Let’s be honest, things don’t exactly go to plan for Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rather than begin a new era of darkness with his Vader-a-like boy toy Kylo Ren at his side, he ends up unceremoniously chopped in half by his apprentice, lying on the floor with his tongue lolling ungracefully out of his (very) dead mouth.
It’s a somewhat anticlimactic demise for the former Supreme Leader, and even after The Last Jedi‘s release, that million-dollar question of who exactly is Snoke remains, as director Rian Johnson refrained from divulging any firm details about his history and origins before he was killed off during the film’s mesmerizing Throne Room scene. That’s something which left many fans unhappy, of course, but if there’s one person who doesn’t get all the backlash (aside from Johnson), it’s Mark Hamill.
Speaking to GamesRadar, the actor admitted that he was actually surprised by the reaction to Snoke’s death, saying:
“I was surprised everyone was so upset that they got rid of Snoke. From Rian’s point of view, it was a big favorite for [Episode] 9 because he’s not important. It clears the deck to have the conflict between Kylo and Rey without him getting in the way and having to explain if he’s a clone or if he’s related to Palpatine… all that stuff.”
In most cases, we find ourselves in agreement with Mr. Hamill, but in this case, we very much understand the backlash to Snoke’s death and certainly feel as if the character’s arc could have been handled a bit better. That being said, we wouldn’t bet against him appearing in Episode IX in some form – perhaps via flashback?
Like we said above, Johnson deliberately avoided exploring Snoke’s backstory, so J.J. Abrams – who first introduced the character in TFA – could feel the need to fill in this mystery. Even if TLJ‘s novelization already helps paper over the gaps somewhat.
Besides, when asked about a potential return, Andy Serkis (who plays the big bad) remained coy, and reminded fans that when it comes to Star Wars, anything is possible. This is, after all, a franchise of Force ghosts and full-blown premonitions, so it’d be foolish to rule out Snoke’s chances of a second coming.
“I’ve had to carry that to his death,” said the actor. “I cannot reveal that, just in case. Because in Star Wars, anything can happen.”
It’ll certainly be interesting to see what lies ahead for the Supreme Leader – if anything – but Abrams has already said that The Last Jedi backlash won’t have any effect on any future Star Wars movies, so perhaps we shouldn’t hold our breath for another appearance after all?
