‘Star Wars Episode 8’ Rumors: New Book Hints Snoke Is From The Unknown Regions

New details about Star Wars: Episode 8 – The Last Jedi continue to drop as the film’s release closes in. The latest information involves the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).

The details come from Empire’s End, the latest of the Star Wars: Aftermath novels by Chuck Wendig, which chronicle the events between Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The story in the new book teases the possibility that Supreme Leader Snoke, one of the most enigmatic characters introduced in Star Wars: Episode 7, could be from the Unknown Regions.

The Last Jedi is expected delve into this with YouTuber and well-known Star Wars analyst Emergency Awesome convinced that Star Wars: Episode 8 might be inspired from this material in its approach to unravel Snoke’s identity.

For the uninitiated, the Unknown Regions is a section of the galaxy that has remained largely mysterious and unexplored, but is known to be extremely dangerous.

The Star Wars: Aftermath books reveal that the enigma of the outer rim has always fascinated Emperor Palpatine as he believes that the Unknown Regions may unlock answers about the mystery of the origin of the Force.

It is revealed that Palpatine collects artifacts and puts them in various installations in order to map out the Unknown Regions as he continues his search for knowledge about the dark side of the Force.

Furthermore, it has presented a possibility of getting a fresh start for the Empire if it falls. This leads Emperor Palpatine to cook up a contingency plan should he fail to survive the Battle of Endor.

As revealed in the new Star Wars: Aftermath novel, his plan was to lure what’s left of the Rebellion’s fleet to the Jakku, where the Empire has a secret base called The Observatory. Leading the charge is Palpatine’s chosen successor, Gallius Rax although the emperor also hailed another individual named Tashu as a second successor.

The Empire planted a bomb in Jakku that was supposed to wipe the Rebels out when they get to the planet, but it never detonated, thanks to Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, an Imperial war criminal who decides to instead take out Rax, who she believes will make for a horrible leader of the Empire. Also, unlike Rax, she did not want countless Imperial soldiers to turn to ash along with Jakku.

This allowed the Rebels to ultimately defeat the Empire, with their Super Star Destroyer crashing into the planet. It is the same one that Rey (Daisy Ridley) scavenged in Star Wars: Episode 7.

As for the Sloane and the rest of her crew, they headed to the Unknown Regions with a batch of new star charts and a new plan. This, in due course, led to the creation of the First Order, although the timeline this occurs has not been detailed.

Emergency Awesome points out how Snoke arrives only when the First Order returns to the galaxy armed and ready. The YouTuber believes that he came from the Unknown Origins. His arrival was ultimately followed by the creation of the Starkiller Base, which the Resistance sought to destroy in Star Wars: Episode 7.

This would explain why he was absent during the events that unfolded in the original and prequel Star Wars films. However, it is unknown what brings him out of the Unknown Regions and into the galaxy far, far away.

Either way, many fans are excited about the idea that Snoke comes from an entirely different galaxy, particularly from the Unknown Regions, as this would mean that Star Wars: Episode 8 and the movies that will follow could enjoy new storytelling possibilities where new worlds and characters can be introduced.

A lot of theories about who Snoke is fill the web, majority of which suggest he is someone already introduced in the franchise, but the Star Wars: Aftermath novels make it so that he could be someone fans are yet to meet.

In a report by Making Star Wars, it was revealed that Star Wars: Episode 8 will feature the homeworld of Snoke. It is believed that it is where he, General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) will convene after their defeat in the previous film.

It is unclear if this will bring fans any closer to learning where Snoke comes from although Star Wars: Episode 8 is expected to at least shed some light on this mystery.

Star Wars: Episode 8 – The Last Jedi will be in cinemas December 15.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]