Theory:Snoke was freed from Ashmead's Lock.

From the Aftermath: "Life Debt"(canon novel)

Centuries ago alien ship crashed on planet Kashyyyk.

It was a specialized ship, built by Predori civilization , serving as advanced prison. Named "Ashmead's Lock".

Predori were advanced , ship was able to be hidden in gravity well , but some cataclysm happened and gravity well surrounding ship collapsed,ship crashed on Kashyyyk.

It stayed as a relic, untouched on the planet for ages.

Ship was controlled by Synthesized Operating Layer, Grid-Based Drive Array, shortened as SOL-GDA,it was the advanced Intellectual Processing Unit (IPU), basically super advanced semi-sentient computer, that controlled all functions of the ship, most notably its advanced prison functions.

The captives in that prison were all in a stasis, kept in chambers. Ship had unindentified number of chambers.

Even after the crash, all that centuries, SOL-GDA supercomputer stayed intact and was operational.

Empire found that ancient relic and decided for it to be adapted to serve as Imperial prison. Best architect in the galaxy specialized for prisons ,Golas Aram, was assigned to adapt the ship to serve as Imperial prison.

Golas Aram, after doing this, retired, developed paranoia, and locked himself in his compund on some remote planet.

Amongst native Wookies on Kashyyyk, area around the ship's ancient crash site was considered cursed, and was known as Black Forest. Wookies avoided that place.

---------------------------------------------------

Han Solo, and team of rebels conducted complicated action to release Chewbacca from that prison-ship. (Chewbacca was imprisoned there by the Empire).

In short Han Solo team failed to get secret code for entering ship (architect Golas Aram didn't told them code for some reason even after threat on his life), instead Han Solo and guys managed to do it hard way, and released many prisoners including Chewbacca from ships numerous chambers.

To do so Han's team was forced and managed to shut down SOL-GDA supercomputer, and ship became inactive and without control of its prison function for the first time from its original construction.

Ship was big,had many chambers, it was designed as super advanced prison.After many centuries,it was off, shut down.

What if there was ancient being, original prisoner, in one of the secret chambers?.

And was now free.

Just a theory.

 

Anyone from England, Somerset, near Martock/Yeovil ?



snoke is pike, a fish.

 

Ashmead's Lock ship/prison suddenly looks like a centerpeace in the novel Life Debt.

Before, when novel was released (2016) we were focused on the Operator ("Gallius Rax) character , who was Snoke "suspect" . When nothing came of this in next novel Aftermath :Empire's End (Rax was killed), the previous novel Life Debt ,suddenly, retrospectively, looked to me not to be explored in right way. Especially this strange ship.....

It could have been put (in story) just to be advanced Imperial prison. The element of it been modiffied ancient relic ( with operational supercomputer that maintains its prison function for ages in continuity) is maybe just a good old SF spice, but could be something more, much more added to story.

:....when Han and his team finaly shuts down ship's system , they are searching it (in absolute darkness, using flashlights) like a catacombs in order to free all known and unknown prisoners, they are finding chambers here and there, and almost like an author has left feeling that ship's entirety was left unexplored , and than it was abandoned after all important individuals( for Han and rebelion) were freed.

 

Important question.

However, prison has no any meaning of punishment if prisoner sleeps . The purpose of prison is punishing one by restraining .

I didn't found explanation of the way how this prison stasis works, it seem it had purpose to hold prisoners still in their individual rather small chambers . But were they conscuious all the time?.

That would be punishment.

Not sure in here, honestly.

 

Yes, so do Rakatans/Predori.

 

Predori,rogue empire that constructed Ashmead's Lock were almost certainly from Unknown regions.We know that from their technology of Gravity well cloak which was,even many centuries ago, ahead of Galactic civilization technology"today".Gravity well technology ,as an experimental ,was firstly introduced in Tarkin Novel.Empire tried rudimentary type of gravity well technology on some their ships,which prooven to be unreliable,thus,stil far behind what Predori established centuries ago.I wonder now did Empire tried to replicate what they found in Ashmead's lock?
So if Snoke was locked in secret chamber of Ashmead's lock it has been done by newly introduced jet to be explored civilization from UR.And possibly even Snoke could be Predori .
Let us speculate here ouf the chart,Snoke could be ancient Dark sider and polithical enemy or dissident of Predori leaders-regime.He was defeated,punished,tortured and put in stasis,while still conscious(the whole point of punishment by prison),in advanced prison ship aeons ago,that Han Solo released by shuttung down this ancient ship's systems first time after many centuries.
That would be ironic.

 

Of course you are correct. However, this ship could be looked as, de-facto alive thing. It was operated by SOL-GDA(Synthesized Operating Layer, Grid-Based Drive Array), a kind of sentient Computer....now this much detail even about this "thing" that has been put in the novel puzzles me.SOL-GDA was aware of every part of the ship(it was in fact the ship, ship was SOL-GDA's
body,
Computer was brain of that body)
It had communication abilities of acquiring information around the ship
all detals of the ship's surroundings, and, let me theorize I believe it is entirely plausible SOL-GDA could be able to connect to Holo-Net ( Pan galactic communication network).
Also there are many prisoners from the past and from the empire that were keeped there, possible source of information for the Force sensitive individual been in prison.

Snoke put on stasis, considering his Force abilities maybe did developed some sensing trough this Computer network?

Imagine just this powerfull supercomputer(entire ship in fact) been there in kashyyk Black Forest
for eons, entire those years
aware of its surroundings,recording.

I dont Know its just
a theory, let say a mind experiment.

My inquiry is based on strange facts they put ancient avanced alien
prison ship that was operational in continuity for many centuries and was than Shut Down for the First time by one of main characters of entire saga, Han Solo.

Greetings, trespassers! This is Predori Prison Ship Ashmead's Lock. I am the ship's IPU, or Intellectual Processing Unit, designation SOL-GDA: Synthesized Operating Layer, Grid-Based Drive Array. Welcome to my ship."
―SOL-GDA