Star Wars: 8 Theories About Supreme Leader Snoke's Identity
He's unlikely to be Darth Plagueis, for starters.
Long gone are the times when Emperor Palpatine ruled over a galaxy far, far way from the shadows.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced us to a new age where another insidious villain lies shrouded in darkness, hatching evil plots and using his cohorts like pawns on a galactic chess board.
We're talking about Supreme Leader Snoke, the mysterious bad guy whose true identity and nature have been the subject of intense message board speculation since the movie debuted almost two years back.
The basement conspiracy theorists are adamant we've met Snoke in Star Wars canon before, insisting he's an existing character on the comeback trail, while the powers that be want you to believe he's an original creation.
Both of these claims have countless supporters arguing their cases, but until Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in December this year, the amount of official information we have on the shadowy villain is almost as scant as Han Solo's modesty.
While we wait for the second instalment in the sequel trilogy to hit, here's an assessment of the most popular theories surrounding Snoke's identity. Is the Force strong in any of these?
8. Snoke Is Darth Plagueis
The Theory
One of the most popular fan theories is that Snoke is Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord mentioned in like one scene of Star Wars: Episode III.
For those who switched off during the scene, both literally and metaphorically, Plagueis was once Emperor Palpatine's master and eventual murder victim.
He is said to have possessed powers great enough to influence the Midi-chlorians to create life and save his loved ones from death, abilities Anakin was hellbent on acquiring - and we all know how that worked out for him.
Many have claimed that Plagueis's ability to cheat death enabled him to survive for generations in the Star Wars universe and rise to power under the guise of Snoke.
How Credible Is It?
It was a nice idea for a while, but it appears this theory has now been debunked.
Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group, a man who plays a key role in dictating what is Star Wars canon, poked fun at such claims in a series of Twitter posts.
Responding to fan chatter on the social network, Hidalgo pointed out that Plagueis had the power to save others from death, not himself, and reminded the internet that he was murdered by his apprentice.
If that isn't enough, he later tweeted: "Sidious killed Plagueis. Ascending to master. As is the way of the Sith". Followed by "He is dead. There you go. Three words".
That sounds like case closed.