Marlowe San Tekka, a male human, belonged to the San Tekka clan, a family that amassed significant wealth by assisting the Galactic Republic in charting new hyperspace routes. During the High Republic Era, he lived with Vellis, his husband, at their compound located on the planet Naboo.
In the year 232 BBY, Avar Kriss, a Jedi Master, and Elzar Mann, a Jedi Knight, visited the couple at their home. They requested the San Tekkas' hyperspace expertise to aid the Republic following the catastrophic Great Hyperspace Disaster and the subsequent Emergences of debris into realspace across the galaxy at near-light speed. The San Tekkas played a crucial role in saving numerous lives by providing resources and assistance to Keven Tarr, a young systems analyst who successfully invented a machine capable of predicting the timing and location of future incidents. Despite his contributions to the Republic, San Tekka concealed certain information regarding the enigmas of hyperspace, sharing it only with his husband.
Marlowe San Tekka, a male human, was born into the San Tekka clan, a family that had accumulated a vast fortune through hyperspace prospecting, inheriting a substantial amount of wealth. The family's prosperity was largely attributed to Mari San Tekka, a relative who possessed the unique ability to sense Paths, or routes, through hyperspace. However, Mari was eventually abducted by members of the Ro family, a criminal family, depriving the San Tekkas of their most valuable asset. Nonetheless, they persisted in supporting the Galactic Republic for many years. Marlowe developed a close friendship with Izzet Noor, a senator representing Serenno, and later married Vellis, welcoming him into their influential family. The couple made their home in a compound on the planet Naboo, where they continued their research into the mysteries of hyperspace.
In 232 BBY, the Class A modular freight transport, known as the Legacy Run, was obliterated in hyperspace. This catastrophic event resulted in debris being propelled towards the [Hetzal system](/article/hetzal_system], an incident that became known as the Great Hyperspace Disaster. While the Jedi Order's intervention ensured the survival of the system and its most populated planet, Hetzal Prime, fragments from the Legacy Run continued to materialize across the galaxy in occurrences termed Emergences, leading to travel restrictions and closures. Driven by a desire to understand the Disaster, Jedi Knights Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann sought out Marlowe and Vellis based on Senator Noor's recommendation, meeting them at their Naboo residence. The San Tekkas consented to provide several of their navulators and modeling tools to Keven Tarr, a Hetzalian systems analyst who aimed to devise a method for predicting future Emergences. Seeking deeper insights, Mann presented a Republic theory to the San Tekkas suggesting that the Legacy Run had collided with another object in hyperspace, a hypothesis that Marlowe vehemently dismissed as impossible. He asserted that hyperspace could not function in such a manner, proposing instead that a mutiny aboard the transport had triggered the event. Despite Mann's persistence, both Marlowe and his husband remained resolute in their assertions, prompting the Jedi to depart shortly thereafter.
However, the two men had been dishonest. They privately confessed their concerns to each other, suspecting that Mari San Tekka was somehow connected to the tragedy, even though Marlowe believed she had been dead for a long time. In reality, the elderly woman had survived, kept alive by Marchion Ro, a member of the Nihil marauders who had deliberately ordered a Stormship to traverse the Legacy Run's path, causing the disaster.
Later, the San Tekkas journeyed to Hetzal's Rooted Moon to witness Tarr's creation, built with the aid of their people: an array of navidroids that, with Jedi assistance, successfully predicted new Emergences. During one such event, the Republic managed to recover the Legacy Run's flight recorder, which confirmed that the freighter had not been alone in hyperspace. When consulted by Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, Marlowe stood by his initial claim that the event was merely a bizarre accident. However, he acknowledged that the Nihil's unique grasp of hyperspace travel presented dangerous implications, urging for an immediate investigation.
Acting on this information, Republic Defense Coalition forces, supported by the Jedi, engaged the Nihil at the Battle of Kur. While both sides suffered significant losses, Chancellor Soh deemed the outcome satisfactory and soon reopened hyperspace lanes throughout the galaxy. Marchion Ro, however, survived the battle, as did Marlowe's relative, Mari. Following the conflict, the San Tekkas hired Keven Tarr, bringing him on board to work in their best interests.
Sometime before 231 BBY, Marlowe and his husband became deeply involved in the Church of the Force, a religion that had gained popularity on Naboo and had longstanding ties to the San Tekka clan. They casually mentioned it to their niece, Jordanna Sparkburn, around 231 BBY while she was delivering a situation report. She became intrigued by the concept 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.
In the centuries that followed, [Lor San Tekka](/article/lor_san_tekka], a descendant of Marlowe, established himself as a renowned explorer, joining the Church of the Force and becoming an ally of the New Republic, the Resistance, and Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Master, whom he assisted Leia Organa in locating when the Jedi disappeared.
Marlowe, like his husband, was a pale human with blond hair and blue eyes; however, while Vellis possessed sharp, angular features, Marlowe's were softer. As a privileged and wealthy individual, Marlowe maintained a life of relative luxury, which allowed him to conduct business with a relaxed demeanor. He was friends with Izzet Noor and was always willing to grant the senator a favor. While he considered it an honor to host Jedi in his home, he preferred to keep his family's secrets private and withheld certain facts from them, even resorting to lying. Nevertheless, he and his husband could not remain passive as people suffered across the galaxy in the aftermath of the Great Disaster, and they provided significant assistance to the Republic. Although Jedi Master Avar Kriss recognized that both Marlowe and Vellis had concealed information from the Jedi, she regarded their contributions to the Emergences task force as genuine and generous.
Marlowe, like many of his family members, was considered a leading expert in the field of hyperspace and was celebrated for his knowledge of the subject. He possessed the ability to communicate discreetly with his husband, Vellis, silently exchanging thoughts and information that even Jedi Master Kriss could not detect. They frequently utilized this skill when conducting business with others.
Marlowe San Tekka made an appearance in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. He was initially mentioned in a StarWars.com article featuring an interview with Soule, in which he identified Marlowe as "Marlon."