Supreme Leader Snoke was a clone made by Palpatine, but could the the end of The Mandalorian's premiere episode, and he only grew in popularity the more he appeared in the show (and has continued to do so in its year-long absence).
Although The Mandalorian teased some aspects of Baby Yoda, like his already impressive Force powers, and revealed him to be 50-years-old (which isn't much considering Yoda lived to be 900), there's a lot about him that remains a mystery, both in of his past and future. What his species is and where he came from are questions The Mandalorian may answer, while there's also the fact that, so far at least, The Child hasn't been seen beyond The Mandalorian's timeline.
Though that may be innocuous and it's possible to believe he is just eventually returned to his home world and lives happily ever after, it's also plausible - and perhaps likely - that Disney has much bigger plans for the character - and, given their love of synergy and making everything connected, could it link to Palpatine and Snoke? There's already an Imperial presence in The Mandalorian and the timeframe loosely fits, so it could be that Baby Yoda is wanted - and eventually used - to make the Supreme Leader (h/t Thor Skywalker on YouTube).
Snoke Was A Clone Made By Palpatine (But He'd Need A Vessel)
From the outset of Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy, the origin and backstory of Supreme Leader Snoke was one of its biggest mysteries. The leader of the First Order had seemingly come from nowhere to become one of the most powerful forces (and Force-s) in the galaxy. That’s not the kind of thing that magically happens out of nowhere...except in the case of Snoke, it sort of is. The character was kept a mystery throughout Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with countless theories cut down at the same time he was.
It was left to Snoke’s origin, as one of many clones Palpatine has on Exegol. The Rise of Skywalker offers no explanation beyond showing several Snokes in a vat, confirming that he had always been a puppet of Palpatine’s, albeit one with at least some degree of free will, given he had his own Force powers and controlled his actions somewhat, all in service of the Emperor. The Star Wars Book sheds more light on this, revealing greater specifics of what Snoke actually is:
“Snoke is a strandcast - an artificial genetic construct concocted by the resurrected Darth Sidious to be his proxy in power. Snoke has free will, but his actions and goals are still orchestrated by Sidious.“
The reason Palpatine needed a creation such as Snoke at all is that his own clone resurrection had partially failed, resulting in him being back alive but unable to leave the Sith world of Exegol, and so needing someone to rule in his stead. But that itself raises questions of how Snoke was able to work. Snoke isn’t as all-powerful as the Emperor, but he’s still very strong in the dark side of the Force, and so, presumably, Palpatine would’ve needed a considerable power source or vessel with which to build from, as he can’t start from nothing; clones need a genetic source to be based upon, even if they’re then drastically manipulated.
This can be seen with Palpatine’s own failed clones - such as Rey’s father, who, notably, looks nothing Palpatine but doesn’t possess Force powers, and is also a strand-cast. Similarly, while the specifics of Anakin Skywalker's creation are up for debate and there's been a denial that Palpatine actually created him, it's also likely he had some hand in things and manipulated him from before he was born. For that, at least, he needed a womb, again showing that idea that he needs some kind of vessel with which to work his dark side powers. So for Snoke, he’d likely try a different genetic base, one that might be more likely to work.
The Mandalorian Has Already Teased Baby Yoda's Link To Cloning (& Imperial Interest In Him)
While The Mandalorian has so far kept much of The Child’s backstory a mystery, it has dropped some hints that suggest Baby Yoda could either be a clone, or arguably more likely is wanted for cloning. One thing that is made clear is the Imperial Remnant has a keen interest in The Child, which suggests a specific (and nefarious) purpose they need him for. Both The Client and now Moff Gideon have led the search, but they’re likely doing so for a higher power - perhaps even Palpatine himself, even if it’s filtered down through various people.
When The Client does briefly get his hands on Baby Yoda, he’s given to the equally mysterious Dr. Pershing, a scientist who wants to run some DNA tests on The Child, though viewers don’t get to see the full extent of his plans. Not only does that show an interest in Baby Yoda’s genetics, but Pershing wears a Kaminoan patch on his uniform; Kamino, of course, is essentially the home of cloning in Star Wars. It was Kaminoans who made the clone troopers who’d eventually carry out Order 66, after all, and so if Pershing is one of or linked to them, then it strongly suggests cloning is on the cards for Baby Yoda.
The Star Wars Book has provided more evidence that Baby Yoda will be used for cloning. In the section of the book on cloning, it states: "Rumors spread of Imperial attempts to create clones of unique species." There have only been three of Yoda’s species shown in Star Wars canon - Yoda, Yaddle, and now The Child - and the name of it hasn’t even been revealed. There’s already arguably no rarer species, and that’s before considering the strong possibility Baby Yoda is the last of them. With Yoda dead and Yaddle possibly so, then that could mean Baby Yoda truly is unique, and it would make sense what remains of the Empire would want to use that.
Theory: Palpatine Used Baby Yoda To Create Snoke
Putting the various pieces together, then, it is plausible - no matter how much people might not want it to happen - that Baby Yoda ends up being cloned in order to create Snoke. Baby Yoda may not be a clone, but there is certainly an interesting in cloning his DNA, which isn't all that surprising given how special he is. Another interesting aspect of this is that, in The Mandalorian season 1, Din Djarin posts that The Child could actually be a strand-cast himself. Kuiil rejects this notion, having worked in the gene farms and believing that Baby Yoda isn't a clone, but it seems more than a coincidence that the term once suggested for The Child has now been used to describe both Snoke and Rey's dad, two strand-casts created by Palpatine.
On top of that is the fact Palpatine himself is still around at this point. He may be trapped on Exegol, but he is still putting various plans into motion, and it's possible - maybe even likely - that Moff Gideon is working for him. It makes sense that the Emperor would want Baby Yoda; not only is he powerful and unique, but Palpatine has been kidnapping Force-sensitive children since the days of the Clone Wars, with the aim of turning them to the dark side. It's even possible he's known about Baby Yoda all that time, since The Child was born in 41 BBY (the same year as Anakin, no less).
So, if Palpatine, trapped on Exegol and needing to create a new clone that can do his bidding for him, were to get his hands on Baby Yoda, he'd have a perfect vessel from which to manifest a strand-cast. The Child has been shown as preternaturally strong in the Force, and he's still very young, which should in theory make him an ideal genetic base for such a clone to be created. Of course, Snoke looks nothing like Baby Yoda, but there would have to be lots of dark side science and meddling involved in order to turn a being of the light into one of evil, used to rapidly grow Snoke and twisting his body and face, perhaps mixing it with some other DNA to help make sure the body can hold the Force power in a way Palpatine's clones couldn't.
Again putting aside whether it should happen, it makes some narrative sense for The Mandalorian and Star Wars as a whole to do this. Jon Favreau has previously teased The Mandalorian exploring the First Order's rise, and this would be a way of doing that which is still connected to the core characters of the show. It'd explain what becomes of Baby Yoda, and fill in the blanks of Snoke's origins. Cloning is already a big part of Star Wars and it will be so again in The Mandalorian season 2 - which will feature Boba Fett, while someone like Rex could also appear - and this ties it all together.
Would Disney Do This To Baby Yoda?
Baby Yoda is Disney’s golden goose right now. While it has attempted to launch new figures to galactic popularity before since purchasing Lucasfilm, it has had nothing on the level of success seen with The Child. BB-8 and Porgs each took the world by storm around the releases of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, respectively, but neither have dominated the discourse as much or for as long as Baby Yoda has. The combination of being so meme- and gif-able, so merchandisable, so appealing to all audiences (even people who’ve never watched The Mandalorian), and such a great, intriguing character within the show itself, is the kind of almost perfect result even the Mouse House didn’t predict.
With all that, then, would Disney really turn its biggest Star Wars asset into a controversial figure of the dark side? The studio knows the popularity of The Child and will want to sustain that for as long as possible, and that means keeping him safe and happy. There’s plenty more mileage to get yet out of Baby Yoda, and the longer he’s a smiling, cute avatar for the Star Wars brand, the better for the company.
And yet, Baby Yoda’s story has to end somewhere. The character isn’t mentioned in the sequel trilogy, despite the fact his great power in the Force would undoubtedly have come in useful. It’s entirely possible that he simply makes it back to his home world or lives safely with Din Djarin, but that’s far from guaranteed. There is power to be found in Disney harming (or even killing off) beloved characters, as seen in several of its animated classics and, more recently, Avengers: Endgame. Baby Yoda being used in such a nefarious way is arguably a step further given he’s a child, but it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that they’d do it (especially if there was a way of cloning him and having him escape after, allowing the best of both worlds in Disney’s eyes).
There’s currently little connection from The Mandalorian to the sequels, Disney’s two biggest parts of the larger Star Wars franchise. While the fact The Mandalorian stands alone is part of its appeal, it’s also something that won’t last much longer. The Mandalorian season 2 will include the likes of Boba Fett and Ahsoka Tano, giving it much closer ties to the wider universe; future seasons will probably continue that further. Having Baby Yoda uses to create Snoke would be dark and controversial, but it also directly connects Disney’s most popular character to its biggest movies, which is the kind of brand synergy they love and may not want to up on. Whether they should or not is an entirely different matter, but it’s undoubtedly something Disney could do.