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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 the show’s creators is that Marrok is a former Inquisitor. But it is our theory that this Marrok is also 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 she 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. But first, a little explanation of just who Barriss Offee is, and her Star Wars history.

Who Is Star Wars’ Barriss Offee?

The character of Barris Offee was not created for 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 Attack of the Clones, igniting her blue lightsaber. George Lucas and Dave Filoni later brought her back in season two of The Clone Wars, voiced by Meredith Salenger. Ahsoka and Barriss were Padawans at the same time, 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 both of their young lives.

But in season five of The Clone Wars, Barriss betrayed Ahsoka, and framed her for a crime she did not commit. 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 framed Ahsoka for this act, which led her to go on the run when the Jedi Order didn’t believe her innocence.

Ahsoka’s master, Anakin Skywalker, ultimately discovered that Barriss 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 he 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 admitted her guilt in front of the Republic Senate, and they presumably sent her to prison. Meaning, they incarcerated her when Order 66 went down. But did she die? Or did the Empire find another use for her, as they did with other Jedi who had dark side inclinations?

Why Barriss Offee Makes Sense as Ahsoka’s Marrok

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 her as an ideal choice to be an Inquisitor. 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’ Story Is Not Over

There is another reason we believe this Marrok is likely Barriss. This was due to a comment that Dave Filoni made about her back in 2015 at Star Wars Celebration. 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 Merrok 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. The confrontation between Barriss and Ahsoka is a long time coming, and we hope Star Wars: Ahsoka delivers on this plot twist.

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