Galen Marek

"You have done well, my apprentice."

- Darth Vader

Galen Marek, codenamed Starkiller, was the son of the Jedi Kento and Mallie Marek. He 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 to kill Jedi who survived Order 66, and ultimately to stand with Vader to overthrow his own Master.

In time, Marek carved out his own destiny, however. At one point, he received training from Jedi Master Rahm Kota and helped the "fallen" Jedi Maris Brood seek redemption. Marek, Vader, Palpatine, and Kota 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

Galen Marek was the son of Kento and Mallie, who had traveled the galaxy in search of safe haven until they met the fiercely loyal Wookiees of Kashyyyk. While Galen was watched over by the Wookiees, it is not clear whether he was born on Kashyyyk or if he was born before his parents arrived there and travelled there with them. His mother had been killed while defending Kashyyyk from Trandoshan slavers.

Not long after the onset of the Great Jedi Purge, amid an Imperial attack on Kashyyyk, Darth Vader landed on the planet in a shuttle on his own mission to hunt a rogue Jedi. Using the Force, he found Kento, who met him with fierce resistance, though Vader proved stronger. As Vader was about to deal the finishing blow to Kento, his lightsaber was pulled from his hand. He turned in defense only to discover a young boy holding the blade. Vader could sense potential in the boy to become the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. After killing his father, the Stormtrooper commander leading the assault arrived. Mistakenly thinking that the child intended to attack Vader with his own weapon, he directed his men to kill him. Vader quickly summoned his saber from the child's grasp and deflected their blasts, killing them so there would be no witnesses of the boy's existence. He then brought the young Marek with him off Kashyyyk and trained him to become his secret apprentice.

Now in Vader's custody, the young Galen was taught the ways of the Force by the Dark Lord personally. The boy was not guided every step of the way by his new master; instead, he was allowed to find his own way, with Vader offering scant advice and instruction. The Dark Lord was never kind or encouraging towards his charge, and Marek had to endure constant punishment and rigorous exercise. The pair frequently sparred with their lightsabers, or even with their powers. Conversely, Galen's master would never debate or enter into deep discussion with the boy. During the brutal training regimen, Galen was pushed to his limits and, on several occasions, thought he was on the brink of death, which he determined served to strengthen him in the dark side of the Force. Singed repeatedly by his master's lightsaber blade, he bore scars from his multiple mock duels. Throughout his training, Galen did not know his true name, but was referred to only by the codename Vader had given him: "Starkiller." Starkiller's existence was kept secret from the rest of the Galactic Empire, including the Dark Lord's master, Emperor Palpatine. In time, he was given a home on the incomplete Executor battleship, which was being constructed by droids only, thus maintaining certain aspects of the super star destroyer, like Starkiller and his abode, known of by Darth Vader alone. During their meetings, Vader would inspire Galen with his Sith destiny to help Vader defeat and overthrow the Emperor.

Eventually, Vader dispatched Starkiller on assassination missions against adversaries of both Vader and the Empire. Among the young man's targets were spies, thieves, and even high-ranking traitors to Imperial rule. To aid him in his task, Vader had provided Starkiller with two tools: a holodroid named PROXY, and a starship, the Rogue Shadow. The Dark Lord handpicked enlisted Imperials to pilot the Rogue Shadow, though he usually executed each of them within only a handful of missions. PROXY was a prototype holodroid who served as a companion and long time friend of Starkiller and traveled with him on the Rogue Shadow. Despite their friendship, PROXY was programmed by Vader with a prime directive to kill his master, further adding to his training. PROXY was equipped with advanced hologram technology that, when coupled with its built-in servos, would allow him to change appearance and adopt a wide range of disguises. He could also present messages: he would turn holographically into the sender, and the sender would relay the message. Also, when Starkiller wanted information on an individual, PROXY would turn into that person and access databases to confirm his or her identity.

Rahm Kota
At night, Starkiller would meditate and attempt to peer into the future, but was never successful. Consequently, any break from his daily routine would surprise him, which happened one day after a dueling session with his master, while Starkiller was made to kneel before the Dark Lord. While the youth knelt, he was informally knighted by his master, and, for the first time, Vader acknowledged him as his apprentice. Afterward, Vader provided Starkiller with his new target: Jedi General Rahm Kota, who had been attacking key Imperial facilities, in particular the TIE Fighter Construction Facility over Nar Shaddaa. Aside from being his first Jedi target, another element to Starkiller's new mission would be different from previous ones: he was to leave no witnesses, meaning that all whom he encountered aboard, insurgent and Imperial alike, were to be killed.

Having spent his life in loyal service to his master eliminating enemies of the Empire, the prospect of destroying Imperial troops fueled the apprentice with uncertainty at first, but he accepted this aspect of the new mission as another test in pursuit of his Sith destiny. As he entered the hangar that held the Rogue Shadow, he was attacked by PROXY, who had taken on the appearance and lightsaber style of Jedi General and former Jedi Council member Obi-Wan Kenobi. The pair dueled for some time, creating a substantial mess of the nearby equipment, until Starkiller stabbed PROXY through the chest plate. Starkiller, having fought that particular training program long ago, was impressed with the droid being able to surprise him by repeating it after so long. Nevertheless, PROXY expressed disappointment that he hadn't finally killed his master, wherewith Starkiller replied with his confidence in the constancy of PROXY's primary programming. Despite the gaping hole through his chest, the droid was still able to walk and function, albeit with more difficulty than before. As they approached the ship, Starkiller met his new pilot: Juno Eclipse, former captain of Vader's Black Squadron and the eighth pilot of the Rogue Shadow.

Starkiller boarded the shipyard through a hangar bay, and was immediately attacked by Imperial stormtroopers and insurgents alike. After dealing with a substantial amount of enemy forces, including TIE Fighters, he finally reached the command center. Unfortunately, Kota and his militia had set explosive charges throughout the facility, causing major structural damage. During the duel with Kota, the Construction Facility split in half, changing the gravity and making what was the wall the floor. Kota was a tough opponent, countering Starkiller's Force and lightsaber attacks, but eventually tiring, and the assassin seized the advantage over him. At the climax of their duel, with lightsabers locked, before the apprentice finished off the Jedi, Kota said cryptically that he could see the young man's future: Starkiller would not always be Vader's servant, and he also saw himself in that future. Starkiller forced Kota's own saber into his eyes, blinding him, and finished the duel by using the Force to push him through a glass floor, sending him plummeting toward the surface of Nar Shaddaa. Starkiller then escaped the rapidly descending facility, stopping only to retrieve Kota's lightsaber.

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

- Spirit of Kento Marek

Upon reporting his success and presenting Kota's lightsaber, Vader chastened Starkiller for being reckless, despite his proven ability and success against a Jedi target. To further Starkiller's training, Darth Vader sent him to participate in the Jedi Trials, metaphysical challenges, in the long-destroyed Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Upon arrival in the Rogue Shadow, he wiped out stormtroopers and other Imperials guarding the Temple who were blocking his way. Further into the Temple, he confronted the spirit of a long dead Sith, as he encountered the holocron of a Sith Lord, Darth Desolous. Starkiller managed to fight off and eliminate the specter of Desolous when it attacked.

Kazdan Paratus
"Don't worry Masters. I'll defend you from this Sith trash."

- Kazdan Paratus

After this victory, Darth Vader through PROXY gave Starkiller his next Jedi target, the reclusive droid maker, Kazdan Paratus, on Raxus Prime.

Upon landing on the planet's surface, Starkiller encountered an army of droids and technobeasts created by the Jedi, in addition to Rodian scavengers led by Drexl Roosh. Fighting his way through these hordes and activating the hyperdrive engine on a crashed corvette to clear the way, Starkiller reached a massive recreation of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Inside he fought more droids on his way to the Council Chamber, where the crazed Jedi lay in wait. At the chamber, Starkiller fought off both the Jedi Master and technobeast versions of the High Council members. After slaying Paratus, Starkiller returned to the Executor.

Return to the Jedi Temple
Starkiller believed he was ready for his destiny. However, Vader said that the boy had only defeated an old man and an outcast. Vader finished the reproval by resending him to Coruscant for more trials in the Jedi Temple. Upon arrival in the Rogue Shadow, he again met with and eliminated Imperial on-duty resistance at the Temple's entrance. Inside the Temple he encountered a different Sith specter of the Sith Lord, Darth Phobos. Her specter attacked him with her knowledge of the Force, and probed for weakness in his mind and created Force illusions of his thoughts. He was able to overcome the deceptions and finally defeat her. Afterward Darth Vader appeared through PROXY with a new assignment.

The hunt for Shaak Ti
"Vader's assassin. Welcome to the Ancient Abyss. A place of sacrifice, since time immemorial. Are you prepared to meet your fate?"

- Shaak Ti

Vader instructed Starkiller to prove himself by killing a council member, Shaak Ti, whom Vader revealed to be hiding on Felucia. Upon reaching Felucia, he noticed Captain Eclipse's uneasiness. After questioning her about it, he learned that she led the Imperial forces at the Battle of Callos. Unfortunately, the Rogue Shadow had been spotted and Shaak Ti mobilized the Felucian forces and sent her apprentice, Maris Brood, to hide at the Rancor Graveyard.



After killing his way through Felucians and rancors, Starkiller finally encountered the Jedi Master at the Ancient Abyss; a place of sacrifice for the Felucians, and in reality the only known Mega Sarlacc pit. Shaak Ti used the native fauna and flora to aid her, but despite her skill with the Force, she was unsuccessful against the apprentice; nothing could hold Starkiller. He parried a blow by the Jedi master while at the same time stabbing her through the torso.

Shaak Ti uttered a fateful prophecy that Starkiller would eventually learn of how the Sith always betray one another, and then fell into the Sarlacc's maw. As she began her plummet, Starkiller, for reasons unknown even to himself, tried to catch her. With the death of Shaak Ti, Felucia descended into darkness.

First "death"
"Now, you will kill him, or I will destroy you both!"

- Palpatine

After informing his master of Shaak Ti's death, Vader told him to return to the Executor immediately, for it was time to face the Emperor.

As Starkiller was aboard the Executor, the Emperor's fleet arrived. Starkiller believed that Vader had lured Sidious to them, but Vader disappointedly revealed that he did not summon him. As the confused Sith apprentice turned to see Sidious entering the room, he was brutally stabbed through the back by the very man who raised him, as Vader angrily stated that the Emperor's spies had followed him there. PROXY took the form of Darth Sidious and the Sith Lord commanded his apprentice to finish off Starkiller and prove his loyalty. Despite Starkiller's pleadings, Vader lifted the boy into the air and threw him onto the walls twice and then, through and out the view port.

Resurrection and a new objective
"Your destiny is now your own. Sever all ties to your past. No one must know that you still serve me. Now go. And remember that the dark side is always with you."

- Darth Vader

Approximately six months later, Starkiller awoke once more. As it turned out, Vader had rescued Starkiller, sending out a droid to recover his body, and brought him to be rebuilt on Vader's personal science vessel, the Empirical. Vader, through PROXY, told Starkiller his new objective: to distract the spies following Vader by giving them something else to focus on, like a rebellion. Starkiller was given a new identity, no longer appearing as Vader's assassin, but instead as a Rebel hero. In addition to healing his many scars, Vader also gave Starkiller Kota's old lightsaber to replace his, which had been lost when he was thrown out the view port. PROXY then warned Starkiller that they needed to escape quickly as his orders from Lord Vader were to fly the ship into a sun to destroy all evidence of Starkiller's existence. Right before reaching the lift to the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller found Juno held captive and freed her, bringing her along onboard the Rogue Shadow. There she told Starkiller that Vader had branded her a traitor to the Empire. Taking the first step into his mission from Vader, Starkiller told her he didn't care, that he was leaving the Empire for good.

The final visit to the Jedi Temple
After escaping from the Empirical Starkiller felt compelled by the Force to return to the Temple a final time to finish the Trials. He infiltrated the Temple and made his way to the lobby of the High Council Tower and entered the ancient turbolift that would transport him to the summit chamber. When the turbolift stopped and emptied into the Council Chambers, Starkiller gazed upon his next adversary; a robed Jedi, yet another opponent selected from the Trials program’s memory bank. Marek began to hurl the Council chairs around the room, pulling the columns from the wall and slashing with his lightsaber. Lifting his opponent with the Force, Marek tossed the Jedi phantom towards the high windows of the chamber, shattering them. Only a computer program maintained by the Archives, the Jedi phantom could not exist outside the building and thus was not so easily defeated. Using the Force and other techniques to subdue the Jedi phantom, Marek eventually pulled the Trials’ ghost down and impaled him with his saber. Before the program cut out, the Jedi revealed itself to be Kento Marek, Galen’s father. Shocked by this revelation, Starkiller watched in horror as his father’s image faded away. Leaving the ruined Chambers of the High Council, Marek made his way out of the Temple for the last time, on a personal mission to find Rahm Kota.

The formation of the Alliance
"If you're willing to lead us, then we'll join your alliance."

- Bail Organa

Looking for Rahm Kota
"Nobody fights the Empire and wins, boy."

- Kota

Starkiller, PROXY and Juno began planning the creation of a rebel alliance. Starkiller recalled Rahm Kota's words, that he would be in the assassin's future. The three of them decided to seek out Kota for help with forming the alliance and tracked him down to an Ugnaught bar on Cloud City. Following a trail of rumors of a drunken Jedi, they learned that one of the Empire's most dangerous agents was also after Kota. After Starkiller met up with the blind Jedi, who appeared not to sense who he was, the two fled the bar when they were assaulted by one of the Emperor's Shadow Guard. They managed to escape aboard the Rogue Shadow after freezing the guardsmen with carbonite gas.

Rescuing the princess
Kota, now blind and supposedly without his connection to the Force, told the group that he had a contact in the senate who could help with their rebellion. Pursuant of this contact, but maintaining the contact's anonymity, he directed the group to Kashyyyk. Upon arriving, the group found that a large skyhook had been constructed in orbit. Setting down according to Kota's directions, Starkiller fought his way through the Imperial forces stationed on the planet surface, and eventually met Bail Organa's "daughter," Princess Leia, held captive by Imperials. She revealed to Starkiller that Bail was Kota's contact. Leia also told Starkiller of the skyhook's purpose, to transport Wookiee slaves off-planet, and refused to leave until he agreed to destroy the moorings anchoring the skyhook to the planet, effectively destroying it. Starkiller reluctantly agreed and set off into the forest once again.

On his way, Starkiller eventually reached a hut that felt strangely familiar. Despite Kota's warnings, he entered the hut, and Starkiller had a vision of the death of his father and his own kidnapping. Then he envisioned himself as a masked Sith Lord covered in metal spikes dueling a Jedi Knight. After stabbing the Jedi repeatedly with the various sabers attached at his belt, he took the Jedi's own saber and killed him. Then the vision passed, leaving him severely disturbed. Immediately following was a vision of his father, who apologized to him saying that he never wanted his son's life to end up like this, and revealing his true name: Galen Marek. When this last vision ended, he found a blue lightsaber crystal that had once belonged to his father. Upon emerging from the hut, the Starkiller persona weakened and Galen Marek grew stronger. Though uncertain about his discoveries, filled with new hopes and doubts alike, Starkiller continued on with his mission, and finally succeeded in destroying the skyhook after cutting through heavy resistance.

Finding a senator
Back on board the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller questioned Kota, demanding to know where Bail was. Kota told him that Bail had originally asked himself to rescue Leia, but he refused, so Bail went to Felucia to seek out Shaak Ti, not knowing she had been killed.



Starkiller and the group went to Felucia to track down the Alderaanian senator. Once they reached the planet, Starkiller saw a difference in the world now devoid of Shaak Ti's influence. After searching the familiar sites of his previous visit in vain, he followed a dark side Force-signature he detected along another treacherous journey through the Felucian jungle to a rancor graveyard where he found an imprisoned Senator Organa. He determined Maris Brood, Shaak Ti's apprentice, had turned to the dark side, along with the rest of the planet, and was holding Bail prisoner. After slaying her pet Bull Rancor, Starkiller quickly subdued and defeated Maris Brood. She begged for mercy saying that when Shaak Ti was killed, the planet and all its inhabitants were corrupted. Starkiller let her go despite the protests of the rescued Bail Organa.

Bail told the group that there had been talks of rebellion among other senators, but no one had begun anything because they needed to be shown that the Empire was weak and vulnerable. Starkiller said he would meditate on a target to attack to rally the needed support. In reality, aboard the Rogue Shadow, he communicated with Darth Vader through PROXY. Vader directed him to attack an Imperial shipyard above Raxus Prime. Juno inadvertently walked in on the transmission and immediately after it ended confronted Starkiller about it. She challenged him demanding he make a decision over whether he would continue as Vader's slave or actually help them with the pending rebellion. This encounter with her led him to some serious introspection, not unlike the ways of a Jedi.

Fighting the Empire
"What is mass? It's all in your mind, boy.... Size means nothing to you!"

- Kota

During the journey back to Raxus Prime, Starkiller contemplated his new found origins along with his destiny. Ruminating over his identity, he replaced one of the green crystals of Kota's lightsaber with the blue crystal he had found on Kashyyyk, changing the saber's hue from green to aqua, and making it his own. On Raxus Prime, Starkiller fought his way through the local Imperial troops as well as a trap set by Drexl Roosh and reached an ore cannon that was being used to launch metallic refuse into space for use by the Imperial shipyard. Starkiller reprogrammed the cannon to fire directly at the shipyard instead, utterly obliterating the facility. Unfortunately for Starkiller, it also damaged a nearly completed Star Destroyer causing it to give in to the planet's gravity. As it careened out of orbit and closed in on Starkiller, Kota told him to use the force to crash it into the ore cannon. Starkiller succeeded, incredibly surviving the crash and the ensuing destruction.

Meanwhile, unfortunately for the crew of the Rogue Shadow, Raxus Prime's core, a super intelligent computer, corrupted PROXY while the droid had been slicing into it. PROXY knocked out Juno, locked the ship's launch codes and took off for the core's mainframe. Upon returning to the ship and learning what had transpired, Starkiller vigilantly pursued his friend. After a fierce duel with innumerable droids, the Core, and PROXY in the guise of Darth Maul, Starkiller successfully defeated the core and recovered PROXY. However PROXY insisted Starkiller leave him behind as the core had deleted his primary programming. Starkiller refused to leave his childhood friend behind and brought him back to the Rogue Shadow.

In order to build the Rebellion further, Kota directed Starkiller to Cloud City in search of another powerful ally, Senator Garm Bel Iblis. With his military resources, along with Bail Organa's financial resources, there would be sufficient support for the creation of the desired resistance against the Galactic Empire's rule. However, upon reaching the Cloud City, Starkiller discovered that Bel Iblis was captured by a criminal, Chop'aa Notimo. Fighting his way through bounty hunters and mercenaries, he reached Notimo and killed him. He freed Garm, who told Starkiller that he would join the Rebellion.

Declaration of a rebellion
"My name...My name is Galen."

- Galen Marek to Juno Eclipse

The destruction of the shipyard worked to prove to Senators Iblis and Mon Mothma that the Empire could be defeated. Bail Organa and the other senators met with Starkiller and Rahm Kota on Corellia to officially create the Alliance. Unfortunately, Lord Vader and Imperial stormtroopers attacked their gathering, quickly dispatching the Senators' bodyguards. Kota grabbed Starkiller's lightsaber and attempted to stop Vader, but was easily defeated by Vader's use of Force Choke. Vader revealed to all present that the alliance and gathering was a ploy and ordered Kota and the Senators to be brought to the Death Star for personal execution. Starkiller questioned the Dark Lord on why he was there, and Darth Vader revealed that this gathering had been a plot created by the Emperor himself to gather all of his enemies and capture them in one swift stroke. Vader then told Starkiller that he never planned on killing Palpatine with Starkiller and hurled a heavy table at him, knocking him out of the building and over the side of a cliff. As Vader prepared to finish his former apprentice, PROXY, guised as Obi-Wan Kenobi, appeared and attacked him. The two dueled, but Vader easily dispatched PROXY in his attempt to try and save Starkiller. When Vader turned back to the cliff's edge, Starkiller was gone.

After the Imperials left, Juno searched for Starkiller, found that he had miraculously survived the fall and brought him onboard the Rogue Shadow. She asked, if Vader never planned to kill Palpatine with Starkiller, why he let them destroy Imperial targets. Then the truth suddenly hit Starkiller that everything, including himself, had been disposable tools for Vader to accomplish his own ends and those of his master. When Juno inquired about their next destination, Starkiller replied, "We're going after Vader....and the rebels." Starkiller ceased to exist; Galen Marek was reformed, the makings of a Jedi, like his father before him.

Duel on the Death Star


Galen meditated to find his former master's location and, finally achieving the power of foresight, discovered the Death Star I under construction in the Horuz system. After Juno expertly piloted the Rogue Shadow utilizing the cloaking system to get close enough to board, Galen bid Juno farewell, both knowing they would probably never meet again. The two embraced, and Juno left him with a passionate kiss. He then leaped from the gangway and fell down a long tunnel into the station. Galen slaughtered all Imperials who crossed his path, desperately focused on reaching the Emperor, even inciting a revolt by freeing Wookiee slaves, who then guided him in the right direction.



Palpatine sensed his presence and sent Darth Vader to pursue him, not more than a hundred meters from Palpatine and the Rebels. Galen engaged Darth Vader in a massive lightsaber duel, confronting Vader between blows about the truth of his past. He came to the conclusion that it was Palpatine pulling the strings all along; that he ordered the death of his father, that he ordered Galen to be raised in darkness, by Vader, a slave to the emperor's will. The duel ended with Galen using the Force to throw columns, support beams, and anything he could find at Vader. After defeating his former master, leaving him near death, Galen felt strong impressions of destroying Vader, and eventually also Palpatine as his new apprentice. Palpatine telekinetically summoned Galen to strike down Darth Vader, taking Vader's place. Sensing Palpatine's tactic, Kota defiantly used the Force to snatch Palpatine's lightsaber, dispatched the Imperial Guards who held him and the other rebels prisoner, and then assaulted the Emperor. Palpatine, turning to bear down on Kota, began electrocuting him with Sith lightning. Galen, seeking to protect his friend and mentor, defeated Palpatine and began using the Force to hurl him into the ceiling and walls.



As Galen approached Palpatine to finish him, the Emperor tempted him, goading him to give in to his Sith destiny by striking him down. But with Kota's guidance, Galen resisted the seduction back to the dark side and did not fall again to it, sparing the Emperor's life. As they turned to leave, Palpatine again attacked Kota with Sith lightning. Galen, in response, dove in front of his friend and deflected the blast. The lightning surging through them created a massive sphere of Force energy swirling around them. Meanwhile, Darth Vader returned to the battle leading a squadron of stormtroopers. With lightning illuminating the entire room, Galen, seeing his friends in trouble, opened his body to the Force and released everything he had within him resulting in an explosive blast that all but destroyed the Emperor's tower, allowing Juno, Kota, and the Senators to escape aboard the Rogue Shadow. The explosion combined with Palpatine's Sith lightning ended Galen's life.

Legacy


Palpatine was far from pleased with the results of the battle. Not only was he robbed of an extremely powerful new apprentice and still burdened with the diminished Vader, but the prisoners had escaped and the two Sith Lords had inadvertently created a rebellion. Sidious correctly foresaw that if the rebels were not quickly and decisively dealt with they could pose a grave threat to his rule. The duel also had another outcome in that it drove a further wedge between the Dark Lords. Vader realized that Sidious desired a new apprentice, and as a result he determined to find a powerful Force sensitive to help him overthrow his master in earnest.

Galen Marek's death inspired the Rebels to finish what he began: a full scale revolution against the Empire. Juno and Bail recovered PROXY from the snow on Corellia who then revealed that Galen told him that if anything happened to him, PROXY was to be in the charge of Juno. Immediately after recovering PROXY, they along with the other founders of the rebellion met on Kashyyyk. Princess Leia proposed that the Rebels use the Marek family crest as a symbol of hope to rally behind, with which all agreed.

Juno asked Kota if he knew that the man who created the alliance was the same one who tried to kill him less than a year earlier. Kota revealed that he had always known, and still agreed to help, because he glimpsed in his pupil's mind one bright thing that he held on to: Juno.

Galen changed the very fate of the galaxy. His alliance survived and changed the shape of the galaxy forever. The Alliance eventually won the Galactic Civil War, and the Galactic Republic was finally restored in the form of the New Republic.

Personality and traits
"I bring Darth Vader's enemies to justice. Now... so do you."

- Starkiller to Juno Eclipse before a mission

Though he was brutally and continually punished by his master, Darth Vader, Galen Marek submitted willingly to the teaching method of the Dark Lord, essentially because he knew nothing else. He was also of the belief that whatever did not kill him would make him more adept in wielding the dark side. Such was Marek's state of mind towards the end of his training with Vader that a part of him almost wished for death. In addition, Galen was rather reclusive to anyone but PROXY, and only began to open up to Juno after a great deal of time. When hunting down and dispatching his targets, Marek was always satisfied that he had helped defend the Galactic Empire and fulfill his master's will. To that end, he was disturbed by the fact that he would have to cut down Imperial troops during his mission to kill General Kota, but he made sure that he concealed his feelings from his master. At the same time, for much of his life he had craved a confrontation with a Jedi Knight, and was excited at the prospect.

Galen Marek was raised by Darth Vader, who was not a very kindly father figure, 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 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. He began with a sure focus on the Sith destiny trained into him by Vader. His focus waned with his exposure both to Jedi and the light side of the Force and also to the reality of Sith life. His sense of loyalty proved incompatible with Sith philosophy, and he gradually made choices in his life accordingly.

Powers and abilities
"You are Vader's slave... but your power is wasted on him. You could be so much more."

- Shaak Ti

Galen Marek was unimaginably strong in the Force, and had the potential to be one of the most powerful Force Adepts to have ever lived. The fact that Marek was able to defeat both Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in single combat demonstrates his prowess in combat. Due to his instruction under Darth Vader, Marek was highly proficient in using telekinesis, Sith lightning, and Force-enhanced acrobatics, as well as being a master in the field of lightsaber combat. Marek's proficiency with telekinesis was such that he was able to redirect a free-falling Star Destroyer. Despite his considerable abilities with those powers, however, Marek had great difficulty with voluntary Farsight until his eventual conversion to the light. Despite his mastery of lightsaber combat, Marek preferred the unorthodox Shien style as well as the Soresu and Juyo forms.

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

- Haden Blackman



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

Whilst undergoing reconstructive surgery on the Empirical, Marek is referred to by the Imperials as Subject 1138, paying homage to George Lucas' film THX 1138

Alternate ending
"You had such promise. You could have been my successor. My equal. But now....But I may still have some small use for you. We still have enemies to find and destroy. You will do my bidding until I find a new apprentice. And then like Vader, you will be cast aside. Finish him."

- Darth Sidious



In the alternate ending in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game, Galen chooses to finish off Vader, avenging the murder of his father, and the two betrayals on himself. After another long battle, Galen strips Vader of his lightsaber, as he did as a child and runs him through with it. Galen returns to the main platform, where the Emperor is standing over an injured Kota. He instructs the apprentice to kill Kota, giving himself to the dark side, and fulfilling his destiny. Galen ignites his lightsaber, ready to strike down his new mentor, but instead turns and swings at Palpatine. Palpatine immediately ignites his own saber, easily deflecting his attack. He admits to having foreseen the attack and electrocutes Galen before flinging him through a window out onto the landing platform as Juno flies the Rogue Shadow down for boarding. Staggering on the ground, Galen sees that Bail and the other Rebel leaders have already been killed. Palpatine Force grips the Rogue Shadow and hurls it at Galen. Galen wakes up on an operating table, much like the one Darth Vader rested on during his own transformation, while his suit was constructed. He is now wearing his own suit of armor, presumably the only thing keeping him alive. Palpatine stands before him, saying he expected more from the apprentice, and thought he could have one day become the greatest Sith in the galaxy. Galen became a servant of Palpatine, obliged to do the Emperor's bidding just as Vader before him, and screamed in agony as his suit was completed.

Downloadable content
In a recently added downloadable content package for the PS3 and Xbox360 version of the game, a new skin known as "General Starkiller" was added. General Starkiller was a representation of what could of happened to Galen Marek if he had survived and become a member of the Rebellion. He appears as a middle-aged man with a grey buzz cut and trimmed beard wearing a camouflage trench coat with a strap slung across one shoulder which has a pair of electrobinoculars and a comlink attached to it.

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, 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.

Jacob Nion was the character's original name but was canceled shortly before the game's release. Due to the earlier releases of the novel and the comic Marek was named "Jacob Nion" in the German-language version of The Force Unleashed.

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

Galen's surname, Marek, is also a common Polish given name and the Eastern Europe variant of Marco, while his first name (Galen) is the Swedish word for crazy and mad.

On the Jedi Council Forums Galen is frequently referred to as "Rhett". This is not an official name but instead a play on his role as the "Secr(h)e(t)t Apprentice".

Various guises
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."

An alternate costume in the video game depicts Marek as a possible Sith Lord and Darth Sidious' servant in the non-canon dark side ending. His body is mangled and rebuilt like Vader's. The flesh of his face may have melted away, and flesh from his right forearm was likely grafted to his face hidden beneath a sinister looking helmet. The bone of his forearm appears to be gone as well, replaced with a metal prosthetic, though it seems Sidious was attentive enough to leave his fingertips intact so he can still utilize Force lightning. His flesh is pale gray, and appears to be in a state of decay, likely due to the overuse of the dark side. On his index, ring, little fingers, and his thumbs are spike-like nails. He wears armor that is described in-game as being "painfully grafted to the flesh and bone of its wearer," and black leather pants. He bears five hilts on his belt: Galen's original hilt, Rahm Kota's hilt, half of Darth Maul's lightsaber, Darth Vader's hilt, and an unrecognizable hilt. In addition, the Dark Lord uses a sixth hilt, one he probably constructed himself. It is wrapped in black cloth and has three blade-emitter guards like the one on Darth Tyranus' saber. In this non-canon form, he is often referred to by fans as "Darth Stalker", as the costume is called "Sith Stalker Armor".

Several different outfits can be obtained or unlocked for use. With the exception of bonus skins, such as Rahm Kota or Darth Vader, these outfits are:
 * Training Gear
 * Heavy Training Gear
 * Light Training Gear
 * Medical Robe
 * Raxus Prime Survival Gear
 * Bounty Hunter Disguise
 * Corellian Flight Suit
 * Jungle Combat Gear
 * Industrial Explorer Outfit
 * Jedi Adventure Robe
 * Kento's Robe
 * Sith Robe
 * Ceremonial Jedi Robes
 * Sith stalker armor

Downloadble content recently added three more outfits that can be selected:
 * General Starkiller
 * Hooded Combat Gear
 * Sith Assassin

Galen's primary outfit, provided by Vader, is also used as his first training gear uniform. In concept art, Galen also wears what appears to be some sort of Force shackles.

Appearances

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

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Visions of the Blade
 * Soulcalibur IV