Snoke Has At Least "One Other Apprentice" – What Does This Mean For 'Star Wars: Episode 9'? [Update]
Update: A very interesting line from another Star Wars book has added another twist to this story. We've added the details to the post below.
Another twist has been thrown into the Star Wars canon, but not by Star Wars: The Last Jedi's doing. The latest Star Wars film has made a huge impact on the galaxy far, far away that will echo in the movies to come, but ironically, one of the biggest bombshells was just revealed outside of the film itself.
Star Wars Insider Magazine's special souvenir Star Wars: The Last Jedi issue revealed that Kylo Ren is not the only one of his kind. The official Lucasfilm publication revealed that Supreme Leader Snoke has trained "at least one other apprentice" apart from Kylo. What does the possibility of another Snoke apprentice mean for Star Wars Episode 9? Let's theorize.
Warning: Major spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow.
Near the end of Last Jedi, Rey arrives at the First Order's Star Destroyer to try to turn Kylo Ren away from the Dark Side, only for Snoke to reveal that he had manipulated their "Force connection" all along. Betrayed, Kylo Ren suddenly kills Snoke and takes over command of the First Order, effectively eliminating whatever mysterious grand schemes Snoke had planned. That seemed like the last we would see of Snoke. But his influence may stretch beyond the grave if we put stock in the bombshell information revealed by Star Wars Insider Magazine.
Spotted by an eagle-eyed Reddit user and confirmed by /Film's Peter Sciretta's digital copy of the magazine, the entry on Snoke reveals that he "has trained Kylo Ren and at least one other apprentice." It's possible that this magazine entry was published before the film came out and contains information that was ultimately cut from the movie or saved for a later revelation, but because Star Wars Insider Magazine is officially circulated by Lucasfilm, we're accepting this as canon.
What Does This Mean for Episode 9?
This could have significant ramifications for the future of the Star Wars saga.
First, with a temperamentally unbalanced, emotionally compromised Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) at the helm of the First Order and the witless General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) as his second in command, this leaves the once-terrifying evil force in disarray. Even with the Resistance depleted in numbers, can the First Order still strike the same fear it once did across the galaxy with two virtual teens in leadership? (I know they're not teens, but they sometimes act like them.) An unknown second apprentice could arrive on the scene to shake up the sibling-duo dynamic, and return a sinister force to the First Order.
This could even open the doors for a Kylo Ren redemption arc, which J.J. Abrams would have to chart meticulously if he wants to redeem a cold-blooded murderer who refused point-blank to pursue his redemption in The Last Jedi. I would be against this route because The Last Jedi seemed to take any chance of redemption for Kylo out of the cards, but an additional foe could stir things up enough to make it work.
There's also the possibility that this "other apprentice" is part of a group that we've already met, like the Knights of Ren or even the probably-dead Praetorian Guards. Don't scoff at me; I'm just throwing out ideas here.
Or in a more drastic plot twist, the mysterious second apprentice could be on his own journey of self-redemption, on the path that Kylo Ren refused to take, or revenge against Kylo for killing Snoke. He or she may join up with the Resistance to form the new generation of Jedi that Rey is now tasked with enlisting. This theory is unlikely, but anything is possible after The Last Jedi.
Update: One fan has pointed out to us this page from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens visual dictionary, which refers to Kylo Ren being Snoke's "most gifted apprentice." It's entirely possible that this line is the origin of the magazine detail explored above. That doesn't rule out more Snoke disciples running around the galaxy, though.