The Mandalorian's music subtly s the theory that Moff Gideon's experiments with Baby Yoda will ultimately lead to the creation of Supreme Leader Snoke. Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin may have the lead role in The Mandalorian, but let's face it - Baby Yoda is the real star. Lucasfilm managed to keep Baby Yoda's existence a secret right up until the moment the first episode of The Mandalorian season 1 became available on Disney+ in November 2019, and "The Child" immediately became a cultural phenomenon.
The Mandalorian season 2, episode 4 finally reveals Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That naturally led to speculation Moff Gideon's experiments may ultimately lead to the creation of Supreme Leader Snoke.
It's easy to miss, but one subtle detail in The Mandalorian season 4, episode 4 s this theory. When Mando and his team explore the Imperial laboratory on Navarro, the music is hauntingly familiar. It's not an exact match, but it bears a marked similarity to the score associated with Supreme Leader Snoke throughout the sequel trilogy. It's similar enough to feel like a very deliberate tease.
Star Wars tie-ins have simply claimed Supreme Leader Snoke was "genetically engineered," providing no detail on the processes used to create him. It's entirely possible Supreme Leader Snoke was once a real person, who was injected with blood rich in midi-chlorians but whose body partially rejected the transfusion, leading to horrific disfigurements. If that is the case, it's safe to assume Palpatine subsequently cloned the successful super-soldier, using them to fill the power vacuum left by his own inability to leave Exegol.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker left a lot of plot holes and unanswered questions, and tie-ins have been attempting to fix them for quite some time now. But Supreme Leader Snoke is the most egregious example because Snoke's backstory makes absolutely no sense. Fortunately, one advantage of a transmedia franchise is that it's always possible to find creative solutions to these problems - and The Mandalorian may well prove the point.