Hello, Star Wars fans. As I had stated in my previous spoiler-free review of The Last Jedi, the new Star Wars film was one full of surprises, but also full of unanswered questions. This article will focus more heavily on one particular part of the movie, and if you have not seen Star Wars, this is my first warning that SPOILERS LIE AHEAD.
Second Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD. And Third Warning: SPOILERS.
Now, if you haven’t seen the film and yet you continue to read, that is completely your own fault.
In The Last Jedi, one iconic scene seemed to completely overshadow the rest of the movie; the Showdown between Rey, Snoke, Kylo Ren, and the Red Guard. If you have seen the movie, and yet forget this scene (which seems quite impossible), let’s go over it one more time.
While Rey makes the journey back to the First Order to convince Kylo to abandon the dark side, she is taken prisoner by Kylo Ren, and taken to Snoke’s Throne Room. While Rey is at her knees being interrogated by Snoke himself, sitting in his large throne and surrounded by Red Guards, Snoke orders Kylo Ren to finish her off.
By using the force to Mind Probe Kylo Ren’s thoughts, Snoke sees that Kylo Ren had made his decision on what side he truly is on and that he is prepared to kill in order to fulfill that decision.
Then, in a huge turn of events, Kylo Ren sends a lightsaber beam straight through Snoke’s body, killing him. The top half of Snoke comes sliding to the ground, the body completely in half. Rey and Kylo Ren team up for that one scene to defeat the Red Guard, and escape the fate of death.
It’s truly a heroic and exciting scene for any Star Wars fan, seeing the redemption of a once known villain as they take the life of a cruel and manipulative villain. But there's the thing; Snoke is known to be one of the most powerful beings in the entire galaxy. He knew of Kylo Ren’s struggle with his allegiance, and he sure as anything knew not to trust Kylo in that moment.
That being said, Snoke did not die in that scene.
Analyzing what he had said earlier, being completely aware of Kylo Ren’s thoughts, knowing exactly what the boy was thinking and what decision he had made, Snoke knew exactly what was going to happen in that throne room. A superior leader would not make such a shallow mistake and give in to the thoughts of a much-conflicted apprentice. That lightsaber was placed next to him for a reason, and the entire scene was a test.
Just as we saw Luke Skywalker project an illusion of himself by using the force later on in the film, Snoke was doing the same exact thing. Also, noticing that Luke had been pictured as younger, and more put together in his force projection, Snoke in that iconic scene is missing some crucial injuries shown on his face in the previous film, and the actual projection of him in the beginning while interrogating Hux. Don’t believe it? Check out these images.
Snoke in The Force Awakens:
Snoke in The Last Jedi:
Though the images may seem quite similar, it is obvious that Snoke looks wildly healthier in the image from The Last Jedi. Being one of the most powerful beings in the Star Wars universe, he would be smart enough to not risk his life, and therefore, clever enough to project himself through the force in order to truly test Kylo Ren.
Where is Snoke now? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, Kylo Ren is in more danger than he had ever been before. It just might be the factor that’ll push him away from the dark side.
