Mission to Felucia ( Great Jedi Purge ) Three years before the Battle of Yavin , Starkiller was sent on a mission to the planet Felucia ; his objective was to assassinate Master Shaak Ti , one of the last surviving members of the Jedi Council . Trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force as the secret apprentice and personal assassin of the Sith Lord Darth Vader , Starkiller was raised to exterminate his master ' s enemies without question or remorse , particularly the Jedi fugitives who survived Order 66 and the rise of the Galactic Empire . With Vader ' s assurance that a confrontation with Ti would be the final test of Starkiller ' s skills , the apprentice headed to Felucia , determined to prove his worth in order to become a true Sith Lord . Shortly after landing on Felucia , Starkiller was met with resistance from the local Felucian natives , whose natural prowess with the Force was amplified by Shaak Ti . After fighting his way through the jungles of Felucia , Starkiller confronted Ti at the Ancient Abyss , a mega - Sarlacc sacred to the Felucians . During the ensuing lightsaber duel , Ti fought with the aid of several Felucian warriors and the mega - Sarlacc , but was ultimately overpowered by Vader ' s apprentice . Ti , wounded and unable to defend herself any longer , accepted her fate by willingly falling into the mega - Sarlacc , but not before warning Starkiller of the Sith ' s track record for treachery . Prelude . Soon after Starkiller completed his second mission in the ruins of the Jedi Temple , he received his most important assignment yet from the Sith Lord Darth Vader . Communicating to his secret apprentice through the holodroid PROXY , Vader ordered Starkiller to travel to the planet Felucia and kill Shaak Ti , one of the last surviving members of the Jedi Council who survived Order 66 and fled into exile . Despite Starkiller ' s successful missions against other Jedi Masters , such as Rahm Kota and Kazdan Paratus , Vader felt that victories over an " old man " and an " outcast " were too insufficient to fully confirm his apprentice ' s true potential . With growing anticipation at the prospect of becoming a true Sith , Starkiller obeyed his master ' s orders without question . During the journey to Felucia , Starkiller was too focused on his mission and the reward of a successful outcome to pay any attention to Captain Juno Eclipse , the pilot of the " Rogue Shadow " . With the exception of issuing orders , Starkiller avoided Eclipse ' s attempts to converse . Upon arrival , however , the image of Felucia ' s environment — rich and vibrant with life — caused an emotional disturbance in Eclipse . Starkiller inquired as to the reason behind Eclipse ' s increased emotional state , mainly due to the conflicting feelings that he sensed within her . She half - heartedly revealed her involvement in the Bombing of Callos and how , as a consequence of her actions , the Galactic Empire reduced the planet to a dead and barren state . Unconcerned with Eclipse ' s moral dilemma , Starkiller stated that Eclipse made the correct decision by fulfilling her orders to the letter . Once Eclipse landed the " Rogue Shadow " on the surface of Felucia , Starkiller disembarked from the vessel and began his hunt for Shaak Ti . Unknown to Starkiller , however , Ti witnessed the " Rogue Shadow ' s " arrival on Felucia and correctly concluded that Darth Vader had discovered her secret location , and thus dispatched an assassin to kill her . After Maris Brood , a young Jedi padawan who survived Order 66 before being taken under the mentor - ship of Ti , grudgingly agreed to remain out of the fighting , Ti ordered her Felucian warriors to intercept Vader ' s apprentice . The mission . The hunt for Shaak Ti . When the " Rogue Shadow " departed for a secure location to await further orders from the apprentice , Starkiller was attacked by a group of Felucian warriors . During the initial engagement , Starkiller sensed the natives ' natural affinity to the Force , and thus he correctly assumed that they had been trained to control their abilities by Shaak Ti . In order to conserve his energy for the primary target , he quickly and efficiently killed the Felucians in his path . As he progressed closer toward Ti ' s location , Starkiller felt a degree of respect for Ti ' s prowess , as well as her ability to survive amidst the galactic - wide persecution of the Jedi . However , he also felt that Ti ' s activities on Felucia interrupted the natural rhythm of the Force . Therefore , in Starkiller ' s mind , Ti ' s death was made even more necessary by his desire to restore balance between the opposing forces of Light and Darkness . Despite their determination to protect Shaak Ti , more and more Felucians were killed in their failed attempts to neutralize Starkiller . Upon locating a Felucian village from a distance , Starkiller tamed one of the river - dwelling animals with the Force in order to reach the village by water . After arriving at his destination , he discovered that the entire village was built on top of a mega - Sarlacc , otherwise known as the " Ancient Abyss " to the Felucians . Much to the apprentice ' s satisfaction , Shaak Ti patiently waited for his arrival near the center of the village , which also happened to be the maw of the Sarlacc . While the remaining Felucians avoided him , Starkiller confidently approached the Togruta Jedi Master . Duel . Shaak Ti was perched on one of the concentric gums of the Sarlacc , untouched by either the massive feeding tentacles nor the flexing of teeth , deep in meditation . Starkiller telekinetically ripped a mushroom out of the Sarlacc ' s skin and hurled it at Ti , who flicked it aside . As she rose from her meditative position , accusing Vader of cowardice for sending an assassin in his place , Starkiller activated his lightsaber and readied himself for combat . Ti opened the duel with a spinning , downwards strike , which threw Starkiller off - balance as he back - flipped and blocked the Jedi ' s lightsaber with his own blade . After tearing off his hood as it snagged on one of the Sarlacc ' s teeth , Starkiller could only fend off Ti ' s assault until he regained his balance . He overleapt her and fell down two layers of gums toward the Sarlacc ' s maw , before leaping back up . Shaak Ti intercepted him , and her rapid attack prompted him to send a bolt of lightning into the Sarlacc ' s flesh below them . Its shaking and tremoring caused Ti to loose her footing , and she jumped back from his attack . Starkiller pursued and seized the offensive against the Jedi Master . Their fight progressed toward the lower rings of the Sarlacc . Starkiller improvised his strategy by slicing off teeth and hurling them at Shaak Ti , or slashing and shocking the flesh beneath to keep the beast quivering underfoot . Ti countered by taking control of the Sarlacc ' s distributed intelligence and sending its feeding tentacles after him . As they neared the very center of the pit , digestive byproducts from the Sarlacc ' s reeking maw made breathing difficult . As they fought on , Ti also lectured Starkiller on Jedi philosophy , much to the chagrin of the Sith apprentice . As their battle drew to an end , Starkiller drove Ti back into the Sarlacc ' s maw and , expecting her to be devoured , assumed that his mission had been completed . As he turned to leave , however , Ti reemerged , perched on one of the Sarlacc ' s massive tentacle . Through her Force - enabled control of the creature , Ti commanded the Sarlacc to assault Starkiller with its massive tentacles . After Starkiller dodged the first two tentacle strikes , he climbed onto one of the fleshy masses as it pulled back . But he was unable to maintain his grip , and nearly fell into the maw , only to become pinned between four tentacles . He blasted them apart with a Force repulse and launched himself back at the ground . When Ti charged off the Sarlacc at him , he deflected her strike , drove her back into the tentacles and blasted the entire mass with a wave of Force lightning with Ti caught in the attack . Aftermath . Shaak Ti managed to regain her feet , but she was already dying . As she expired , Ti stated that Starkiller was enslaved to Darth Vader ' s will ; she also expressed her disappointment with this fact because of her belief in Starkiller ' s potential to be far more than just Vader ' s slave . Yet her comments only disgusted the apprentice , who felt appalled by what he perceived as deceptive tactics aimed at driving him apart from his master . In Starkiller ' s eyes , the remnants of the fallen Jedi Order had grown so weak and pitiful , a far shift from the great and powerful institution that it once was . Hence , Starkiller declared that his loyalty belonged to his master , and that he would never betray the Sith for the Jedi . At that moment , Shaak Ti felt a sense of pity for the apprentice , and thus she warned him that the Sith always betrayed each other . She then fell into the Sarlacc pit and died , exploding in a massive flash of Force energy . Starkiller quietly left , satisfied that the removal of Shaak Ti ' s influence would allow the dark side to take hold on Felucia and return life to its normal rhythms once again . When Starkiller returned to the " Rogue Shadow " , he reported his mission ' s success to Vader , who declared that the time was right for them both to assassinate Darth Sidious , better known throughout the galaxy as the Emperor Palpatine . Starkiller was barely able to hide his elation at the prospect of finally achieving the primary goal that he had been raised and trained for since childhood . As he journeyed back to the " Executor " , Starkiller contemplated his future as a true Sith Lord who ruled over the Galactic Empire as his master ' s right hand . But upon his return , however , Starkiller found the " Executor " surrounded by the Emperor ' s fleet , composed of Imperial Star Destroyers . Starkiller , undaunted by the warships , approached his master ' s side and inquired as to when they would strike down the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith . Vader responded with a surprise attack and impaled his lightsaber through Starkiller ' s abdomen . Sidious , while communicating through PROXY , angrily scolded Vader for committing high treason , as well as for breaking the Rule of Two . Threatened with death unless he complied with the Emperor ' s commands , Vader seemingly " killed " his apprentice . Six months later , Starkiller awoke on the " Empirical " and was utterly surprised to still be alive . With PROXY assuming his form , Darth Vader explained to his outraged and restrained disciple that he never truly killed Starkiller ; the execution had been faked to deceive Darth Sidious . While Starkiller was trapped in an unconscious state for several months , Vader worked to repair the apprentice ' s damaged body . With the promise of exacting vengeance on Sidious , Starkiller reaffirmed his loyalty to Vader , his commitment to the Sith and the dark side , and his readiness to accept another mission . To that end , Vader tasked Starkiller with the covert creation of an " alliance of rebels and dissidents . " Its ultimate purpose , as explained by Vader , was to distract the Emperor ' s attention until the time was truly right to assassinate him . On Felucia , the death of Shaak Ti created severe repercussions for the planet . As a beacon of the light side of the Force , Ti was able to hold the dark side at bay . Without her influence , the native Force - sensitive Felucians regressed to their primal instincts , and thus they were overtaken by the dark side of the Force . Maris Brood also proved very susceptible to the allure of the dark side and the impulse for greater power , having lost another fellow Jedi and mentor to the Sith . Not long after Starkiller departed , the armed forces of the Empire were dispatched to occupy and subjugate Felucia , though the task ultimately proved to be immensely difficult for the Imperial garrison .