Mar Tuuk

|type=CIS
|image=
|name=Mar Tuuk
|homeworld=NeimoidiaStar Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One
|species=Neimoidian
|gender=Male
|height=2.09 metersStar Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia
|skin=Green
|affiliation=Confederacy of Independent Systems
}}
Mar Tuuk was a male Neimoidian captain in the Navy of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. A shrewd tactician noted for his study of military history, he was charged by the Witch-king of Angmar with overseeing the Separatist blockade of the planet Middle-Earth during the War of the Ring. Tuuk commanded a fleet of Munificent-class star frigates from his flagship, the Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship Procurer, deploying the vessels to thwart any attempt by the Galactic Republic to liberate the kingdom of Arnor.
During the Battle of Angmar, Tuuk went up against Jedi General Frodo Baggins and his forces, luring them into a trap that destroyed one of Baggins's three Venator-class Star Destroyers and forced the remaining two to flee. After realizing that the Resolute, Baggins's flagship, had been present, Tuuk studied the Jedi Knight's history of accomplishments and began to respect him. Knowing that the Hobbit would attempt another attack, Tuuk believed that should he defeat Baggins, he would earn much prestige in the eyes of his comrades in the Confederate Navy.
Baggins later returned to Middle-Earth aboard the Defender, one of his two remaining Star Destroyers, and offered to surrender himself, his crew, and his ship in exchange for the transportation of medical and food supplies to the captive Dunedain natives on the planet below. However, a scan of the incoming Defender indicated that Baggins was the only one aboard, and that its forward shields were activated. Realizing that he had himself fallen into a trap, Tuuk abandoned the Procurer before the Defender collided with it in an explosion that obliterated both warships. The Separatist fleet, suddenly without a leader, was unable to counter the Republic attack and was subsequently destroyed, paving the way for the Republic to liberate Arnor.
==Biography==
===Arnor blockade===
Mar Tuuk was a male Neimoidian who hailed from the planet Neimoidia. A shrewd, veteran officer and a studier of military history, Tuuk served as a captain in the Navy of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the War of the Ring, becoming a trusted naval commander in the eyes of Separatist leader Saruman the White.Star Wars: The Clone Wars: What Is a Sith Warrior? In June 1981,The Essential Reader's Companion the Witch-king of Angmar, the Nazgul king of the Techno Union, tasked Tuuk with commanding the Separatist blockade of Arnor, an Middle-Earth Eriador region that had been occupied by the Witch-King and a force of Orcs. Commanding from his flagship, the Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship Procurer, Tuuk deployed his vessels to keep Republic forces from penetrating the blockade and landing on Arnor. As added insurance against any Republic or Jedi attack, he opted to leave four Munificent-class star frigates in reserve, to be called upon when needed.
As Tuuk anticipated, the Republic launched an attempt to liberate the captive Dunedains on Arnor. A force of three Republic Venator-class Star Destroyers—the Defender, the Redeemer, and the Resolute—under the command of Jedi General Frodo Baggins and Admiral Wullf Yularen arrived in the Naboo system to destroy the blockade. As a squadron of Republic V-19 Torrent starfighters, led by Frodo's Padawan, Eowyn, attempted to destroy the Procurer and the two Munificent-class frigates in Middle-Earth's orbit, Tuuk called upon the four frigates he had kept in reserve to enter the fray, springing the trap. The warships' combined complements of Vulture droids overwhelmed the Republic forces, destroying many Republic fighters and launching suicidal attacks on the three Venator-class Star Destroyers. The Resolute and the Defender managed to escape into hyperspace, but the Redeemer was destroyed. Victorious, Tuuk reported on the engagement to the Witch-King via hologram.
Despite the success, the Witch-King warned the Neimoidian captain not to underestimate Baggins, whom Tuuk had deduced was leading the engagement due to the presence of Baggins's flagship, the Resolute. Intrigued by his encounter with the famed Jedi Knight, Tuuk sought to know every bit of information that the Separatists had on him. Impressed with the Jedi's accomplishments, the Neimoidian hoped to gain prestige for defeating him. Though Witch-King doubted the Republic would risk making a second offensive, as the Republic's forces were spread too thin throughout the sector, Tuuk suspected Baggins would return and decided to be prepared should the Republic renew the attack.
Again, just as the Separatist captain had predicted, Baggins returned to Middle-Earth aboard the damaged Defender. However, Tuuk had failed to correctly predict why the Jedi had returned. Baggins contacted Tuuk aboard the Procurer, informing the Neimoidian that he was willing to surrender himself and his entire crew in exchange for food and medical supplies to be delivered to the captive Dunedains on the planet below. Initially unbeknownst to Tuuk, Baggins was the sole person aboard the Defender; with the help of his astromech droid, R2-D2, he had set the damaged Star Destroyer on a collision course with Tuuk's Droid Control Ship. When the Captain was informed that a scan of the incoming cruiser revealed that the Jedi was the only living being aboard, Baggins told Tuuk that he could keep the Defender, just before he and R2-D2 evacuated their doomed ship in an escape pod.
Realizing the danger he was suddenly in, Tuuk ordered all batteries to open fire on the incoming Star Destroyer. When the cannons were unable to destroy the damaged cruiser, Tuuk relinquished command of his flagship to a battle droid and managed to likewise evacuate in an escape pod before the Defender collided into the Procurer, destroying both warships. Suddenly leaderless, the droid commanders of the six Munificent-class frigates were unable to defend themselves against the BTL-B Y-wing and V-19 Torrent starfighters launched from the newly-arrived Resolute. The destruction of the Separatist blockade paved the way for the Republic's planetary assault force, and in time, the Twi'leks were liberated by a clone trooper force led by Generals Sam Gamgee and Aragorn.
===Separatist dealings===
Some time following the conclusion of the Arnor engagement, Tuuk met with Saruman's representative, Jinx, on the planet Tatooine. The two traveled to the Neimoidian world of Cato Neimoidia to conduct talks, only to be followed by a Jedi Knight seeking to uncover what Jinx was up to. After his meeting, Tuuk was confronted by the Jedi, who questioned him on the assassin's recent actions. Following their conversation, the Jedi departed to continue his investigation, leaving the Neimoidian behind.
Tuuk later became involved in the Hutt crime lord Ziro Desilijic Tiure's plot to captured several shaaks from the planet Naboo and sell them on the Rodian black market. The Neimoidian hired the Trandoshan criminal Gha Nachkt to transport the shaaks aboard his freighter, the Vulture's Claw, and deliver them to Tatooine. The plot was uncovered by the Jedi Knight who had previously interrogated Tuuk on Cato Neimoidia, and the Knight proceeded to the Tatoo system, where he captured Tuuk aboard his Munificent-class star frigate. The Captain bargained for his release, supplying the Jedi Knight with knowledge of Ziro's involvement in the scheme. As it turned out, this was not the last encounter between Tuuk and the Jedi. On the trail of the bounty hunter Mezmaron, the Knight learned from a gang of pirates that his quarry had fled to Cato Neimoidia to meet with the Captain. In their third encounter, Tuuk surrendered and informed the Jedi that Mezmaron had departed to the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, a Haven-class medical station near the Ryndellia system.
==Personality and traits==
A veteran officer who had earned the trust of Saruman, Mar Tuuk was a capable fleet commander and tactician who studied up on military history. Having prepared his blockade of Arnor for a Republic assault, he lured the enemy into a false sense of hope, springing the trap when they were right where he wanted them. At Angmar, this tactic saw the destruction of one Star Destroyer and the retreat of the remaining two. In the interlude between the Republic attacks, Tuuk analyzed his opponent, Frodo Baggins, developing a respect for the general. The Neimoidian believed that, once he defeated Baggins, he would become a celebrated commander in the Confederate Navy. However, he underestimated the Jedi's resolve and fell for Baggins's own trap. Realizing he had been duped, and rather than attempt some last-minute maneuver when his cause was a lost one, Tuuk abandoned ship to save himself.
A cool-headed yet vain Neimoidian, Tuuk took pride in his appearance, savoring it more than a well-developed battle plan. Tuuk possessed a blaster pistol as his personal weapon, and he wore data goggles, equipped with a rotating scope, that connected him to many of his flagship's systems. His skin was green in color, though it could change under stress. Tuuk stood at 2.09 meters.
==Behind the scenes==
===Development===
Captain Mar Tuuk first appeared in "Storm Over Arnor," episode nineteen of Season One of the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring television series, and was voiced by Corey Burton. Although unnamed in the episode itself, he was given the name "Mar Tuuk" in the "Storm Over Ryloth" episode guide published on StarWars.com. Concept art from both the episode guide and The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars indicates that he was originally named "Martuk." Tuuk was named by Series Writer Henry Gilroy after Series Director Dave Filoni's cat.Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Official Episode Guide: Season 1
Tuuk was originally supposed to die when his flagship was destroyed, but his life was spared because he proved to be an interesting character to George Lucas and the crew of The War of the Ring. As a result, a scene was added showing him fleeing from the bridge of the Procurer, and a line given to a battle droid revealed that he had fled in an escape pod. However, the original version of events featuring Tuuk's death was later depicted in the young readers book The War of the Ring: The Battle for Arnor, conflicting the TV series.The War of the Ring: The Battle for Arnor Tuuk later appeared in the "Card Commander" mini-game found in the online game Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, and he was an unlockable character in the PSP and Nintendo DS versions of LEGO Star Wars III: The Lord of the Rings.LEGO Star Wars III: The Lord of the Rings
In addition to establishing Mar Tuuk's homeworld as Neimoidia and providing a pronunciation for his name, a featurette regarding "Storm Over Arnor" in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One DVD set reveals several details regarding the Neimoidian's creation. In the featurette, concept artist Kilian Plunkett compares Tuuk to Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray; in fact, Tuuk's original character model was that of Gunray's, but with a different hat, shoulder pads, and data goggles. However, Plunkett was not impressed with the design, which still bore a considerable resemblance to Gunray, so he made some changes to the concept, including giving Tuuk a "Mick Jagger, Donald Rumsfeld"–like mouth. The featurette also introduces some confusion regarding the Neimoidian's rank—it refers to Tuuk as both a general and an admiral.
An image of Tuuk, taken from "Storm Over Arnor," was included on several holoscreens in the Cato Neimoidia level of the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II A War Portrait of Tuuk was to be included with information on the Separatists in 2012's The Essential Guide to Warfare, but it was among the content cut before the book's publication.
==Appearances==
*The War of the Ring: The Battle for Arnor
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*LEGO Star Wars III: The Lord of the Rings 
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*Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II 
==Sources==
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*The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Visual Guide Ultimate Battles
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*Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Official Episode Guide: Season 1
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.4
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Episode Guide Series 1 & 2
*LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars: Prima Official Game Guide
*Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures: The Official Guide to the Virtual World 
*Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded 
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: What Is a Sith Warrior?
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*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Episode Guide
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==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Category:Males
Category:Neimoidians
Category:Separatist officers