Star Wars: Well, it looks like Snoke had another apprentice
By Buckie Wells
Apparently, there’s still time for Snoke to disappoint you some more after The Last Jedi, because it appears he had another apprentice at some point.
Warning — Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoilers follow!
If you think about all the villains (or bad guy adjacents) in the Star Wars saga films, whether they appeared in one movie or three, each one had a concrete backstory and clear motivation. Watto? A gambler who owned slaves and his own shop. Boba Fett? Bounty hunter in search of Han Solo. Emperor Palpatine? Basically, Vader’s boss and leader of the Empire. Even within the confines of the original trilogy and without the backstory of the prequels, Emperor Palpatine’s position implies that he’s a master tactician and fearmonger.
Similarly, Star Wars: The Force Awakens gave us Snoke. Like Palpatine, he had a strong title, mysterious background and used his apprentice as a tool to control the galaxy. However, Snoke met his end a lot earlier in the sequel trilogy than most people were expecting.
To be fair, his death in The Last Jedi circumvents a lot of expectations and certainly helped Kylo Ren lean into the dark side. But new information about Snoke adds an interesting twist that may spell trouble for Kylo Ren down the line. Sure, he’s the new Supreme Leader, but Hux is obviously gunning for the job, too. So what happens if another apprentice comes into play?
According to a screenshot of a magazine that popped up on Reddit, courtesy of The Souvenir Guide to the Movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi, details on Snoke include the following tidbit:
"Force sensitive, and highly attuned to the dark side but not a Sith, Snoke has trailed Kylo Ren and at least one other apprentice"
At face value, this is the most obvious thing in the world. Let’s just assume twisting one’s mind takes a lot of practice. Not to mention, General Hux is right there. Though not necessarily an apprentice, he does fear Snoke and follows his command.
It’s fun because this could mean literally anything and absolutely nothing all at the same time. This apprentice could be dead. The Knights of Ren were a thing for a hot minute, weren’t they? Plus, this apprentice may not matter. This apprentice could’ve turned back to the light side and will re-emerge in Episode IX to rehabilitate Kylo Ren through the trauma of his abusive relationship with Snoke. Or this apprentice might be someone we already know. This apprentice is probably Jar-Jar Bink’s illegitimate son.
Like, you see where I’m going with this?
Related Story: Could Kylo Ren really be a double agent?
Though a Lucasfilm publication, this was printed (or at least copy-edited) sometime during The Last Jedi‘s production. So I do wonder why it is a thing if Snoke was about to meet his maker anyway. Is it significant? My gut says no. But if it is Jar Jar’s son, you heard it here first.