There have been a few deaths on Snowpiercer over the seasons. None have been quite as heroic as Ben Knox’s death at the end of the most recent episode. This death is also a first for the series.
Ben realized that he had to separate the two trains from the outside. What Till didn’t realize was that Big Alice had no suits, and the only way to uncouple the trains manually was from the outside. She raced to be there for Ben in his final moments, but it didn’t change the outcome.
Now the people of Big Alice will need to mourn the loss of another friend. This is much bigger than it seems though.
Ben is the first engineer to die in Snowpiercer
While all deaths are heartbreaking, some are bigger in terms of the story and the fate of the people. Ben is the first engineer to die in Snowpiercer. At least, that we know of. We have no idea where Melanie is, but it’s highly unlikely that she is dead. The show can’t kill her off-screen.
Only engineers can drive the train. Ben was able to make his sacrifice because Miles had made it to Big Alice. While Alex was in the silo, Miles was able to take control of Big Alice and get everyone away once the train was uncoupled. He’s been training for this ever since Miles was picked for the program.
With this never happening before, there likely isn’t a plan for what to do now. Miles can get them back to New Eden, sure, but he wasn’t involved in the creation of the train. Ben was. He was there with Melanie in setting it all up, and he was with her throughout the first seven years making sure Snowpiercer kept going. He knew the train inside and out.
Plus, it’s a blow for everyone else. Losing an engineer means losing someone who can drive the train. Should something happen to Miles, there isn’t anyone who can drive the train until they get to New Eden to Javi. This could set the tone for the journey as they mourn the loss and also figure out what to do next with the threat of Milius still there.