Summary
- Ahsoka Season 1 introduces a new mysterious Sith Inquisitor, Marrok, who could potentially be the canon version of Starkiller from Star Wars Legends.
- Marrok's survival is tied to Nightsister dark magicks, suggesting a connection to Starkiller's story and Vader's secret apprentice.
- While Sam Witwer confirmed Dave Filoni toyed with the idea of including Starkiller in Rebels, bringing the character into canon would alter his storyline.
The following contains light spoilers for Ahsoka Season 1, now streaming on Disney+.
Despite its unquestioned success, Star War Rebels only ran for four seasons. Fans were disappointed to see its early conclusion, but now, Rebels is getting a veritable Season 5 in Dave Filoni's Ahsoka live-action series. Starring Rosario Dawson in the titular role, Ahsoka brought a galactic ton of familiar characters back into the fold. Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren and even Grand Admiral Thrawn all made their live-action debut when the highly-touted series premiered on Disney+.
Even though Ahsoka was something of a walk down memory lane for Star Wars fans, it also featured several new characters that could be very important to the franchise's future. Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati gave Star Wars fans a look a different kind of Dark Jedi. Yet one dark side villain captured fans' imaginations and hopes. The mysterious Sith Inquisitor Marrok debuted, and fans believed it was possible they could be the canon version of Galen Marek, also known as Starkiller from Star Wars Legends.
Updated October 9, 2023: Fans can't be blamed for thinking Marrok was a reference to Galen Marek, who appeared in The Force Unleashed games as Darth Vader's secret apprentice and, depending on choices the player made, one of the founders of the Rebel Alliance. Of all the Legends characters, Starkiller is one fans likely will never see in the official Star Wars canon. Rebels also told the story of how the Rebel Alliance was founded, and there is no room in it for a secret apprentice so powerful he could snatch a Star Destroyer out of the sky with the Force. However, Marrok still might be a way some version of the character, played by Star Wars staple Sam Witwer, to appear in canon.
Ahsoka Introduced A Mysterious New Inquisitor
The Empire's Inquisitorius existed to hunt down Jedi who managed to survive Order 66. Its ranks were comprised of former Jedi, who had fallen to the Dark Side. Though they weren't extremely powerful Force-users, they were still formidable opponents. They appeared in Star Wars Rebels, the Jedi: Fallen Order game series, Darth Vader comics and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. However, the Inquisitors weren't a part of the original trilogy, so they all had to be dead or missing by Star Wars: A New Hope. That appeared to be the case, until Marrok. The helmeted Inquistor survived the fall of the Empire and fell into the service of Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth.
Like a few of the previous Inquisitors, this new one wears a mask. Since there is no way of knowing his or her identity without more information, this has prompted multiple theories. Though there are a number of options, it's possible that the mysterious new inquisitor could be the canon version of Starkiller. At first glance, including a Legends character like Starkiller might be a long shot, but there are actually a number of reasons to believe that he could be involved. Marrok, it turns out, didn't technically "survive" the fall of the Empire. Rather, they seemed to be reanimated by Nightsister dark magicks.
Why Starkiller Could be Ahsoka's Inquisitor
To start with, Sam Witwer (who voiced Starkiller) confirmed that Dave Filoni actually toyed with the idea of adding a version of Starkiller into Rebels as an inquisitor. That would have taken some narrative finagling, but with Ahsoka, it could work perfectly. Introducing Starkiller put a dark twist on the former padawan's relationship with her master. She was Anakin's apprentice, and Starkiller was Vader's secret apprentice. That could be a fun parallel. Dave Filoni found a brilliant way for Ahsoka's Anakin and Vader flashbacks via the World Between Worlds. Yet, if Marrok had a secret history with Vader before the Ahsoka series, it would create some new tension in that relationship.
There are, of course, plenty of other characters who could be the Inquisitor. A lot of fans believed Marrok could be Barriss Offee, Ahsoka's padawan friend from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That's certainly a possibility because her whereabouts during and after Order 66 are unknown. She fell to the dark side and even tried to frame Ahsoka for murder.
Another popular theory is that the inquisitor is the Eighth Brother from Rebels. First thought to be impossible, because he died in the series, Nightsister magicks make it so death is not necessarily the end for a character. The final viable theory (though it is a long shot) cites the Inquisitor as a version of Mara Jade. Given Luke's depiction in canon, that seems unlikely -- though anything is possible in the galaxy far, far away. Marrok's true identity and history remain a mystery, which is why the character could still become a version of Starkiller in the canon.
Could Marrok Become a Version of Galen Marek?
Actor Sam Witwer loves Star Wars, often showing off his encyclopedic knowledge of the canon and Legends in convention appearances and fan videos. One such video, from the Cameo service, includes Witwer talking about the problems inherent in bringing Galen Marek into the official canon. He notes that a key part of Starkiller's story is his status as Darth Vader's secret apprentice. In the Darth Vader comics, the Dark Lord had nothing but contempt for the Inquistorius, but perhaps Marrok was an exception. A Sith is always looking for a way to kill their master and take on an apprentice of their own. If Marrok impressed Vader, he might have taken the Inquisitor under his mechanical wing to see if they had what it took to become a true Sith.
Still, for those who love the character's story from The Force Unleashed games, any attempt to bring Galen Marek into the Star Wars canon would result in a Starkiller that is markedly different. He would never be able to have the character arc he does in the games. Depending on if players choose the light side or the dark side, Starkiller's story reaches a climax it never could in canon. So, while fans could get a character with a similar name played by Sam Witwer, it wouldn't be the character they loved. Star Wars Legends stories are no less important than the canon ones, at least in fans' hearts. Retconning Marrok into a version of Starkiller via some prequel story would, ultimately, be unsatisfying to fans of Galen Marek's story.
Ahsoka Season 1 is now streaming on Disney+.