One notable quote from Kylo Ren inStar Wars: The Force Awakensbecame far more meaningful afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Like theGalactic Empire, theFirst Orderuses stormtroopers as a key part of their military, though unlike the Empire, the First Order’s stormtroopers are not recruited. First Order stormtroopers were kidnapped as infants and indoctrinated in the First Order’s neo-Imperial ideology, making most of the troops fanatically loyal to the First Order andSupreme Leader Snoke.
Snoke was introduced inThe Force Awakensas an enigmatic figure, resulting in speculation amongStar Warsviewers regarding his origins and potential true identity. Snoke is first mentioned by Kylo Ren following Finn (formerly FN-2187) escaping the First Order with Poe Dameron.
Kylo Ren chides General Hux, stating“(the stormtroopers are) obviously skilled at committing high treason. Perhaps Leader Snoke should consider using a clone army.”At the time, this was simply a reference to the heroic Clone Army of the Galactic Republic, but laterStar Warsproperties would make this line an unintentional instance of foreshadowing.
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We Now Know Hux’s Father Ran Project Necromancer
General Hux’s father, Brendol Hux, was once an Imperial officer, a member of theImperial Shadow Council, and one of the leaders ofProject Necromancer.Project Necromancer involved research into cloning Force-sensitivesand replicating their connection to the Force viamidi-chlorians.
Star Wars' Cloning Explained: Clone Army, Project Necromancer, & Palpatine’s Resurrection
Beginning in Attack of the Clones, cloning has been an essential part of Star Wars history ever since, going all the way up to Emperor Palpatine.
The project is heavily implied to be tied to Emperor Palpatine’s resurrection inThe Rise of Skywalker, which saw Palpatine’s disembodied spirit inhabiting a decrepit cloned body. While Armitage Hux did not use clones for the First Order’s army of stormtroopers, his father led a project that likely contributed to the cloned body that Palpatine would inhabit on Exegol.
Supreme Leader Snoke Was A Strandcast Clone Himself!
The line became even more meaningful after Snoke’s origin was revealed. InThe Rise of Skywalker, the reborn Emperor Palpatine reveals to Kylo Ren that he “made” Snoke, and otherStar Warsproperties would establish thatSnoke was a strand-cast – a clone-like artificial being. While Palpatine secretly ruled the First Order and Sith Eternal from Exegol, Snoke served as his proxy, leading the First Order publicly.
It is unclear if Snoke truly had free will, as his ability to truly think for himself seems to have been limited by Palpatine.
Snoke was initially created as a potential body for Palpatine’s consciousness, but after the Emperor deemed him unfit for that purpose, he served a new one as Palpatine’s proxy.Snoke’s creation is owed to a combination of unnatural Sith dark side techniques and the Empire’s clone research, implying that Snoke himself was in some ways a product of Project Necromancer. With this in mind, Kylo Ren’s line about a First Order Clone Army inStar Wars: The Force Awakensretroactively references Snoke’s own origin.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
