In the first two episodes of Star Wars: Ahsoka, we’re introduced to a new dark side Force user, a shrouded mercenary named Marrok. Given Marrok’s clothing and style of lightsaber, the suggestion from Ahsoka‘s creators is that Marrok is a former Inquisitor. But our theory is that this Marrok is also the former Jedi Barriss Offee. The reasons for this are many. For starters, Barriss Offee has a long history with Ahsoka during the Clone Wars. But Barriss also betrayed Ahsoka towards the end of that conflict, leading to a chain of events that caused Ahsoka to leave the Jedi Order for good. The long relationship with Ahsoka would make Barriss the perfect character to live behind Marrok’s mask. But before we get to the question of Inquisitor Marrok’s true Ahsoka identity—here is a deeper explanation of just who Barriss Offee is and her Star Wars history.
Who Is Star Wars’ Barriss Offee?
Barriss Offee and Ahsoka were Padawans Together
The character of Barriss Offee was not created for Star Wars animation but actually debuted in live-action. Blink and you’ll miss her, but you can see Barriss (Nalini Krishan) in the battle of Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones, igniting her blue lightsaber. George Lucas and Dave Filoni later brought Barris Offee back in season two of The Clone Wars, voiced by Meredith Salenger. Before any possibiliy of Barriss becoming Star Wars‘ Inquisitor Marrok, Ahsoka and Barriss were Padawans together and survived a harrowing ordeal together on the planet Geonosis. These events, which occurred during The Clone Wars season two, were a significant milestone in Ahsoka and Barriss Offee’s young lives.
Barriss Offee Betrays Ahsoka
But in season five of The Clone Wars, Barriss betrayed Ahsoka and framed her for a crime she did not commit. On the Star Wars show, Barriss became disillusioned with the Jedi’s role in the ongoing wars. She believed leading an army into battle was a betrayal of their principles. The Jedi’s role was as keepers of the peace, not soldiers. She succumbed to the dark side and organized a bombing at the Jedi temple. This attack killed civilians and Jedi both. She then murdered the woman who helped her execute it. Barriss Offee framed Ahsoka for this terrible act, which led Ahsoka to go on the run after the Jedi Order didn’t believe her innocence.
Barriss Offee’s Confrontation with Anakin Sets Up Her Future as Ahsoka‘s Marrok
Ahsoka’s master, Anakin Skywalker, ultimately discovered that Barriss Offee was the true culprit behind the attack. So he confronted her in a fierce lightsaber duel. Barriss, by tapping into the dark side, held her own against the Chosen One, but Anakin ultimately defeated her. Ahsoka eventually proved her innocence, but left the Jedi Order without completing her training, betrayed by their lack of trust in her. Barriss Offee admitted her guilt in front of the Republic Senate, admitting she was responsible for the actions she pinned on Ahsoka. The Senate presumably sent her to prison. That means she was incarcerated when Order 66 went down. But did Barriss Offee die in the Star Wars universe? Or did the Empire find another use for her, as they did with other Jedi with dark side inclinations?
Is the Hidden Identity of Ahsoka‘s Marrok, Barriss Offee?
So what happened to Barriss Offee after the Clone Wars? As we learned in both Star Wars Rebels and in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Empire took certain Jedi younglings and other survivors, and tortured and brainwashed them into becoming Inquisitors. The role of the Inquisitors was to hunt down and kill any remaining Jedi who survived Order 66. Barriss, who already hated the Jedi for what she perceived was their betrayal of the Republic, would have been a perfect candidate. And since she actually held her own against Anakin Skywalker in battle, Darth Vader might have seen Barriss Offee as an ideal choice to become Ahsoka‘s Inquisitor Marrok. By the time of A New Hope, the Inquisitors seemed extinct. But there’s nothing stating for certain that none survived the Galactic Civil War.
Dave Filoni Said Barriss and Ahsoka’s Story Is Not Over
But there is another reason we believe Ahsoka‘s Marrok is likely Barriss Offee. A comment that Dave Filoni made about her back in 2015 at Star Wars Celebration lends strong credence to the idea of Marrok’s secret identity being that of Barriss. The character was originally supposed to kill herself at the end of that arc, but Filoni changed his mind. He said “I had plans for Barriss, and still do… Do [Ahsoka and Barriss] ever meet again? That’s a great question. It would make a great story, but not a story we’ll tell today.” He never told that story in Rebels. Wouldn’t Ahsoka be the perfect place to finally show the Barriss and Ahsoka reunion/confrontation?
If there’s one thing suggesting Marrok is not Barriss, it’s that the character is played by male performer Paul Darnell. But that could easily be a misdirect, so we don’t suspect that Marrok is a woman under that helmet. Remember when Black Widow had a man play Taskmaster for all the masked scenes, but in the reveal was actually a woman, played by Olga Kurylenko? We foresee something similar here.
When you put together the way Barriss’ character lends itself to the story of an Inquisitor, add the intensity of her personal history with Ahsoka, and take into consideration Filoni’s comments, Barriss Offee becoming Ahsoka‘s Marrok seems to fit perfectly. The confrontation between Barriss and Ahsoka is a long time coming, and we hope Star Wars: Ahsoka delivers on this plot twist.