who was snoke
In current Star Wars canon, Snoke was not a secret existing character in disguise but an artificial dark‑side creation used as a puppet ruler.
Quick Scoop
- Snoke was the Supreme Leader of the First Order in the sequel trilogy, and Kylo Ren’s dark‑side master.
- Canon sources now say he was a strandcast – a lab‑grown, genetically engineered being created by Emperor Palpatine and the Sith Eternal on Exegol.
- He had his own personality and will, but was ultimately a puppet controlled and influenced by Palpatine from the shadows.
- Snoke seduced Ben Solo to the dark side, led the First Order’s war machine, and ordered the destruction of the New Republic via Starkiller Base.
- Kylo Ren killed Snoke in The Last Jedi , only to later discover that Snoke had been “just a puppet” for Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker.
Who Was Snoke, In-Universe?
His role
- A powerful dark‑side Force user who rose to rule the First Order as Supreme Leader during the era of the New Republic.
- He operated from massive mobile flagships rather than a fixed throne world, projecting a mysterious, almost cult‑leader presence.
- He turned Ben Solo into Kylo Ren, exploiting his Skywalker bloodline and inner conflict to secure a devastating apprentice.
His true nature
Canon materials after The Rise of Skywalker clarify that:
- Snoke is a strandcast – a deliberately engineered being, not a natural-born alien or human.
- He was grown and refined by the Sith Eternal cult on Exegol as part of Palpatine’s secret, long‑term contingency plans.
- He had independent thoughts and a distinct personality but was subtly guided and overridden by Palpatine, who used him as a proxy.
So, in simple terms: Snoke is basically Palpatine’s custom‑built dark‑side avatar, set loose to rebuild an empire in a new form.
Behind the Scenes and Fan Theories
Before The Rise of Skywalker answered the “who was Snoke” question in canon, fans had a ton of theories:
- Darth Plagueis return : Maybe Snoke was Palpatine’s old master, somehow survived.
- Mace Windu, Ezra, or ancient Sith : Wild identity guesses tried to tie him to known characters or Old Republic‑style villains.
- Personification of the dark side : Some suspected he might be a near‑mythic embodiment rather than a “normal” character.
The official line shut most of this down by making him an engineered puppet of Palpatine , which many viewers felt was a retcon rather than a planned reveal from the start.
How Fans Talk About Him Now
On forums and Reddit, “who was Snoke” has turned into a shorthand for the sequel trilogy’s planning issues.
Common discussion angles:
- Some fans feel the mystery around Snoke in The Force Awakens promised a deep, trilogy‑spanning villain, but his quick death and later explanation felt undercooked.
- Others argue making him a disposable puppet actually fits Star Wars themes: the dark side reusing tools, the real villain (Palpatine) never truly dying.
- There’s ongoing debate about whether the Palpatine/strandcast angle was planned or was a late fix to tie the trilogy together.
A typical fan summary today would be:
“Snoke was a powerful dark‑side clone‑puppet used by Palpatine to run the First Order and corrupt Kylo Ren; cool presence, messy execution.”
TL;DR
Snoke was a powerful dark‑side leader of the First Order and Kylo Ren’s master, but canon now defines him as a genetically engineered strandcast created and controlled by Emperor Palpatine and the Sith Eternal on Exegol, essentially a puppet ruler rather than an independent, ancient Sith lord.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.