Is there a chance that Supreme Leader Snoke survived his wounds in Star Wars: The Last Jedi?

Rian Johnson did the improbable in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in more ways than one. From BB-8 having the honor of saying “I have a bad feeling about this,” to a “get off my lawn” grumpy, yet broken version Luke Skywalker, as well as showcasing intricacies of the Force we’ve never seen onscreen before — such as Kylo Ren and Rey communicating from across the galaxy. All those risks paid off, with Johnson hitting the film out of the park.

Another bold move was building up this powerful baddie in Snoke, then having his weaker apprentice kill him off — or did he? Is there a chance the (former) Supreme Leader is still alive and kicking?

We’ve seen a Dark Side user in the past in Darth Maul survive getting sliced in two, so if he can go on after that, anything is possible in the Star Wars universe. There’s also the probability of Lucasfilm implementing the “essence transfer” Dark Side ability from Legends into the canon. This rare, yet useful ability, allows for the particular person to switch bodies — cheating death in a sense.

It’s even believed that Darth Plaguies the Wise harnessed this power — have you ever heard the tale? I thought not. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. Speaking of Palpatine’s former Master, many believe that he and Snoke are one in the same, but that’s a story for another time.

But, in Snoke’s case, neither one of these scenarios is plausible or even wise for that matter. First off, it’s clear that Snoke is as dead as a doornail. When General Hux views the aftermath of the throne room chaos, we are given nearly a five second shot of a dead Snoke. The purpose of that image was to make it clear to the audience that Snoke was toast.

More importantly, if Snoke lives, it waters down the character of Kylo Ren. The fact he was able to outsmart his overpowering Master and take the mantle of Supreme Leader was a tremendous step for Kylo Ren. If Snoke is alive after that act, then it sets back Kylo Ren’s character several steps.

The theme of The Last Jedi is to “let the past die” and Snoke’s time has passed us by. His story is intriguing, and we all want to know his origins, but it was never a significant or essential part of the Star Wars arc. Snoke’s real purpose was to advance the character of Kylo Ren, and he did that in spades.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is playing in theatres worldwide.