Is Andy Serkis Actually Playing Snoke In Andor?!
Warning: Spoilers for Andor episode 8
Andy Serkis’ surprising return to the Star Wars franchise in Andor has raised questions about how his role connects to Snoke. Played by Serkis, Supreme Leader Snoke was a pawn of Palpatine and one of the main villains of Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. In a show set decades before Snoke’s battle with Rey and the others, the actor who brought the character to life on the big screen is back in the Star Wars universe.
In Andor episode 8, Serkis portrayed Kino Loy, a longtime inmate of the Imperial labor camp on Narkina 5. Aside from the fact that Snoke was also played by Serkis, there’s no real link between Kino Loy and the Supreme Leader. Unlike the situation with most actors, casting Serkis as a second Star Wars character in Andor isn’t an issue because the two look completely different. Whereas Kino Loy is a normal human, Snoke was a hideously deformed figure for whom Serkis did motion capture and voice work. All things considered, there’s little chance of Andor turning out to be a secret origin story for the sequel trilogy villain.
When comparing him to Andy Serkis’ Andor character, it’s important to note that Snoke is not a human. In fact, he’s a strandcast, which is defined in the Star Wars universe as a genetically engineered being. Under the direction of Palpatine, a strandcast was created using the latter’s genetic material. The point was to build a clone that the emperor could transplant his consciousness into and thus extend his life, but he ultimately chose to keep Snoke around as a puppet instead, particularly since he was capable of using the Force.
Clearly, this backstory for Snoke doesn’t mesh with what’s seen of Kino Loy in Andor episode 8, nor does the timeline add up, as Snoke shouldn’t exist yet. Also, it’s understood that Snoke was a failed attempt to create a facsimile of Emperor Palpatine, and never a person who could have lived anything close to a normal, human existence anywhere in the galaxy. So while Serkis showing up in Andor is certainly a surprise, it has no bearing on the Supreme Leader’s story and is unlikely to connect to it at any time. What Star Wars is building toward with his character, which isn’t abundantly clear at this juncture, has to be something entirely new.
Star Wars finished Snoke’s story, and while theoretically, some gaps could be filled by additional installments, there really isn’t a strong need to revisit any facet of his past, nor are there any lingering questions about him that still require answers. With that in mind, it’s for the best that Andor isn’t bringing Snoke back. But with what Serkis brings to the table as an actor, it makes perfect sense for the series to invent a new Star Wars character for him to play. How important Kino Loy will be to Andor season 1’s last few episodes remains to be seen, but an opportunity now exists for Andy Serkis to be responsible for two wholly distinct, memorable characters in the Star Wars franchise.
Andor releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.
NEXT:Andor Can Show Palpatine As He’s Never Been Seen Before
