Andortook fans by surprise in its eighth episode with an appearance by Andy Serkis, the actor who previously played Supreme Leader Snoke in theStar Warssequel trilogy. Snoke had an iconic death scene inThe Last Jedi,and was later revealed to be a pawn of Palpatine and his quest to regain power. Although he has appeared in a few comic books likeThe Rise of Kylo Ren, many fans thought that was that when it came to the mysterious dark lord.
However, some have speculated that this character could return yet again. That prediction seems to hold more water now that Andy Serkis is now back in theStar Warsfranchise. It’s possible, albeit unlikely, that Kino Loy (Serkis' character inAndor) is in some way connected to Supreme Leader Snoke.
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It’s important to note thatAndorhas, at least thus far, not been the kind of show that would set up the sequel trilogy or any otherStar Warsstory. It’s isolated, relatively low level in nature, and features a plot that is largely contained. There’sno Luke Skywalker arriving to save the daylike in the Season 2 finale ofThe Mandalorianand, at this point in time, there is no formed Rebellion. This even extends to the way in which the show’s creators talk about the project, with creator and head writer Tony Gilroy opting to reveal plot details in advance. Most recently, Gilroy stated that the Rebel base planet of Yavin would appear in season two, the kind of detail that would be kept under wraps for otherStar Warsstories.
Diego Luna stars as Andorin this prequel toRogue One. The show also features Mon Mothma, a character that has appeared a few times in canon, such as inReturn of the Jedi, but never explored on a deeper level like in this new series. The show has largely resisted any more overt connections to theStar Warsgalaxy beyond that, with characters like Emperor Palpatine getting a few name-drops but nothing more.This is a deeper, more personal series, one that is more focused on character than it is on world building. Still, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any connection between Andy Serkis' Kino Loy, a prisoner incarcerated with Cassian, and Supreme Leader Snoke, nor does it mean that no link between the two will be made in the future.
Regarding the potential for Andy Serkis’ Andor character to be a hint at Snoke, the English actor gave an interview in which he made it clear that Kino Loy isn’t related to the Supreme Leader whatsoever,nor is his return to the franchise anything morethan a new role to play. Still,Star Warshas a history of retroactively adding importance to aspects of the franchise that previously were seen only in a certain way.
This is evident even with Snoke as a character inThe Last Jedi.As fans will remember, prior to his death, there was an intense throne room sequence with Snoke, Kylo Ren, and Rey. Snoke brings Rey up in the air and begins to torture her as the Emperor’s theme plays in the background. Of course, the nature of the sequels' behind-the-scenes process means that Palpatine’s return wasn’t planned at this time. As such, the score of this moment was meant to call attention to the similarities between Snoke and the Emperor, and nothing more. However, withThe Rise of Skywalkerbringing Palpatine back, the score takes on a whole new meaning and significance.
Creative decisions like this are commonplace inStar Wars. There’s a lot of non-linear storytelling, such as the prequel trilogy coming years after the making ofReturn of the Jedi,andThe Clone Warsseries arriving afterRevenge of the Sith.Meanwhile,The Mandalorianis set prior to the sequels, but was made after the final trilogy in the saga.This is a very different storytelling approachfrom other big franchises like the MCU or the DCEU, both of which are relatively linear in terms of when they’re made and when they’re set.
This unique storytelling only adds to the possibilities that Kino Loy could be somehow related to Snoke, even if the writers onAndordidn’t intend for that to be the case. Many speculate thatSnoke will be explored in the future anyway, particularly asThe Mandaloriancontinues to tease a cloning plot line with Grogu. Palpatine cloned Snoke and himself, so the connection there is evident already, regardless of whether that’s the creative direction the writers ultimately decide to go in. Some have been critical of the speculation regarding Kino Loy since he first appeared inAndor, but the casting of Andy Serkis in yet another role in the franchise is bound to start some degree of questions and conversations regarding possible Snoke connections.
