Is Marrok a zombie in ‘Ahsoka?’ The Nightsisters’ necromancy powers, explained

Warning: The article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode four, “The Fallen Jedi.”

Who is Marrok? Why is Marrok? What is Marrok? Before the fourth episode of Ahsoka aired, the identity of the masked inquisitor was a topic of frenzied speculation for Star Wars fans, with many theories skewing towards him being a brainwashed-to-the-dark-side Ezra. But not anymore — at least not the “who” part as his weird death at the hands of the former Jedi knight has trained every spotlight on what he was in the first place.

In the episode, Ahsoka faces off against Marrok and lends a deadly slice with her lightsaber. But instead of keeling over and dying after giving a pained cry, Shin’s constant partner in duels turns into greyish-green smoke. While this confirms that the person under the mask was definitely not Ezra, it does beg the question of whether Marrok was a person to begin with.

What was Marrok in Ahsoka? Was he a zombie and does that mean he might rise from the dead, again?

It is very much a possibility given that Marrok was the henchman of Morgan Elsbeth’s, a member of the witches of Dathomir aka the Nightsisters. These Force-wielding witches belonged to the dark side and used their magic, called the Spirit Ichor, to accomplish many impossibilities, the biggest being raising the dead. As seen in Star Wars lore (Clone Wars, Rebels), the magic’s presence was detected by the green smoke that emerged from the object or living being it was used on. 

An army of the dead Nightsisters has been conjured in the past, and while these undead witches didn’t turn into green smoke upon being killed, it can be said with certainty that the mysterious Marrok was probably an Inquisitor raised from the dead by Morgan. Maybe the method of re-animating him was different — based on what we see, it feels more like the use of necromancy keeping the body “alive” by setting up shop inside the empty husk and dissipating the moment the Lightsaber sliced through it.

But does that mean he can be brought back to “life” by Morgan again? Probably. There is no rule over raising the same dead person the second time when it was magic getting the impossible done in the first place. But given Ahsoka’s current pace and how Shin, Baylan, and Morgan will be reuniting with Grand Admiral Thrawn soon, Morgan would probably not devote her resources to bringing back a dead-dead soldier.