SNOKE THE SUPREME LEADER
A shadowy figure at the heart of the First Order, little is known about the mysterious, wizened leader who is poised to crush the Resistance and take control of the galaxy.
Force sensitive, and highly attuned to the dark side but not a Sith, Snoke has trained Kylo Ren and at least one other apprentice. Snoke believed General Leia Organa and Han Solo’s son Ben (the grandson of Darth Vader and nephew of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker) to be adept with the dark side. He exerted his terrible influence on the young boy, corrupting him. While his mother was aware of the influence Snoke had on Ben, she kept this from Han, believing he would not understand. Leia felt it was her role to keep Ben away from the dark side.
Eventually, Snoke turned Ben away from the light side, renaming him Kylo Ren, master of the Knights of Ren. As Ren, he carried out his master’s will in destroying Luke’s newly revived Jedi Order. Ren killed many of his fellow students, but Skywalker managed to escape and went into hiding. Snoke assigned Ren the job of hunting him down. As Ren’s search intensified, General Armitage Hux suggested to Snoke that he use the First Order’s superweapon, Starkiller Base, to destroy the New Republic government. Agreeing to this, Snoke then ordered Ren to kill his father to overcome his temptation by the light side.
Shortly after the destruction of the Hosnian system, the center of the New Republic, Ren captured Rey—a scavenger who had seen the final piece of the map which revealed Skywalker’s location—intending to use Force power to get her to reveal the location to him. Snoke was disturbed to hear that the woman resisted Ren’s interrogation. Ren explained she was strong in the Force, but evidently untrained.
Snoke ordered Hux to destroy the Resistance before Skywalker could be found, and instructed Ren to bring Rey to him. But Rey managed to escape with the help of her new, burgeoning powers. As Starkiller Base was destroyed, Snoke demanded Hux escort Ren to him in order to complete his training.
Aboard the Mega-class Star Destroyer, the Supremacy, Snoke commands his vast army. In a show of strength and power, he addresses members of the First Order by broadcasting a towering image of himself from his throne room. Rarely appearing in public, he is protected by eight Praetorian Guards: loyal, fearsome warriors clad in red robes and armor who stand ready to defend him against attack.