A Look A Rey, Ren, and Snoke In "The Last Jedi"

Read my thesis statement here.

Author's note: The majority of this article was written before the teaser trailer for "The Rise of Skywalker" was released. Additional information has been added that further supports one of my points.

My first article defending "The Last Jedi" will focus on the Rey/Kylo Ren/Snoke storyline, focusing on Snoke's plan and Rey's parents. A common opinion is that "The Last Jedi" does not line up with the storylines that began in "The Force Awakens". I disagree. I will mainly be using quotes from both movies, with only a little bit of editorializing, to make my points.

Kylo Ren is a tool. Nearly everything he did in "The Last Jedi" was because he was being manipulated by Snoke. The first words Snoke said to Kylo were seemingly referring to General Hux.

"You wonder why I keep a rabid cur in such a place of power? A cur's weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool."

But Snoke's words also refer to Kylo, as evidenced by the fact that Snoke immediately starts manipulating his weakness. Rey discovered Kylo's weakness when he tried interrogating her on Starkiller Base.

"You. You're afraid. That you will never be as strong as Darth Vader."

Snoke says to Kylo,

"The mighty Kylo Ren. When I found you, I saw what all masters live to see. Raw, untamed power. And beyond that, something truly special. The potential of your bloodline. A new Vader. Now I fear I was mistaken."

"Alas, you're no Vader. You're just a child in a mask."

Kylo then proceeds to act like a child with his elevator temper tantrum where he smashes his mask.

Later, Kylo and Rey discover that their mind's have been linked. They are able to see and speak to each other despite being in different parts of the galaxy. It is later revealed that Snoke connected them in order to manipulate them both.

"Oh...Have you seen something? A weakness in my apprentice. Is that why you came? (Laughs) Young fool. It was I who bridged your minds. I stoked Ren's conflicted soul. I knew he was not strong enough to hide it from you. And you were not wise enough to resist the bait."

It is possible that the connection was built off of what happened during the interrogation scene when they first looked into each other's minds. But it was once they "touched" hands in the hut on Ahch To that the manipulation was solidified. Rey saw Kylo turning to the Light Side; Kylo saw Rey turning to the Dark Side and allegedly saw who her parents were.

"Rey, I saw who your parents are."

We know that both visions were fictions that Snoke used to manipulate them, so why should we believe what Kylo saw about Rey's parents? It came from Snoke as a way to try to manipulate Rey's weakness. When Kylo looked into her mind in "The Force Awakens", he said,

"Your parents threw you away like garbage...But you can't stop needing them. It's your greatest weakness. Looking for them everywhere, in Han Solo, now in Skywalker."

As Kylo's fear was that he'd never be like Darth Vader, Rey's fear is that her parent's were nobody special that left her behind for no reason. And Kylo played into that fear when he told her about her parents.

Ben: Do you wanna know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known? And you've just hidden it away. You know the truth. Say it. Say it.
Rey: They were nobody.
Ben: They were filthy junk traders who sold you off for drinking money. They're dead in a paupers' grave in the Jakku desert. You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me. Join me. Please.

Kylo is probably not lying to her. He probably believes what he's saying is true. He's trying to manipulate her based on Snoke manipulating him. So if "The Rise of Skywalker" finally reveals Rey's parents, and it's not what Rey and Kylo believe, it won't be retconning because they're both probably wrong.

But all of Snoke's manipulation didn't work. He ended up being killed by Kylo Ren instead. Unless...that was part of Snoke's plan too.

Leading up to "The Force Awakens", there was a major theory that Snoke was actually Darth Plagueis resurrected or reincarnated. It took a while, but eventually I became convinced it was true. After "The Force Awakens" was released, most people who held onto that theory gave it up. But I still believe it was true. After all, the music in Snoke's throne room is the exact same as the music at the Mon Calamari opera when Palpatine tells Anakin "The tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise".



I doubt J.J. Abrams told John Williams to troll the audience by using the same music. There has to be a good reason why it's the same.

Also, a smaller proof, but Kylo tells Han, "The Supreme Leader is wise."

But the biggest reason I believe Snoke is Plagueis is because both Plagueis and Snoke were killed by their apprentices.

At the end of "The Force Awakens", Snoke tells Hux,

"Leave the base at once and come to me with Kylo Ren. It is time... to complete his training."

And right before dying, Snoke tells Kylo,

"Complete your training, and fulfill your destiny."

Snoke and Kylo are technically not Sith, but for all intents and purposes, they're Sith. How is a Sith's training complete? By killing their master.

(This is the part that is more speculative than based on what is presented in the movies.)

I have not read James Luceno's novel "Darth Plagueis", and it's not canon anyway. All I know about him is what Palpatine told Anakin and what Wookiepedia says. It seems like Palpatine was telling the truth when relaying the story to Anakin, though I have a feeling that he emphasized certain elements as a way to manipulate Anakin. Palpatine kept emphasizing that Plagueis had the power to save other people from death, which is something he knew Anakin wanted to hear. But the underlying truth is that Plagueis had power over death, but couldn't keep himself from being killed. It's possible that he had power to return from whatever the Sith version of the Netherworld of the Force is. The teaser trailer and panel for "The Rise of Skywalker" has revealed that Palpatine has returned in some form or another, and Plagueis taught Palpatine everything he knew.

I believe that Plagueis knew Palpatine would kill him and had a way of coming back, and as Snoke he did it again for Kylo Ren. Although it seems like a crazy theory, I'm even more convinced it's true now that Palpatine is coming back. I think that both Snoke/Plagueis and Palpatine are going to be back from the dead in Episode IX.

In conclusion, to summarize, it may seem like killing off Snoke and revealing that Rey's parents were nobody contradicts what was set up in "The Force Awakens". But if you pay attention to both movies, both surprises make complete sense...from a certain point of view.

Defending "The Last Jedi"

The majority consensus is (or at least seems to be) that "The Last Jedi" is a terrible movie that ruined the Star Wars franchise. I strongly disagree. In my opinion, "The Last Jedi" is the best Star Wars movie. My clumsy metaphor is that "The Force Awakens" was comfort food, and "The Last Jedi" is a gourmet meal. It has layers of nuance that a lot of viewers seem to be missing. I am going to write a series of blog posts breaking down various elements of "The Last Jedi" in the hopes that it will help some people understand why I believe "The Last Jedi" is a masterpiece. I have recently come to realize that people will choose not to believe what I say, writing me off as a troll because I hold a different opinion than they do. That doesn't matter. I'm going to go ahead anyway, because it's their business if they choose to willingly be ignorant and hold onto their misguided opinions.

Part 1: A Look A Rey, Ren, and Snoke In "The Last Jedi"