Best I can sum up for myself is that he just isn’t very compelling as a character. I don’t find Snoke confusing or a plot hole, he’s just very cookie cutter with little to weak motivation. I think when people are clamoring for some backstory it’s motivation they’re really after, particularly I felt like TLJ went overboard making his character a mustache twirler for the sake of it when he didn’t have to be. He can still be a power obsessed Sith, pure evil without compromise, but especially since we’ve already been there before I find it really sticks out how one dimensional he appears. He’s like a substitute, the first order by itself has more nuance.

If Snoke had been more aware of the dyad and was seeking it out as means to another end I would have felt at least he had specific goals beyond filling the Emperor’s shoes. Actually the fact that he is one of many puppet clones in a throwaway explanation at the beginning of TROS is the most interesting detail about him, pretty much by default. I didn’t need exposition to clear things up, I needed something to hook into to make me care.