Escape from Kamino

"You will receive the same treatment as the others." "What others?"

- Darth Vader and Starkiller, just prior to the latter's escape.

In the year 1 BBY, an battle was fought on the planet Kamino. After the death of Galen Marek, apprentice to Sith Lord Darth Vader, on the Death Star I, Darth Vader sought to recreate his apprentice, collecting his corpse and using genetic samples from it to create a series of clones intended as replacement apprentices. Most of the clones were deformed and insane, though progress was gradually made, and a new generation of increasingly stable clones were created. Vader proceeded to train the clones, though many of these subjects would eventually succumb to the madness that had claimed so many of their predecessors. After one would go insane, Vader simply moved on to train the next clone. One of the clones, called Starkiller, was only the latest in a long line of failures, though he was one of the most promising subjects.

During a training match with a number of Sith Training Droids, Starkiller proved unable to strike down one of the PROXY droids when it assumed the shape of Juno Eclipse, the lover of Galen Marek. The inability to overcome the genetic memories of Starkiller's template marked him as a failure, and Vader prepared to execute the clone. However, Starkiller refused to submit and lashed out at Vader with Force lightning, using the Dark Lord's momentary distraction to escape the training complex. Fighting his way through the Imperial forces garrisoned in the Timira City he was cloned in, Starkiller narrowly escaped Vader and hijacked the Sith Lord's personal fighter, escaping the planet.

Prelude
"Those who came before you went mad within months, tortured by emotional imprints I was unable to erase. Some would not kill their father, others their younger self. With you, it is this woman. Now you will suffer the same fate they did."

- Darth Vader, to Starkiller

Around the year 2 BBY, Sith Lord Darth Vader's original apprentice, Galen Marek, had been dispatched to create the Rebel Alliance as part of an elaborate scheme to distract Galactic Emperor Palpatine so Vader and Marek could catch him off-guard and assassinate him. While Marek was successful in his task, Vader betrayed him, revealing that the plan had been Palpatine's brainchild, intended to gather all of his enemies in a single place for quick elimination, and that Marek's own apprenticeship under Vader had been a sham. The Dark Lord had no intention of rebelling against his master. Starkiller was left for dead, while the Rebel leaders were captured and taken to the first Death Star for personal execution by Palpatine. However, Marek refused to accept the state of affairs and traveled to the Death Star, intent on rescuing the Rebels. Defeating Darth Vader in a vicious lightsaber duel, Marek was given the choice of killing the Dark Lord and replacing him as Palpatine's apprentice, but he refused and attacked Palpatine. Marek died in the process, but not before the Rebel leaders escaped aboard his ship, the Rogue Shadow.

Darth Vader then sought to recreate Marek in the year 1 BBY. Vader went to the laboratories on the water world Kamino and created a series of clones of his late apprentice. The process was very hit-and-miss, with numerous setbacks and failures caused by the inherent difficulties in cloning Force-sensitives; many of the early subjects were deformed, and even the later, more stable clones still fell prey to insanity and psychosis within months. As the subjects failed, Darth Vader would simply dispose of them and move on to training the next clone. Eventually, Vader began training another clone identified as "Starkiller," Galen Marek's codename.

Starkiller's training session
"I am strong, my Master, and I am getting stronger." "Show me."

- Starkiller and Darth Vader

When Darth Vader arrived in Timira City on Kamino to check on the Starkiller clone, the subject had been in an isolation pit for approximately thirteen days, relying on the Force to sustain his then starved and dehydrated body. Vader was impressed with the clone's performance, releasing him from the pit and informing him that the Jedi mentor to Galen Marek, General Rahm Kota, had been captured on the planet Cato Neimoidia. Vader stated that when the clone's training was complete, he would be sent to execute the Jedi. Vader then inquired about Starkiller's continuing visions and memory flashes. While Starkiller elaborated on them, Vader decried them as the memories of a dead man, a mere side-effect of the cloning process that would eventually fade. However, Vader also made clear that if they did not fade, Starkiller would be of no further use to him. Vader activated a number of Sith Training Droids and provided Starkiller with a pair of lightsabers and initiating the training session.

Starkiller fought well in the training match, cutting down the holodroids with practiced ease, until only one remained. As he moved to cut down the remaining droid, he halted when he realized it had taken the shape of Juno Eclipse, Galen Marek's lover. Despite Vader's urgings, Starkiller was unable to overcome his instinctual love of her, and he could not cut down the droid. Vader cut down the droid himself, before stating that Starkiller would receive the same treatment as the other failed clones. Before Vader could follow through on that, Starkiller experienced a sudden vision of the original Starkiller's betrayal at Vader's hands. Starkiller decided to fight back before Vader executed him, turning on the Sith Lord and lashing out with a blast of Force lightning. Vader was momentarily driven to his knees as his cybernetics malfunctioned under the onslaught, and Starkiller used the opening to tear open the wall of the training room and leap out into the Kamino rainstorms.

Escape into Timira City
"The Force gives me all I need."

- Starkiller

Starkiller's training facility was situated at the peak of one of the spires of Timira City, so Starkiller leaped into open air. As he plummeted down the side of the tower, he used his powerful telekinetic abilities to clear a path for himself, destroying exterior fixtures on the tower and blasting apart a fighter wing of TIE fighters that tried to intecept him. Crashing through a large, glass dome at the base of the spire, Starkiller unleashed a powerful Force wave as he hit the ground, killing all the stormtroopers in the room. He fought his way out onto the exterior ramparts of the city, making short work of any troopers in his path. The Imperial riot troopers who joined the fray provided a small challenge for Starkiller, as their electrostaffs blocked his lightsaber strikes, though they were no match for his Force abilities.

Fighting his way along the ramparts, Starkiller managed to re-enter the city, making his way to one of the smaller cloning facilities. Continuing through the labs, he eventually reached an observation gallery overlooking the Timira City parade grounds. Using a powerful mind trick, he compelled the lone trooper patrolling the area to commit suicide, leaping through the gallery window and falling to his death. The sudden activity caught the notice of the gunners manning the heavy laser emplacements above the parade ground, and they opened fire on the gallery, forcing Starkiller to retreat to the grounds. Battling through the parade grounds, he reached one of the main entrances, where he was confronted by a carbonite war droid. Starkiller used telekinesis to rip off the automaton's heavy shield before destroying it and continuing on. Starkiller continued to use his lightsabers and the Force to combat the enemies&mdash;including stormtroopers, Imperial Jumptroopers, Imperial riot troopers, and others&mdash;he faced along the way. He also employed the power of mind trick to get enemy forces to assist him by either fighting the other troops or by killing themselves.

Starkiller happened upon one of the main landing platforms, where he fended off a horde of stormtroopers delivered by Imperial gunships. Making his way along a series of catwalks above the landing platform, Starkiller destroyed all the troopers in his path before reentering the facility once again. As he traveled down a windowed corridor along the edge of one of the domes, he was harassed by another gunship, which destroyed the corridor behind him as he fled. Exiting the dome, he saw Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 docked on the adjacent landing platform. Destroying the communications tower in front of him, Starkiller used it as a bridge to reach the platform.

Once on the platform, Starkiller drew heavily on the Force as he attacked the trio of All Terrain Scout Transports guarding Vader's ship, falling into Force fury. He made short work of the walkers and cut loose against the stormtrooper reinforcements who arrived. The landing platform was quickly cleared, and Starkiller started towards Vader's fighter. It was then that Vader himself arrived, telekinetically blasting open the double-doors into the cloning facility as he marched out into the rain. Starkiller increased his pace and quickly boarded the fighter, taking off immediately. As he attempted to fly away, Vader grasped the ship with the Force, seeking to halt Starkiller's escape. After a brief contest between Vader's power and the ship's engines, Starkiller managed to flee in the ship.

Aftermath
"I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned. Now you will surrender to me, or you will die here where you were created."

- Darth Vader, to Starkiller, just prior to their fight on Kamino

Following the information provided by Darth Vader, Starkiller traveled to Cato Neimoidia, intent on rescuing Rahm Kota in order to discern the whereabouts of Juno Eclipse. Starkiller successfully completed his mission, although Eclipse was not on Cato Neimoidia. Starkiller travelled to the planet Dagobah where he found Jedi Master-in-exile Yoda. After having a vision about Eclipse and speaking with Yoda, Starkiller left for the Itani Nebula to find Eclipse. However, by the time he arrived there, Eclipse had been captured by bounty hunter Boba Fett, who had been hired by Darth Vader to capture Eclipse to lure Starkiller back to Kamino. Starkiller went back to Kamino to rescue Eclipse, and he there fought against Darth Vader. Starkiller defeated Vader and finally reunited with Eclipse. Vader was taken hostage by the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and they took him away to be put on trial.

Behind the scenes
The escape from Kamino first appeared in author Sean Williams' 2010 novelization of the LucasArts video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, which was also released later in 2010. The escape from Kamino was the first level in the video game. While the Wii and Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions of the game differ slightly from each other, the storyline remains basically the same. This article follows the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version since it follows closer to the novel, which is considered the higher level of canon.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
 * The Force Unleashed II novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II comic