Marlowe San Tekka

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"Generally, we like to keep our trade secrets confidential, but there are lives on the line."

―Marlowe San Tekka, in the wake of the Great Disaster^[1]

Marlowe San Tekka was a human male who was the scion of the San Tekka clan, a family that helped chart new paths through hyperspace for the Galactic Republic and achieved great wealth from doing so. He lived during the High Republic Era and resided in a compound on the planet Naboo alongside his husband Vellis.

In 232 BBY, Jedi Master Avar Kriss and Jedi Knight Elzar Mann visted them at their compound and requested that they use their expertise of hyperspace to help the Republic in the aftermath of a devastating tragedy known as the Great Hyperspace Disaster and the resulting Emergences of debris into realspace at near-lightspeed across the galaxy. By suppling aid and resources to Keven Tarr, a young systems analyst who successfully created a machine that could predict when and where new incidents would occur, the San Tekkas helped save countless lives. Despite his help to the Republic, San Tekka was not without his secrets and kept certain information related to the mysteries of hyperspace known to only himself and his husband.

Biography[]

Early life[]

"If you want to know about hyperspace, I have the people you should talk to."

―Izzet Noor on the San Tekkas^[1]

Born into a clan that earned a great fortune through hyperspace prospecting, the human male Marlowe San Tekka inherited considerable wealth. His clan owed much of its success to Mari San Tekka, a member of the family who developed an ability to sense routes through hyperspace known as Paths. Mari, however, was eventually kidnapped by members of a criminal family, leaving the San Tekkas without their greatest tool. Nevertheless, they continued to provide support to the Galactic Republic for many years; Marlowe became good friends with senator Izzet Noor of Serenno and eventually married a man named Vellis, welcoming a new addition into his influential family. The two lived together in a compound on the planet Naboo, continuing to study the mysteries of hyperspace.^[1]

The Great Disaster[]

"Our working theory is that it encountered something in the hyperspace lane, and it tried to avoid running into it."
"Impossible. I just told you. Hyperspace doesn't work that way."

―Elzar Mann offers an explanation to the Great Disaster that Marlowe San Tekka refuses to accept^[1]

CoSWTHR Predicting Emergences — Marlowe San Tekka and his husband predict the emergences.

In 232 BBY,^[5] the Class A modular freight transport Legacy Run was destroyed in hyperspace, sending debris hurtling towards the Hetzal system in an event known as the Great Hyperspace Disaster. Although intervention by the Jedi Order ensured that the system and its most populous planet, Hetzal Prime, survived the incident, wreckage of the Legacy Run continued to appear across the galaxy in phenomena referred to as Emergences, forcing travel restrictions and closures. Hoping to learn more about the Disaster, Jedi Knights Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann sought out Marlowe and Vellis on Senator Noor's recommendation, meeting with them in their Naboo home. The San Tekkas agreed to supply several of their navulators and modeling tools to Keven Tarr, a Hetzalian systems analyst who hoped to find a way to predict upcoming Emergences. Seeking further answers, Mann presented a Republic theory to the San Tekkas that the Legacy Run had come into contact with another object in hyperspace, a hypothesis that Marlowe denied outright as an impossibility. He claimed that hyperspace simply could not work in such a way, and instead offered up the idea that a mutiny aboard the transport had led to the incident. Although Mann continued to push the issue, both Marlowe and his husband remained steadfast in their claims, and the Jedi departed soon after.^[1]

The two men had lied, however, and privately confessed worries to each other their suspicions that Mari San Tekka was somehow involved in the tragedy, despite Marlowe's belief that she should have been long dead by that point. In truth, the elderly woman had indeed survived, kept alive by Marchion Ro, a member of the Nihil marauders who had purposefully ordered a Stormship to travel through the Legacy Run's path to cause the disaster.^[1]

Emergences aid[]

"We believe this was a tragic fluke, Chancellor. We do not think there is an overarching issue with hyperspace. However, this suggests the Nihil have an understanding of hyperspace that is at best unique and at worst hugely dangerous. That should be investigated, and quickly."

―San Tekka, speaking on the Great Disaster^[1]

The San Tekkas later traveled to Hetzal's Rooted Moon to see what Tarr had constructed with their people's help: an array of navidroids that, with assistance from the Jedi, was successfully able to predict new Emergences. In one such event, the Republic was able to obtain the Legacy Run's flight recorder, which proved that the freighter had not been alone in hyperspace. When consulted by Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, Marlowe maintained his position that the event was nothing more than a freak accident, but admitted that the Nihil's unique understanding of hyperspace travel posed dangerous implications, suggesting it be investigated immediately.^[1]

Acting on this information, Republic Defense Coalition forces along with Jedi aid engaged the Nihil at the Battle of Kur. Although losses were great on both sides, Chancellor Soh was satisfied with the outcome and soon after reopened hyperspace lanes across the galaxy. Marchion Ro survived the battle, however, as did Marlowe's kin Mari. In the aftermath of the conflict, the San Tekkas hired Keven Tarr, bringing him aboard to work in their interests.^[1]

At some point by 231 BBY,^[6] Marlowe and his husband became very involved in the Church of the Force, a religion that had grown in popularity on Naboo^[7] and had long-standing connections with the San Tekka clan.^[8] They mentioned it in passing to their niece, Jordanna Sparkburn, around 231 BBY when she was making a situation report. She became fascinated with the idea of it and mentioned her uncles and their involvement with the religion while discussing why people join organizations such as the Nihil and the Jedi Order with her ex-girlfriend, Sylvestri Yarrow.^[7]

Legacy[]

"So if you ever need to find someone, something, or somewhere in the galaxy, you better find a San Tekka."

―A commentary on the San Teka clan^[9]

In the centuries that followed, a descendant of Marlowe, Lor San Tekka,^[9] made a name for himself as an explorer, joining the Church of the Force and becoming an ally of the New Republic, Resistance, and^[10] Jedi Master^[11] Luke Skywalker, who he helped Leia Organa locate when the Jedi went missing.^[10]

Personality and traits[]

"As we said, it is an honor and a privilege to assist the Jedi and the Republic with anything you might need."

―San Tekka, to Avar Kriss^[1]

Marlowe was a pale human with blond hair and blue eyes, much like his husband, though where Vellis's facial features were sharp and angular, Marlowe's were softer. A man of privilege and wealth, Marlowe maintained a life of relative opulence, which allowed him to operate with a relaxed air in his business. He was friends with Izzet Noor, and was always willing to do the senator a favor. Although he considered it an honor to welcome Jedi into his home, he preferred to keep the secrets of his family private and withheld certain facts from them, going so far as to lie before them. Nevertheless, he and his husband could not stand idle as people suffered throughout the galaxy in the wake of the Great Disaster, and offered significant help to the Republic. Although Jedi Master Avar Kriss recognized that both Marlowe and Vellis had kept information away from the Jedi, she viewed their contributions to the Emergences task force as sincere and generous.^[1]

Skills and abilities[]

"They're an odd bunch, but no one knows more about hyperspace than they do."

―Izzet Noor, referring to Marlowe and the San Tekkas^[1]

Like many members of his family, Marlowe was considered a top mind in the field of hyperspace and was renowned for his knowledge on the subject. He was able to discreetly communicate with his husband Vellis, wordlessly passing thoughts and information between each other that even Jedi Master Kriss could not detect. They routinely made use of this skill when dealing in business with others.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"Overseen by scions Marlon and Vellis San Tekka, the [San Tekka] clan operates in close conjunction with the Republic, and becomes crucial to its response to the Great Disaster."

―Charles Soule^[3]

Marlowe San Tekka appeared in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.^[1] He was first mentioned in a StarWars.com article that contained an interview with Soule, in which he identified Marlowe as "Marlon."^[3]