I really thought we were done with Supreme Leader Snoke after Kylo Ren bisected him in one of the most unexpected Star Wars moments in a very long time. But now we’re hearing that he might return by appearing in flashbacks to his younger days. This latest report to fall off the rumor mill also comes alongside word of concept art for Star Wars: Episode IX being shown that seems to depict a young, uninjured Snoke with thinning blonde hair.
The image – which I should add I haven’t seen and haven’t been able to track down online, either – apparently features Snoke sitting on a throne surrounded by his pre-Kylo Ren apprentices. The purpose of this flashback, according to a supposed Lucasfilm insider, is that J.J. Abrams is planning to reveal that Snoke was Darth Plagueis all along.
For those of you that aren’t Star Wars super fans, Plagueis’ story was mentioned by Palpatine when explaining the Dark Side immortality to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith. While I’m taking this with a pinch (more like a fistful) of salt, it does actually tie in with the rumors that Abrams is eager to play up Episode IX’s links with the Prequels – which is why we’re hearing that George Lucas is contributing to the script. On top of all that, Lucasfilm and Abrams are apparently hoping to cast Ed Harris as young Snoke. And to be fair, he would definitely knock the role out of the park.
If true, this could be an interesting dovetailing of the three Star Wars trilogies, but I’ll still be a bit bummed if there’s a major focus on Snoke in Episode IX. I was never particularly interested in the character to begin with, and his moustache-twirling evil felt a bit hammy in comparison to the more shaded, textured and emotional villainy of Kylo Ren. While a Snoke-centred flashback might contribute to Ren’s character a bit more, I’d still prefer to see Adam Driver given more opportunities to act his way through the part than have it be informed by flashback.
Speaking of which, this report says there’ll be even more flashbacks beyond just this one, perhaps giving us a final goodbye for Luke, Leia and Han. Again, though, I’m taking this with a big grain of salt. After all, it was only in the Disney movies that the franchise started using flashbacks, with the Original and Prequel trilogies eschewing them and instead telling a straight chronological tale (if I’m wrong and there are flashbacks in the PT or OT, let me know in the comments section).
Whatever ends up happening, I just hope that Star Wars: Episode IX doesn’t end up trying to placate angry viewers with too much fan-service. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see what Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn and all the rest are doing right now rather than reminiscing about the past.