Mar Tuuk was a male Neimoidian who held the captain's rank within the Confederacy of Independent Systems' navy during the Clone Wars conflict. Coming from the Colonies planet of Neimoidia, Tuuk was given the responsibility of commanding a Separatist blockade over the beleaguered world of Ryloth in the war's first year, after he achieved victory against the Galactic Republic's supply fleet under the command of Admiral Dao. Later, in 21 BBY, while in command of a Lucrehulk-class battleship, the Neimoidian's fleet of Munificent-class star frigates was unexpectedly attacked by a Republic task force led by Jedi General Anakin Skywalker—whom Tuuk respected as a military officer—who had been ordered to break Tuuk's blockade so that the Republic could free the Twi'lek home planet.
During the battles in Ryloth's orbit, the Neimoidian captain managed to trick Skywalker and his forces, resulting in the loss of one of the Jedi's three Venator-class Star Destroyers, after Separatist reinforcements arrived. Shortly after the Republic was forced to retreat, Tuuk discovered that his opponent was in charge of the Resolute, Skywalker's flagship, and upon learning who he was up against, he ordered his fleet to return to their defensive positions, knowing that Skywalker would be back. As he had anticipated, Skywalker did return aboard the heavily damaged Venator-class Star Destroyer Defender, falsely offering to surrender to the Neimoidian. Despite Skywalker's deception, Tuuk fell for the Jedi's trick as the Defender proceeded to crash into and destroy the Neimoidian's flagship, but not before the captain escaped his command ship, allowing the Resolute to return to the star system and destroy the remaining frigates.
Mar Tuuk, a male Neimoidian originating from the world of Neimoidia within the Colonies region of the galaxy, served as a captain in the Confederacy of Independent Systems' naval forces during the Clone Wars against the Galactic Republic. When the Confederacy and its military, under the leadership of Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor, invaded the Outer Rim planet Ryloth during the war's initial year, Tuuk was appointed as the officer in charge of the Confederacy's planetary blockade, leading a group of six Munificent-class frigates from a single Lucrehulk-class battleship. In the early stages of the Confederacy's campaign, the Neimoidian captain's fleet engaged a Republic supply fleet commanded by Admiral Dao in battle, while the Separatist Droid Army fought against a small garrison of clone troopers led by Jedi General Ima-Gun Di on the planet's surface.
During the engagement, Tuuk's forces managed to bring Dao's fleet to a critical point in orbit, leaving them with dwindling supplies of fuel and ammunition, while the troops below fought against the droid army with their last reserves. Despite Tuuk's successes, the Republic admiral sent a message to the Jedi High Council on the Republic capital world of Coruscant, requesting immediate assistance for Ryloth. However, as Dao delivered his message, the Neimoidian's forces destroyed the first of his Venator-class Star Destroyers, with his flagship following soon after as the Separatist blockade disabled their defensive shielding and main reactor.
As a result of Tuuk's victory over Dao's fleet, the Neimoidian returned his fleet to a blockade formation as the droid army eliminated the remaining Republic forces on the surface. However, shortly after their victory and the subsequent occupation of Ryloth, a small group of three Republic Pelta-class frigates dispatched from the nearby planet Toydaria arrived in the planet's atmosphere and successfully broke through Tuuk's blockade. From there, they delivered food and medical supplies to the starving Twi'lek population on the surface.
Following the Confederacy's occupation of Ryloth, in 21 BBY, the Republic sent a task force of three Venator-class Star Destroyers, namely the Resolute, Defender, and Redeemer, under the leadership of Jedi General Anakin Skywalker. The fleet was assigned the task of breaking through Tuuk's blockade to allow the safe landing of a Republic invasion force led by Jedi Generals Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi. As the Republic planned their attack, Tuuk, anticipating an assault on his blockade, set a trap by positioning four of his Munificent-class star frigates away from the Ryloth system to surprise any attacking forces. Before Skywalker's fleet arrived, Tuuk consulted with Emir Tambor, who questioned the preparedness of both the captain and his fleet for the upcoming conflict. Confident in his forces' strength, the Neimoidian expressed assurance in the blockade, adding that the Republic forces would be caught off guard by the trap he had set. Ready for battle, Skywalker's fleet entered the star system and deployed the V-19 Torrent starfighters of Blue Squadron, led by Skywalker's Padawan, Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, against the blockade. In response, Tuuk ordered squadrons of Vulture-class droid starfighters to defend against the attacking starfighters.
Commanding from the Resolute, his flagship, Skywalker remained back with the Defender and the Redeemer to provide support fire for their starfighters. Tuuk, examining the Republic warships, learned that the Resolute was Skywalker's flagship and realized who his opponent was. As a result, upon being alerted by a B1-series battle droid to the quickly approaching Blue Squadron, the Neimoidian instructed his bridge crew to remain patient, awaiting Skywalker to reveal his attack strategy before employing countermeasures. Soon thereafter, though, with the Republic's starfighters on a clear approach to his command ship, Tuuk ordered the four away frigates, including Battlecruisers 17 and 19, to reinforce the blockade and assume their attack positions. The ships emerged from hyperspace, catching the Republic forces off guard.
With the Republic lured into his trap, Tuuk began to put pressure on Skywalker's fleet, as the Jedi Knight's Star Destroyers suffered a series of suicidal attacks against their hulls from the Neimoidian's droid starfighters. In response to their broken battle lines, Admiral Wullf Yularen ordered the withdrawal of the attacking Blue Squadron, which had maintained its pursuit of Tuuk's battleship as they became surrounded by the vulture droids, much to the Neimoidian's pleasure. Despite Tano's continued pursuit, Tuuk's unrelenting assault on the heavily damaged Star Destroyers forced the Padawan to return to the Republic fleet, but not before losing several of her clone pilots in the process. Upon Blue Squadron's return, Skywalker ordered the immediate withdrawal of his fleet from the star system, but before it could escape, the damaged Redeemer tore apart in space amid their retreat. Informed of the Republic's retreat, Tuuk's bridge crew pondered on their potential pursuit of their fleeing adversaries, but instructed the blockade to retain their defensive positions and allow the Republic to flee.
When the Defender came into the system by itself, Tuuk was contacted by Skywalker, who offered to surrender if he could get the food and medical supplies to the Twi'leks. Tuuk was happy to accept and get the glory of defeating Skywalker, but he soon realized that Skywalker was tricking him when a battle droid told him that there was only one life-form aboard and that all power was being directed to the forward shields. Tuuk watched in horror as the Defender barreled towards his command ship, and after ordering all batteries to target the crippled Republic cruiser, realized it was no use and abandoned ship. Once his ship was destroyed by the Defender crashing into it, Ahsoka arrived with the rest of Skywalker's fleet to destroy Tuuk's blockade, allowing for Republic troops led by Jedi Generals Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi to land on the planet.
Mar Tuuk was a Neimoidian male whose height was 2.09 meters (6 feet, 10 inches). His skin was green.
Tuuk was a skilled tactician and a prepared leader on the battlefield. Leading the Separatist blockade at Ryloth, he knew his opponent, the Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, very well. Although he respected the general, he was confident that he would win. However, despite his patient tactics initially succeeding to thwart the Republic attack, Tuuk was ultimately tricked by Skywalker and abandoned ship when Skywalker rammed one of his damaged Venator-class Star Destroyers, the Defender, into his command ship.
During the blockade of Ryloth, Tuuk wore a blue and gray robe with a blue hat featuring the Separatist hex icon. He used a pair of data goggles to interface with his ship.
Mar Tuuk's first appearance was in "Storm Over Ryloth," the nineteenth episode of the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, which was released on February 27, 2009.
Mar Tuuk was named in honor of Tuuk, Dave Filoni's deceased cat. The spinning scope device on Tuuk's data goggles was partly inspired by the mechanical monocle worn by a Ko-Dan fleet officer in the 1984 film The Last Starfighter.
Tuuk was originally supposed to die on his ship, but George Lucas and the show's crew thought the character was too interesting, so Tuuk was saved. A new scene of him leaving the bridge was added late in the making of the episode "Storm Over Ryloth," and a battle droid stating that Tuuk fled in an escape pod was also added. Also in the original scene, before he was chosen to be spared by the writers, had a panicked battle droid tell the Neimoidian what they should do next, in which Tuuk replied that "we die."