- "Marrok will complete his task."
- ―Baylan Skoll, to Morgan Elsbeth
Marrok was a mysterious Force-sensitive humanoid warrior and mercenary who once served in the Inquisitorius of the Galactic Empire. After the Imperial Era, the former Inquisitor was hired by the Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth. During his time in Morgan Elsbeth's forces, Marrok worked with other Force-sensitive mercenaries—former General Baylan Skoll of the Jedi Order, and his apprentice Shin Hati.
Around the year 9 ABY of the New Republic Era, Marrok aided Elsbeth in her quest to find Grand Admiral Thrawn. The former Inquisitor engaged Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi Padawan, in a lightsaber duel during a mission on the planet Corellia. They confronted each other once more on Seatos, where the former Jedi hunter was struck down by Tano's blade. Despite Marrok's fall, Tano and her Padawan Sabine Wren failed to prevent Elsbeth's journey to the distant galaxy where Thrawn was exiled.
Biography[]
Imperial Inquisitor[]
- "Brothers, sisters. Enter."
[Marrok and the others enter, all kneel]
"Now it is time you meet your new master." - ―The Grand Inquisitor introduces Marrok and his fellow Inquisitors to Darth Vader
Marrok was a male[4] humanoid Inquisitor—an individual who served the Galactic Empire as a Jedi hunter—during the Imperial Era.[6] With a few exceptions,[8] Sith Lord Darth Sidious had ordered the death of all Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems[9] in 19 BBY,[10] paving the way for his Empire.[9] Whilst highly effective, Order 66 did not eliminate every member of the Jedi Order outright, forcing Sidious to deploy[11] his long planned Inquisitorius program to continue the Great Jedi Purge.[12] Among the Inquisitors, many were former Jedi who had fallen to the dark side of the Force.[13]
Shortly into the Imperial Era in 19 BBY,[14] Marrok was present on[4] the ocean moon[15] Nur within the under-construction Fortress Inquisitorius, where[4] he[3] was joined by the Grand Inquisitor[4]—the highest ranking member of the Inquisitorious itself[12]—and several other Inquisitors, including the former Jedi Barriss Offee, the Fourth Sister, and the First Brother[16] One stormy day, after Offee's training was complete, Marrok and his fellow Inquisitors were invited by the Grand Inquisitor[4] to enter the audience chamber,[17] passing several[4] Purge Troopers[17]—clone troopers[4] who served the Inquisitorius as expendable death squads[18]—as they entered.[4] With all three joining Offee and forming a line before the Grand Inquisitor,[17] Marrok was the second to kneel after the helmeted Inquisitor[4] after the Grand Inquisitor gave a nod.[17]
Once all four kneeled, the Grand Inquisitor decreed it was time for the four to meet their master Sith Lord Darth Vader,[4] the Sith apprentice to Sidious,[12] a teacher to the Inquisitors,[12] and the leader of the Inquisitorius as per the power granted to him by Sidious.[19] Once Vader sat atop a throne on the room's dais with even the Grand Inquisitor kneeling,[17] the Grand Inquisitor stood and invited his comrades to do the same, recognizing them as Inquisitors. Marrok was the second to finishing rising after the helmeted Inquisitor and stood silently as the Grand Inquisitor and Offee engaged in the chant "Long live the Empire."[4] As an Inquisitor, Marrok carried out his[6] organization's directive to hunt and destroy the Jedi[11] for the Empire[6] and the Sith.[4] Through the Inquisitorius' efforts, the number of Jedi survivors decreased over the course of Sidious' reign as Galactic Emperor. However, as a result of their own success, the Inquisitors were deemed obsolete by Sidious who viewed them as an expendable force. The Empire ultimately fell to the New Republic after the deaths of Sidious and Vader during the Galactic Civil War.[11]
Morgan Elsbeth's mercenary[]
Searching for the map to Peridea[]
- "Either the Jedi has the map or it was vaporized."
"She has it." - ―Baylan Skoll and Morgan Elsbeth, after Skoll and Marrok had searched the ruins
Marrok was active during the New Republic Era;[7] in 9 ABY,[1] the Inquisitor was hired as a mercenary by Morgan Elsbeth,[6] a Nightsister of Dathomir who plotted to liberate her master and Vader’s old friend Grand Admiral Thrawn from his exile in a faraway galaxy. Marrok worked alongside[7] former Jedi General[20] Baylan Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati, both of whom were, like Marrok, Force-sensitive mercenaries in Elsbeth's forces. Elsbeth sought to acquire a star map which contained the location of Peridea, a planet located in the galaxy where Thrawn was.[7]
Accompanied by Marrok, Skoll, and Hati, Elsbeth tracked the map to the ruins of a Nightsister stronghold on Arcana. After arriving, Marrok and Skoll searched the nearby area. Upon returning to Elsbeth, Skoll suggested that it was either been taken already by former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, or vaporised in the explosion that occurred. Elsbeth responded that Tano’s apprentice Sabine Wren was in possession of it, before ordering Skoll to send Hati to Lothal to retrieve it. Marrok watched as Elsbeth walked away. Skoll explained the situation and mission to Hati, who questioned Elsbeths intentions, before the latter walked off to journey to Lothal. Marrok then approached Skoll, before the two followed Elsbeth.[7]
Duel on Corellia[]
- "Go to Corellia. Assist Marrok with the final transport."
"Yes, Master." - ―Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati
Whilst Hati retrieved the star map,[7] Marrok was sent on a mission to Corellia to steal a Super Star Destroyer's hyperdrive core[3] for Elsbeth's hyperspace transport ring, the Eye of Sion.[21] Tano and General Hera Syndulla tried to prevent the hyperdrive core's theft, forcing Marrok to confront Tano directly while Elsbeth's forces absconded with the hyperdrive unit on Transport CT-O5.[3] In what was to be their first encounter,[22] Marrok fought against the former Jedi in[3] a breathtaking[22] lightsaber duel, in which he used his red double-bladed spinning lightsaber against Tano's white lightsabers. An HK-87 assassin droid fought alongside Marrok until the droid was destroyed by Tano. Marrok continued the duel despite the loss of his assassin droid, activating the second plasma blade of his lightsaber.[3]
Marrok disengaged from their duel after his allies succeeded in leaving the facility at the Corellian shipyard with the hyperdrive core. By then, Hati arrived with her master's Eta-class shuttle to retrieve Marrok. She used the shuttle's weapons to slow Tano down, allowing Marrok to reach the vessel before the Jedi could catch up to him.[3]
Pursuit above Seatos[]
- "She's on the wing."
"I see her." - ―Marrok and Shin Hati, on Ahsoka Tano
With Syndulla's help, Tano and Wren tracked the transport to the Denab system. Elsbeth dispatched a starfighter squadron led by Hati and Marrok to destroy Tano's T-6 shuttle. Although a few of their scout guards were killed during the dogfight in space, Tano's starship was damaged and forced to land on the planet Seatos.[21]
Defeat in the forest[]
- "The guards will not delay them long."
"But you will." - ―Morgan Elsbeth, to Baylan Skoll, and Baylan Skoll, to Shin Hati and Marrok
With the Eye of Sion in the process of downloading the star map's coordinates to Peridea, Elsbeth and Skoll dispatched their scout guards into a forest on Seatos where Tano and Wren had landed their shuttle. Knowing that the guards would not survive for long against a Jedi, Skoll ordered Hati to confront Tano and her Mandalorian apprentice. Marrok accompanied Hati into the forest where they obstructed Tano and Wren's path to the star map. While Wren and Hati fought, Tano and Marrok ignited their lightsabers and paced in a circle before engaging. Following an exchange of strikes, Marrok spun his blades across the circular hilt, preparing for an attack. As the two stepped forward, Tano slashed a large cut through Marrok's armor. A cloud of dark green mist erupted from the wound followed by a piercing shriek as Marrok's armor fell to the ground while he joined his fallen brothers and sisters.[2]
Personality and traits[]
- "Marrok, form up on my wing and wait for my signal."
"As you wish." - ―Shin Hati and Marrok
Marrok was a mysterious warrior who once hunted Jedi in service to the Galactic Empire. After the Empire's fall, the ex-Inquisitor became a hired mercenary who carried out "dark deeds" for Morgan Elsbeth.[6] Marrok followed his orders and traveled to where he was sent; Baylan Skoll was confident in Marrok's ability to complete his task, having vouched for him to Elsbeth.[3] Marrok also complied with Shin Hati's orders while serving under her command in the Denab system.[21] As a warrior, Marrok challenged Ahsoka Tano to a duel on two occasions,[3][2] first with the help of an assassin droid on Corellia,[3] and then alone on Seatos, where he ultimately lost to the former Jedi.[2] Marrok's body was completely encased by his armor,[6] with a green mist exploding out of the slice in the armor caused by Tano's lightsaber.[2]
Powers and abilities[]
Marrok was Force-sensitive and skilled in lightsaber combat, able to fight Ahsoka Tano on even footing. The former Inquisitor possessed Force powers such as telekinesis, which Marrok used when he pulled his lightsaber back to his hand after throwing it at Tano.[3] He also was an adept pilot, capable of navigating through a swarm of purrgil.[21] As an Inquisitor, Marrok was experienced in hunting Jedi.[6]
Equipment[]
- "An emitter ring surrounded the hilt, allowing the opposing blades to rotate at high speeds, greatly increasing their ability to deal death and destruction."
- ―Darth Sidious
Marrok's lightsaber was a double-bladed spinning lightsaber,[3] also known as an Inquisitor lightsaber,[23] that featured red[6] plasma blades on either end of its[3] circular hilt.[6] The Inquisitor lightsaber[23] was specifically designed to increase the wielder's lethality in combat. While similar in design to Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber, the lightsaber[11] used by Marrok[6] and other Inquisitors featured an emitter ring that could rotate the blades around the hilt at a high speed.[11]
The former Inquisitor still wielded his red-bladed lightsaber after becoming a mercenary.[6] While dueling with Tano, Marrok switched between the use of his lightsaber's single-blade and the double-blade, and adjusted his fighting style accordingly. He also made use of its design by rotating the blades of his lightsaber during his first[3] and second duel with Tano.[2] In addition, Marrok wore full-body battle armor that completely encased his body,[6] complete with a face-concealing[6] black[17] helmet and a black cape, which he discarded in battle. By the time of the New Republic Era,[3] the armor had become battered[6] and rusted.[3]
Marrok's Fiend fighter[6] was a starfighter[21] that the former Inquisitor used as his vehicle[6] during his time as a mercenary in Elsbeth's forces. It was the same model as Shin Hati's Fiend. During their attack on Tano's T-6 shuttle in the Denab system, Marrok piloted his starfighter as a member of Hati's squadron.[21]
Behind the scenes[]
Marrok first appeared in "Part One: Master and Apprentice," the premiere episode of the television series Ahsoka, written and directed by Dave Filoni and released on Disney+[7] on August 22, 2023.[24] The character was portrayed by Paul Darnell.[7]
In Arthurian legend, Marrok is the name of a knight who was turned into a werewolf by his wife, who had learned these skills from the witch Morgan Le Fay.[25] In Ahsoka, "Morgan" is the name of Marrok's employer, one of the witches of Dathomir. The wolf motif also ties in with Marrok's fellow dark-side users Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll, who share their last names with two wolves from Norse mythology.[25]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Tales of the Empire — "Devoted"
- Ahsoka — "Part One: Master and Apprentice" (First appearance)
- Ahsoka 1
- Ahsoka — "Part Two: Toil and Trouble"
- Ahsoka 2
- Ahsoka — "Part Three: Time to Fly"
- Ahsoka 3
- Ahsoka — "Part Four: Fallen Jedi"
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 228 dates the events of "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" to 9 ASW4. As SW4 occurs in 0 BBY according to Star Wars: Timelines, 9 ASW4 correlates to 9 ABY. Preceding episodes take place after The Book of Boba Fett, which is also dated to 9 ABY according to Timelines. As "Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord" takes place shortly after Part Seven, the events of Ahsoka as a whole must all take place the same year.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Ahsoka — "Part Four: Fallen Jedi"
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 Ahsoka — "Part Two: Toil and Trouble"
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 Star Wars: Tales of the Empire — "Devoted"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith states that the Inquisitors were all former Jedi.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 Marrok (Inquisitor) in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Ahsoka — "Part One: Master and Apprentice"
- ↑ Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Darth Vader (2017) 6
- ↑ Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part II"
- ↑ "Devoted" takes place during and immediately after Operation: Knightfall, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 19 BBY.
- ↑ Nur in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Star Wars: Tales of the Empire — "Devoted" (Audio description from Disney+)
- ↑ Darth Vader (2017) 16
- ↑ Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
- ↑ Ahsoka — "Part Six: Far, Far Away"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 Ahsoka — "Part Three: Time to Fly"
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 222
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Dawn of Rebellion
- ↑ Everything New You Can Stream on Disney+ in August 2023 on D23.com (backup link)
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Ahsoka's Morgan Elsbeth Is Named After Morgan le Fay of Arthurian Legend by Walsh, Michael on Nerdist (August 28, 2023): "The mysterious masked Inquisitor Marrok working for Morgan Elsbeth is Ahsoka's second major connection to Arthurian legend and myth. In a tale set during "the days of King Arthur," we learn that Sir Marrok was an upstanding Knight until his own wife Irma turned him into a werewolf, seeking to return his lands to their old ways of savagery. And where did Irma learn such skills? From Morgan le Fay. (...) Ahsoka's former Jedi Knight Baylan Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati get their names from Norse mythology. Skoll ("One Who Mocks") and Hati ("One Who Hates") are ominous figures in Norse tradition. They're wolves who chase the Sun and Moon in hopes of devouring them." (archived from the original on August 31, 2023)
External links[]
- The Walt Disney Studios All Access - STC-trailer2 uhd r709f stills 230711.089317 on Getty Images (July 11, 2023) (backup link) (First identified as Marrok)
- Ahsoka: Who Is This Mysterious Inquisitor? – Exclusive Image by Ben Travis on Empire (May 6, 2023) (archived from the original on July 15, 2023)