All the way back in 1983, Return of the Jedi introduced fans to the Emperor’s Royal Guard, an elite force within the Empire that did absolutely nothing on screen except to turn and walk out of the Emperor’s chamber. We had to rely on the Extended Universe to see the Royal Guard in action. Fortunately, it looks like Supreme Leader Snoke’s Praetorian Guards will have a much bigger role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Today’s Nerdist News is examining the recently released photos from the film for clues about the Praetorians and Snoke himself.

There are potential spoilers ahead for The Last Jedi! It’s all theory and conjecture…until it isn’t. Either way, you’ve been warned!

Join host and Resistance codebreaker, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through each aspect of the photos. Earlier this year, it was rumored that each Praetorian Guard would have their own individual weapon, and these pics appear to confirm that. Director Rian Johnson has openly acknowledged the influence of samurai films on The Last Jedi, and he noted that the Praetorian Guards have to be able to move and “they have to seem dangerous.”

Remember the behind-the-scenes footage of The Last Jedi that dropped at D23 Expo? Daisy Ridley was seen training against multiple opponents for the film. We believe that Rey may be fighting the Praetorian Guards, especially if Luke Skywalker and Rey are taking the fight directly to Snoke, which is one of the biggest rumors about the film. Additionally, the red in the Praetorian Guard outfits may also function as camouflage, which would allow them to hide in Snoke’s lair until they need to reveal themselves.

The biggest takeaway here is that we will see Snoke in the flesh…sort of. The Entertainment Weekly story confirms that Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Snoke will be entirely through CGI motion capture. That once again makes us question whether Snoke is much larger than a standard humanoid, or much smaller. In The Force Awakens, Snoke portrayed himself as a giant through the use of holograms. That suggests he either has a hugely inflated ego or a pronounced inferiority complex. Why else would he distort his image like that? Unless Snoke turns out to actually be a giant, those are the two most likely explanations. Either way, we think that The Last Jedi will finally pull back the curtain on Star Wars‘ latest big bad.

Are you excited about Snoke and the Praetorian Guards’ roles in The Last Jedi? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!