‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Rumor: Leak Hints At Snoke’s Back-Up Plan

Snoke may be no more by the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but unlike him, the discussions about the mysterious character just won’t die.

The latest issue of Star Wars Insider by the official Lucasfilm publication, picked up by the popular Star Wars watcher and YouTuber Star Wars Explained, featured an article about the seven-foot-tall humanoid.

There is an intriguing line that piqued his interest and hints of a possible storyline that could be explored in Star Wars: Episode 9.

“Force-sensitive and highly attuned to the dark side but not a Sith, Snoke has trained Kylo Ren [Adam Driver] and at least one other apprentice.”

While most people just assumed that Snoke trained a lot of Force-sensitives like Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) did at the Jedi Academy, the wording of the sentence makes it seem that this one other apprentice is something of greater importance.

As Star Wars Explained speculates, how it was written implies that Disney has a specific character in mind and that they plan for their story to be explored in some form of media, if not Star Wars: Episode 9.

It also gives the impression that, even with the idea that Snoke had a handful of apprentices behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, this particular learner has Force abilities on par with that of Kylo Ren.

The article seems to suggest that Snoke has been grooming someone else. Whether it was before he discovered the raw Force power and potential of Ben Solo is unknown. It is possible that he was training them simultaneously and knowing the conflict within Han (Harrison Ford) and Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) son, used this apprentice as back-up.

Fans are quick to hypothesize about what all this means based on the timing of this article (it came out just a few days after the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and that film showed no indication of Snoke’s second apprentice).

It is being said that this apprentice, intent on finishing whatever Snoke planned in the first place, could be the new threat that Kylo Ren will have to face in Star Wars: Episode 9.

Even though the former First Order supreme leader is dead, this secret apprentice will emerge from the shadows to make sure that whatever their master’s plan was will be followed through.

That way, Snoke’s presence will still be felt in the final film in the sequel trilogy despite his demise. After all, death does not mean the end in the world of Star Wars so even from beyond, characters who passed away can still make an impact on the story and the living characters.

Yoda is a prime example, owing to his appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, where he basically summoned a lightning strike even as a Force ghost.

Luke is expected to be one in Star Wars: Episode 9 as well as he guides Rey (Daisy Ridley) in her training if this will be the plan. Snoke, while not as a Force ghost, will continue to have bearing in the films through this.

The existence of secret apprentices is not really new in the Star Wars saga either, as Star Wars Explained pointed out. Pretty much every known Sith Lord had one, even Darth Vader, but most of it was explored outside of the films.

If Snoke had one, the YouTuber says that it is more likely that this story will be told in a novel or a comic book. This apprentice could be someone that he found capable of doing his bidding before he knew of Ben Solo but is never meant to join the cinematic fray.

As far as Star Wars: The Last Jedi is concerned, Kylo Ren is the main villain although some fans are still holding out hope that he could still turn despite Rey figuratively and quite literally closing the door on him after her first attempt to bring him back to the light.

Then again, these are all speculations. This could simply be a case of a line that is supposed to mean nothing being blown out of proportion. It may have only been mentioned purely to indicate that Snoke trained a lot of people that were not meant to get the spotlight.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters now.