ST Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke) in Episode VII

Uh....this is lame. I'm hoping you're statement is not based on anything.

PLEASE NO. Lame. Laaaammmmmmeeeeee.

 

That's all you have to say? Lame?

What's so lame about them?

 

Because of how much influence they're taking from original McQuarrie concept art I'd bet imaginary internet money that Snoke looks like that alien Emperor concept.

 

That's pretty much what the Emperor looks like though. Just more wrinkles and scars. His length is going to be somewhat exaggerated in concept art.

 

Then alien version was the one I intended to post originally. I know that this is not Snoke according to rumors so far but you can see clearly they referenced Ralph McQuarrie's original Emperor art.

 

Apparently, the image Imperial Reject posted is McQuarrie's original vision for the Emperor. I wouldn't be surprised if Snoke looked somewhat like that.

 

Oh, okay then.

Is that concept art of the Finn & Rey vs. Kylo duel? Wow, never saw it before.

 

Yes.

But, even though I don't feel the need to qualify what to me seems rather obvious, I guess...

Lame.

Sorry. Let me count the ways:

1. The "Mcquarrie Concept Art" looks strikingly similar to The Emperor and would be a major let down for everybody who was hoping for a new-lookin' bad guy. It's like the "second death star" all over again but instead of "a new and more powerful Death Star" it's a "new, less powerful but cheaper Death Star. Oh, and a bit smaller, and vandals have drawn handlebar mustaches on several of the towers."

2. The green guy is lame. LAME. Or, if you'd rather, uninspired and amateurish and dumb and stupid and stupid. Does he come with a coloring book? Because it looks like he might come with a coloring book. Is he from Queensryche?

 

Fruit Pastilles yes that is TFA concept art. Just for clarification I don't think Snoke will be an exact copy of the old concept art. I think he will be inspired by it.

 

I'd imagined a number of different looks for Snoke. Now that we've had MSW's snake-Dracula description, I'd pretty confidently put my money on this being the direction that they finally settled on. It fits the Snoke name, and the Mocap performance makes a little more sense if he's a less humanoid character, than the previous zombie description did. A zombie look would seem a better fit for prosphetic appliances, such as Ian McDiarmid's ROTJ look.

So, I'd go with the snake look, now.

Thinking about his costume: When MSW described his lower robe as resembling bandages, flowing out like a skirt, I initially thought of the Japanese Hakama, as this would fit with the kimono that he's said to be wearing. However, if the designers have been working from a snake-alien brief, the bandages / robes could flow out horizontally, resembling a snake sloughing it's skin.

In this respect, visually alluding to shedding skin and mummy-like bandages, it's just possible that they're exploring our old friend: The concept of an immortal antagonist.

 

Don't forget, though, that MSW never really commented on when that Snoke design was done. It could have been quite early in the game. And then you've got Underworld's "old man zombie" description. They've clearly played around with a lot of looks for Snoke. It wouldn't surprise me if they played around with his look more than for any other character. So the "Snake-Dracula" description may also be early. Or maybe not. As of now I think the only thing we can be sure of is that he's non-human or at least humanoid, as he's being brought to life via motion-capture technology.

 

Yeah, we really can't be sure of when either of those descriptions were done in the design timeline. I'm leaning more towards the snake concept, as it seems to fit better with the Mocap element.
There's always the chance that they went with a very, very decayed / dessicated corpse look, though. That would be a direction where I think that the Mocap work would make sense instead of prosthetics.

 

It's hard to judge without actually seeing the design, but I think I'd probably prefer something like this over a humanoid snake.

There are any number of directions you might be going with that sentiment. Please elaborate.

 

After reading the MSW concept, this is the only thing I can really find of a cobra humanoid looking creature...



SNOKE EVERYONE!

 

I hope in the next trilogy Disney are bound to push for, the antagonist is a Bothan called Doge.

 

So what is Snoke's design? Is it a decaying, old corpse like zombie guy? Or hissing Sid with black eyes who dresses like an old Samurai?

 

I think that both snake-vampire, and zombie-undead concepts probably come from the same brief. Exploring the same concept, if you like. So, if I was to take a punt, I'd say that whatever the final look, the character himself will embody elements of the undead, vampire, character. The snake elements of this could be the snake's mythological connection with immortality. Plus snakes and vampires are linked in some mythologies. There's a link with Khasi folklore that I'll post later on if I get chance.

 

Don't know if this has been mentioned already but in the BTS vid at about 40 seconds in, when the long neck puppet is synched with the motion capture, on the middle left of the screen is art of a reptilian, flat headed dude with a high black collar. Possibly a design for Snoke.

 

Yep that's been previously pointed out by a discerning member. But there is no clarity on the image close up. It's just a blur.

 

I'm just happy they worked another alien Sith Lord on screen. Their hiring practices seems kind of suspect for such a diverse galaxy, at least in the main series.

 

'Their hiring practices seem kind of suspect for such a diverse galaxy?' Just what does this mean?

 

I think he means the only Sith Lords we have seen in the movies are humans. He wants a different species as a Sith Lord portrayed in a movie. He was making a joke saying they only hire humans to rule the Galaxy.

 

Greg Nicotero and his team make realistic looking corpses using prosthetics. I can't see Mocap being used for anything zombie-like when make up and prosthetics work perfectly. I really don't think Snoke will be humaniod at all.

dlbates Maul wasn't human.

 

With the Mocap puppet route ( I assume he'll be a puppet, as this is the route they seem to have favoured ), I think that they've a fantastic opportunity to create the kind of feeling that the audience got from seeing Yoda in ESB for the first time. Only, of course, an evil version of that. I don't mean his stature. He could be two, or twenty feet tall. Something more like capturing that sense of wisdom in the performance. Or in this case a kind of twisted, evil wisdom. I wonder if this is what JJ is aiming for?