Galen Marek

"You have done well, my apprentice."

- Darth Vader

Starkiller, the son of Jedi Kento and another unnamed female Jedi, was a Human male secretly taken as an apprentice by Darth Vader from his father on Kashyyyk during the Great Jedi Purge. The Dark Lord trained him so that he would kill Jedi who survived Order 66, and eventually, Vader's own Master.

Starkiller was not always faithful to his Master, however. At one point, he was trained by Jedi Master Rahm Kota and helped the "Fallen" Jedi Maris Brood seek redemption. They eventually had an ultimate confrontation.

Training under Darth Vader
"You were weak when I found you. I did not expect you to survive your training. But now, your hatred has become your strength.  At last, the dark side is your ally."

- Darth Vader

Starkiller was the son of Kento and another Jedi. His mother had been killed while defending Kashyyyk from Trandoshan slavers.

As Darth Vader was about to deal the finishing blow on Kento, his lightsaber was pulled out of his hand. He turned around to find a young boy holding his lightsaber. He knew that the boy had enough Force power to become the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. After killing his father, Vader saved the child's life when a clone commander tried to blast him. Vader spent years training the young Human in the ways of the dark side in secret, even from his own master, Palpatine. Skilled with many Force powers such as telekinesis and Force lightning, he was a Sith apprentice in all but name. The Rule of Two prevented him from becoming the official apprentice, as Vader himself occupied that position. This made Vader's apprentice officially nothing more than a Dark Jedi.

His existence was meant to be kept a secret, so he would make a point of leaving few witnesses to his work, going as far as eliminating Imperial stormtroopers who saw him in action.

Jedi Temple Trials
"You will need all of your skill to survive."

- Unknown Jedi Spirit

When Vader deemed his training complete, he sent his apprentice on a series of trials to destroy his enemies. One of them was to participate in the Jedi Trials, metaphysical challenges, in the long-destroyed Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He landed on the Temple in the Rogue Shadow. There he wiped out stormtroopers and other Imperial guards guarding the Temple who were blocking his way. Further into the Temple, he confronted the spirits of long dead Jedi and Sith, as well as the holocron of a Sith Lord named Darth Phobos and her apprentice, Darth Desolous.

Rahm Kota
When his trials were complete, Vader finally sent him on his first true test to hunt down a single rogue Jedi, Rahm Kota, in a TIE Fighter Construction Facility over Nar Shaddaa, and told him that there could be no witnessess, including those who were Imperial Stormtroopers. Vader hoped that this and many other 'extermination' missions would deem him ready to stand with the Dark Lord to confront and destroy Palpatine.

Before he left for Nar Shaddaa, he met Juno Eclipse, the new pilot of his ship, the Rogue Shadow, succeeding many pilots who Vader had killed previously. His long-time droid companion PROXY came as well.

During Starkiller's duel with Kota, Kota used the Force to split the Construction Facility in half, changing the gravity and making what was the wall the floor. At the climax of their duel, before the apprentice could finish off the Jedi, Kota said in a rather cryptic manner that he could see the young man's future, and in it all he could see was himself, and that he would not always be Vader's servant.

Starkiller badly injured Kota, and finished the duel by using the Force to push him through a glass floor, sending him free fall to Nar Shaddaa.

Further missions
Starkiller hunted many more Jedi and Rebel targets soon after. He visited Felucia multiple times hunting for Bail Organa and Shaak Ti. During is hunt for the senator from Alderaan he encountered Maris Brood, who was intent on avenging her master. Darth Vader also sent him to the junk world of Raxus Prime to hunt down Kazdan Paratus. But he became less of an assassin. While doing Vader's bidding, he discovered clues to his own long buried past, fell in love with Juno Eclipse, and helped the fallen Jedi Maris Brood seek redemption. He eventually learned under Master Kota, whose death over Nar Shaddaa had never been confirmed as the Jedi had been last seen falling from the facility towards the moon's surface.

Confrontation with Vader
Unbeknown to him, the Emperor's spies had followed him back from Raxus Prime to his rendezvous point, the under-construction Executor. Darth Vader told his apprentice that they were now ready to face the Emperor together. As Starkiller turned around to leave, he was stabbed in the back by the very man who raised him. Darth Sidious came out of the shadows and commanded his apprentice to finish off Starkiller.

Starkiller would eventually duel Darth Vader on Death Star I.

Personality and traits
Starkiller was raised by Darth Vader, who was not a very kindly father, creating turmoil, anger, and apathy in his mind. He was trained to be loyal but also a ruthless assassin, and an unstoppable force.

While he was extremely powerful and confident, there were many different sides to him. He was wary of his purpose in life and what he was meant to be doing.

Powers and abilities
Starkiller was extremely powerful, and had the potential to be one of the most powerful Force users who ever existed. He was trained to use the Force to its limitations, being an unstoppable force. He was powerful enough to pull an entire Star Destroyer down from the sky and send it crashing on the surface of a planet. While a normal Jedi would use a simple mind trick to get past a few stormtroopers, the apprentice might use the Force to bring down a building on top of them. He was also very proficient with Force powers such as Force lightning, Force push, and Force repulse.

Behind the scenes
"Ultimately we started thinking of a character who starts out as an anti-hero, and evolves into a superhero."

- Haden Blackman



Vader's apprentice is the main protagonist of the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. His name is reported to be Starkiller, but it was stated by Adam Kahn (Senior PR Manager at LucasArts) that it is just a code name. His real name is yet to be revealed.

He is voiced by Sam Witwer, best known for his role as Lt. Crashdown in Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica. The actor has expressed an interest in appearing the Star Wars live-action TV series, possibly as Vader's apprentice. His likeness and expressions are also used for the apprentice's appearance.

Character
He has been said to be what Luke Skywalker would have been if he had joined Darth Vader. "The Apprentice is the photo negative of Luke Skywalker. He's been raised by Darth Vader, and is what Luke would have become if he had joined his father. Vader's not a very nice daddy.  This guy has been raised to be a Jedi.  When the Jedi use the Force, they respect it and don't overuse it.  The bad guys - the Sith - keep testing their limits.  Vader discovered this person who had the potential to be the most powerful Force user ever.  He's up there with the top tier.  He's extremely powerful.  Vader has trained him in such a way that he just kept pushing his limitations, seeing how far he could use the Force.  So, where a normal Jedi might use the Force to trick his way past a few stormtroopers, the apprentice might use the Force to bring down an adjacent building on top of those stormtroopers.  He's extremely confident in everything he does.  He's been trained by Vader to be an assassin, an unstoppable force."

- Haden Blackman

Name
Haden Blackman, writer of The Force Unleashed, has said that he has a name, but that they cannot release it yet. Blackman said in a Spike TV interview that his codename began with 'S'; it was later revealed to be "Starkiller", a name originating in early drafts of Star Wars.

Luke Skywalker's name was originally going to be Annikin Starkiller; ironically, Sam Witwer said in an interview "This is what would have happened if Luke had joined Vader."

Appearances
In the Hasbro Vader's Secret Apprentice Evolutions pack, it stated the following: "A son of a fallen Jedi is abducted by Vader to be his Secret Apprentice. As a young adult, the apprentice must choose his destiny: Join Lord Vader and wipe out the remaining Jedi, or become a noble Jedi and bring hope to the galaxy."

Also in the Evolutions pack is an alternative costume of him as a Sith Lord. He wears a mask, has spikes on his body, and carries nine lightsabers around his waist.

GamePro revealed these costumes for the Apprentice in the Force Unleashed:
 * Bounty Hunter Disguise
 * Corellian Flight Suit
 * Father's Robes
 * Light Training Gear
 * Training Gear
 * Raxus Prime Survival Gear
 * Sith Robes
 * Jungle Combat Gear
 * Industrial Explorer Outfit
 * Ultimate Good (bears a resemblance to the Jedi costume in the Hasbro Evolutions set)
 * Ultimate Evil (bears a resemblance to the Sith costume in the Evolutions set)

In concept art, the apprentice also wears what appears to be some sort of Force shackles.

Starkiller also appears in the video game Soul Calibur IV, alongside Vader and Yoda.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game / comic / novel
 * Soulcalibur IV