New Star Wars book clarifies Snoke’s origins

(Image credit: LucasFilm)

Although Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker made sure to show us a few failed Snoke clones floating in "nutrient fluid" (we didn't make that up) on Exegol, there was still some confusion over the nature of Snoke's origins. Was the Sith simply a body for the Emperor to control, or something more?

A new Star Wars book has since clarified a few things. In short, Snoke was simply a creation of Sidious's, used as a pawn to control the First Order. "Only scant details exist regarding his origins," the book, literally called The Star Wars Book, notes. However, the text then goes into some greater detail.

"It's possible Snoke himself may not know his true nature. Snoke is a standcast – an artificial genetic construct concocted by the resurrected Darth Sidious to be his proxy in power," the book reads. "Snoke has free will, but his actions and goals are orchestrated by Sidious." See the page via Old Man Binks on twitter below.

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That clears a few things up but does still feel slightly anti-climactic. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Snoke was being set up as a great villain with an interesting past – that huge scar, at first, implied battles with Jedi or something far worse. After the character died in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we knew Snoke's origins wouldn't be particularly important, but the results still feel at odds with the character gleamed in The Force Awakens.

Moving forward, the Star Wars universe will no longer be a big-screen priority. Instead, we can expect many, many adventures in that galaxy far, far away on the small screen, thanks to a littering of Disney Plus series that are on the way. Up next is The Mandalorian season 2, though you can check out all the new Star Wars movies and shows through that link.

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.