'Rise of Skywalker' theory reveals Supreme Leader Snoke's true identity

While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker answered some long-held questions, it left just as many shrouded in mystery. Emperor Palpatine wasted no time explaining that Supreme Leader Snoke was a clone all along, but who was he a clone of? An intriguing new theory offers fresh details on Snoke’s true identity and how it connects back to Palpatine’s famous speech in Revenge of the Sith. Let’s dive in.

Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

When Kylo Ren goes off to Exegol to find Emperor Palpatine, the villain offers a vague explanation of how he’s still alive. Palps tells Kylo that “the Dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.”

Sounds familiar, right? That’s because Palpatine makes the same remark to Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith. In the oft-referenced opera scene, Palps explains to Anakin the tale of his Sith master Darth Plagueis the Wise, who found a way to create life via midi-chlorians but was killed in his sleep (by Palpatine).

In the same Rise of Skywalker scene that references Revenge of the Sith, we also learn that Snoke was merely Palpatine’s pawn all along. A clone, to be exact. Could those two things be connected?

Redditor u/rbcoolie suggests that Snoke was actually the clone of Darth Plagueis and that Palps used his DNA and Sith cloning technology to recreate him.

This makes a lot of sense — in a twisted sort of way. After all, why else would Palpatine repeat the exact same line from Revenge of the Sith in Episode IX? Parallels and poetry. It all rhymes, just as Star Wars creator George Lucas intended. With that in mind, it’s possible Palpatine, sadistic as he is, wanted his old master around for when he brought back the Sith.

Perhaps he felt powerful knowing he could now control Plagueis instead of the other way around. And if we’re to believe Palps has always been grooming Kylo from the shadows, entrusting Snoke/Plagueis to do so was the best option. We know Darth Plagueis trained Palps, so it’s a safe bet the former Emperor thought it wise for his own master to train Kylo as well.

There’s also the fact that Snoke’s ring had the same exact symbols as the statues of the Four Sages of Dwartii located in Emperor Palpatine’s old office, later seen on Exegol in Episode IX. Those statues originally belonged to Darth Plagueis the Wise (at least in the non-canonical Extended Universe).

Coincidence? Probably not. We know that Palpatine has been playing the long con, a chess game with all the pieces in place. Snoke being a clone of Plagueis is definitely something Palps would do.

In addition to that, no one knows what Plagueis actually looked like. So who’s to say he didn’t look something like our dear dead friend Supreme Leader Snoke? For now, this might be the best explanation for Snoke’s actual origins, though we could learn a lot more this year as Star Wars continues to roll out new comics and cartoons.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently playing in theaters.