If one were to ask a fan about their favoriteStar Warsgames,The Force Unleashedwill be in their top five, guaranteed. What’s not to love? It exposes its players to familiar faces from the movies, allows them to use the Force as they’ve never seen it before, and lets them take part in epic battles that even Anakin Skywalker would struggle with. Furthermore, it lets them duel-wield lightsabers like Ahsoka Tano. It’s a fun adventure game that bridged the time gap betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope,and did it well for its time.
Withcertain aspects ofKnights of the Old Republichaving been made canon in Disney’sStar Wars, many fans wonder about Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. Fans repeatedly speculate that he will show up in the next project, with many shouting from the rooftops that he was going to turn out to be Marrok fromAhsoka. Unfortunately, the show disappointed them, and it’s unlikely that any future project will do anything else. Fans need to give up on the hope that Vader’s apprentice will find his way over to the currentStar Warscontinuity.
Who is Starkiller?
Darth Vaderdiscovered the young Galen Marek on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk when Galen was just a toddler. Taking note of the boy’s natural affinity for the Force, the Dark Lord took him in as an apprentice and trained him in the ways of the Force. Vader kept the training a secret, as he intended to use his secret apprentice as a means to overthrow the Emperor one day. By the time the boy became a young adult, he had no recollection of his real name or his family. He only knew himself as Starkiller.
The Emperor eventually discovered Starkiller’s existence and ordered Vader to kill him. Vader did as ordered, as all good soldiers do (that’s aBad Batchreference). However, it was an act. Vader only pretended to kill his apprentice and tasked him with organizing a small group of people to stand up against the Emperor — a rebellion. Starkiller traversed the galaxy, enlisting the likes of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma and got them to form the Rebel Alliance.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be another ruse by Darth Sidious. Instead of forming a group to stand up against the Empire, Starkiller gathered the Emperor’s enemies in one place, exposing them and setting them up for certain death. Between all the betrayal andStarkiller’s vision on Kashyykthat revealed the truth to him about his history, he no longer trusted his master. Starkiller secured an escape for the rebels by sacrificing himself aboard the Death Star before Darth Sidious could execute them. The group then went on to form the Rebel Alliance, and used Marek’s family crest as their symbol.
A Way for Starkiller to Join Star Wars
Of course, one should never say never. Those behind the scenes at Lucasfilm are clever storytellers, after all. Dave Filoni is notorious for bringing aspects of de-canonizedStar Warsinto canon, as long as there’s a purpose for it. Grand Admiral Thrawn is an excellent example. If he or anyone else wanted to bring Starkiller to the canon side of the galaxy far, far away, they could do it byintroducing him as an Imperial Inquisitor.
The inquisitors are moderately powerful Force-users who hunt down Jedi who survived the Purge. Between the shows, comics, and video games,Star Warshas introduced 14 of them, including the Grand Inquisitor. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t enough room for a 15th to appear in a future project.
Of course, if anyone decided to adapt Starkiller as an Inquisitor, he would be severely de-powered compared to hisThe Force Unleashedcharacter.The Inquisitors are never trainedto their fullest potential because their existence goes against the “Rule of Two,” which states there can be only two Sith at a time. The greed and thirst for power become too much as one travels deeper down the dark side of the Force. Eventually, the apprentice tries to usurp their master.
But with this in mind, following a former Inquisitor explore the training more after the Empire is long dead isn’t a terrible idea. That would allow for Starkiller to exist and eventually come close to the power he exhibited inThe Force Unleashed.On the other hand, maybe an overpowered Force-user isn’t inStar Wars’best interests.
Why Starkiller Won’t Join any Star Wars Cast
Fans love Starkiller because of how talented he is with the Force.Star Warsalready has a powerful (some might say overpowered) Jedi, and fans are vocal about how much they hate her. Starkiller pulled a Star Destroyer out of the sky and slammed it into a planet, destroying everything beneath it. Rey simply withstood some mind reading and accidentally shot lightning out of her fingers, yet she’s considered too powerful. Meanwhile, Starkiller’s out there crushing AT-STs into balls of crumpled metal like they’re paper. He shows more ability with theForce than Yoda did at his peak.
If fans need more evidence of Filoni or anyone never canonizing Starkiller, they only need to read theVadercomics. The Dark Lord has plotted against his master on several occasions without a secret apprentice even once. If the character isn’t going to appear on the pages of a comic within a similar storyline toThe Force Unleashed, he’s unlikely to find his way into a canon TV series or movie.
Still, if Filoni or anyone ever decides to do so, Sam Witwer deserves the role wholeheartedly. He brings in a level of emotion and mastery to his characters that onlyMark Hamill has donebefore. Not only that, the man’s knowledge ofStar Warslore is rivaled only by George Lucas himself and Dave Filoni. In the unlikely event that someone brings Starkiller to life in canon, it should be Witwer.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
WHERE TO PLAY
The Force Unleashed puts players in the shoes of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller. Use the force as it’s never been seen before, executing the dark lord’s every command.
