recently linked to Luke. That distinctive facial injury may even have been courtesy of a lightsaber; a popular fan theory is that Snoke was actually the First Jedi, twisted and corrupted by the dark side of the Force.
The Star Wars novel Aftermath: Empire's End revealed that Palpatine sensed a powerful being watching from the Unknown Regions. The Emperor described this as "some origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance." This led Palpatine to attempt a survey of the Unknown Regions, and was also the reason he allowed the nonhuman Thrawn to serve in the Imperial Navy; Thrawn originated from the Unknown Regions, and helped with the mapping project. When the Empire finally fell, the last remnants fled to the Unknown Regions using these maps. There, they presumably met Snoke.
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Why We Didn't Learn Snoke's Backstory
That all feels incredibly important, but The Last Jedi still cut Snoke in two. And that's because the Skywalker Saga isn't his story. As director Rian Johnson explained, it wasn't relevant from a storytelling viewpoint. He compared Snoke to the Emperor, who was equally mysterious in the Original Trilogy. "The first three movies you know nothing about the Emperor," Johnson explained, "because you don't have to, because that's not the story." Lucasfilm higher-ups have repeatedly argued that a good story doesn't reveal everything; that's a Wiki page, and those are rarely good stories.
Fans were generally disappointed by this decision, but Johnson has a point. When Rey confronted Snoke in The Last Jedi, she didn't care whether he was Darth Plagueis or the first (fallen) Jedi. All she needed to know was that he was a powerful dark sider who was manipulating both herself and Kylo Ren. From a storytelling viewpoint, Johnson made the right call.
When Will We Learn Snoke's Backstory?
Andy Serkis is still keeping quiet about Snoke's backstory. In part, that's because Serkis believes Lucasfilm may reveal it in time, as already mentioned possibly in a prequel of some sort. The Star Wars books, comics, novels, and even TV shows hop around the timeline in a very liberal manner; as a result, there's a solid chance Snoke's backstory will eventually be experienced, in one form or another. The Supreme Leader who almost conquered the galaxy is a pretty big loose thread in galactic history; it would be surprising if Star Wars chose to ignore him forever. So what medium could reveal Snoke's identity?
It's unlikely Snoke's backstory will be revealed in Episode IX. He was killed off because his part in the Star Wars narrative had come to an end; barring an improbable resurrection, Snoke's story is over as far as the Sequel Trilogy is concerned. It's possible Rian Johnson's mysterious Star Wars trilogy will explore the Unknown Regions, and thus drop some more hints, but Johnson hasn't really seemed particularly interested in the character. Serkis' mention of a prequel may fuel hope - for Johnson's films or another form - but it's quite possible he was speaking laterally: there can't exactly be a Snoke sequel.
RELATED: Snoke's Backstory Is A Lot Less Mysterious After The Last Jedi Novelization
But it's possible Snoke's story will be explored on the small screen. The Star Wars Rebels finale saw Thrawn defeated, his ship dragged into hyperspace by the Purrgil (space whales). After the Battle of Endor, Sabine and Ahsoka headed out into the Unknown Regions in order to find Ezra. Lucasfilm has another animated series in the works now, and it could easily continue Sabine and Ahsoka's story, charting their journey through the Unknown Regions; a setting that would make it easy to glance with Snoke.
The most likely scenario, though, is that Snoke's story will be revealed in the Star Wars novels. Lucasfilm has a history of using the novels to tie up narrative loose threads; the history of the Death Star was explored in James Luceno's novel Catalyst, while Alexander Freed's novelization of Rogue One actually explained how Galen Erso sabotaged the Death Star project. Meanwhile, the old Expanded Universe used the novels to explore Darth Plagueis's history and flesh out the Clone Wars in greater detail. Lucasfilm is playing their cards close to the chest when it comes to announcing future novels right now - they only recently revealed the Solo tie-ins - but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the novels begin to reveal Snoke's story.
It's important to note that, should Snoke's story actually be told in novel form, it may not be revealed all at once. Lucasfilm could quite easily choose to continue the "breadcrumb trail" approach they've taken so far, dropping subtle hints in novels set at different times. It all depends what approach they believe will be most effective. Indeed, The Last Jedi novelization has already dropped a few hints.
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One way or another, it seems likely fans will eventually get to learn the secret of Snoke's origin. Lucasfilm has worked out Snoke's story, and its clear fans are deeply invested in this mystery. Given that's the case, sooner or later Star Wars will begin to reveal more about the deceased Supreme Leader - whether on the small screen or in the bestselling novels.
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