Hey, Eric.

The title of my pitch is "Why Snoke's Death is the most underrated part of Star Wars."

A lot of people came away from The Last Jedi complaining about the death of its ostensible big villain, Supreme Leader Snoke. Not only was the decision to kill him off a major disappointment in terms of storytelling, but audiences actually didn't learn anything about the character, making his departure a complete waste.

I argue against this belief on two counts. First, I make a case for the idea that Snoke's death is one of the best things about The Last Jedi, a brilliant subversive twist that is completely in line with the postmodern, metatextual storytelling that defines the film in particular and Rian Johnson's aesthetic in general. Second, I posit that we actually learn a great deal about Snoke, specifically who he is as a character, and that while his screentime is brief, he is actually better utilized in the film than he was in The Force Awakens.

I've been meaning to finish this article for a while, and this call provides a perfect opportunity.

Best,

Mikhail