Ahsoka: Marrok Shares a Similarity With These Two Star Wars Characters

Marrok is a mysterious Inquisitor. Ahsoka episode 4 sheds some light on his identity and he shares similarities with characters from Ahsoka's past.

The Inquisitorius are a mysterious group in Star Wars. Made up of former Jedi, they serve the Empire to hunt the few remaining Force-users in the galaxy. They wield their own unique spinning double-bladed lightsaber and are commanded by none other than Darth Vader. But one Inquisitor stands above the rest for being the most mysterious of all, and that's Marrok. First introduced in Ahsoka, Marrok doesn't hold the typical Inquisitor title of Brother or Sister, and their identity is still unknown.

When Ahsoka killed Marrok and sliced a hole in their armor, green smoke flowed out, indicating that Marrok had some connection to the Nightsisters. But once their armor hit the ground, Marrok's body disintegrated. While it might seem like an unusual phenomenon, Ahsoka has previously faced another mysterious Inquisitor who did something similar when he was defeated and was voiced by Clancy Brown. Marrok's death also featured similarities with Savage Opress, another character that Clancy Brown voiced, losing their strength upon death.

Marrok's Death Echoed the Inquisitor From Tales of The Jedi

The very first Inquisitor Ahsoka faced in the Imperial era was similar to Marrok in a few ways. He, too, doesn't have an official title, though it's widely believed that he's an adaptation of the Sixth Brother from E. K. Johnston and Dave Filoni's novel Ahsoka. He appeared in the final episode of Tales of the Jedi Season 1 and was voiced by Clancy Brown. He was dispatched by the Empire to defeat Ahsoka on a farming planet. Ahsoka calmly defeated him however, dodging his lightsaber strikes, ripping it from his grasp, and slicing his head off. When his body and head hit the ground, his mask deflated, showing a sign of the dark side leaving his body.

His death is similar to Marrok's. Ahsoka calmly duels Marrok, which is only contrasted by the aggression Marrok puts on display. Marrok is outwitted by Ahsoka too. She manages to strike at him through the hilt of their lightsaber, causing a huge gash on their armor. This causes green smoke, likely Nightsister magic, to flow out of their body, falls to the floor, and their body disintegrates. It shows that Ahsoka is still capable when fighting Inquisitors, and using their aggression and overconfidence against them.

Marrok Was Influenced by Real-World History, Just Like This Inquisitor

Many fans have pointed out the historical legend that Marrok is seemingly inspired by. Marrok's name was influenced by Arthurian legend. In the 1469 novel Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Marrok is a knight who serves as King Arthur's bodyguard and is turned into a werewolf by a witch. Given Dave Filoni's obsession with wolves, Marrok's armor looking like a knight's, and the presence of the Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth, the Star Wars equivalent of a witch, Marrok's creation was likely influenced by this legend. Star Wars is often influenced by historical tales, so this wouldn't be surprising if this were the case.

The mysterious Inquisitor in Tales of the Jedi is also influenced by history. His mask was influenced by creepy plague doctor masks of the 1500s and 1600s. They, too, had a long beak and went around curing people of their sickness. The infamous mask has often been depicted as a warning of death and destruction. The Inquisitors too were doctors, though in a twisted way. They went about the galaxy cleansing it of Jedi, finishing the job that Palpatine had started. They were also instruments of death and destruction, leaving a world on fire in their wake.

Marrok's Death is Similar to Savage Oppress

But the unnamed Inquisitor from Tales of the Jedi isn't the only similarity that Marrok shares. His death also mirrors the death of another Dark Force user that Clancy Brown also voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Savage Opress. Marrok was likely enhanced with Nightsister magic in some way, which is typically reflected by the color green. In the Clone Wars, another character, Savage Opress, was made stronger because of the Nightsister's magical enhancements, gaining muscle and a furious strength. But with these enhancements, Savage lost his humanity.

When he was slain by Darth Sidious, all of this magical energy left his body in the form of green wisps. He went back to his weaker form and died in Maul's arms. He also returned to a less violent figure, hinting that if Marrok had a former life, it too was likely that of a less violent person. When Ahsoka killed Marrok by slicing their armor, green smoke billows out, indicating that they were made stronger by Morgan Elsbeth's magic. When Marrok died, this magic left their body, leaving it in a permanently weakened state. Marrok it seems is the latest character to be made stronger by the Nightsisters. But the true strength in Star Wars doesn't come from the power to be violent, it's knowing when to stop fighting and knowing the right way to win.

The Similarities Strengthen Star Wars' Canon

Star Wars often features variations of ideas from previous characters and events, creating rhymes with the past. And it's no surprise that as George Lucas' protégé Dave Filoni has kept this rhyming scheme up. He's pulled from his own Star Wars past and real life-legend to create a new character that audiences have latched onto. While Marrok's identity might still be hidden, Star Wars has no shortage of fan-favorite masked figures.

While Marrok's identity is still unknown, the links the character has with others in Star Wars may help piece together their character. Marrok's background of a fallen warrior, one who used to be selfless. While they might have been physically weaker than many, Marrok was likely a person of strength until they were corrupted by the Dark Side and Nightsister magic.