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| “ | I've spent years... waiting for a chance to avenge my sisters. I'm finished waiting. I wish to fight by your side. Nightsisters and Jedi do not travel together but... survivors. We adapt. | „ |
| ~ Merrin asking to join Cal Kestis' crew. |
| “ | I was only a child when they attacked. An armored warrior brandishing this descended upon us... and cut down my people. My sisters. Until I was left alone... with the dead. | „ |
| ~ Merrin describing the massacre during the Clone Wars. |
Merrin is a supporting character in the 2019 science fantasy action-adventure video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the deuteragonist of its 2023 spin-off novel Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars, and one of the two deuteragonists (along with BD-1) of its 2023 sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Merrin was a Nightsister of Dathomir who survived her clan's extermination at the hands of General Grievous and the Separatist Military during the Clone Wars. While living alone in the ruins of her home, Merrin met the fallen Jedi Master Taron Malicos who manipulated her into believing the Jedi were responsible for the massacre of her people. As a result, Merrin swore vengeance against the Jedi and used her hatred to bury her pain.
A few years into the Imperial Era, a young Jedi named Cal Kestis came to Dathomir seeking an artefact that could help him find a Jedi holocron. Initially hostile to the Jedi, Kestis was able to convince Merrin that Malicos had lied to her and that they shared similar trauma, as members of the Jedi Order had also been massacred to the point of extinction. Sister Merrin subsequently helped Kestis defeat Malicos, after which she joined his crew aboard the starship the "Stinger Mantis."
Merrin returns in Survivor after years of traveling on her own, helping Cal on his journey to find the planet Tanalorr. Playing a larger role than in Fallen Order, Merrin accompanies Cal during missions on Jedha, Nova Garon and Tanalorr itself; As Merrin and Cal grow closer, they begin a romantic relationship with each other.
She is portrayed by Tina Ivlev.
History[]
Background[]
Merrin was a Force-sensitive Zabrak born around 33-31 BBY on the planet Dathomir, during the final years of the democratic Galactic Republic's reign over much of the known galaxy. Dathomir was a remote world with a minacious ecosystem where the dark side of the Force held a strong presence. The planet was ruled over by Nightsisters, clans of Zabrak women who wielded the dark side of the Force to create "magick." With their magick, the Nightsisters presided over the Nightbrothers, the planet's male Zabrak population. Merrin was born into a clan of Nightsisters led by a powerful witch named Mother Talzin.
Like all Nightsisters, Merrin was raised by the elders of the clan and was taught how to use magick growing up. She was close with one of her fellow Nightsisters, named Ilyana, and hoped that they would be together when they reached adulthood. However, tragedy struck in the year 20 BBY, during the Clone Wars. The Clone Wars was a galactic-spanning conflict between the Republic and a successionist movement called the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Mother Talzin had earned the ire of Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatist Alliance, and so the Count sent Separatist forces led by General Grievous to wipe out Merrin's clan.
Merrin, still only a child, witnessed her beloved sisters being cut down by the lightsaber-wielding Grievous and massacred by the Separatist Droid Army. In the aftermath of the attack, Merrin believed that only she had survived. Merrin carried the burden of having to bury and mourn her sisters, including Ilyana, all alone. In 19 BBY, the following year, a ship crash landed on Dathomir. The occupant was Taron Malicos, a member of the Jedi Order, an order of Force-wielding peacekeepers who acted as guardians of the Republic.
Having become corrupted by the planet and disillusioned by his order, Malicos manipulated Merrin into teaching him Talzin's magick. During this time, Merrin was further manipulated by Malicos, who used her pain to make her believe the Jedi were behind the massacre. Wanting revenge against the Jedi, Merrin agreed to teach him magick so he could help her achieve her goals.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order[]
During the Imperial era, Merrin remained on Dathomir alongside Malicos, who had led the Nighbrothers astray after killing their leader Viscus. When Cal Kestis arrived to find the astrium, Merrin confronted him for his trespassing, and summoned Nightbrothers to kill him. Kestis continued on his quest before being confronted by Merrin once again, who resurrected her fallen sisters to finish him off. Merrin then watched Cal on his adventure until he met Malicos, who asked the Jedi to join him, much to her confusion. She confronted on his actions, and realizing his treachery, resurrected more of her sisters to kill them both. Cal was able to escape back on the Mantis, as Malicos retreated into Kujet's tomb.
Kestis soon returned after repairing his fallen master's lightsaber, and Merrin confronted him, learning from Cal that the Jedi were peace keepers and that Malicos has fallen. The two then shared their tragic pasts, and Merrin decided to work with him to deal with Malicos. She watched Cal fight Taron, and saved his life when he was nearly killed by the fallen Jedi. Upon his defeat, Merrin buried Malicos alive, thus ending the threat Taron was preparing. Following the battle, Merrin asked Cal if she could join the Mantis crew, and agreed to help him find the astrium since she realize that the Galactic Empire could attack Dathomir one day.
After obtaining the astrium, the Mantis crew returned to Bogano so Cal could retrieve the holocron, but he was confronted by the Second Sister. During the duel, the Second Sister stole the holocron from Kestis, who was unable to get after her due to relieving her memories. Returning to the Mantis, the crew then decided to head to Nurn's fortress to retrieve the holocron before the empire could train more inquisitors. Unable to get pass the empire's star destroyers, Merrin used her magick to cloak the Mantis to allow Cal and Cere to infiltrate the underwater facility. Cal and Cere were able to retrieve the holocron, but were attacked by Darth Vader during their escape. Merrin was able to save them and BD-1 when they near close to dying underwater, brining the Jedi back to the Mantis.
After escaping form the empire, Cal decided to destroy the holocron to prevent the likes of Darth Vader from torturing toe force-sensitive children to become inquisitors.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor[]
| “ | Cal... Look into the fire. It will warm you, keep you company on dark, lonesome nights, yes? But left unchecked, it will consume everything in its path... until there is only ash... ... But on a cold night - like tonight - a warm fire is perfect. And the company is not so bad either. | „ |
| ~ The years between games, the original emotionally unstable Merrin had acquired clarity. She used the analogy of fire to explain the folly in Cal's compulsion to constantly fight the Empire, but also offering comfort |
Unlike the first game, Merrin acts as a companion to Cal Kestis, often joining him on missions.
Sometime after the events of Fallen Order, the crew of the Mantis split apart, Merrin wanting to see the galaxy on her own terms, including visiting Dathomir.
Merrin first appears as Cal's guide when he arrives on Jedha, helping him reach an Anchorite base and fighting the Empire alongside him. During their journey through the desert, the two get caught in a sandstorm and find shelter in a cave, where they admit that they missed the other's company and share a tender moment before arriving at Cere's base. Merrin initially decides to remain on Jedha with Cere in order to help with her research.
Merrin decides to join Cal on a mission to the Anchorite safe house Pilgrim's Sanctuary when it is attacked by Imperial forces. Here, she gifts Cal a device that allows him to pass through barriers. When the two are cornered, she creates a portal that allows them to travel quickly. Merrin asks Cal if he trusts her, and when he confirms it, the two share a kiss before entering the portal.
After escaping, Merrin decides to permanently re-join the Mantis crew, consisting of Kestis, BD-1, Greez Dritus and Bode Akuna. A reluctant Cal is convinced by Bode to accept his feelings for the Nightsister before it's too late, and the two cement their feelings for the other on Jedha the night before they plan to head to the planet Tanalorr.
Following Bode's betrayal of Kestis by revealing their position to the Empire, Merrin helps Cere protect the base, although it proves to be futile as Cere is ultimately killed by Darth Vader.
Merrin and the Mantis crew head to the Nova Garon system in an attempt to retrieve a compass from Bode before Bode escapes. Merrin helps Cal, consumed by the Dark Side of the Force, fight off the overwhelming Imperial forces and convinces him to spare Lank Denvik's life after it is discovered Denvik sent Bode as a spy.
After Cal finds a way to Tanalorr, he and Merrin confront Bode on the planet's surface, ultimately defeating him in a duel. Following Bode's death, Merrin, Cal, Greez, BD-1 and Bode's daughter Kata hold a funeral pyre for Bode, Cere and Eno Cordova, who was killed by Bode on Jedha.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- The Force: Merrin was Force-sensitive, meaning she was capable of manipulating the enigmatic energy field that existed within all living things known as "the Force" to create various phenomena. The Nightsisters, including Merrin, all manipulated the dark side of the Force, that was fuelled by negative emotions, to use powerful Force techniques they collectively referred to as "Magick." Despite her relative young age, Merrin was a master at Nightsister Magick who had learned techniques only the most senior members of her clan were capable of.
- Invisibility: By coating herself in ichor, Merrin could render herself completely invisible to the naked eye or sensors. She could also cloak other objects or people in a similar way, though the larger the target the more difficult it was for her to cloak it. If she wanted to cloak something as large as a starship for instance, she required a totem ritual to draw additional power from. It was still possible for Merrin to be detected while cloaked if a person was alert enough.
- Teleportation: Merrin's abilities also allowed her to transport herself across short distances, disappearing and reappearing in a flash of green fire.
- Portal Conjuration: While on Jedha Merrin was able to conjure portals to help herself and Cal evade the Empire's powerful drill droid, doing so rapidly with little preparation.
- Reanimation: Merrin was capable of using her Nightsister Magick to reanimate the corpses of deceased Nightsisters to fight on her behalf in battle. Known as the "Chant of Resurrection," the spell could reanimate a large amount of Nightsisters at a time and could seemingly be used indefinitely, or at least until Merrin's hypothetical demise. The only previous known user of the spell was Daka, the most senior member of Mother Talzin's clan, and even then Daka could only use the Chant of Resurrection while actively maintaining it.
- Telekinesis: Through her force abilities, Merrin possessed the ability to move objects with her mind, showcasing these abilities to Cal after rejoining the Mantis crew in 9bby.
- Fire Conjuration: Merrin also possessed the ability to conjure green fire from her hands, being able to use it as a light source or a weapon depending on the circumstances.
Abilities[]
- Gifted Intellect/Expert Tactician/Expert Strategist: Merrin was a highly intelligent woman, being not only well educated in Nightsister Magic but also strategy and tactics, so much so that Cal was willing to follow her lead without hesitation when she suggested a plan to overcome the squads of Imperial soldiers they encountered on Jedha.
- Master hand-to-hand combatant: Merrin was shown to be a formidable fighter in unarmed combat and with weapons, easily dispatching a squad of Imperial soldiers when rendezvousing with Cal on Jedha, and assisting him in combat throughout his journey after rejoining the Mantis crew. She especially displayed immense skill at the ISB base in Nova Garon, where she fought her way through dozens of Imperial troops, including Purge troopers and Sentry droids, to rescue Cal. She was also skilled enough to assist Cal in fighting Bode Akuna on Tanalorr for a short time, before withdrawing to allow Cal to face the fallen Jedi alone.
- Weapon Mastery: Merrin showed herself to be exceptionally skilled in multiple weapons, notably a staff and knives.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Merrin was also introduced in Chicago for the Star Wars Celebration of 2019.
