| “ | You stay here! I'll be back. | „ |
| ~ Mar Tuuk's last words. |
Mar Tuuk is a major antagonist in the Ryloth arc of Season 1 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He is a a Neimoidian Captain that served the Confederacy during the Clone Wars.
He was voiced by Corey Burton, who also voiced San Hill, Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt, Whorm Loathsom, TX-20 and Cad Bane in the same series and Captain Hook in Peter Pan.
Biography
Ryloth Blockade
Mar Tuuk was a veteran naval officer that lead the Separatist blockade over the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth. He was charged by the Foreman of the Techno Union, Wat Tambor, to command the blockade to thwart any attempt by the Republic to liberate the planet.
Tuuk was a calculating captain and anticipated the Republic's counter attack and ordered four Separatist warships to surround the incoming fleet of the Republic and springing the trap he had laid. The trap was successful and Tuuk reported the win to Tambor via hologram, although Tambor knew that Anakin Skywalker was leading the fleet and warned Tuuk not to underestimate the Jedi. Tuuk later looked information of Skywalker up and came to respect Skywalker for all his achievements, but had no doubt that he could out-think the young Jedi.
After the Republic retreated on the first attack, Mar Tuuk predicted that the Jedi would return with his forces for another try and he was correct. Anakin made contact with Tuuk stating he was surrendering in exchange for food and medical supplies be delivered to the planet below, but Tuuk saw through the ruse. Nothing could have led Tuuk to guess that Anakin was really planning on flying the Jedi Cruiser into a collision course with the Neimoidian flagship. Tuuk ordered all batteries to open fire, but failed to destroy the damaged Cruiser that Anakin planned on sacrificing so the Republic can break through the blockade.
Mar Tuuk later told a battle droid to take command while he returns, but what Tuuk really did was evacuate the flagship in an escape pod before the Cruiser crashed into his ship. The blockade was eventually disbanded and the Republic forces were able to free the planet from the Separatists.
It is unknown what happened to him since he doesn't appear in subsequent episodes, though it can be assumed that he was captured by Republic forces and sent to prison afterwards.
Personality
Mar Tuuk was a capable fleet commander and a seasoned tactician. As the leader of the Separatist blockade at Ryloth, he carefully prepared for a Republic assault, setting a trap to lure the enemy into a false sense of hope before springing it. His strategy initially succeeded, resulting in the destruction of one Republic Star Destroyer and forcing the retreat of the remaining two.
Tuuk had studied his opponent, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, and developed a certain respect for the formidable leader. Confident in his own abilities, Tuuk believed that defeating Skywalker would cement his status as a celebrated commander in the Confederate Navy. However, he underestimated the Jedi's resilience. When Skywalker executed a cunning maneuver—ramming one of his damaged Venator-class Star Destroyers, the Defender, into Tuuk’s command ship—Tuuk realized he had been outwitted. In that moment, rather than attempt a desperate counterattack, he chose to abandon ship and save himself, a decision driven by his innate cowardice, common among many Neimoidians.
Though skilled in the art of war, Tuuk's vanity often overshadowed his strategic focus. A cool-headed but prideful individual, he took greater satisfaction in his appearance than in the finer points of battle planning.
Trivia
- Originally, Mar Tuuk was going to be killed off, but Dave Filoni decided to spare him as he believed that he would be an interesting character. Although he escaped, his escape wasn't shown onscreen, but it was mentioned by a battle droid commander in one of the Separatist frigates.
- While cowardly like many of his species, especially Nute Gunray, Mar Tuuk is surprisingly capable one. He is able to anticipate most of what his opposition will do, and makes an effort to know his enemy by learning all he can about Anakin.
