What do you think Snoke's role was in this trilogy?

Could be but I think more likely the explanation is far simpler. JJ's goal and the basic directive he was given was to do a soft reboot of ANH/OT. The actual shape was left up to him but with virtually no time to make the movie because it needed to be rushed out in 2015 he simply needed an Emperor figure just like he needed an Anakin/Vader and Anakin/Luke one so Snoke was created. Since he wasn't going to do either of the next 2 movies it wasn't his problem. With RJ he also wasn't going to do the last movie so he didn't need to worry about who Snoke was. There was no actual plan or story. If there was one then n CT would not have been fired and JJ brought back. It's not like JJ is using that story or script.

JJ based him very much on the Emperor/Sidious while RJ had him an entirely different character.

I don't think that is all that realistic and even if it were JJ is exactly the wrong person to do it. He simply doesn't pay attention to details nor is that interested in story or character. He just goes with what "feels" right to him no matter how nonsensical it is. See TFA.

 

I believe Snoke was clone version of Palpatine, hence his obsession with Luke. Remember it was said that the clones he inhabits cause of the parasitic nature of the DS causes the clones to deteriorate at a quicker rate than regular ones hence why Snoke looked all gnarled in TFA. That why I believe that we saw what looked like light from Snokes severed body in TLJ instead of blood is cause of him being a clone.

 

This makes sense to me. I always thought there was more to Snoke's hatred of Skywalker than what we're shown. Snoke's being a clone of Palpatine would explain that nicely. Also, Snoke's overconfidence is so reminiscent of Palpatine that it makes just too much sense.

If this is true, then perhaps Palpatine does not need to return other than a flashback or a brief apparition. So, Palpatine could be dead, Snoke also dead, but if Snoke was Palpatine's clone, then there could be still another one to be revealed in TROS.

 

Rather Snoke was just merely a "stepping stone" 4 the plot or if he was meant to be something bigger it's clear that his character (IMHO) was a misfire....borderline total dud. They should of developed him more in the writing room.

 

Antagonist?

Like @NinjaRen posted already. Just the mysterious big bad guy in the shadow. Just like Palpi was before EP I, II and III.

 

I have no idea about Snoke. Nobody does. He's never explained. He's just there, randomly as "Snoke The Bad Guy". But who he is? Where did he came from? How did he get to be who he is? His origins are totally unexplained. Which makes him totally unrelatable, shallow and unconvincing. He's just the bad guy for the sake of needing a villain is the absence of Palpatine. And why does he dress like he's come from a nursing home for retired gangster rappers?


I've seen Christmas pantomime villains (the main antagonist character) with more menacing characters and backstory depth than Snoke's.

 

Hopefully it's all part of the plot and these things will be explained.

 

I mean, unless he's explained further in TROS (and he doesn't need to be) he's a placeholder for Kylo.

Y'all are trying to put way more importance on him than there really is. Kylo is, and always has been, the focus. You might as well search for deeper meaning with Motti or Poggle the Lesser in their respective trilogies.

 

It all makes me recall Serkis' comments to the effect of Snoke being very old, very wise, and been through a lot of blast.

This, along with the non-existent backstory to the Snoke character, would seem to fit very nicely into the Palpatine.

 

Snoke was simply a vessel, a shell for Palpatine to inhabit. He was only gone for a little while then worked behind the scenes. Once the remnants of the Empire made it to the Unknown Regions as part of his contingency plan, he revealed himself as Snoke and took control. He’s also been influencing Kylo since he was a child. Sometimes speaking to him as Vader, unbeknownst to Kylo. Now he needs a new vessel and will use a Knight of Ren or Dark Acolyte (Matt Smith?) that will challenge Kylo. He will work to take over the First Order and rebrand as the Sith Empire. Kylo will learn the plan and feel duped. That’s when he will join Rey and come back to the light. Together they will be powerful enough to vanquish Palpatines spirit once and for all.

That’s my prediction anyway.

 

"In this particular story, it's much more like the original trilogy, where with Snoke if you think about the actual scenes, if suddenly I had paused one of the scenes to give a 30 second monologue about who he was, it would have kind of stopped the scene in its tracks, I realized. Even though it could have been interesting, something that fans were interested in, as storytellers, we have to kind of serve what the scenes need to be. It was a tough thing, even though I knew some fans were interested in it I also knew it wasn't something that dramatically had a place in this movie. Hopefully it can be addressed elsewhere or even J.J. may address it in the next movie. But it's not something that's particularly interesting to Rey, so we kind of had to follow through."

Source

 

So far Snoke is/was an element to develop the character of Kylo Ren.

 

Relevant:
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Just like Rose was an element to develop Finn. It doesn't make them good characters. We also got more back story on Rose than we ever got on Snoke. The apologists that think Snoke didn't need any explanation really have a low bar for storytelling.

 

I wasn’t a fan of Snoke, in the same way I never liked the emperor... I like Andrew Serkis though, amazing actor.

Not all characters need development and I don’t know if I have a low bar for storytelling. I only know when I like something and when I don’t, and try not to be uppity and snobby about it.

I don’t think the word “apologist” is correct in this context. It implies that the people who express their satisfaction with TLJ are unreasonable in their explanations or praises, and that’s not true or fair. The same goes with the word “hater”. These words conjure too many negative assumptions.

 

They forget SW is as much about the Force as it is about the Characters. You can’t have a Supreme leader who is very powerful Darksider with no background and be satisfied.

 

How so?
I don't get this. It isn't his story.
You know nothing about Obi-Wan in the OT really other than he was a Jedi who was friend's with Luke's dad.
You know nothing about the Emperor, he's not even in the first movie.

Snoke's role is to facilitate Kylo Ren's rise to power. It doesn't have to be more than that because these movies aren't about Snoke.

 

I can't for the life of me understand why people accept that some Dark Side villian was able to rise to power, seduce the son of Han and Leia to the dark side, all off screen prior to the films, and then subsequently die in the second film with no further information on this character and it NOT be a big deal.

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 18, 2019, Original Post Date: Jul 18, 2019 ---

You cannot compare. That was the introduction of this universe to us as fans. We made assumptions based on context. That's how all films work. However when you have sequels that jump 30 years and give you NOTHING on who the new threat to the Galaxy is, THATS BAD STORYTELLING.

By the way, you can have him facilitate Kylo's rise to power and gain some insight into his motivations and origin. You can have BOTH! A scene similar to Tarkin, Vader and the Death Star Commanders talking about the Emporer disolving the Senate, could have helped us understand Snoke, Kylo and the First Order more. The bottom line is, they didn't have a story mapped out. They let Claudia Grey write Bloodline and they had no idea what she wrote. They had no idea how the First Order rose. They had no idea who Snoke was. They are writing it as they go and filling in the blanks....and it shows.

 

The minute you say you can't compare you are invalidating your own argument by trying to move the goal post.
KYLO REN IS THE THREAT TO THE GALAXY. That's what is important for this story, this slice of time in the GFFA.

 

No he's not. He's not the mastermind. He's a pawn, just like Han told him. Nobody is moving the goal post. It's an apple to oranges comparison and you know it.