Starkiller is a highly-regarded character amongst those who enjoy the non-canon side of Star Wars. His uncontrollable power displayed in both Star Wars: Force Unleashed and Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 quickly made him a fan-favourite, with the majority of fans obsessed with his close control over the Force.
From beating both Darth Vader and Darth Sidious in combat, to displaying acts of raw power never seen before, Starkiller revolutionised our understanding of Star Wars.
However, Starkiller’s methods and techniques are often left up to debate, with little to no real clarification on aspects of his character. Want to know more about Starkiller? You’ve come to the right place!
Who Is Starkiller?
Starkiller, also known as Galen Marek, was a force-sensitive human male taken on by the Sith Lord Darth Vader as his secret apprentice and personal assassin after the death of his father, Kento Marek, at the hands of Vader.
As the son of two Jedi Knights, Starkiller had a strong attachment with the force from a very early age, demonstrated through his ability to pull the lightsaber from Darth Vader’s hands on Kashyyyk.
Although little is known about his character, he quickly became a fan-favourite, with 5.7 million copies of Star Wars: Force Unleashed sold worldwide.
Here are the answers to 8 of the most popular questions around Starkiller.
#1 Why Did Starkiller Use Blue Lightsabers?
Although the colour of his lightsabers were customisable in the games, Starkiller’s basic set consisted of two blue lightsabers.
Starkiller first altered the colour of the blades to blue when the Jedi General Rahm Kota presented him with two crystals, relics of the Clone Wars, to replace Starkiller’s synthetic ones.
As we all know, blue lightsabers are typically wielded by Jedi Knights.
Although most believe this was simply a way to form a stronger alliance, the main reason this was done was to signify Starkiller’s transition into a Jedi Knight.
This would suggest that Starkiller used blue lightsabers as a way of representing his defiance of Darth Vader, and his transition from a Sith Apprentice to a Jedi Knight.
#2 Why Does Starkiller Hold His Lightsabers Backwards?
Starkiller uses a strain of Form V lightsaber combat, a defensive and opportunistic approach to using a lightsaber. There are seven forms in total, but some – including Form V – have multiple disciplines.
Starkiller derived this technique from the Shien discipline, which does not require a Jedi to use a reversed grip. This is typically used when fighting multiple enemies, and is most effective against blaster fire, helping also with sweeping attacks.
The fact that Starkiller’s fighting form does not require a reversed grip gives rise to the suggestion that it was taught to him by Darth Vader.
Other apprentices of Anakin Skywalker, such as Ahsoka Tano, similarly utilise this technique, suggesting that perhaps it was Anakin’s, and by extension Darth Vader’s, chosen training technique.
Although it could be argued that this fighting technique was taught by Darth Vader in order to fight Stormtroopers more effectively on his missions, it seems too much of a coincidence that all of Darth Vader’s apprentices used this form.
#3 Can Starkiller Use Force Lightning?
One of Starkiller’s most notorious abilities was his use of Force Lightning, used to such a powerful extent that he was able to disintegrate targets with a single blow.
He displays this ability various times throughout the series, with the most prominent display of strength being towards the end of Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2, where he defeats his master Darth Vader in combat.
As well as this unique ability, Starkiller can also use Force Lightning to create a Lightning Shield to deflect blaster bolts, lightsabers, and even Darth Sidious’ own Force Lightning back at him.
Starkiller’s mastery of Force Lightning and Lightning Shield made him a worthy adversary to all Sith and Jedi alike, contributing towards his current status as non-canon.
#4 How Did Starkiller Survive In Space?
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Starkiller is how he managed to survive in space, if he survived at all.
Following Starkiller’s discovery by Darth Sidious in Star Wars: Force Unleashed, Darth Vader was ordered to execute him as a show of loyalty. After Darth Vader had (literally) back-stabbed Starkiller, he was thrown out of the Star Destroyer window into space to die. So, how did he survive?
Most people believe that Darth Vader knew of these events in advance, and had a hidden medical droid placed outside of the ship to save Starkiller before he sustained too much damage and died.
On the other hand, some argue that technological advancements in the Star Wars universe were able to resuscitate Starkiller following his death. The Star Wars: Force Unleashed book tells us that his recovery took over 6 months, which may make the theory that he died more believable.
#5 Why Did Starkiller Turn Good?
At the beginning of Star Wars: Force Unleashed, Starkiller is introduced to Juno Eclipse, the newest pilot for his ship, The Rogue Shadow.
As we follow along the story we see the characters become closer and Starkiller’s love for her grow. Observing this change, Darth Vader kidnaps Juno Eclipse and holds her hostage on Kamino to manipulate Starkiller into doing his bidding.
The main reason that Starkiller turned good is widely regarded as being Juno Eclipse. His love for her grew throughout the series, with various occasions where he is seen to go to extreme lengths for her benefit and safety.
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His love for her inspired him to become a Jedi Knight and help to form the Alliance, as it was her distrust of Darth Vader that pushed Starkiller to work with the rebels.
Similarly to how Sith derive their power from anger and hate, Starkiller used his love of Juno Eclipse to increase his power, making this the main reason why he turned good.
#6 Did Starkiller Create The Rebellion?
The Alliance for the rebellion was created under Starkiller’s guidance. Although the rebellion was already beginning to form under Bail Organa, Leia Organa and Jedi Knight Rahm Kota, Starkiller was the driving point for the formation of the Rebel Alliance on Corellia.
On the orders of Darth Vader, Starkiller was sent to organise a rebellion to battle the Empire and weaken the Emperor, Darth Sidious, to allow Darth Vader to become Emperor.
However, it was later revealed that Darth Sidious had known about this plan, and used Starkiller to show the Empire their enemies.
Although the formation of the Alliance was orchestrated to some degree by Darth Vader and Darth Sidious, Starkiller did indeed create it. Without him, it is doubtful that a full-scale rebellion such as that on Kamino would ever have happened, with only petty attacks that ultimately would not overly effect the Empire.
#7 Does Starkiller Die In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2?
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 was a revolutionary game, providing the player with two separate timelines that depended on their choices throughout. Often, this is referred to as the Light Path and the Dark Path.
The Light Side is enabled when the player chooses to spare Darth Vader, after his defeat on Kamino.
If the player chooses the Light Side, Starkiller spares Darth Vader, who is then arrested by the Rebel Alliance. Starkiller then revives Juno Eclipse, ending the scene with the victory of the Rebellion.
If the player chooses the Dark Side, Starkiller attempts to kill Darth Vader, but is impaled from behind by a shrouded figure. After pushing Kota, his men and PROXY into the ocean with the Force, the figure is revealed to be a dark Starkiller clone.
Darth Vader then reveals that he lied about not perfecting the cloning process, finishing the scene with Starkiller taking one last look at the dying Juno and succumbing to his injuries.
#8 Could Starkiller Even Be Canon?
Surprisingly, he nearly was quite recently. Whilst writing the plot for Star Wars: Rebels, Dave Filoni, a highly-regarded Star Wars writer, considered making Starkiller an Inquisitor under the Grand Inquisitor.
However, Filoni quickly abandoned the idea, as the emergence of Starkiller in canon could cause significant implications for the Star Wars story.
For example, the Star Wars: Forced Unleashed saga tells a vastly different story to the creation of the Alliance than what is told in Rebels. Furthermore, Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 included DLC missions that were highly problematic to Star Wars, such as a mission on Hoth where Starkiller became Lord Starkiller and eventually was made a Sith Lord.
Lastly, the biggest reason that Starkiller can never be canon is because, while starring as the lead character in the Force Unleashed series, he turned Luke Skywalker to the darkside. This would also contrast the entire Star Wars series, for obvious reasons.
Ultimately, it cannot be possible for Starkiller, or the Force Unleashed series, to become canon in the future.
Conclusion
Starkiller is a diverse and dynamic character in the world of Star Wars beloved by many.
Although he is not canon, that doesn’t stop his character from being one of the most powerful and admirable personalities in the series, with unrivalled force abilities.
Using this ultimate guide to Starkiller, you’ll be able to learn more about your favourite character and the Star Wars: Force Unleashed series.
In the end, Starkiller managed to kill Vader at the end of The Force Unleashed I, and you can find out more about that here.
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