Andor took fans by surprise in its eighth episode with an appearance by Andy Serkis, the actor who previously played Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Snoke had an iconic death scene in The Last Jedi, and was later revealed to be a pawn of Palpatine and his quest to regain power. Although he has appeared in a few comic books like The Rise of Kylo Ren, many fans thought that was that when it came to the mysterious dark lord.
However, some have speculated that this character could return yet again. That prediction seems to hold more water now that Andy Serkis is now back in the Star Wars franchise. It’s possible, albeit unlikely, that Kino Loy (Serkis' character in Andor) is in some way connected to Supreme Leader Snoke.
It’s important to note that Andor has, at least thus far, not been the kind of show that would set up the sequel trilogy or any other Star Wars story. It’s isolated, relatively low level in nature, and features a plot that is largely contained. There’s no Luke Skywalker arriving to save the day like in the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian and, at this point in time, there is no formed Rebellion. This even extends to the way in which the show’s creators talk about the project, with creator and head writer Tony Gilroy opting to reveal plot details in advance. Most recently, Gilroy stated that the Rebel base planet of Yavin would appear in season two, the kind of detail that would be kept under wraps for other Star Wars stories.
Diego Luna stars as Andor in this prequel to Rogue One. The show also features Mon Mothma, a character that has appeared a few times in canon, such as in Return of the Jedi, but never explored on a deeper level like in this new series. The show has largely resisted any more overt connections to the Star Wars galaxy beyond that, with characters like Emperor Palpatine getting a few name-drops but nothing more. This is a deeper, more personal series, one that is more focused on character than it is on world building. Still, that doesn't mean that there isn't any connection between Andy Serkis' Kino Loy, a prisoner incarcerated with Cassian, and Supreme Leader Snoke, nor does it mean that no link between the two will be made in the future.
Regarding the potential for Andy Serkis’ Andor character to be a hint at Snoke, the English actor gave an interview in which he made it clear that Kino Loy isn’t related to the Supreme Leader whatsoever, nor is his return to the franchise anything more than a new role to play. Still, Star Wars has a history of retroactively adding importance to aspects of the franchise that previously were seen only in a certain way.
This is evident even with Snoke as a character in The Last Jedi. As fans will remember, prior to his death, there was an intense throne room sequence with Snoke, Kylo Ren, and Rey. Snoke brings Rey up in the air and begins to torture her as the Emperor’s theme plays in the background. Of course, the nature of the sequels' behind-the-scenes process means that Palpatine’s return wasn’t planned at this time. As such, the score of this moment was meant to call attention to the similarities between Snoke and the Emperor, and nothing more. However, with The Rise of Skywalker bringing Palpatine back, the score takes on a whole new meaning and significance.
Creative decisions like this are commonplace in Star Wars. There’s a lot of non-linear storytelling, such as the prequel trilogy coming years after the making of Return of the Jedi, and The Clone Wars series arriving after Revenge of the Sith. Meanwhile, The Mandalorian is set prior to the sequels, but was made after the final trilogy in the saga. This is a very different storytelling approach from other big franchises like the MCU or the DCEU, both of which are relatively linear in terms of when they’re made and when they’re set.
This unique storytelling only adds to the possibilities that Kino Loy could be somehow related to Snoke, even if the writers on Andor didn’t intend for that to be the case. Many speculate that Snoke will be explored in the future anyway, particularly as The Mandalorian continues to tease a cloning plot line with Grogu. Palpatine cloned Snoke and himself, so the connection there is evident already, regardless of whether that’s the creative direction the writers ultimately decide to go in. Some have been critical of the speculation regarding Kino Loy since he first appeared in Andor, but the casting of Andy Serkis in yet another role in the franchise is bound to start some degree of questions and conversations regarding possible Snoke connections.