Marrok first appeared in the premiere episode of Ahsoka, “Part One: Master and Apprentice,” written and directed by Dave Filoni. He immediately captured the Star Wars fanbase’s attention, with many making up various theories about his identity.
The character is portrayed by American actor, stunt performer, and producer Paul Darnell. Since his debut, the identity of the mysterious masked Inquisitor sparked various speculations. Some believed he could be Galen Marek, a.k.a. Starkiller, an apprentice of Darth Vader. Others thought he might be Ezra Bridger, who fell to the dark side through Thrawn’s influence, or the former Jedi Barriss Offee. Some also speculated that he could be Petro, who was introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode “The Gathering.” Apparently, though, the theories were wrong. The Inquisitor turns out to be a Nightbrother when he faces his death in Ahsoka episode 4.
Who Is Marrok?
Marrok was once an Inquisitor hunting Jedi for the Empire, which explains why he was carrying the spinning, double-bladed lightsaber that only Inquisitors possess. However, he had become a mercenary who worked for Morgan Elsbeth to carry out dark deeds. He wears fully encased battle armor, and his mask keeps his face hidden. He was poised to be the next Star Wars mystery, with many wondering about the face behind the mask.
Unfortunately, that was short-lived. The character died when Ahsoka dispatched him in one swift move in the fourth episode, “Part Four: Fallen Jedi.” His manner of death spoke volumes about the character’s inconsequential status, suggesting that Marrok wasn’t as important as fans expected. His demise is a lesson for fans who couldn’t resist the urge to theorize about Star Wars characters. Sometimes, a masked man is just what he appears to be — insignificant — and not a riddle to be solved.
Marrok’s storyline resembles the big Rey split in some ways. Initially, Rey was meant to be ordinary and there was no big reveal about her. However, there was a major shift when she was revealed to be Palpatine’s granddaughter. Although the character’s background had become significant, several viewers felt it made no sense. Thus, making Marrok a nobody would be a better option than making a huge plot twist out of the character to satisfy the various theories.
Ahsoka director Peter Ramsey spoke about the character in an interview with IGN. He clarified that the villain was “not entirely human,” but “kind of mechanical.” This made sense because when Ahsoka defeated him and killed him with her lightsaber, a green smoke left his body. This suggested that he was a Nightbrother who had ties with the Nightsisters, who were known as the Witches of Dathomir or Daughters of Dathomir.
According to the Star Wars director, they added the green smoke during Marrok’s death scene to give the audience a better idea about the character. In the creators’ minds, he was in a partially mechanical suit and non-human. With this in mind, they decided something should burst out of him when he was dying, and they opted to make it green. It couldn’t be blood, as again, he wasn’t human.
So I was like, ‘What is Marrok? Is he human? Is he kind of more machine than man, like how Darth Vader used to be described sometimes?’ […] I was like, ‘It would be great if something could burst out of him.’ Like, what would be his version of antifreeze or whatever it is? Because it couldn’t be blood.
Marrok’s name and storyline could be inspired by King Arthur’s legend from Sir Thomas Malory’s 1469 novel Le Morte d’Arthur. Sir Marrok is a knight and serves as one of King Arthur’s bodyguards in the war with Emperor Lucious. He was turned into a werewolf by a witch. Filoni’s obsession with wolves seemed fitting for the character’s storyline, especially since Marrok is tied to Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth.
How Did Marrok End Up Working For Morgan Elsbeth?
The theory that Marrok was someone significant was wrong. However, the character ending up being a Nightbrother, which made sense because it tied him to Morgan Elsbeth, Ahsoka’s biggest antagonist, due to her persistence in the search for Grand Admiral Thrawn. In the premiere episode, the audience learned that Morgan didn’t just have ties with the Nightsisters;, she was actually one of them. She also put her power on display. The Nightsisters are known for using their special abilities to physically enhance Savage Opress, the formidable Sith warrior, and even giving him Force abilities. This was likely the case for Marrok as well, who turned out to be a Nightbrother.
When the Empire fell, Darth Vader was killed alongside the Emperor. It would make sense for Marrok to denounce Inquisitorius. With no master to serve, he became a perfect figure for Morgan to use, especially because he already had Force abilities. To improve his power and amplify his strength, Morgan used her Nightsister magic, just like how Mother Talzin turned Savage Opress into a formidable dark-side warrior. This explains why green smoke came out of Marrok after Ahsoksa killed him. The same green smoke came out of Savage in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, when Darth Sidious killed him on Mandalore.
The Nightsisters are matriarchal, so the Nightbrothers are subordinate to the witches. Since Morgan used her power on Marrok, this explains why he worked for her. Apparently, Morgan is more powerful than most viewers expected, which makes her a formidable rival to Ahsoka. This also explains why she appears to be an intimidating opponent for the titular character when they engage in a one-on-one duel in The Mandalorian Season 2.
Marrok’s Appearances in Ahsoka
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Marrok in Ahsoka |
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|---|---|
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Actor |
Paul Darnell |
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First Appearance |
“Part One: Master and Apprentice” (Ahsoka Season 1, episode 1) |
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Total No. of Episode Appearances |
4 |
Marrok first appeared in Ahsoka‘s first episode. He could be spotted lingering in the background, and his mysterious aura captivated the audience’s attention. In “Part Two: Toil and Trouble,” he showed off his fighting skills when engaged in a brief duel against Ahsoka in Corellia. He returned in, “Part Three: Time to Fly,” in another epic battle against Ahsoka that nearly cost the latter and Sabine’s lives.
The villain uttered two lines throughout his time in the series: “As you wish,” and “Nothing.” The first line was used by Galen Marek in the older video games, which fueled the rumors that the mysterious warrior could be Marek. Star Wars fans got excited about the possibility of Starkiller joining the series.
However, in episode 4, Ahsoka took down Marrok with a lightning-fast blow during their battle in a forest on Seatos. The fight scene was uninspired and easy to forget. Those who had high expectations of Marrok’s character felt he was too cool to die in such a way. But then again, the character was insignificant in the first place, and his manner of death proved it.
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