Starkiller

Starkiller is the protagonist of the multimedia event Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which included a novel, comic book, and of course a video game. He went on to star in the video game's sequel, The Force Unleashed II, and also appeared as a "guest character" in the fighting game Soul Calibur IV, in which he was referred to only as "The Apprentice".
 

Overview

Galen Marek was the son of Kento and Mallie Marek, both Jedi who retreated to Kashyyyk after surviving Order 66. His mother was killed while defending some of the local Wookiees from Trandoshan slav ers. Years later, their little home was tracked down by the Empire, and Darth Vader was personally dispatched to deal with the surviving Jedi. He stormed through the village, casually killing Wookiees by the dozen as he did, and then defeated Kento Marek in a lightsabre duel. Vader was about to deal the finishing blow to Kento, when his lightsaber was pulled out of his hand. He turned around to find a young boy holding his lightsaber, having instinctively pulled it there with Force Grip. He sensed that the boy had the potential to become the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. Vader then killed the boy's father anyway, But spared Galen's life when a Stormtrooper tried to blast him. Vader spent years secretly training the young human as his apprentice, making him strong in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force so that one day he could assist Vader in overthrowing his master, Emperor Palpatine. Rather than giving him his own identity, Vader referred to his apprentice by the codename "Starkiller". Though a skilled lightsaber duelist, and proficient with many Force powers, such as Force Grip and Force Lightning, he was a Sith apprentice in all but name. The Rule of Two prevented him from becoming Vader's official apprentice, as Vader himself occupied that position. This made Starkiller officially nothing more than a Dark Jedi, to be put to death immediately if he was ever revealed.  His existence was therefore meant to be kept a secret from the entire galaxy, 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.
 
Because of his secluded existence, the closest thing Starkiller had to a friend was his primary training droid, PR0XY, who helped him train in lightsaber combat using programmed recreations of the saber-duelling styles of various warriors from Galactic history, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. However, to prevent
 

The Force Unleashed

When Vader deemed his training complete, he sent his apprentice on a series of trials. 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 a starship dubbed the Rogue Shadow. There, he wiped out stormtroopers and other Imperials who were blocking his way while guarding the Temple. Further into the Temple, he confronted the spirits of long dead Jedi and Sith, as well as encountering the holocron of a Sith Lord named Darth Phobos and her apprentice, Darth Desolous.

After his training was complete, his first mission was to kill a Jedi, General Rahm Kota. Rahm Kota had survived by not using any clone troopers in the Clone Wars, instead enlisting a private militia to help fight him. Vader sent Starkiller to a TIE Fighter construction facility over the planet Nar Shaada. He was told to not leave any witnesses, Stormtroopers and Rebels.

The mission proved to be difficult, but Starkiller finally made it to the General. Kota was surprised that Vader sent just a boy, but fought him just the same, at the end of the fight, Kota looked into Starkiller's future. He was surprised when he saw himself. In that moment of surprise Starkiller forced his lightsaber into his eyes and hurled him onto Nar Shaada.

Starkiller returned to Vader with Kota's lightsaber. Vader surprised him by saying that he didn't expect him to survive.
 
His next mission was to kill deranged Jedi Kazdan Paratus on Raxus Prime,  where he faced Paratus's droid army and a group of scavengers. He killed  Paratus with a piece of metal. His final test was to kill Shaak Ti on Felucia.

There he fought the force sensitive Felucians, trained by Ti. He finally reached Shaaki Ti and dueled her on the maw of a giant Sarlaac monster. He wounded her. She warned him that all Sith eventually betray each other, before falling into the creature's mouth.

Back at the Executor, Darth Vader told him the Emperor's spies followed him here. He stabbed Starkiller through the chest, and threw him out the bridge window at the command of Palpatine.  His body was retrieved and reconstructed, so now Palpatine was unaware he was actually alive.  Vader asked Starkiller to bring together an army of rebels and dissidents to distract Palpatine as they plan their strike against him. He escaped Vader's medical ship, which PROXY sent on a crash course into a star to kill any witnesses. 

Both Juno and Starkiller knew Kota was still alive, and tracked him down to a bar on Bespin. He was blinded, but agreed to come along. Imperial forces tracked Starkiller to the bar and attacked, and a Shadow Guard arrived to personally duel Starkiller. Starkiller killed the guard after catapulting him into the air and using force lightning.

Kota guided Starkiller to Kashyyyk to rescue Princess Leia. It was on Kashyyyk that he found his old home and encountered the spirit of his father. He freed Leia, destroyed the skyhook, and killed Captain Ozzik Sturn. After rescuing Leia, he rescued her father, Bail Organa, from Jedi Maris Brood on Felucia. Bail told Starkiller of senators who have spoken out against the Emperor, and they needed convincing to start rebellion. He went to Raxus Prime and destroyed a construction facility in space to prove that the Empire was vulnerable. He even brought down a Star Destroyer using the force.

With this, Starkiller, who discovered his true name to be Galen Marek, formally organized the Rebel Alliance with Bail, Leia, Kota, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis.  It turned out that the entire thing was a plot by Darth Vader to bring together the Emperor's enemies and capture them all at the same time. Vader told him that he never intended to destroy the emperor with him.

Galen, who escaped, sensed that the rebels were on the Death Star, and went there with Juno, they had a final kiss before he entered the space station. He would eventually reach the Emperor's watchtower, where he confronted Vader and nearly killed him. He then faced the Emperor, and smashed him into the floor using force grip, crippling him. It turned out to be a ruse and Palpatine got up and fired force lightning at Galen. Galen fired back, and told the Rebels to escape while they had the chance. Galen unleashed all the force lightning in his body, sacrificing himself and causing a massive explosion which levels the Emperor's tower. The Emperor and Vader emerge from the explosion alive.

Though Galen was dead, his Rebel Alliance would live on and form the New Republic, his family insignia chosen as the insignia of the Alliance.

Dark Side Ending

If the player chooses to kill Vader instead of saving the rebels, then the Emperor offers to make Starkiller his new apprentice if he kills Kota. Starkiller turns him down by way of attacking him, but the Emperor kills the rebel leaders and crushes Starkiller with the Rogue Shadow, crippling him in the process. Starkiller survives, though, and is brought back to useful status by way of a surgically-attached suit of cybernetic battle armour, in much the same manner that Anakin Skywalker was transformed into Darth Vader. Although this is the non-canon ending, it stands as a lead-in to the Infinities DLC, which has Starkiller, as the Emperor's personal assassin, being sent to Tatooine to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. A second expansion is planned for inclusion in the Utlimate Sith Edition of the game, in which Starkiller is sent to Hoth to murder Luke Skywalker.

Soul Calibur IV Ending

After a battle with Algol, the immortal king tries to consume Starkiller by opening up his stomach and extending six claws which hook onto Starkiller, trying to absorb his power. Starkiller easily breaks free with a blast of Force Repulse, and finishes off Algol with his lightsaber. The demon blade Soul Edge and the spirit sword Soul Calibur remain, but Starkiller disdainfully leaves them behind, returning to more familiar space through a portal that appears. 
 
The Apprentice's ending ends here in the Xbox 360 version, unless the player has downloaded the key to unlock Darth Vader as a playable character.

After returning, Starkiller reports to Darth Vader (who is waiting in the Death Star), that he judged Soul Edge and Soul Calibur as worthless, and Darth Vader becomes angry at Starkiller's failure in his mission to bring the legendary swords back, so he Force Chokes his apprentice while telling him that he will make the judgement of Soul Calibur's and Soul Edge's worth.

Nearly Force Choking him to death, he lets him go when he sees that Starkiller is reaching for his lightsaber, impressed that even while being punished, he has the strength of will to defy his master. Vader then announces his intention to give him what he's wanted for years. Vader and Starkiller then draw their weapons, preparing for a lightsaber duel.

A message then comes up, saying that Starkiller's fate will be decided in another world. This is simply Soul Calibur's way of telling you to "GO BUY FORCE UNLEASHED!" 
 

The Force Unleashed II

On E3's world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. It revealed the return of Starkiller. He walks down a hallway with Darth Vader and Yoda's voices in his head. He ends up ripping off multiple pieces of metal, when the voices get stronger. However, he stops to the voice of Juno Eclipse. He hears her voice saying "Will I ever get to see you again?" This was said in the first Force Unleashed game, shortly before Starkiller died. Starkiller walks out into the bright lights, and sees a rancor thrown out by a much bigger monster. The creature attacks Starkiller and the trailer ends. 
 
Recently, an E3 premiere showed that the ending of The Force Unleashed remains unaltered, and that Galen "Starkiller" Marek did indeed die after battling the Emperor; this Starkiller is a clone, created by Darth Vader in an attempt to create the ultimate Sith warrior. Apparently the plot of The Force Unleashed II will involve this clone (who may be one of many) escaping the cloning facility before Starkiller's memories and emotions can be erased and replaced with Empire-loyal brainwashing, leading the "new" Starkiller on a quest for vengeance and redemption.
 
 

Trivia

• "Annikin Starkiller" was the original name for Luke Skywalker in the early drafts of Star Wars.
• In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , there was also a character named Starkiller, which was also a reference to Luke's original name. "Bendak Starkiller" was a famous bounty hunter that the player could duel in a fight to the death in the Taris duelling ring if they defeated all other duelists.
• The Apprentice's appearance is modelled after actor Sam Witwer, who provides the voice of Starkiller in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Soul Calibur IV. Sam Witwer is perhaps best known for his role as "Crashdown" on Battlestar Galactica.