STAR WARS: A CHARACTER STUDY OF SNOKE

Since the introduction of the Sith Order in the The Phantom Menace , their inability to share becomes immediately evident. There are only ever two at a time: the master and the apprentice. Even then, the relationship between the two is rocky and untrusting. The master treats the apprentice as more of a tool to be used than a true protege. Due to his unwillingness to share power, the master never relinquishes his role as leader to the apprentice unless the apprentice succeeds in killing his master.

Twice we see Vader express his plan to overthrow Palatine to take his place. In Revenge of the Sith he appeals to his wife Padme and in The Empire Strikes Back he appeals to his son Luke. Their rejections doom him to a life of servitude with no promise to rise above his master, always second in command. He never succeeds in replacing his master.

It isn’t until the events of The Last Jedi is there an on-screen overthrow when Vader's grandson Kylo Ren succeeds in the overthrow of his dark master slicing him in half and seizing the throne. Yet, in the midst of all the excitement, Supreme Leader Snoke's shocking and abrupt murder left a majority of the fan base feeling robbed. He meets his end before his beginning is explained. Very little backstory surround the old, mutilated humanoid.

Who is he? Where does he come from? What species is he? More importantly, where has he been hiding during the event of the first six episodes?

According to Andy Serkis, the mystery of Snoke is intentionally mysterious. He keeps his personal background close to the vest, which makes him just as mysterious to the audience as he is to the galaxy far, far away. Through mystery and fear, he maintains his power.

The few available facts lead his identity open to many intriguing theories, all of which are doubtful. Still theorizing is fun, especially for a character so mysterious. In Episode IX does not provide answers regarding Snoke's origin, then the fandom may be stuck theorizing for years to come. This could be more of a privilege than doom as long (as the process remains fun and we don’t lose sight of the story).

Snoke is an alien humanoid from the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, which should explain his absence throughout the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War. Though he lives long enough to see the rise and fall of the Empire, he originally expresses no wish to be the leader and remain in the shadows of the Unknown Regions until the opportunity to be Supreme Leader falls into his lap. He only seizes it when he realizes he is best suited for the task.

Snoke’s personal concern for his own safety far surpasses that of Emperor Palpatine because he keeps his eight elite, crimson guards around him at all times. He operates out of the Supremacy, a massive starship that lingers in the unknown region, instead of settling a base on a planet. As more of an absentee ruler, he spends the length of The Force Awakens phoning in his orders to General Hux and Kylo Ren. Only during the events of The Last Jedi does he emerge to ensure a front-row seat to the Resistance's destruction.

Luke and Leia possibly meet him in person. At the least, they know of him as specified in “The Force Awakens” novelization. Snoke quietly watches Luke from the shadows during the Jedi’s quest to the unknown region to learn more the secrets of the Force. Though it is unclear whether they meet in person, Snoke acknowledges Luke as a viable threat to the downfall of the Republic and the rise of the First Order.

More facts available on Wookieepedia.

Dark Side users and Sith Lords seem to have only one recruiting method: lies and manipulation. It has become so common that it borders on cliche. So, it comes as no surprise that Snoke uses to turn Ben Solo to the Dark Side.

In the prequels, Palpatine manipulates Anakin with visions about his mother and wife's suffering. The fear of losing the two most important women in his life leads him to make a deal with the devil to save his wife.

In the Empire Strikes Back, Luke's visions on Dagobah comes from an unknown source, but it jars him enough that he abandons his training and runs to his friends' rescue in Cloud City. This leads to a confrontation with Darth Vader who defeats him in battle and tempts him to the Dark Side.

“Snoke had targeted this kid, and knew this kid was going to be incredibly powerful in the force and wanted him as an ally.” ( J.J. Abrams, The Force Awakens

Featurette - Kylo Ren's Parents)

Before the events of the sequels, Snoke targets Ben by planting the illusion of Vader’s legacy into his head with the promise that Ben could surpass his grandfather’s power. Conflicted, the boy resists the darkness plaguing him. So, the dark visions continue, this time in Luke's mind. Whatever Luke sees in his nephew's fate (whether it be the destruction of his temple or the Hosnian system), it once again jars Luke into taking reckless, highly destructive action. This betrayal is enough to push Ben over the edge. While there is no evidence to indicate that Snoke is behind Luke’s vision, the part it plays in Ben's turn to the Dark Side makes it entirely possible. Regardless, the entire series of events serves Snoke very well.

Snoke does not stop there. The Force threatens Snoke with a sudden awakening, a light, "feminine force" coming from a very unsuspecting person, an orphaned scavenger. Once again Snoke plans are under fire. Disappointed that his promising apprentice could lose a lightsaber duel with the young amateur, Snoke can sense she is a far greater threat to his plans than Luke. She is not only an impressive warrior, but also the light within her calls to Ben.

Standing to lose his apprentice, Snoke once again uses the Force to manipulate him. He bridges the minds of the two conflicting force users. This provides Ben with the opportunity to complete his original mission: bring Rey to Snoke. It’s a gamble, and it works. However, Snoke drops the ball with his arrogant confession. Rey's words ring true.

Whoever he is, the family knew him well between his terrifying involvement with Leia's pregnancy in "Aftermath: Life Debt" to his possible interactions with Luke to turning Ben, it becomes abundantly clear this family that he is a force with which to be reckoned. He proves too powerful to fight alone leaving the three legendary heroes Luke, Leia, and Han exhausted and defeated. This stroke of victory possibly leaves Snoke feeling invincible, a fatal mistake that destroys so many dark side users before him.

Snoke is a predator. He not only manipulates Ben, but also he torments his body, mind, and spirit. He manipulates Ben into committing patricide, degrades him in time of failure, electrocutes him when he tries to defend his integrity, and holds him to impossible standards. Snoke allows not an inch for mistakes.

In the Force Awakens Ben makes many mistakes: letting Finn go unpunished for his failure to comply on Jakku, choosing Rey over BB8 on Takodana, failing to effectively obtain the map from Rey, allowing himself to get shot, and losing the duel to Rey. The results are devastating. Starkiller Base is destroyed, and Rey escapes before the map is recovered.

The long string of obvious mistakes is hard to go unnoticed, and notice Snoke does. The expectations are too much for a single person to bare. Accompany that with Ben’s inner conflict and growing love for the girl Snoke mercilessly tortures, how else does he expect his end to come?

Snoke is the personification of evil. Ben finally comes to realize that. Snoke views Ben as a pawn, a tool. Ben sees the futility of his status as an apprentice, that he will he will never rise above his master like his grandfather before him.

The words of his father finally sink into his core, and Ben seizes the one opportunity to take back control of his life and create his own destiny. Ben Solo kills Snoke.

It's a wonder Snoke doesn't consider his reckless actions more carefully. For a being who survives so many generations, he should understand the merit of positive reinforcement. Or at the very least, he ought to heed the words of Rey’s premonition instead of mocking her. Such a plethora of vanity can only result in a truly humbling experience. This time, Snoke does not have the option to learn from it.

The most common theme of the The Last Jedi is enthusiastically expressed to Rey by both Luke and Kylo Ren. While the two philosophies are different in approach, they both amount to the same thing. The Jedi Order must evolve to survive. Kylo Ren wants to kill everything and everyone from the past to ensure a clean slate, while Luke is content with sacrificing only himself (The last Jedi) to ensure the survival of the Resistance. Both want to end the Jedi Order as it stands.

The sequel trilogy's purpose is to drive the galaxy into a new way of life, the Jedi Order included. The end of The Last Jedi signifies the time for old characters to pass the torch to their younger associates.

• Poe takes Leia's place as a leader.
  
• Finn takes Han's place as a reluctant fighter.
  
• Rey takes Luke's place as the Jedi hero.
  
• Kylo Ren takes Snoke's place as the galaxy's dark ruler.
  

Snoke is the oldest character of them all. His end is a long time coming. After cheating death for hundreds of years, his plans for the galaxy remain a mystery to the galaxy. Few of his minions are privy to his endgame. Even fewer understand the depths of his evil. That is what he represents: PURE EVIL.

He is the exact opposite of Luke Skywalker, a legendary hero and a representative of all that is good. The two are destined to oppose each other. Eventually, they pass their torches along to Kylo and Rey, the two surviving force sensitives, dooming the conflicting sides to a lifetime of war.

The symbolism behind Snoke escapes his own lips. He is living proof that darkness can be defeated no more than the light. Every time one side succeeds in erasing the other, their victory is short-lived. Luke appears after Vader destroys the Jedi Order just as Rey appears after Luke's temple is destroyed. Snoke is the same. He appears to replace the Palpatine after the fall of the Empire. Both the Light and the Dark are eternal. Balance is the will of the Force.