SPECULATION Did Snoke Force drain Luke?

KeelaoftheWhills · Dec 17, 2017

master_shaitan said: ↑

For some time now I have held the view that Luke has lost his powers.
The starting point for this theory was that I felt Luke hiding out on Ahch-To whilst his friends and the galaxy suffered, didn't seem right. So why would Luke reside on such a place, hidden from the galaxy?
My assumption is that he has lost his power (being stranded doesn't add up to me as it would be too coincidental alongside secretly searching for the planet).

For me, the reason for doing this is two fold.
Firstly, it prevents Luke from being an all-powerful God-like figure who could easily destroy the bad guys.
Secondly, it explains why there is an awakening when Rey uses the (cosmic) Force. Luke, for some reason, hasn't done this in a long time.

Before I go on, some other back ground information is needed here. Firstly, Aftermath provides an interesting yet seemingly irrelevant piece of information provided by Tashu about ancient Sith powers:

"Did you know that Sith Lords could sometimes drain the Force energy from their captives? Siphoning life from them using it to strengthen their connection to the dark side? Extending their own lives, as well, so that they could live for centuries beyond their intended expiration?"

This then is as close to becoming a canon Force power as it can get. By why mention it in this canon novel?

Now, in Aftermath: Life Debt we discover more information about the so called Operator who turns out to be a chap called Gallius Rax. An orphan from Jakku who was tasked by Palpatine to oversee the excavation of an ancient Sith site (of some significance 1000 years prior). Rax went on to essentially create the FO and it could just be that he is Snoke. But right now, my interest is in this Sith site. What is there? I have speculated in another thread how this place, which also had an Imperial research/weapons facility built on top, has some connection to Rey, her parents and her own Force power - but i'll leave that to the other thread. But what is vital here is that this place clearly had something important, a weapon of some kind, that was very important to Palpatine. (A question remains over whether this place was once significant and has been made so again or that there is actually something still there that Palpatine sought out).

With this in mind let's think about Snoke:
He's a very old being, who has seemingly cheated death and resides in a mobile command centre/post.
Let's also consider the other device which he used to threaten the galaxy - The Starkiller Base. A weapon that drew in the power of the sun and then unleashed it. What if this is weapon is a metaphor for Snoke himself and perhaps the greatest weapon of all which the FO has developed, an ancient weapon of the Sith, a Force weapon? (Keep in mind how Kylo Ren has introduced us to new Force powers). One that absorbs the power of the Force itself and allows someone to wield it?

There has to be a good reason to mention Force draining in the same novel series where we learn about this ancient and significant Sith site. And where we learn about Gallius Rax.

My theory is that Palpatine was learning more about the secrets to eternal life and discovered a means, perhaps through excavating this ancient site or simply by learning ancient Sith teachings.
Essentially Palpatine learned how, from ancient Sith, to drain the Force power of individuals and places. He clearly told Tashu about this. Perhaps he told potential Snokey candidate, Gallius Rax?

So they rediscovered this Force drainage thing and then looked to weaponise it - so that Palpatine could essentially monopolise the Force itself. And so on Jakku they went about building this thing (maybe with the use of crystals - rumours suggest that Luke talks to Rey about crystals on Ahch-To). However, with the fall of the Empire, Rax wanted to take over this project so he orchestrated the Battle of Jakku, not to destroy his enemies, but to cover his act of taking the weapon for himself (the facility was destroyed by the Imperials during the battle).

Now, if Rax is Snoke perhaps upon using this device it deformed him? Or perhaps he was already in a bad way? Or perhaps Snoke isn't Rax and one or two of these things happen to him as well. Either way, Snoke is someone that clearly depends on the Dark Side to survive. And he is perhaps someone who is able to drain people's Force power one on one AND he has a weapon (or is still constructing one) that is able to drain the Force from entire planets and environments (life creates it, makes it grow...).

Snoke himself has clearly cheated death and if this Force draining thing is true I believe the reason for him using a mobile command centre is that he has to travel around to find pools of Force energy (or Force users) to drain and live off of (like the Skeksis from Dark Crystal). Is this why he wants Rey: "...bring her to me!". Is this what he eventually plans to do with Kylo Ren? And why fear Luke returning so much if he has already defeated him once? Surely it is to do with Luke's knowledge because the new Jedi will rise - Jedi with knowledge of how to defeat Snoke and his Force weapon....

Anyway, some time after the Battle of Jakku, Luke hears about a group of people (inc. Rey) who were affected by this weapon facility on Jakku OR Luke simply learned of what Snoke had. Luke travelled the galaxy with Lor San Tekka and learned what he could about such a Force technique and how it could be weaponised. Then Kylo Ren, who surely couldn't have defeated Luke (on top of all his Jedi students) plotted with Snoke. They lured Luke away whilst Kylo destroyed the Jedi. During this event, Luke was attacked either by Snoke one on one or with this Force weapon. It took away his power and he was rendered helpless. (In Bloodline, Leia mentions how their last transmission was interrupted by radiation or something). Luke then, in order to save the Jedi Order, has to get away else his knowledge which is key to the Jedi's survival will be lost. He can't trust anyone to know where he is and so drops of Artoo and goes in search of Ahch-To. But why Ahch-To? My guess is that if this is all about this ancient Sith technique of Force drainage and perhaps this weapon links back to the Sith Lords of old, then Luke believes the answers will lie within ancient Jedi lore at the First Jedi Temple?

The question is does he find it and send some kind of map segment back to Jakku where he knows Lor San Tekka is or will be looking himself? Or does that map show Luke's route at all and just something that Lor finds and knows will likely lead to Luke? Whatever...!

This whole idea of course links into many other things but for now I'd like it to just be about what happened to Luke. Is this mention of Force draining in Aftermath relevant? Is this why Luke is exiled on Ahch-To? Does this explain Snoke's motivations, appearance and story? Is this why Kylo Ren thinks he could actually defeat Luke if he found him again? Does the Force tree on Ahch-To have a role to play within this (keep in mind the story in the Shattered Empire comics that mention Force trees and their power). Will a weak Luke make for a better story? It strikes me that all these new Force powers are being made canon for a reason and surely tie into the larger mystery...

Discuss!
Click to expand...

Um... I'm going to go ahead and bump this.
I'm not actually sure where "bumped" posts go, but hopefully it's somewhere visible.

How could you have written this over a year ago?
Wait- is this some kind of force projection, time traveling trick too?

I'm so confused...

nightangel · Dec 17, 2017

nope, no force draining on Luke, but he died of exhaustion with this force projection thing. So that he is not around to overshadow Rey.

KeelaoftheWhills · Dec 17, 2017

Maybe I read it from a different point of view... a far less specific one.

For me, the relevance of this post has less to do with Snoke (or any other single character) than with tying the general concept of being drained (exhausted) to this movie.

I don't think anybody was pulling Luke's strings- his brief trip to the dark side seemed quite voluntary.
I'm just not sure that matters.

Luke had to call on a source other than "the light" (force) to save his friends this time.

"Luke's Force", that of a Jedi, circulates energy through all living things... it does not drain, it provides.

With or without direct involvement, it was a Sith practice that drained him, and that's why he died.

master_shaitan · Dec 17, 2017

KeelaoftheWhills said: ↑

Um... I'm going to go ahead and bump this.
I'm not actually sure where "bumped" posts go, but hopefully it's somewhere visible.

How could you have written this over a year ago?
Wait- is this some kind of force projection, time traveling trick too?

I'm so confused...
Click to expand...

Ha!

I always felt that when we meet Luke he’d have to be disconnected from the Force. I assumed this would’ve been inflicted by Snoke. Turns out Luke cut himself off from it, which is a far better approach than my idea.

Luke couldn’t be the hero that we last saw in ROTJ else there would be no need for Rey.

KeelaoftheWhills · Dec 17, 2017

(Oops- I meant this in response to the previous post by Master Shaitan, but failed with the Reply button)

For reasons which have been mentioned or otherwise, do you believe that Luke's character requires any form of redemption before it will be possible for him to achieve the purpose for which he was intended?

I obviously have a few thoughts on the subject to have asked such a specific question, but haven't landed on an answer which feels right yet.

I'd really like to hear your thoughts.

master_shaitan · Dec 17, 2017

KeelaoftheWhills said: ↑

(Oops- I meant this in response to the previous post by Master Shaitan, but failed with the Reply button)

For reasons which have been mentioned or otherwise, do you believe that Luke's character requires any form of redemption before it will be possible for him to achieve the purpose for which he was intended?

I obviously have a few thoughts on the subject to have asked such a specific question, but haven't landed on an answer which feels right yet.

I'd really like to hear your thoughts.
Click to expand...

The way I see it, Luke fulfilled his purpose when he redeemed his father. It could be said that his next purpose was to create a new Jedi order but Yoda clarifies this - he just needed to pass on what he had learned. And he did that - not through training Rey but by the mistakes he made as well as his final sacrifice.

So in my view, if Luke did need redemption for his failures, he found it in TLJ when he gave his life ensuring that what he knew was passed on and that the Jedi didn’t in fact, die...

SPECULATION Did Snoke Force drain Luke?

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SPECULATION Did Snoke Force drain Luke?

KeelaoftheWhills Rebel Trooper

nightangel Rebel Official

KeelaoftheWhills Rebel Trooper

master_shaitan Jedi General

KeelaoftheWhills Rebel Trooper

master_shaitan Jedi General

Speculation about all Force Users in the ST and Snoke

Snoke who is he? My Theory (One Force One Balance)

Balance of the Force, Vader, Ezra, Snoke & Good old Luke.

Force-sensitive tree, Snoke, and the Jedi.

Snoke and the balance of the Force

Share This Page

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