After Star Wars: The Force Awakens built up Snoke as the mysterious big bad of the current trilogy, some viewers were disappointed when The Last Jedi killed off the character before we really had a chance to explore who and what he was. Since then, there’s been plenty of speculation that the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX will further flesh out this malevolent character, be it through flashback or through retconning him back to life, but this recent theory offers a different solution entirely.
Instead of positing a backstory for Snoke, Reddit user YAFilms suggests that there is no Snoke at all, but rather a Force projection from the subconscious of his former apprentice and eventual killer, Kylo Ren. According to this theory, Ben Solo’s a character with vast untapped power that comes through in this dark alter ego.
What’s more, this projected figure is said to be yet another manifestation of Kylo’s idolization of Darth Vader. While his attempts be like his grandfather have often been depicted as sad and futile, it seems that he’s been doing a better job at this mimicry than even he realized, as he’s essentially created his own version of the Emperor to run a military dictatorship that practically stands as one big homage to the old Empire.
In this light, Snoke’s eventual death becomes a coming-of-age moment for the new Supreme Leader. After Kylo’s inner Snoke summons Rey to meet them, the newly confident villain reportedly kills this part of himself when he realizes that he doesn’t need an imaginary master when he has Rey by his side to rule the galaxy.
While even the Redditor seems aware that this almost certainly isn’t what the writers had in mind, it still makes for a fun idea that solves the Snoke issue while showing a twisted new side to the character of Kylo. Either way, you can expect Star Wars: Episode IX to delve further into the anguished mindset of the young Ben Solo when the film hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.