Each Aftermath book has provided us with more hints towards Snoke’s origins, and Empire’s
End is no different.
This video will contain light spoilers for the book, so if you want to read it first,
go grab it for free on Audible first, and then come back here.
Let’s start with a quick recap of what we know from the first Aftermath book.
One of the Emperor’s advisors, Yupe Tashu, says that Palpatine believed the power of
the dark side came from somewhere in the Unknown Regions.
Yupe and the other advisors built laboratories and communication stations at the edges of
the galaxy seeking the source of the dark side.
In Life Debt we learned that one of those stations was on Jakku, but it wasn’t constructed.
Rather, it was found and unburied.
Finally in Empire’s End do we learn its true purpose.
Inside were ancient computers used to chart the Unknown Regions.
Palpatine spent decades sending beacons, droids, men, and women into uncharted space.
Most were lost forever, but slowly a safe route was uncovered.
Their knowledge of the unknown was enhanced by Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Sometime before the Battle of Endor, navigational coordinates were established that would lead
deep into the Unknown, possibly into a completely new galaxy.
For Palpatine’s goals were to find exactly that.
The facility at Jakku was originally part of a contingency plan should the Emperor ever
fall.
Were he to die, he wanted to tear down the Empire that failed to protect him, and allow
a select few loyal followers to venture into a new galaxy to start anew.
However, when the coordinates were set so deep into the Unknown Regions, something unexpected
happened.
Palpatine began receiving a signal.
Something only he could feel that even Darth Vader did not.
Whatever it was, Palpatine became convinced that something out there was waiting for him.
Calling to him.
Some origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance.
The visions changed the purpose of the Observatory on Jakku from a Contingency to an expedition,
but the Emperor perished before his journey could begin.
Strangely enough, it would appear that Palpatine was not the only being to receive visions
of the dark side.
Every single member of the group known as the Acolytes of the Beyond began having dreams
and visions of darkness.
Dreams of Sith, both ancient and recent.
So now it’s time to speculate on what all this means.
From what I can gather, the Empire’s exploration into the Unknown Regions awoke something.
Something ancient and powerful.
The obvious something here being Supreme Leader Snoke.
Maybe awoke isn’t the right word, because according to the Force Awakens novelization,
he watched the Empire rise and fall.
So maybe I should say that Palpatine’s exploration angered Snoke, or caused some sort of reaction
from the being.
Whether the visions were on purpose or just an unconscious event, I believe they originated
with Snoke.
I tend to believe he chose and sent visions to specific beings, but how or why I couldn’t
even begin to say right now.
Ever since The Force Awakens and the first Aftermath book were released, I’ve been
guessing that Snoke is a completely new character who, for whatever reason, made his home in
the Unknown Regions.
My current guess is that he is a being that found the literal source of the dark side,
and has chosen to stay there.
Empire’s End continues to point us in that direction.
However I think I need to adjust that thinking slightly, because I now believe Snoke is from
even farther.
It sounds like he could be from a completely separate galaxy.
Before people jump on Legends connections with the Yuuzhan Vong, I do not think Snoke
has any ties with them.
Yes, the Vong are from another galaxy, but they also have no ties to the Force.
Snoke clearly does.
I think the fact that they possibly come from outside of the known galaxy is the only similarity
between the two.
But what do you think?
Is the Aftermath series giving us hints about the origin of Snoke, or is it pointing towards
something else entirely?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
If you’re interested in picking up Empire’s End, and looking into this yourself, you can
check it out on Audible.
The audiobook is out now, and you can get it for free by clicking on the link in the
description or or going to www.audibletrial.com/starwarsexplained.
If you sign up for a trial, you’ll get a credit for one free book, and you can use
it on Aftermath: Empire’s End.
Or a number of other Star Wars books.
Or get any book you want!
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