Star Wars has learned from its mistakes regarding Ahsoka’s mysterious Inquisitor, Marrok, and Jude Law’s character is concerned. Star Wars is, for better or worse, a franchise built on nostalgia and mystery. Since it was revealed that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father and Leia Organa was Luke’s long-lost twin sister, Star Wars’ storytelling has reveled in introducing characters with mysterious identities and backstories and making audiences theorize about their connections to other pivotal characters.

This has, arguably, become even more pronounced since the Star Wars live-action shows launched on Disney+. Who saved Grogu during Order 66, and how could they be connected to Pé Amidala? Which famous Sith Lord wore that menacing mask in The Acolyte? When did Baylan Skoll meet Anakin Skywalker? While some of these questions genuinely pushed the story forward, the hype and myth surrounding other character mysteries sometimes overshadowed the audience’s need for narrative answers. Nowhere was this more detrimental to the viewer’s experience than in Ahsoka.

Marrok Was A Huge Disappointment For Star Wars Viewers

Star Wars introduced a new, unknown Inquisitor in Ahsoka. The Inquisitor Marrok wore a helmet that looked like the helmet of another Inquisitor but wasn’t entirely similar, and they were given an individual character poster in the lead-up to the show’s premiere, making audiences believe that they would have a substantial role to play. Fans – and we here at Screen Rant – theorized he might be Ezra Bridger turned to the dark side, Darth Vader’s long-lost Legends apprentice Starkiller, or Ahsoka Tano’s Clone Wars-era frenemy, Barriss Offee.

In the end, Marrok was none of these things – he wasn’t even fully formed. Lady Morgan Elsbeth, a powerful Nightsister Witch, essentially resurrected Marrok, whomever he may have been in a past life, and he vanished into thin air halfway through the show in a burst of green magical smoke. His name and brief character arc were references to an old Arthurian legend, and that’s all he needed to be.

Not every person introduced in Star Wars needs to be tied to some larger destiny or pivotal story arc. That would be unsustainable and, quite frankly, exhausting.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a character just being a random, one-off character. Not every person introduced in Star Wars needs to be tied to some larger destiny or pivotal story arc. That would be unsustainable and, quite frankly, exhausting. But there’s no denying that Star Wars made a mistake in building and feeding off the hype of Marrok’s mysterious identity. Though it would have been strange for Marrok to be Ezra or Starkiller, audiences still understandably felt cheated or let down when he turned out to be no one.

Star Wars Set Up "Captain Silvo" As An Obvious Mystery Character

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s opening scene sets up the pirate Captain Silvo as one of the franchise’s trademark mystery characters. He wore a helmet, his voice was somewhat modified, and he felt important to the overarching story. Was that Jude Law beneath the mask? Was Star Wars trying to trick us once more?

As it turns out, no. aka “Crimson Jack.” That doesn’t mean there aren’t any other mysteries left to unravel where Law’s character is concerned– can he truly use the Force? What is his real name? – but at the very least, audiences won’t be overly focused on discovering who he is. They can focus on the story and how the kids will get back to the safety of their lost home planet instead.

Is Jude Law's Mystery Pirate Really A Red Herring?

Of course, Jude Law’s supposed identity being confirmed so early on doesn’t mean Skeleton Crew doesn’t have another mystery up its sleeve; in fact, it has a bigger, more important mystery to contend with, one that could unravel the secrets of the Star Wars galaxy. Jude Law’s pirate was just a red herring – the real meat of the story is At Attin’s role in both the Republic’s and even the Sith’s history.

This is so much more exciting. Characters come and go. They may be a pivotal part of narrative storytelling, but they’re also fleeting, trapped inside the confines of their character arcs. The mystery of At Attin could have a broader impact on the galaxy and the franchise, blowing Skeleton Crew’s arc wide open.

Skeleton Crew’s adventurous spirit and galaxy-altering mystery are exactly what the franchise needs.

With Skeleton Crew, it seems Star Wars has learned that you can’t hinge an entire story on the identity of one character. There needs to be something more that draws audiences in and keeps them invested, and Skeleton Crew’s adventurous spirit and galaxy-altering mystery are exactly what the franchise needs. There is nothing inherently wrong with introducing mysterious characters and having them be connected to the Jedi or the Sith or whatever other faction rules Star Wars’ storytelling, but characters aren’t everything. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew proves that Star Wars has realized the plot is just as important in these TV shows, if not more so.

New episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew release Tuesdays exclusively on Disney+.