Snoke and Emperor Palpatine are a pair with obvious parallels, making it all the more surprising when the former didn’t live to see the final instalment in this current Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. But despite his early demise, Andy Serkis’ villain has remained a subject of ongoing hearsay and speculation, and this latest Star Wars: Episode IX rumor is no exception.
To provide a little context to this report, one thing we already know is that Snoke wore a ring made from obsidian found underneath Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar. What’s more, it’s been confirmed that the engravings on this accessory represent The Four Sages of Dwartii. It’s through this tidbit that we have one of the character’s lesser-known connections with Palpatine, since the Emperor kept statues of these exact figures in his quarters during his Chancellor days.
All of the the above remains canon to the Star Wars saga, but where the rumor kicks in is with the claim that J.J. Abrams’ next film will feature a scene – presumably a flashback – where Snoke is witnessed sitting in a throne room surrounded by Palpatine’s Dwartii statues.
While it’s not unthinkable that Abrams will find ways to connect Snoke to the wider franchise, there’s certainly reason to doubt this particular report. For one thing, you have to wonder if the filmmaker would really be willing to dig this deep into Star Wars mythology as a means of linking Snoke to his past equivalent. But more to the point, Episode IX rumors related to Snoke and/or flashbacks have become such a cliché by now that this new claim very much gives off the vibe of a late arrival to the trend.
All that being said, if the former Supreme Leader really is getting as much screen time as the rumor mill would have us think, then we’ll find out when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.