The Mark of the Hero was a powerful ring, a gift bestowed upon a spacer renowned for their extraordinary efforts in safeguarding the people of Tatooine during the Galactic Civil War.
Following the Battle of Yavin, the ring was initially held by a Rodian hermit residing within a squill cave on Tatooine. In the year 1 ABY, a spacer, while exploring the cave, encountered the hermit in his dwelling deep within. After a short conversation, the spacer affirmed their lack of support for the Galactic Empire. The hermit then requested the spacer to retrieve a lost item from the cave's entrance, a task to which the spacer agreed. The item was revealed to be a squill skull. Upon its return to the enigmatic hermit, he set the spacer upon four more acts of heroism on Tatooine, which the spacer accepted without hesitation.
The spacer successfully executed these four tasks, demonstrating the intelligence to identify the target of a troubled bounty hunter, the honor to resist corruption by pirates, the courage to slay a dangerous bladeback boar, and the altruism to aid a moisture farmer in need by rescuing his family from the Sennex slavers. With all the tasks done, the adventurer returned to the hermit and told him of their achievements. The hermit commended the spacer for their bravery and heroic deeds and declared them the Hero of Tatooine. He rewarded them with four "trophies"—the Mark of Intellect, the Mark of Honor, the Mark of Courage, and the Mark of Altruism—that together formed a unique spherical sculpture, along with the Mark of the Hero, which was thought to have the ability to restore its wearer from the verge of death.
The Mark of the Hero made its debut in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game created by Sony Online Entertainment and distributed by LucasArts, before its shutdown on December 15, 2011. The Mark of Honor was included in the game as part of the "Hero of Tatooine" questline, which was launched with "Publish 9" on June 29, 2004.
The Mark of the Hero was a special ring given to players who finished the "Hero of Tatooine" questline. Its in-game purpose was to revive the player. If used within a certain period after death, it would bring the user back to life. However, it could only be used 50 times, after which it became only a decorative item. It could only be activated once every twenty-three hours.
The "Hero of Tatooine" questline underwent significant changes with the introduction of "Publish 25", also known as the "New Game Enhancements," on November 15, 2005, but the quest rewards, such as the "Mark of Honor," remained unchanged.