Dark Apprentice

"You were cast from the mold of a dead man. You have inherited his skills, but also his weaknesses."

- Darth Vader

The Dark Apprentice was a clone of Galen Marek, a Human male taken on by the Sith Lord Darth Vader as a secret apprentice. Following Marek's death, Vader embarked on a quest to create a perfect, obedient duplicate of the man to take Marek's place. Within the cloning facilities of Kamino, several failures were produced before the Dark Lord of the Sith succeeded in creating a clone of the deceased apprentice that was able to overcome his template's emotions and submit himself entirely to the dark side of the Force. As his training progressed, the Dark Apprentice surpassed all those who had come before him; he was able to store Marek's memories independent from his own and suppress the dead man's feelings. Vader planned to have the apprentice face a final test against a rogue clone of Marek during the Rebel attack on Kamino, but the Dark Apprentice did not participate in the battle without Vader's orders, and the Sith Lord was captured by the Alliance.

Biography
"There is no doubt. This is the one. Stable where the others fail, perfectly in control."

- Lead Cloning Technician's Log, Timira City Cloning Facility

Created on the ocean-covered world of Kamino around 1 BBY, the Dark Apprentice was a clone of Galen Marek, the deceased apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Vader, grown as part of Vader's endeavor to create a perfect and obedient substitute to take Marek's place. Several clones had come before him, all of which had been trained using memory flashes from the original Marek's life. These predecessors had failed to meet expectations in one way or another, either due to defects or succumbing to their template's emotions, and were subsequently discarded.

Upon his awakening, presided over by Vader, the Dark Apprentice was confronted with Marek's memories, specifically the man's feelings for his former pilot, Imperial-turned-Rebel Captain Juno Eclipse. Immediately, he asked about her whereabouts, but Vader announced that she was irrelevant&mdash;all that mattered was what needed to be done. This, however, did not prevent the Dark Apprentice from inquiring about who Marek was in the future. When questioned, Vader repeatedly found it unnecessary to answer directly&mdash;rather, he stated the clone had inherited the memories, thoughts, and dreams of a broken man, one far less powerful than the Dark Apprentice. As a side effect of the cloning process, he possessed both the skills and weaknesses of his genetic template.



The Dark Apprentice was trained in lightsaber combat against several Sith Training Droids. The clone was determined to surpass all the others, but he was curious as to know how many had preceded him. Vader disregarded the question; instead, he told the Dark Apprentice that the only number that mattered was the quantity of clones that would be needed if he failed like the rest. Vader warned him that if he could not overcome Marek's emotions, he would fail like his predecessors. Over time, the lead cloning technician noted that the Dark Apprentice was able to compartmentalize the memory imprints used to train him, thereby succeeding where all others had failed&mdash;the clone was able to store Marek's memories independently from his own, freeing him from his template's emotions.

With the apprentice free of Marek's memories, Vader brought him to a chamber where his template's lifeless body was kept. The clone understood the significance of the act, and his Master believed that he, unlike all the others before him, would prove successful. In a training match against the holodroids, the Dark Apprentice was able to rise above Marek's emotions, striking down a droid bearing the appearance of Captain Eclipse. To Vader, the clone revealed his disgust and hatred for his template's weaknesses, and his pride for being able to overcome them when those before him had failed.

During the final stages of the Dark Apprentice's training, a renegade clone of Marek, who had previously fled Kamino, joined with the Rebel Alliance in an attack on Kamino's cloning facilities. Vader intended to use the battle as a final test for the Dark Apprentice by drawing Starkiller into a trap atop the cloning spire. Before leaving to confront Starkiller, Vader instructed the Dark Apprentice to wait until his assistance was required. The apprentice announced that he was ready to fulfill the purpose of his creation. The trap did not go as planned, however. Starkiller bested Vader in a lightsaber duel but refused to strike him down, having previously seen a vision in which he was killed by another clone&mdash;Vader's new apprentice&mdash;when he attempted to kill his opponent. The Sith Lord was captured by the Alliance upon the battle's conclusion, with suspiciously no interference from the Dark Apprentice.

Personality and traits
"I feel nothing&hellip;''" "Nothing?" "''Hate&hellip; for his weaknesses. Disgust&hellip; for his failings. And pride for rising above them."

- The Dark Apprentice and Vader

Unlike the clones that preceded him, the Dark Apprentice was able to overcome Galen Marek's emotions, making him the lone success in a project filled with failures. To the delight of the lead clone technician who observed his progress, the apprentice managed to isolate the original Marek's memories; as a result, the clone could differentiate between his own thoughts and those of his genetic template. By learning that Marek's memories were not truly his own, the clone effectively freed himself from his progenitor's emotions as well, particularly his feelings for Juno Eclipse. Near the end of his training, the clone had grown to hate his former self. He despised his template for being weak, and expressed his disgust over Marek's failure as a Sith. Ultimately, the Dark Apprentice had become proud of the fact that he alone had overcome the imprinted sentimentality that undermined all of the clones that came before him.

Powers and abilities
"You are already more powerful than he ever was."

- Darth Vader, comparing the Dark Apprentice to Galen Marek

During his tutelage on Kamino, the Dark Apprentice was trained in lightsaber combat against multiple Sith training droids. Like the clones who were trained before him, the Dark Apprentice learned to master the art of Jar'Kai, a fighting style that emphasized the use of two lightsabers. As the clone's training progressed, Vader told the Dark Apprentice that he had become more powerful in the Force than the original Starkiller had ever been.

Behind the scenes
The Dark Apprentice first appeared in The Force Unleashed II novelization in a vision that corresponds with the non-canon dark side ending to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. The clone's origins were detailed in a series of cutscenes entitled "Distant Thunder," extras in the game which can be unlocked by completing several challenges. In these video clips, Sam Witwer provides the voice of the Dark Apprentice. As these cutscenes have no impact on the game's progression, and in terms of time placement precede the player's decision between the canonical or non-canonical endings, it is assumed that the Dark Apprentice is canon, even though he does not appear in the light side ending of the game. His story is further explained in the DLC edition of Force Unleashed II.

Alternate ending
"You have faced your final test.''" "What is thy bidding, my Master?" "Take his starfighter. Scour the far reaches of the galaxy. Find the last of the Rebels and destroy them." "''As you wish."

- Darth Vader and the Dark Apprentice

In the non-canon dark side ending of The Force Unleashed II, the player, as the clone of Galen Marek, chooses to strike down Darth Vader. Before this can happen, however, a lightsaber blade suddenly appears through the clone's chest. A hooded figure, having concealed himself to get near the clone, is revealed to be the wielder of the blade; he proceeds to best Jedi General Rahm Kota in a brief duel before Force-choking the General and pushing him and several Rebel troopers into the ocean below as Terror Troopers deal with the remaining Rebel soldiers. Vader approaches the dying clone of Marek, announcing that he lied about the failure of the cloning project as the hooded figure reveals himself to be the Dark Apprentice, a perfect clone of Galen Marek.

With the Rebel attack repelled, Vader commends the Dark Apprentice for succeeding in his final challenge. The obedient clone kneels before Vader, who tasks him with taking the Rogue Shadow to find and eliminate the surviving Rebels scattered throughout the galaxy. As he departs, the Dark Apprentice takes a moment to glance at the lifeless body of Juno Eclipse; feeling no emotions for her, he raises his hood and continues on his way. Accompanied by a group of TIE fighters, the Dark Apprentice leaves Kamino in the Rogue Shadow and enters hyperspace to fulfill his orders.

Force Unleashed II DLC Edition
"The Rebels must be stopped before they can destroy the shield generator. Leave no survivors.''" "Understood, my Master." "There will be no one to stop us this time." "''Yes, my Master."

- Darth Vader and the Dark Apprentice

In 4 ABY, Darth Vader dispatched the Dark Apprentice to the Forest Moon of Endor to put an end to the Rebellion once and for all. As the Alliance mounted a desperate attempt to destroy the Empire's second Death Star, the apprentice landed the Rogue Shadow on Endor while the Imperial shield generator bunker was under attack by the Rebels and their Ewok allies. In accordance with his Master's instruction to leave no survivors, the clone killed all who stood in his path, until finally encountering Han Solo and Chewbacca, both of whom died in combat against Vader's disciple.

Inside the bunker, the Dark Apprentice fought his way through waves of resistance, killing Rebels and Imperials alike. He finally encountered Leia Organa, who revealed that she had been trained as a Jedi after Luke Skywalker died on the planet Hoth. Though the apprentice remarked that Leia had considerable potential, she proved to be no where near his equal in combat skills and raw power in the Force. In the end, Leia was killed by her father's merciless apprentice, thus marking the death of the last offspring of Anakin Skywalker, and the galaxy's final hope.

With the bunker secured and the shield generator intact, Emperor Palpatine declared the end of the Alliance and a new age for the Galactic Empire. While Darth Vader stood at his side, the Emperor also revealed that he knew all along about the existence of the original Starkiller's perfect clone, which he referred to as a "pathetic" asset in Vader's pitiful schemes. With his treachery exposed, Vader moved to strike down his Master once and for all. But Palpatine easily defeated Vader by utilizing Force lightning. With Vader on his knees in defeat, the Emperor ordered his Imperial forces to kill the clone. On Endor, the Dark Apprentice sat in meditation near Leia's dead body. As several Star Destroyers converged on his location, the clone opened his eyes and prepared to deal with the latest threat to himself and his Master's plans.

Appearances

 * The Force Unleashed II novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II DLC edition

Notes and references
Dunkler Schüler