The mysterious masked Inquisitor that’ll be appearing in Ahsoka has officially been named and identified, which potentially destroys every solid theory on the internet in one fell swoop. It could also be a red herring… In both trailers, Ahsoka Tano has been seen fighting a masked Inquisitor that is donning the classic black outfit and weilding the spinning lightsaber which first appeared in Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: Rebels. This particular Inquisitor is seen wearing a helmet which, in Star Wars lore, means they’re most likely hiding their true identity, which is when the speculation kicked in- More on that later.
Originally spotted by Reddit user u/champdo, Disney‘s captions for various stills from the brand new Ahsoka trailer refer to this Inquisitor as… Marrok. Stunt Actor Paul Darnell, who stunt doubled for Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, is set to play this mysterious Marrok. But it’s worth noting that he could just be playing Marrok during the masked and heavily choreographed sequences. Someone else could also be playing Marrok, and “Marrok” could just be a placeholder name. Think back to when Luke Skywalker’s role in The Mandalorian was masked by having Plo Koon appear instead. We could be dealing with a very similar situation.
If Marrok is just a false name to potentially hide a major reveal, who could Marrok actually be?
First of all, a Marrok does actually exist in Star Wars. The Kyuzo Bounty Hunter known as Embo had a pet Anooba called Marrok. We can definitely rule out the Inquisitor being a wolf-like creature, but it is an interesting parallel especially when you consider the significance of wolves in Rebels. Is there a correlation? Probably not, but it’s a fun bit of trivia.
A few theories have circulated since the first trailer. One of them theorises that Ezra Bridger is actually the masked Inquisitor. Now, it seems somewhat far fetched but it is actually quite a reasonable theory. In the Rebels finale, Thrawn and Ezra are blasted off into hyperspace courtesy of the Purrgil (space whales), presumably to the same location. If we know that Thrawn went on to reclaim the fractured remnants of the Empire, what happened to Ezra? What if something happened which resulted in some form of Jedi amnesia leaving Ezra susceptible to the Dark Side, afterall Ezra balanced on that fine line repeatedly throughout Rebels.
While Ahsoka and Sabine hunt for both Thrawn and Ezra, it turns out that Ezra has been pursuing them on Thrawn’s orders. Honestly, it’s quite a good theory. It would add that emotional weight when the Inquisitor is unmasked, and it would be interesting to see what would happen if Ezra embraced what Maul teased him with. Power and control.
The next theory takes us back to Ahsoka’s experience during the Clone Wars under Anakin’s wing. Ahsoka and Jedi Barriss Offee, Padawan to Luminara Unduli, parttake in a few missions together. They infiltrate a droid factory on Geonosis and even stop brain worms from invading and controlling the galaxy. The two Padawans became close friends and dependable allies, until Barriss’ allegiance changed. Consumed by war and trauma, Barriss betrayed the Jedi Order and framed Ahsoka for bombing the Jedi Temple. The handling of Ahsoka’s trial is what causes her to walk away from the Order, so Barriss is somewhat responsible for where we find Ahsoka now. While Barriss Offee was captured and imprisoned, she never appeared in The Clone Wars again. Her fate is a mystery.
What do we know about the Inquisitorius? Well, many of their members were originally Jedi, corrupted by the Dark Side and the power it offered. Vader and Palpatine already had a young and powerful Jedi that was waiting for an opportunity to dispose of the Order, so why not use her and manipulate her into joining Vader’s Inquisitors? Not only would this revelation offer a complex reunion, it would also give Ahsoka the chance to attain some form of closure. Having said that, there is also a chance it could alienate audience members who didn’t watch The Clone Wars, but with Anakin appearing in some form we could actually get some flashbacks that could explore that friendship and its significance.
The final theory is my personal favourite, mainly because I’m such a big fan of the character and it would actually complete my Star Wars bucket list. In the last few years, I have seen almost everything that I’ve wanted to see in Star Wars. Hayden back as Anakin, Ewan back as Obi-Wan, Cad Bane, Grand Admiral Thrawn, The Darksaber, and an entire show dedicated to Ahsoka Tano. The icing on the cake would be for Sam Witwer’s Starkiller (Galen Malek) to appear in the new Star Wars canon. While it is my favourite, it is also the least plausible theory… But hope is a powerful thing.
Starkiller first appeared in the 2008 video game The Force Unleashed which told the story of Vader and his secret apprentice. Starkiller then appeared in The Force Unleashed II in 2010 and then vanished. He never made the leap to the new canon following Disney’s acquisition in 2012, but has still remained a fan favourite. With Sam Witwer voicing various characters in the Star Wars mythology, even voicing a character in Andor, Starkiller’s presence has never really faded. His insanely cool sith outfit even appeared in Luthen’s antique shop in Andor…
Why is this theory prevalent now? Aside from the fact their names are quite similar- Malek and Marrok, back in 2017, Sam Witwer took part in a Twitch stream and revealed that Dave Filoni considered introducing Starkiller as an Inquisitor in Rebels:
“Dave did share with me by the way he considered making Starkiller an Inquisitor in Star Wars Rebels. It didn’t quite fit the story that they were telling, but he did think about it because he thought it would be an interesting character.”
Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking talking here, but Ahsoka battling an apprentice of Vader’s would be a pretty poignant revelation. Unfortunately, a reveal such as that would benefit from some heavy exposition. With just 8 episodes to fill, it’s hard to tell whether Galen Marek would fit in this narrative. It’s a long shot, but Starkiller fans are still hoping for a reappearance… It’s just a matter of figuriing out where, when and how. Considering that Filoni almost did it many years ago, who’s to say that he hasn’t revisited this idea for Ahsoka.
Is Marrok just a brand new character, or is he/she a familiar face waiting for the perfect moment to reveal all? Only time will tell…
What do you think of these theories? Let us know in the comments. Don’t forget, you can check out more from the Star Wars universe right here.
Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Ahsoka launches on August 23th with a two-episode premiere, exclusively on Disney+.
Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Diana Lee Inosanto, David Tennant, Lars Mikkelsen and Eman Esfandi.
The episodes are directed by Dave Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel and Rick Famuyiwa. Dave Filoni is the head writer and executive produces along with Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson and Carrie Beck. Karen Gilchrist serves as co-executive producer.
