Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Last Jedi are ahead!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi answered several questions that lingered in the aftermath of The Force Awakens, but among the ones that went unanswered were those concerning Supreme Leader Snoke. While The First Order's commander did have more screen time in the latest Star Wars movie, we didn't learn anything about where he came from. With Snoke now dead, it remains to be seen if Episode IX will spend time delving into his past, but in the meantime, Andy Serkis has shed light on one element of the character. For those who've been wondering why Snoke looks so scarred and deformed, Serkis says it's a combination of both past conflicts and his body wearing down. As the actor explained:
It is to do with previous battles. It's a sort of decay as well. He's quite an old character, and those battle scars are affecting his recovery and his body's started to break down as well.
Andy Serkis' response about where Snoke's damage came after he talked about imagining that the character has scoliosis of the spine, hence why there's a slouching quality to Snoke rather than the actor being stiff and formal. Serkis didn't elaborate on the battles that Snoke was involved in, but it is interesting to have this extra tidbit of information. Much like how Emperor Palpatine was deformed by his reflected Force lightning in Revenge of the Sith, Snoke suffered grave injuries at some point during combat, and while he still remained powerful with the Force, it wasn't enough to prevent him from looking decrepit and disfigured.
Later in his interview with EW, Andy Serkis also gave us an idea of how long Snoke has been in the galaxy far, far away, saying:
I would say that he's a couple of hundred years old.
Like many aliens in the Star Wars universe, it appears that Snoke's species, which hasn't been identified yet, has a much longer lifespan than humans. Unlike other aliens (I'm looking at you, Chewbacca), Snoke did not age gracefully. Of course, now Snoke's injuries and age no longer matter, as he was shockingly cut in half by Kylo Ren duringThe Last Jedi. While the movie's novelization did provide some details about how Snoke took over The First Order and how he became knowledgeable about the Force, there's so far no word of if the character's past will be fully explored in either a movie or another kind of media project, though that could change at some point. I'd personally like to see one of these battles that Andy Serkis referred to be depicted in a novel or comic book series.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be available on Digital HD starting next Tuesday, March 13, and the Blu-ray and DVD release will follow on March 27. Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019, and for all the major updates about the movie (including if Snoke will be addressed or even somehow appear), keep it here at CinemaBlend.
