Galen Marek

"You have done well, my apprentice."

- Darth Vader

The Secret Apprentice, the son of two 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.

The Apprentice 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

The Secret Apprentice was the son of two Jedi. His mother had been killed while defending Kashyyyk from Trandoshan slavers.

After finding him on Kashyyyk and killing his father, Kento, soon after the rise of the Empire, Darth 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, as well as the holocron of a Sith Lord named Darth Phobos and her apprentice, Darth Desolous.

Eliminating Rahm Kota
"Your spies have located a Jedi?" "Yes. Master Rahm Kota. He is attacking a critical Imperial shipyard.  You will kill him, and bring me his lightsaber."

- The Secret Apprentice and Darth Vader

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.

Further Missions
The Apprentice hunted many more Jedi soon after, including Shaak Ti on Felucia and Kazdan Paratus on Raxus Prime. 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 was eventually trained by Jedi Master Rahm Kota, who he had not actually killed over Nar Shaddaa. It lead to an ultimate confrontation with his former Master, doing to Vader what he himself had intended for his own Master.

Powers and abilities
The secret apprentice was trained to use the Force to its limitations, becoming 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.

Personality and traits
The Secret Apprentice was raised by Darth Vader, who was, of course, not a very kindly father, creating turmoil, anger, and apathy in his mind. He was trained to be an assassin, and unstoppable force.

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

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.

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 is 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 unstopable 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', but it is possible that he only meant Secret Apprentice.

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
 * Ultimate Evil

'Ultimate Good' bears a resemblance to the Jedi costume in the Hasbro Evolutions set, and the 'Ultimate Evil' bears a resemblance to the Sith costume.

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

Appearances

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