Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (comic)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the graphic novel version of The Force Unleashed multimedia project, announced in March 2007 issue of Game Informer. Along with the book, it will feature the storyline of the game. Although the game will have two endings, the book and graphic novel will follow the sole canonical ending.

Publisher's summary
LucasArts' game The Force Unleashed, is poised to be the Star Wars event of the year. The game-play promises to be stunning, but we think it's the story that will blow you away.

Revealed here are the origins of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, the deadly missions on which he was sent to track down and destroy Jedi, and the awesome decision he is forced to make that will, literally, change the way you look at the Star Wars saga!

Scripted by the game's author, Haden Blackman, this graphic novel can be enjoyed alone, or as a companion to the amazing new game.

Synopsis
In 2 BBY, PROXY is found on Corellia by Captain Juno Eclipse and Senator Bail Organa. He is told to tell the story of Starkiller - Darth Vader's apprentice, who would allow the Dark Lord to stand against the Emperor. PROXY was Starkiller's training droid, whose task was to constantly trying to kill him. PROXY explains that Starkiller was sent to kill General Rahm Kota - a drunken Jedi whose lack of fondness of the clone troopers managed his survival during the Order 66 - and to collect his lightsaber. Starkiller then met a new pilot of his ship Rogue Shadow, Juno Eclipse. Secret apprentice found Kota, who attacked an important Imperial TIE Fighter Construction Facility over Nar Shaddaa and the fight ended with Kota being blinded by Starkiller's saber. He was thrown out of a window and fell onto a ship. Starkiller picked up Kota's lightsaber and told Darth Vader that Jedi Master is dead, though he knew he was not.

The next mission that Vader gave Starkiller was to kill Shaak Ti, a member of the Jedi High Council who was in hiding on Felucia. After he fought his way to Togruta Jedi, Starkiller engaged Shaak Ti herself. At the end of the fight she taunted Starkiller and told him the truth; he was merely Vader's expendable slave. She purposely fell into a pit and conceded her defeat. Starkiller hastily reached for her, but she was already gone. PROXY is unsure whether Starkiller wanted to finish her himself, or because he sensed there was truth in her words.

When Starkiller reported back, Vader said that the Emperor's fleet has arrived, as Starkiller was followed by spies. As Palpatine walked in, Vader plunges his lightsaber through Starkiller's stomach; severely wounding him. The Emperor demanded that Vader killed him, because having a secret apprentice was an act of betrayal. Vader pushed Starkiller out of a viewport to his apparent death, but his body was then secretly recovered by a droid.

Six months later, Starkiller woke up in pain on a bed aboard Vader's scientific vessel Empirical. Vader explained that his death was just to trick the Emperor into believing that secret apprentice was no longer a threat and to permit him to form a rebellion against the Empire as a distraction for the Emperor. Vader then transformed into PROXY and it became apparent that PROXY has been sent to destroy any evidence that Starkiller has been there. On the way to the escape pod, Starkiller and PROXY freed Juno Eclipse, who has also been branded a traitor by the Emperor for assisting Vader's apprentice. Aboard the Rogue Shadow, they headed towards Nad Shaddaa to find Rahm Kota in order to Starkiller would become stronger in the Force, and learn things that Vader did not teach him.

After another six months, they found blind Kota in the Cloud City. Starkiller armed with a blue lightsaber (replacing his original red one) arrived to cantina and anonymously asked Kota to help him fight the Empire. Suddenly appeared the squad of stormtroopers and attacked Starkiller, who killed them all, officially starting his vendetta on the Empire. After killing the stormtroopers, Starkiller is attacked by the member of the Emperor's Shadow Guard - ruthless warriors capable of using the Force. Starkiller managed to defeat the guard by using the environment around him. Kota eventually agreed to come with Starkiller.

They flew to Kashyyyk. PROXY continues to tell Senator Organa that Kota had brought him here to save his daughter- though Starkiller was unaware of this at the time. When he lands, he sees a wooden hut in which he senses darkness. Kota suggests that he does not enter, but Starkiller does so anyway. While he opens the door, the so far unrecognized symbol of the future Rebel Alliance can be seen. When Starkiller enters the room, a hooded man is standing there. He is fighting Vader. Vader draws his Saber and is about to kill the hooded figure. The lightsaber suddenly disappears from Vader's hand - to his surprise. A young Starkiller holds it in his hand, nervously. The hooded man is Force Choked to death, and Vader takes his lightsaber from the young Starkiller. When Stormtroopers attempt to kill the young boy for attacking Vader, he defends him and kills them swiftly. Starkiller watches as his younger self is taken away by Vader, and then his father apologizes to him. Starkiller leaves the hut and PROXY says that he has become a different person. He is stronger and more intimidating. He rescues the young Senator. She believes that Kota is dead. Starkiller sees her off, angrily, and then confronts Kota. He is shocked that he had to go all the way to save a girl but then learns that Bail Organa had recruited Kota to save his daughter - Princess Leia Organa. Bail is currently on Felucia, trying to hire the work of Shaak Ti.

Bail has been imprisoned by Maris Brood; Shaak Ti's padawan - so that she can use him as a bargaining chip if she gets any trouble from Vader in the future. Starkiller soon finds Maris, but is confronted by a new Rancor. She throws her lightsabers towards Starkiller as he jumps over the Rancor. He catches the first and deflects the second and continues to plunge his two Sabers into the back of the Rancor's throat. Maris then hid - she used the dark side to make herself invisible. She then jumps at Starkiller's back with the deflected Saber drawn. He hastily turns around and stops her by using Force Lightning. She admits defeat. She gives Starkiller the Senator and tells him that since Shaak Ti's death, the planet has led her to the dark side. They plan to get more Senators with their cause. Starkiller goes to meditate, but it is then shown that he is talking to PROXY being Darth Vader. Vader tells Starkiller that he does not want Starkiller to become too fond of his new allies, and that the shipyard Raxus Prime must be destroyed, as the Empire is building Star Destroyers above it. Juno Eclipse walks in on Starkiller and 'Vader' talking and is obviously upset. She argues that he is still his slave, and that he is completely evil. Starkiller says that he only saved Juno because she could fly the ship but she knows that this is not true. She tells him that he has control over the Rebellion, and that he needs to make up his mind soon. Starkiller is then in Raxus Prime. To destroy it, he must redirect an Ore Cannon to shoot the shipyard itself. He is getting attacked on all sides, so he attempts to overload the cannon through Force Lightning instead of redirecting it. It works, but the wrecked Star Destroyer falls towards Starkiller. Kota tells Starkiller to use the force to make the ship land on the cannon instead. At first, he is skeptical because the ship is so large but he attempts it anyway. The Star Destroyer lands on the cannon, and the shipyard explodes. PROXY explains that he is shocked that Starkiller survived, but claims that he does not understand the powers of the Force.

The Emperor's enemies then meet on Corellia. They form an alliance. Bail agrees to fund the Rebellion; Garm Bel Ibis provides ships and Mon Mothma provides soldiers. Starkiller is to lead the Rebellion. The group is then attacked - Starkiller sees TIE fighters and a Star Destroyer come towards them. Stormtroopers surrounding Vader come into the room. Starkiller is surprised to see Vader - it was Vader's idea in the first place. The Senators are not killed, as the Emperor wants to kill them himself. It then becomes apparent that this was Emperor's plan all along, and Vader does not intend to kill him with Starkiller - this suggests that he may want to kill him with somebody else. Vader and Starkiller are now outside. Starkiller is Force Pushed off the side of a snowy cliff-edge, and is hanging on. In the background, somebody tells Anakin to lay down his weapon. Obi-Wan Kenobi is then shown - lightsaber drawn. Vader fights him and defeats him with ease. It is then shown that it was one of PROXY's training exercises; one that is shown against Starkiller earlier. PROXY cannot be defeated by a Lightsaber, but he is massively damaged. Vader then turns back to the cliff-edge. PROXY's distraction has given Starkiller enough time to escape (or fall to his death). As PROXY has been narrating the story up to this point, he can no longer continue. Juno then takes over as the narrator. She explains that they found Starkiller by using the ship's sensors. Starkiller is weak, but tells her that Vader has captured all the Senators, and that he is going to find him. He then meditates to find out where Vader is. He says that he is using a Jedi trick to see the future. He says that he sees a huge Space Station under construction, and that they must go to the Outer Rim.

They approach the Space Station - the Death Star. Starkiller tells Juno to stay on the ship while he goes to free the Rebels. He tells her that they may not meet again, and this leads to them kissing. He says goodbye and jumps into the heart of the Death Star. Starkiller runs towards where the Emperor, Vader and the Senators are - destroying and Stormtroopers in his way. When Starkiller reaches the Emperor's Observation Dome, he instantly starts fighting with Vader. Starkiller states that he is no longer Vader's apprentice, as there is nothing left for Vader to teach him. Starkiller then uses the Force to bring two walls down on Vader, trapping him underneath them both. Vader's helmet is massively damaged, and he then tries to convince Starkiller that this was all just a test. Starkiller does not believe him. Meanwhile, the Emperor is trying to convince Starkiller to kill Vader, and take his place. The Emperor reaches for his Saber, and Kota then intercepts and uses it himself. He jumps towards the Emperor, and is then hit by a wall of Force Lightning. Starkiller cries out and faces the Emperor. The Emperor tells him that it was all his plan. It was the Emperor that ordered Vader to kill Starkiller's father, and teach him the powers of the dark side. Vader was never truly his master, and Starkiller was never a secret. Starkiller is about to destroy the Emperor, when he is stopped by Kota. Kota convinces him to let Sidious go, as if Starkiller kills him, he will be just like was at the start. Starkiller agrees and commands Kota to take the Senators to safety. The Emperor then tries to Force Lightning Kota again, but Starkiller stops him by using the Force against the lightning. The Force battle grows larger as the Senators and Kota escape onto Juno's ship. As they fly away, a blue explosion is seen behind them. Kota tells Juno that Starkiller is gone. Vader and the Emperor and standing in a fiery plain, both obviously damaged. Starkiller is then seen dead on the floor.

The Emperor explains that Starkiller's being dead is much more of a threat than his being alive. He has given the Rebellion something to fight for, and his sacrifice will make them stronger. Now back to the present, Bait Organa explains to PROXY how important Starkiller's death was. The Senators are seen round a table, and Bait announces that the Rebel Alliance is now born. Leia Organa then rolls out some parchment with the symbol of the Rebellion on it - the logo in Starkiller's old home in Kashyyyk. Juno and Kota are then talking outside. She asks him if he always knew that the Apprentice he fought on Nar Shaddaa and Starkiller were one and the same. He says that he knew straight away who he was, when Starkiller approached him in the Cloud City cantina, but he saw some light in the dark - Juno Eclipse.

Characters



 * Juno Eclipse
 * Bail Prestor Organa
 * PROXY
 * Starkiller
 * Darth Vader
 * Rahm Kota
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Shaak Ti
 * Alpha-17
 * Taun We
 * Grievous
 * Maris Brood
 * Palpatine
 * Leia Organa
 * R2-D2
 * Kento Marek
 * Garm Bel Iblis
 * Mon Mothma

Creatures

 * Rancor
 * Bull Rancor
 * Sarlacc

Droid models

 * Holodroid
 * FX-6 medical assistant droid
 * CLL-M2 ordnance lifter
 * B1 battle droid
 * Viper probe droid
 * R2-series astromech droid

Events

 * Battle of Callos
 * Clone Wars
 * First Battle of Kamino
 * Battle of Hypori
 * Order 66
 * Galactic Civil War
 * Battle of Yavin
 * Great Jedi Purge
 * Second Battle of Kashyyyk
 * Battle of the TIE Fighter Construction Facility
 * Duel on Felucia
 * Skirmish on Cloud City
 * Mission to Kashyyyk
 * Second Duel on Felucia
 * Mission to Raxus Prime
 * First Mission to Corellia
 * Duel on Death Star I
 * Corellian Treaty
 * Declaration of Rebellion

Locations

 * Corellia
 * Scarl system
 * Nar Shaddaa
 * TIE Fighter Construction Facility
 * Corulag
 * Corulag Academy
 * Callos
 * Kamino
 * Hypori
 * Felucia
 * Cloud City
 * Ziost
 * Kashyyyk
 * Raxus Prime
 * Outer Rim Territories
 * Death Star I
 * Despayre

Organizations and titles

 * Alliance to Restore the Republic
 * Galactic Empire
 * Galactic Emperor
 * Imperial Navy
 * Emperor's fleet
 * Black Squadron
 * Stormtrooper
 * Heavy stormtrooper
 * Scout trooper
 * Emperor's Shadow Guard
 * Emperor's Royal Guard
 * Imperial Senate
 * Order of the Sith Lords
 * Dark Lord of the Sith
 * Jedi Order
 * Jedi General
 * Kota Militia
 * Clone trooper
 * Bespin Wing Guard
 * Marek family

Sentient species

 * Human
 * Togruta
 * Kaleesh
 * Kaminoan
 * Zabrak
 * Felucian
 * Arcona
 * Ugnaught
 * Givin
 * Wookiee

Vehicles and vessels

 * All Terrain Armored Transport
 * All Terrain Kashyyyk Transport
 * All Terrain Recon Transport
 * All Terrain Scout Transport
 * All Terrain Tactical Enforcer
 * Empirical
 * Executor-class Star Dreadnaught
 * Executor
 * Imperial I-class Star Destroyer
 * Lambda-class T-4a shuttle
 * Rogue Shadow
 * TIE/sa bomber
 * TIE/ln starfighter
 * X-34 landspeeder

Weapons and technology

 * EnhanceScan general-purpose scanner
 * Lightsaber
 * Lightsaber pike
 * Guard shoto
 * Blaster
 * Hologram
 * Comlink

Miscellanea

 * Force lightning
 * Carbonite
 * Alliance Starbird

Behind the scenes
Several copies are missing the narrative box saying "...he knew that the Jedi had survived..." during PROXY's tale of Starkiller's fight with Kota at Nar Shaddaa on page 30.