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Summary
- Captain Enoch, Thrawn’s Captain of the Guard, has a name which is notable because stormtroopers normally go by numbers, suggesting Thrawn’s influence.
- Enoch and Thrawn’s Night Troopers have evolved from the Empire’s uniformity, with Enoch’s modified face mask making him appear inhuman.
- Enoch’s name is a hint at potential mystical elements with the Night Troopers, paralleling Enoch from the Bible who had authority over divine beings.
Ahsoka introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Captain of the Guard, Enoch, and the origins of his name could be a big hint about his role in the Star Wars show. Thrawn’s brutal efficiency, resourcefulness, and strategic mind made Morgan Elsbeth bringing him back to the galaxy enough of a threat on its own, but with a legion of mysterious Night Troopers led by Captain Enoch, there seems to be a lot happening on Peridia than meets the eye.
Ahsoka embraces Star Wars‘ mythic inspirations in a big way, borrowing names, character arcs, and concepts from Lord of the Rings, Greek mythology, and more. Dave Filoni follows this trend with Captain Enoch taking his name from the Bible and other Ancient Near East texts, making the character a somewhat obscure yet potentially potent reference.
Who is Enoch, Thrawn’s Captain of the Guard?
Enoch is a brand new character in Star Wars canon without any obvious inspiration from Star Wars legends, so his brief introduction in Ahsoka provides the only known details about the character. Despite limited screen time and no backstory, there’s still a few things that can be gleaned about his character. First of all, the fact that he has a name is notable, since the Empire traditionally required most stormtroopers to go by their operating number; however, Thrawn doesn’t follow all imperial protocol and obviously has more loyalty from his troops for it. Second, his title is interesting, since the Empire didn’t typically use “Captain of the Guard” as a title, however, the First Order did, so it could be an indicator of Thrawn’s potential influence on the Empire’s successor.
Outside of his name and rank, there’s very clearly something odd about Enoch and Thrawn’s other Night Troopers. They were likely all once Stormtroopers who were marooned in the spiral galaxy with Thrawn, yet their armor and behavior has evolved from the sterile uniformity of the Empire. This is especially true of Captain Enoch. While other stormtroopers’ armor is a combination of traditional Imperial armor parts held together by red fabric and gold filler, Enoch’s entire face mask has been modified with a gold face mask, subverting the traditionally faceless appearance of stormtroopers, yet still feeling very inhuman.
In addition to the armor changes, there’s something else odd about the Night Troopers. Considering their name, and Thrawn’s relationship with the Great Mothers, implying he’s previously relied on their Magick during his time in exile, there may be a mystical element to the army. Whether they’re enhanced like Mother Talzin did for Savage Oppress in Star Wars: The Clone Wars or if they’re something darker, such as an undead army, isn’t clear yet; however, the canisters being loaded onto Thrawn’s Star Destroyer, The Chimera, look like they may have bodies in them, so some kind of necromancy is a popular theory.
Enoch in the Bible and the Apocrypha
Beyond what’s revealed in Ahsoka, Enoch’s name is also a massive hint. The name Enoch pops up a few times in the Bible. The first appearance is related to Cain, the first murderer, who named his son Enoch, and also built a city with the same name. While there’s some interesting inferences to draw from that, the most significant use of the name is for another Biblical figure named Enoch mentioned in Adam’s lineage. While the lineage lists the age of death for each figure, for Enoch it says after he’d lived for 365 years “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
The phrase “God took him.” is typically believed to indicate Enoch lived righteously and was actually physically taken up into heaven instead of dying on Earth. While the Biblical canon doesn’t have much more to say about Enoch beyond that, there are additional ancient texts, the Book of Enoch, that feature Enoch a lot more. The Book of Enoch is an apocalyptic text, meaning it deals with a lot of death and judgment. The first part of the Book of Enoch is The Book of the Watchers, which tells a story of fallen angels who mated with humans to create the “Nephilim” (giants).
How Enoch in Ahsoka is Similar to The Biblical Enoch
There’s some very clear similarities between the Biblical (and apocryphal) Enoch and Captain Enoch in Ahsoka, although there are also many clear contradictions or subversion. For example, while the Enoch of the Bible is specifically known for his righteousness, Captain Enoch is hardly a good guy; however, if Ahsoka is subverting the imagery such that Thrawn is like a god to Captain Enoch, then him finding favor with Thrawn could be a clear parallel. Under that interpretation, it’s also notable that Enoch seems to stand apart from the other Night Troopers and has been/will be taken to another galaxy with Thrawn mirroring the Biblical Enoch’s ascension.
Captain Enoch’s rank is also a clear parallel as the Book of Enoch says after Enoch was taken up into heaven he was given divine revelation about everything God created, both seen and unseen, and also made guardian of God’s throne and given authority over angels. Again, if Thrawn is seen as a sort of god by the Night Troopers, then as their captain and Thrawn’s personal attendant (who he may bestow with his knowledge), Captain Enoch once again bears a number of parallels to the Biblical and apocryphal Enoch.
What Enoch’s Biblical Inspirations Predict About His Role in Ahsoka
Despite a number of similarities and subversion of the Enochian archetype with Captain Enoch in Ahsoka, it’s likely safest to assume the inspiration is loose at best, especially since Captain Enoch isn’t a main character, and the kinds of things that happen to Enoch in the Bible and the Book of Enoch are all main-character-level events; however, that doesn’t mean the inspiration can’t provide a small peek at Dave Filoni’s intentions for the character. Obviously the reverence for Thrawn and his proximity to him and his authority over the Night Troopers already gives him a few of Enoch’s characteristics.
The significance of Enoch’s name may actually be more evidence to the relevance of the Night Troopers than anything else. Since Enoch was given authority over divine beings, his name could be another hint at a potential mystical aspect of the Night Troopers. In The Book of Enoch, Enoch is also asked by the fallen angels imprisoned by God (as punishment for the creation of the Nephalim) to request mercy from God on their behalf, which God denies. The Night Troopers potentially being humans corrupted by the Nightsisters’ Magick and Enoch being placed over them would be the most clear parallel to that aspect.
Of course, Captain Enoch’s name could simply be a name. Star Wars lore is infamously stuffed with interesting background characters given massive significance and sprawling backstories only to have little on-screen relevance. This is especially true for characters wearing cool armor, which certainly includes Captain Enoch. His relationship to Thrawn and the Night Troopers (and the Nightsisters) could be a key component of the remaining episodes of Ahsoka, though, so it’ll be fascinating to see how deep the inspirations for his name actually go.
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