Emperor Palpatine’s creation of Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy is a complex and somewhat controversial aspect of the saga, blending elements from the prequels, sequels, and expanded universe to explain how Palpatine continued to exert influence after his apparent death in Return of the Jedi. Palpatine did not simply return as himself but engineered Snoke as a puppet or proxy to manipulate events from behind the scenes.
The foundation for Palpatine’s survival and ability to create Snoke lies in the prequel-era lore about Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s Sith master. According to the story Palpatine tells Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Plagueis had the power to create life and prevent death. This Sith knowledge provides a canonical basis for Palpatine’s resurrection and his ability to create Snoke as an artificial being or clone-like entity. The Rise of Skywalker hints that Palpatine’s return was facilitated by Sith alchemy or cloning technology, allowing him to survive in a weakened form on the Sith homeworld Exegol, where he created Snoke to serve as his dark side apprentice and proxy ruler of the First Order[1][5].
Snoke’s origins are deliberately vague in the films, which led to much fan speculation and criticism. The Last Jedi kills Snoke off abruptly without explaining his background, and The Rise of Skywalker retroactively reveals that Snoke was not an independent Sith Lord but a creation of Palpatine. This retcon reduces Snoke to a sophisticated puppet rather than a genuine threat, raising questions about why Palpatine would allow Snoke any autonomy instead of ruling directly. However, this arrangement allowed Palpatine to manipulate the galaxy covertly while remaining hidden and recovering his strength[2].
Expanded Star Wars media, such as comics, further explore this relationship. For example, the Marvel comic series Legacy of Vader shows Palpatine in a secret dark form interacting with Kylo Ren, reinforcing the idea that Palpatine has been manipulating key figures through proxies like Snoke for a long time. This also ties into Palpatine’s line in The Rise of Skywalker where he claims to have been every voice Kylo Ren has ever heard inside his head, including Snoke’s[3].
Behind the scenes, the sequel trilogy’s inconsistent storytelling and lack of a unified vision contributed to the underdeveloped portrayal of Snoke and Palpatine’s return. Some proposed but unrealized projects, such as a David Fincher-directed Star Wars film, might have explored Snoke’s origins and Kylo Ren’s internal struggles more deeply, potentially avoiding the need for Palpatine’s sudden resurrection and providing a more coherent narrative bridge between the original and sequel trilogies[4].
In summary, Palpatine created Snoke through Sith dark side science and cloning techniques, using him as a puppet to control the First Order and manipulate Kylo Ren. This creation was rooted in Sith lore about life creation and death prevention, expanded upon in the sequels and supplementary materials. While this explanation fills some gaps, it also introduced new questions and controversies about the nature of power and autonomy within the Sith hierarchy in the sequel trilogy era[1][2][3][5].
