Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian & Grogu
One of Star Wars’ coolest bounty hunters has always been Embo, the alien Kyuzo warrior who was first introduced in The Clone Wars before recently making his live-action debut in The Mandalorian & Grogu. A hunter of very few words, the alien words Embo does speak come from Lucasfilm head Dave Filoni himself, having created Embo’s voice by badly pronouncing a Smurfs comic written in French. Now, a mystery in The Mandalorian & Grogu could potentially lead to an all-new Embo story in the future.
Armed with his signature metal hat, bowcaster, and a variety of impressive weapons, Embo has always been joined by a loyal wolf-like companion. However, The Mandalorian & Grogu confirms that his anooba during the New Republic Era is not the same as the one he had during the Clone Wars.
Although previous canon materials imply that Embo’s first pet simply died of old age, new comments from Filoni suggest that there may be a lot more to the story, so much so that the door now feels open for a potential John Wick-esque Star Wars story at some point in the franchise’s future.
Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni Confirms He Has A Story For Marrok’s True Fate, Embo’s First Pet Anooba
In The Mandalorian & Grogu, Embo is hired by the Hutts known as the Twins to track down Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin after the Mandalorian refuses to hand over their nephew Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White). Joined by his pet anooba, Embo successfully captures Djarin, delivering him to the Hutts before later engaging in a memorable showdown, before ultimately retreating once his employers are out for the count.
However, Embo’s anooba was named Keibu in The Mandalorian & Grogu, rather than the original anooba the Kyuzo warrior had during the Clone Wars, who was named Marrok (not to be confused with the Imperial Inquisitor of the same name).
Interestingly, Dave Filoni gave some new insights on StarWars.com about the anooba change, as well as what might have happened to Marrok in the interim between the Clone Wars and the New Republic Era:
“I figured that Marrok was probably no longer around by the time of the film, so we gave Embo a new dog named Keibu…I did come up with a story about what happened to Marrok, so maybe one day we can share that somehow.”
All in all, this new reveal from Filoni is pretty significant. Had Marrok had simply died of old age, as suggested in the Aftermath novels, there would be little reason to keep the details a secret or tease some future story centered on Embo and his original wolf companion.
Instead, the fact that Filoni specifically mentions that he has a story that could one day be told certainly implies that something more substantial likely happened to Marrok (which would serve as a minor retcon).
A John Wick-Esque Star Wars Story For Embo Would Be Incredible
Considering Embo’s profession as one of the galaxy’s deadliest and most effective killers, it’s not difficult to imagine what kind of story Filoni likely has in mind. If Marrok were to be killed on a job, the stage would absolutely be set for a pretty familiar revenge story starring the Kyuzo hunter, resulting in a potential story not unlike the one seen at the beginning of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick franchise.
Lucasfilm’s animated anthology series could be the perfect vehicle. After Tales of the Jedi, Tales of the Empire, and Tales of the Underworld, a future Tales of the Bounty Hunters project could be the ideal project to finally reveal what happened to Marrok and explore a brand-new chapter of Embo’s bounty hunting career. At any rate, it will be very exciting to see how Filoni’s ideas for Embo and Marrok might come to light in the Star Wars franchise’s future.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is now playing in theaters from Lucasfilm.
- Release Date
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May 20, 2026
- Runtime
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132 minutes
- Writers
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Noah Kloor
- Producers
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Ian Bryce, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, Karen Gilchrist, John Bartnicki