One “Rare” Star Wars Force Power Is Becoming Absurdly Common

Star Wars has introduced many Force powers in the franchise’s nearly five full decades. Although powers like Force choke and the Jedi mind trick have been a part of Star Wars movies and TV shows since the original trilogy, Force abilities, like lightsabers, have grown and expanded exponentially. Among the newer powers, some are considerably more common than others (despite when they were introduced in the franchise). For example, the powers from Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s Force Dyad were incredibly rare, many of which never seen before.

By contrast, the prequel trilogy introduced abilities such as Anakin Skywalker’s natural aptitude with technology, and while that might not be a skill every Jedi exhibits, it was far from earth-shattering when it was introduced. However, there is one Force power, called psychometry, that was very rarely seen; in fact, it only had its first canon appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, when Jedi Quinlan Vos used the power. Since then, it has had other canon appearances, which have taken a once incredibly rare power and made it almost common.

Marrok Uses Psychometry In Maul – Shadow Lord

Psychometry is an unusual Force power that allows the user to interact with an object and learn more about its history, at times essentially experiencing what the object previously experienced. As mentioned, the first canon usage of psychometry was by Quinlan Vos in The Clone Wars. The next on screen appearance was several years later, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is likely the usage that audiences are most familiar with. In that movie, Rey holds Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber and immediately is thrown into a series of memories connected to the weapon.

Additional psychometry users have included Jedi Cal Kestis—who hasn’t yet appeared in a movie or show but is very popular due to his role in both Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, two of Star Wars’ canon video games—and Ahsoka Tano. Regarding the latter, in the Ahsoka show, Ahsoka held the Star Map and was able to effectively experience what had happened to it before. Clearly, this power has grown ever more present on screen, and now, yet another user has been added to the list.

Specifically, in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, the Imperial Inquisitor named Marrok was shown using the power—or, at least, a degree of the power. In episode 5, Marrok touches lightsaber burns following a duel between Maul, Devon and Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki and is able to hear sounds of the battle. While it’s not a full-blown immersive memory such as the one that Rey experienced in The Force Awakens, this heavily hints that this is indeed the power that Marrok is using.

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This Force Power Is No Longer Incredibly Rare

Marrok using psychometry arguably means that the power can no longer be considered rare in Star Wars, but that isn’t just because this represents one more character who can wield this power. While the sheer number of characters who have the ability is a factor in the rarity of psychometry, Marrok’s usage represents a different issue entirely. Marrok, unlike Quinlan, Rey, Ahsoka, and Cal, isn’t a Jedi. Previously, while this didn’t necessarily seem like an exclusively light side of the Force ability, it did feel like something that required immense power.

Granted, Rey wasn’t yet a Jedi when she used psychometry in The Force Awakens, but Rey, for better or worse, is in many ways an exception to quite a few Star Wars rules. Even so, Rey was shown to be incredibly powerful, including early on. Having an Inquisitor using psychometry undercuts that rarity and the sense that it would typically take considerable power and training to be able to use it.

Is Star Wars Running Out Of New Tricks?

The revelation that Marrok is very likely using psychometry isn’t the only aspect of Maul – Shadow Lord that has raised some eyebrows about whether Star Wars is relying too heavily on what has already worked. While the show is (rightfully) very popular and generally has been well-received, it is noteworthy that the show centers on a character who has now been a Star Wars staple since 1999. What’s more, Star Wars has already revealed itself to have issues with new ideas, such as with Palpatine’s infamous return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The appearance of psychometry in Maul – Shadow Lord certainly doesn’t mean Star Wars is doomed. If anything, Shadow Lord has felt like a refreshing addition to the franchise—a win that it very badly needed right now. Nevertheless, it seems the show has taken yet another Star Wars concept from unique and rare to a lot more common than audiences thought.

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