The internet is full of Star Wars fan theories—some that have turned out to be canonical truth (or close to it), and others that have ended up way off base. But recently, a theory showed up on fan theory Reddit, and it’s so out there, that we think it just might have some merit!
One of the lingering questions of the new trilogy has been: “Just who the heck was Snoke?” And if there was this ancient and powerful being wielding the dark side of the Force, how come we’d never seen him or heard of him before in the six previous films? Well, one theory on Reddit suggests there actually is no Snoke. At least not in the physical sense. A Reddit user believes that Snoke was always a manifestation of the subconscious of Kylo Ren, and one he wasn’t even aware of. Think Tyler Durden in Fight Club, only a Tyler Durden others can see.
The Redditor in question posits the following: “I would love to find out that Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was actually that powerful and that mixed up this whole time that he manifested Snoke into the physical world. It would speak to how ungodly powerful he truly is, and it would build on the new force related elements of the new trilogy.”
The theorist continues, “What if Ben Solo was so powerful, that his conflicted mind manifested Snoke and Ben had no idea? Snoke then builds The First Order and ‘twists’ Ben’s mind and turns him into Kylo Ren … Snoke speaks on Kylo’s insecurities and weaknesses like a voice inside one’s own head. Snoke comes off like a carbon copy of The Emperor but with a different look which would make sense if the person who made him was obsessed with that old story. This whole time Snoke causes so much chaos with Kylo Ren acting as his lap dog, but it was really Kylo Ren’s unearthed dark abilities giving the real orders.”
When you factor in the way both Leia and Han talk about Snoke in The Force Awakens, as if he’s someone they knew personally, suddenly this theory doesn’t seem so wacky. Plus, the theory would make the true villain of the sequel trilogy Kylo Ren, not some shadowy figure in the background. It would also mean that by “killing” Snoke in The Last Jedi, the shackles are off of Kylo Ren, making him more dangerous than ever.
Of course, many fans are invested in the notions that Snoke was Darth Plagueis, or a Palpatine clone, or something tied to the older films. But if this new theory were revealed to hold true in Episode IX, I honestly don’t think I’d hate it. For the full theory in detail, head on over to the fan theory Reddit.
Images: Lucasfilm
