Following in the path of Marvel a little too closely, Star Wars has released a lot of content in the last few years. While The Mandalorian kicked things off very well back in 2020, an abundance of Star Wars content recently has led to a bit of oversaturation in the market, and while shows like Andor are good enough to keep fans interested regardless, disappointingly fine shows like The Book of Boba Fett do the exact opposite. But despite its current state, fans are hopeful that the Ahsoka show can bring the franchise back from the brink of mediocrity.
Set to release in just over a month's time, on August 23 2023, Ahsoka is yet another Disney+ Star Wars show, once again being developed by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. From what fans have seen so far in trailers, Ahsoka seems to be offering plenty of fan-service, essentially acting as a follow-up to Filoni's animated series Star Wars Rebels, but some think the show's fan-service might stretch beyond the canon universe, and potentially bring back one of Star Wars' most beloved Legends characters, Starkiller.
The Ahsoka Show Starkiller Fan Theory Explained
Originally making his debut in 2008's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Starkiller is introduced as Darth Vader's apprentice, but soon flips sides when he's betrayed by the Sith Lord. Played by seasoned actor and Star Wars mega fan Sam Witwer, Starkiller quickly became a fan-favorite character, but with his only appearances being in game format, he's been relegated to the depths of Star Wars' non-canon Legends universe. But if a fan theory is true, then he could make his long-awaited canon debut in the upcoming Ahsoka show.
During the recent trailers for Ahsoka, the titular former Jedi faces off against a number of Dark Side users, all attempting to stop her from reaching the lost Ezra Bridger. One of these Dark Side users hides their face completely with a medieval-like mask, and seems to wield an Inquisitor's now-iconic spinning lightsaber. The general fan theory is that this masked Inquisitor will be revealed as Starkiller, with Sam Witwer reprising his role in live-action form.
Many times, Star Wars fans have set themselves up for disappointment by believing wild fan theories, but there may be something to this new one. And all starts with the character's name, which has just been revealed to be Marrok, which is not too far off from Marek, as in Galen Marek, Starkiller's birth name.
The Likelihood of Starkiller Showing Up in Ahsoka
Fans have been incredibly vocal about their love for Starkiller and their desire for him to be canonized for years now, and Disney and Lucasfilm are likely fully aware of it all. With modern Star Wars slowly starting to canonize more and more Legends content, such as Thrawn appearing in Star Wars Rebels and this upcoming Ahsoka show, the likelihood of Starkiller actually showing up isn't small. Though Sam Witwer hasn't played Starkiller since 2010, he has continued to voice characters throughout the Star Wars universe, most notably as The Clone Wars' Darth Maul, meaning that he'd probably be willing to return as Starkiller if Disney asked him to.
But the big spanner in the works here is that the Ahsoka show is already biting off a lot, potentially already much more than it can chew. Thrawn is making his live-action debut in Ahsoka, and along with the rest of the Star Wars Rebels crew, that's a lot of fan-service right out of the gate. Adding Starkiller into the mix might just push things a bit too far for the show.
Star Wars: Ahsoka will premiere on Disney Plus on August 23, 2023.