Galen Marek

Galen "Starkiller" Marek is the main protagonist of and the posthumous overarching protagonist of the sequel Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. He is Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.
He is portrayed and voiced by Sam Witwer, who also voiced Starkiller, Darth Sidious, and Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, Star Wars: Rebels, and Solo: A Star Wars Story, Death in Darksiders III, and Deacon St. John in Days Gone.
==Biography==
===Childhood and Training===
Galen was born to Kento and Mallie Marek, Jedi who’d survived Order 66. They arrived on the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk, where they remained safe for some time. However Mallie was killed by Trandoshan slavers working for the Separatists and the Empire soon learned of Kento. During an invasion of Kashyyyk, Darth Vader landed on the planet to hunt down the Jedi and engaged him in battle, defeating him and blasting him back into his house. As Vader prepared to finish Kento, he sensed a powerful user of the Force and soon discovered their identity, that of Galen who managed to pull the Sith Lord’s lightsaber out of his hand with the Force. 
Vader killed Kento then looked at Galen as an Imperial commander arrived with a group of Stormtroopers. The commander ordered the Stormtroopers to kill Galen, but Vader quickly intervened, taking his lightsaber back and cutting down them all down, so as to prevent any knowledge of the boy’s existence. Vader then took Galen with him so as to make him his apprentice, having seen his potential and natural skill with the Force. Galen was given the codename “Starkiller” and was trained for the next 20 years so that he could one day help Vader take down Emperor Palpatine. Galen endured cruel training methods, being trained only in the basics and taught to draw on his anger and hatred, so that he had to learn on his own through brutal sparring and tests. Galen’s only companion was PROXY, a lightsaber wielding holodroid that could actually imitate Jedi well. PROXY was programmed to attack Galen on a regular basis with intent to kill, but the apprentice did develop a friendship with the holodroid, which helped keep him sane. But even with the cruel training Vader put him through, the worst torments Galen experienced were ones he inflicted on himself. 
One example was an occasion when he had PROXY chain him up in the dark and keep him from any nourishment until he assembled a lightsaber telekinetically. This exercise was failure, but Galen felt that it had made him stronger. When he meditated, he stared at the blade of his lightsaber and drew on the red color to give himself thoughts of anger and destruction so as to help him draw on the Dark Side. However Galen was constantly frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t see the future and breaking from his routine constantly came as a surprise. Galen finally became Vader’s assassin and enforcer, eagerly killing targets in the Imperial military and government. He became dedicated to the Empire and viewed his work as his own way of serving it. For his missions, Galen was assigned a custom ship, the Rogue Shadow, and an Imperial officer to pilot it for him. Though he was a skilled pilot, Vader wanted Galen to focus on his training, but the pilots were either killed in missions or by Vader. 
On one mission, Galen was sent to hunt down a traitor Imperial aide with severe gambling debts on Malastare. Galen managed to enter the aide’s installation in Port Pixelito aided by PROXY. He used the ventilation ducts to find his target’s room and strangled the aide using the Force. On another mission, Galen headed to Duro to take out the despot ruling for the Empire, who’d become too ambitious. It was during this mission that he developed a lasting dislike towards AT-STs (All Terrain Scout Transports). One day, after a sparring match with Vader, Galen was ordered to kneel and he obeyed, believing that he was about to die. However the Dark Lord “knighted” him, finally giving him official recognition as his apprentice, as Galen believed he’d been, and declaring his training finished.
===Hunting Rohm Kota===
Vader then sent Galen on his first test to truly prepare him for when they would kill Emperor Palpatine. He was sent to kill the Jedi, Rahm Kota, who was attacking a Tie Fighter factory above Nar Shaddaa, and ordered to bring back the Jedi’s light saber as proof. Vader also commanded Galen to kill everyone in the factory, even Imperial troops so as to prevent his existence from being exposed. While he found this order disturbing, he did not say so and convinced himself that this was just another step to fulfill his destiny. As Galen headed to the Rogue Shadow, he was attacked by PROXY, using a module of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He managed to quickly defeat the holodroid and noted that he was surprised at PROXY using such an old module, which he thought the droid had erased. PROXY revealed that he had been hoping Galen would think that so he could catch him off guard and kill him. 
The apprentice then met his new pilot, Juno Eclipse, whom he was somewhat thrown off by, due to his never having had a female pilot before, but decided that this was just another test of Vader’s. On the trip to Nar Shaddaa, Galen had PROXY give him all available information on Kota, that he was a skilled general during the Clone Wars, but he’d felt that clone troopers were unfit for battle so he used his own militia. Thus, at the time of Order 66, there had been no clones to kill Kota and he’d managed to go into hiding. Galen quickly figured out that the reason the Jedi had revealed himself now was that he wanted to be found. As he came to Nar Shaddaa, Galen continued to feel trouble by Vader’s command to leave no witnesses to his existence, since many of the people he killed were loyal citizens of the Empire, who were unfortunate enough to run into him. However Galen again convinced himself that this was just another test. Upon arriving at the Tie Fighter Facility, he quickly leapt into the middle of the fight between Kota’s militia and the Imperial soldiers, easily fighting his way through the facility to the command center. 
As Galen went, he realized that the milita had been setting explosives in the facility, just before it was crippled and began falling towards the planet below. When Galen finally faced Kota, they were both surprised. The Sith apprentice had been taught that the Jedi were privileged and soft, so he hadn’t been expecting a hardened warrior. Kota on the other hand had been expecting Darth Vader to come for him, instead of sending an apprentice. They entered a ferocious duel and Galen decided that while Kota was strong and cunning, he was old and had rejected the Dark Side, so he could not win. As Kota’s defense was worn down by Galen, he used the Force to tear the command center off of the factory, causing it to fall towards Nar Shadaa. However Galen was able to strike Kota repeatedly with rubble, before they locked sabers. 
At that moment, the Jedi had a brief vision of Galen’s future and was surprised to see that he would be a part of it. But the apprentice just forced Kota’s lightsaber into his eyes, blinding him, though as the Jedi stumbled backwards, Galen had a vision of his father telling him to run. He stepped back, thinking Kota was using some sort of mind trick, letting the Jedi escape by blasting open one of the command center’s viewports and leaping out. Galen decided that Kota wasn’t going to be a threat anymore, though he was disappointed that he was unable to actually kill him. He returned to Vader with Kota’s lightsaber, but while his master was pleased, he felt that his apprentice was unfocused.
===First Temple Trial===
So as to help refine his apprentice, Vader ordered Galen to go to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to train. But upon arriving, he was confronted by an Imperial garrison who told him that Palpatine had made the Jedi Temple restricted. Galen just slew the Imperial soldiers and headed into the temple, reaching the Jedi Trials Chamber. As he looked around, Galen had another vision of his father, telling him he would need all his skills for his next test. However he was suddenly attacked by a holographic doppelganger of the Sith Lord, Darth Desolous, who was once a Jedi and had rebelled against the order. After his defeat, the order had created the simulation of him for the final training of their Padawans. Despite the hologram taking the offensive, Galen managed to destroy it, saying he was the future of the Sith and completing his Trial of Skill.
===Bringing down Kazdan Paratus===
Having completed his training in the Jedi Temple, Galen was contacted by Vader, who told him that the Jedi, Kazdan Paratus had been found hiding on Raxus Prime, a junkyard planet. He told Galen that he didn’t expect his apprentice to survive a fight with Paratus, but if he succeeded, he would be closer to his destiny. On the long trip to Raxus Prime, Galen attempted to research his mission, but was distracted, often needing PROXY to repeat mission details. Finally he went to meditate to gather himself. Galen learned what little he could on Paratus, who had been known for his skill at droid making and had formed his own army of droids during the Clone Wars. 
Thus when Order 66 came, there was no one in his army to obey it. Just before arriving on Raxus Prime, Galen was called to the cockpit by Juno and they began searching for Paratus, discovering a crude reconstruction of the Coruscant Jedi Temple he’d built. Juno set down as close as she could to the temple, thanks to the treacherous landscape and Galen set out on foot. As he went, he maintained the order of “leave no witnesses” and slaughtered the Rodian salvagers he came across. Galen also found himself fighting off Paratus’ guardian droids, though his training with PROXY had more than prepared him for them. The apprentice finally reached the temple and fought his way into the recreation of the Jedi Council Chamber, taking on a huge junk golem. 
Once it was disabled, Paratus revealed that he’d been controlling it and took on Galen. The Sith apprentice was also attacked by junk mannequins of the Jedi Council members, which drew his attention from Paratus. Galen managed to destroy them all, making Paratus weep over the deaths of the “masters”, and managed to defeat the insane Jedi, crushing him under a piece of machinery. As Paratus died, he apologized to the “masters” for failing them again, which actually somewhat moved Galen. On the trip back to Vader, the apprentice tried to fix Paratus’ broken lightsaber pike to give to his master, but gave up. Instead Galen spent his time telekinetically disassembling and reassembling his own lightsaber. But Vader contacted him again, telling him to go back to the Jedi Temple to train again.
===Second Temple Trial===
Upon returning to the Jedi Temple, Galen found an increased security force waiting for him. However he still managed to easily kill them all and upon entering the main entrance hall, Galen had another vision of his father, telling him not to let anger blind him. He headed into the Jedi Archives, where he found Juno, apparently in pain. But when Galen approached her, she revealed herself as a holographic doppelganger of Darth Phobos, a Sith Lord who’d fed on fear and had been an enemy of both the Jedi and the Sith. A holographic recreation of her was also used in the final training of Jedi Padawans. Galen was able to fend Phobos off and overcome her attempts to use the Force to create illusions. He finally destroyed it, completing his Trial of Insight and was contacted by Vader, who told him his next target was the former Jedi council member, Shaak Ti, who’d been hiding on the planet, Felucia.
===Battle with Shaak Ti===
Starkiller barely said anything on the trip to Felucia, only giving orders to Juno, and when they arrived, he asked her about a emotional disturbance he sensed in her. She explained that she’d taken part in the Bombing of Callos, resulting in a once beautiful jungle world being left as a dead wasteland. However Galen had already read about it and he assured her that she’d been following orders. Upon landing, he headed into the jungle, fighting off the Felucians, who were all Force-sensitive and apparently trained by Shaak-Ti. As he went, Galen noted that he had to give the Jedi some respect for surviving this long, but she was disrupting the rhythm of the force. 
He eventually reached the Felucian village and realized it was built around a huge Sarlacc, known as the “Ancient Abyss”. There, Galen found Shaak Ti waiting for him and they engaged in battle, eventually drawing closer to the Sarlacc’s maw. Finally, he knocked the Jedi into the Sarlacc and turned away, expecting her to be devoured. However Shaak Ti emerged, perched on one of the massive tentacles and made the Sarlacc attack Galen. The apprentice was able to deal with attacks by the tentacles and get to the ground. Shaak Ti attacked Galen, but he sent her back into the tentacles and blasted the entire Sarlacc with Force lightning. The Jedi managed to emerge on her feet, but she was clearly fatally wounded and called Galen nothing more than Vader’s slave, saying he could be so much more. He stated that he would never betray his master, but Shaak Ti warned him that the Sith always betrayed one another in the end. The Jedi then fell back into the Sarlacc pit and died, prompting Galen to take his leave and report his success to Vader. The Dark Lord told him that the time had come to bring down the Emperor and he headed back to Vader’s ship.
===Beginning a Rebellion===
Galen went to his master's side, suppressing a satisfied grin, and through the view port, he saw the Emperor’s fleet of Star Destroyers around them. Galen assumed that Vader had lured Palpatine to them, but his master corrected him, saying that the Emperor’s spies had followed him. The Dark Lord proceeded to impale Galen through the chest with his lightsaber as the Emperor, appearing via PROXY, entered the room. Palpatine told Vader that by taking on an apprentice, he’d forgotten his place, and demanded that he kill Galen. The apprentice pleaded with his master, saying that they could defeat Palpatine together, but Vader did as the Emperor commanded. He slammed Galen around the chamber using the force, before throwing him through a viewport into the depths of space. However Vader sent out a droid to collect Galen and brought to the Dark Lord’s science ship, the Empirical, where he was revived and rebuilt. The apprentice believed himself dead during this time, seeing constant visions and memories, but became enraged when he awoke, restrained on a table, and found himself in Vader’s clutches. Vader told Galen that he’d had no choice but to do as Palpatine had commanded and gave him the option of serving him again or he’d be destroyed along with the laboratory. Galen calmed down and grudgingly asked Vader what his will was, before his master released him. The Dark Lord explained that he was under constant surveillance by Palpatine’s spies, so they needed a distraction to draw the Emperor’s attention. Galen asked if he should perform an assassination, but Vader said no single act would get Palpatine’s attention. He told his apprentice that he would need to assemble a rebel army to get Palpatine’s notice. Vader left how to approach this goal up to Galen, telling him only to remove all ties to his past to make sure no one discovered he was serving the Dark Lord. Vader told him that the Dark Side would always be with him before cutting his transmission, revealing that he was holographically communicating via PROXY. The holodroid readied Galen’s ship as he made his escape, also hacking into the Empirical’s navigation system so as to set it on a collision course with a star. Galen asked PROXY about Juno and the holodroid told him she was alive and on board being held as a traitor. 
As the apprentice fought his way through the Empirical, he went to free Juno, despite PROXY pointing out that Vader had ordered him to remove all ties to his past. Galen told Juno that he’d turned on the Empire, not informing her that he was still in Vader’s service, and she joined him to serve as his pilot. They managed to escape and Galen explained to Juno that he needed to assemble a rebel army and he wanted to find someone to teach him what Vader didn’t about the Force. Thus, Galen decided to go looking for Rahm Kota and went from Nar Shaddaa to Ziost in his search, learning that the Jedi was indeed in Bespin and the Empire was coming after him. Rushing to the Cloud City, Galen found Kota in a catina, drinking his troubles away. 
He tried to encourage the Jedi to help him, but Kota refused, having lost faith in fighting the Empire. However the Empire’s soldiers showed up with Ugnaughts backing them up and Galen engaged them. He was finally able to get Kota moving and finally reached the catina loading dock to meet the Rogue Shadow. However Galen found an Imperial Shadow Guard waiting and ordered Juno to go to the shipping balloon dock, while Kota sought an alternate means of escape. With the Jedi gone, Galen was able to call on the dark side and kill the Shadow Guard, before heading to the balloon dock. Along the way, he fought more Imperial soldiers, including a few more Shadow Guards, though he was able to defeat them all. Kota appeared after Galen took down the Imperial forces, but was unimpressed, saying that he’d barely dented Palpatine’s infinite amount of forces. However Galen appealed to Kota’s honor and the Jedi finally joined him, revealing that he had a contact in the Senate.
===Third Temple Trial===
Galen found himself drawn to the Jedi Temple again, easily fighting off the reinforced legion guarding it. He found his way to the Jedi Council chamber, where he found Darth Vader fighting an unfamiliar Jedi. The Jedi managed to win and Galen, not knowing what was happening, went to help his Master. The Jedi tried to tell him not to intervene and told him to leave behind the Dark Side, but Galen said the Dark Side was all he had. Despite the Jedi’s skill, the apprentice had more raw power and repeatedly hit him with Force attacks, before impaling the Jedi through the chest. He apologized to Galen before he vanished and it was only that the apprentice realized the Jedi had been Kento Marek, his father. 
Galen had the Rogue Shadow carry him to another tower of the Temple and found the Holocron Vault, wanting more information on Kento. Galen found a message his father left him, which told him he controlled his destiny and he needed to complete the Jedi Trials. Galen found himself pulled into a vision of his own mind, a labyrinth at the end of which awaited a dark version of himself, twisted by the Dark Side. Eventually, Galen managed to knock his double off of the platform they were on, but his Sith double grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him down, while climbing back up. 
The warrior proceeded to hurl a number of columns at Galen, who used them to climb back up and managed to impale his Sith double, completing his Trial of Spirit. He exploded, ending the vision, but when Galen awoke, he found his left hand had taken on the appearance the dark version of himself he’d fought. He then heard the voice of the Sith warrior, saying that Galen would never escape him. The apprentice headed back to the Rogue Shadow, but when he tried to talk to Kota about what he’d experienced, the Jedi quickly stopped him, saying it wasn’t his business.
===Rescue on Kashyyyk===
Kota then explained to Galen that his contact had asked them to obtain something on Kashyyk, then he’d help. As Kota was again communicating with his contact, PROXY launched another attack on Galen, this time with a combat module of Qui-Gon Jinn. However the apprentice was able to defeat PROXY, thanks to the droid being unable to use the Force and the confined area they fought in. Soon afterwards, Galen was dropped on Kashyyyk and headed to an Imperial base, dealing with hostile giant spiders as he went. He decided to take to the canopy and got look at a skyhook being built by the Imperial forces. 
Galen was surprised to find that it resembled a vision he’d had when he was being revived. He come across a pair of Stormtroopers patrolling and used a Mind Trick to put one to sleep and convinced the other he was allowed to be there. Galen found out from the trooper that the base was under the command of captain Ozzik Sturn and that he had a guest in his base. When the Stromtrooper started to fall out of Galen’s control, the apprentice made him fall asleep too, before planning his assault on the Imperial base. He managed to fight his way inside, despite being attacked by a trio of AT-STs, and found princess Leia Organa in the lodge, a meeting that played out just like another vision he’d had in the Empirical. Leia at first thought that Galen was an assassin sent by Palapatine and didn’t believe that he’d come with Kota, under the impression that the Jedi had died. When Leia mentioned her father, Galen realized that Bail Organa was Kota’s contact and that Leia was what he’d come to collect. 
He managed to convince the princess that Kota was alive, but she refused to leave unless Galen destroyed the Imperial skyhook before the Imperial forces could use it to move Wookie slaves off of Kashyyyk. He agreed and she went to commandeer an Imperial shuttle, while he went to do as she asked. As Galen went on, he came across an old hut surrounded by a dark presence in the Force. Kota told him to ignore it, but he refused and found signs of a lightsaber fight, as well as a lightsaber crystal on the floor. However Galen was suddenly drawn into a vision of his father’s death and his own abduction by Darth Vader, before he found himself in another vision. This time Galen took the form of the Sith Warrior he’d fought in his vision from the Jedi Temple and faced a Jedi version of himself. 
In the end, Galen was able to win, catching his Jedi self in a telekinetic stranglehold and impaling him with a number of trophy lightsabers he had at his waist, before driving the Jedi’s own lightsaber through his heart. Galen finally snapped out of the vision and faced the ghost of his father, Kento Marek, who apologized to his son for all that had happened to him, before disappearing. As Galen emerged from his old home, he had been greatly changed by the new knowledge of his past. He continued on towards the skyhook and managed to destroy one of its moorings with his Force powers. 
Galen continued destroying them, fighting off the Imperial soldiers that tried to stop him. With only one remaining, Ozzik Sturn joined the fray in a modified, specialized AT-ST but Galen was able to deal with him as well and Ozzik and his walker were crushed by debris. The apprentice then destroyed the last moor and the skyhook exploded. Galen returned to Kota angry that he’d withheld information and the Jedi told him that Bail Organa had come to him to ask for help rescuing his daughter. When Kota refused, Bail had gone to seek help from Shaak Ti and as the Jedi explained, Galen accidentally revealed that he knew Shaak Ti had been on Felucia. This almost gave away who he really was, but he just said that Kota’s thoughts had been easy to read.
===Return to Felucia===
As the Rogue Shadow headed to Felucia, Galen looked up Bail Organa and noted that he seemed familiar, but he didn’t know where they had met before. When they reached Felucia, Galen searched for the Senatorial transponder code in Organa’s ship and managed to locate it. The apprentice went with Juno to search the senator’s ship and ensure that Organa’s body wasn’t there. Juno asked Galen how he planned to find the senator and said that they needed to avoid making Kota suspicious. He reassured her that the Jedi wouldn’t live long enough to tell anybody if he ever found out, but this just made Juno more nervous. Galen set out into the Felucian jungle, where he found that the nature of the planet had shifted to the dark side of the Force with Shaak Ti dead. 
Galen was surprised to find that this made him uncomfortable and fought his way through the Felucian predators and natives. After barely avoiding a carnivorous plant, Galen thought about the dark side and how nature had no harmony, which was the conflict that fueled the dark side. Eventually, he arrived at the Ancient Abyss, where he found the Sarlacc restrained by the Empire. Galen freed some of the creature’s tentacles to help relieve it of some of the pain it was in, then took a elevator down into the Sarlacc’s stomach to make sure Organa wasn’t inside. Galen fortunately did not find him and got out by being exhaled out of the creature’s lung. He continued searching, ending up at the Rancor Graveyard and fighting off Felucians along the way, some of which were mounted on Rancors. As Galen killed them, he noted that while Rancor death cries had previously disturbed him, even appearing in his nightmares, he was starting to get used to them. Inside the graveyard, Galen found Organa, who he’d finally realized had appeared in one of his Force visions. 
He freed the senator and explained that he’d come with Rahm Kota, while Organa explained that Shaak Ti’s former apprentice, Maris Brood, had been consumed by the dark side. She’d taken command of the Felucians and captured Organa so she could use him as leverage if the Empire found her. At that moment, Brood showed up with a Bull Rancor at her side and Galen realized he too had seen her in a vision. He fought the Bull Rancor and managed to kill it, before facing off against Brood herself. 
At first Galen was on the defensive and noted that the fallen apprentice was very similar to him. He decided that she could be turned back to the light just as easily as she’d fallen to the dark side and took the offensive. Galen managed to finally defeat Brood, who surrendered and promised to turn her back on the dark side if he let her live. He wasn’t eager to do so at first, seeing that her talents and skills were focused towards survival and not worthy of the dark side. But Galen decided to let Brood go in the end and after she fled the scene, Organa noted his disapproval, saying she reminded him of another fallen Jedi. Galen said she would never truly be free and always carry the memories of what she’d done. 
Juno retrieved the two, who met with Kota and Organa explained that anyone who might want to join them, so they needed to make the Empire seem vulnerable. Galen said he would meditate on how to find an appropriate target, instead contacting Darth Vader to get his advice. As he waited for his master’s answer, Galen was again attacked by PROXY, who impressed him with a combat module of Anakin Skywalker. However he found the fight uninteresting due to the greater challenge real Jedi had posed. Vader then contacted Galen through PROXY, telling him to attack a new Star Destroyer shipyard built above Raxus Prime. However the Dark Lord reprimanded him for the new feelings he’d developed for his new allies and reminded Galen that his loyalty was with him. As the communication cut out, PROXY noted that he hated being Vader and the apprentice said that the Dark Lord probably did too. However the holodroid noticed Juno was watching, angry that Galen’s loyalty was still with Vader, despite all that had happened. But she decided to stay with Galen and believed that the fate of the Rebellion would be decided by him, not Vader. Starkiller proceeded to replace the crystal of his lightsaber with his father’s, which he’d found in his former home on Kashyyyk.
===Striking a Blow===
Juno and PROXY worked out their plan of attack, Galen would take command of a huge ore cannon mounted on Raxus Prime, which fired raw materials into orbit to use in the shipyard, and use it to destroy the shipyard. As Galen prepared to leave, Kota asked if there was any word of Kazdan Paratus and Juno told him there wasn’t. Galen tried to act sympathetic so as to hide his apology, but Kota just dismissed him. He headed out across the treacherous landscape of Raxus Prime, dealing with numerous distractions. Galen thought seriously about a life with Juno, instead of just assuming it would happen. However his thoughts were interrupted by Juno warning him about Drexl Roosh, leader of a gang of scavengers that Galen had encountered last time on the planet, being in the area. Eventually Galen was ambushed by Roosh and his gang, who wanted revenge on the apprentice. 
Kazdan Paratus and his droids had kept the Empire away for years and when Galen killed him, the Imperial forces had moved in and taken so much, there was nothing left for Roosh’s gang. He tried to reason with the scavengers, but Roosh ordered his soldiers to fire on Galen. However he was able to fight them off, destroying their camp, and killing Roosh, so that knowledge of his part in Paratus’ death wouldn’t get out. Galen then fought his way through the ore cannon’s facility and thought about his limits, realizing that the rule of Vader and the Emperor took more than just strength, it was also fueled by fear. However as Galen moved on, he was attacked by a Shadow Guard, who he managed to fight off. 
The guardsman revealed himself as PROXY, who said that he had judged that Galen was most vulnerable at this moment so he now sought to fulfill his programming to kill him. PROXY engaged his master, switching between combat modules of the Shadow Guard, Rahm Kota, Shaak Ti, and Maris Brood. But Galen was able to defeat PROXY due to having defeated all these opponents before. However the holodroid revealed another module he’d kept secret of an opponent he’d studied for years, Darth Maul. At first, Galen was unable to deal with this new module, but finally managed to defeat PROXY, impaling him with his own lightsaber. Galen continued to the ore cannon’s deck, where he overloaded the tracks to misdirect its shot and destroy the shipyard. However one of the Star Destroyers survived and fell towards the cannon. Galen was unable to get clear in time and Kota told him to do something even he thought was madness, use the Force to pull the Star Destroyer out of the sky for a controlled landing. Kota reminded Galen that when it came to the Force, size and mass didn’t mean anything and he decided to try it, adjusting the flight path of the Star Destroyer. 
At first, Galen began to grow overwhelmed by what he was doing and tried invoking his name. But when this did nothing, he did it for Juno instead and the Star Destroyer landed, sending out a massive wave of junk As it skidded towards the ore canon, Galen tried to brake it, but finally gave up and leapt away as the Destroyer collided with it. He emerged alive from the rubble, informing a frantic Kota that he was alright, and suddenly PROXY emerged from the rubble. The holodroid said that he’d been damaged and his primary programming to kill Galen was gone. Now feeling useless, PROXY asked his master to leave him there, but he refused.
===Recruiting New Allies===
As word of rebellion spread, Kota set up a meeting with Garm Bel Iblis on Cloud City. He was a major opponent of Palpatine and wanted to discuss an alliance. However Galen and his comrades found Cloud City overrun with criminals and contacted Lobot, chief administrator of the city. He found out that Bel Iblis was negotiating with the criminal leader, Chop’aa Notimo, and Kota said that if Galen faced Chop’aa to prove himself to Bel Iblis. He was able to easily fight the criminal’s forces, but eventually learned from Lobot that Bel Iblis had been captured by Kleef, a bounty hunter working for Chop’aa. Galen went to rescue the senator and hunted down Kleef, who’d already given Bel Iblis to his boss. 
The bounty hunter engaged Galen with a pair of heavy battle droids backing him up, but the apprentice destroyed the droids. He then caught Kleef in a telekinetic chokehold and dropped him off of the building they were on. After telling Juno to be ready if he needed a quick escape, Galen fought his way to Chop’aa and demanded that he release Bel Iblis. However the criminal, believing the apprentice was a Jedi, was eager to fight him and said that the senator’s talk failed. Chop’aa and two other Mandalorians engaged Galen, but he was able to defeat them, even destroying the criminal’s Basilisk war droid. Whiel Lobto and the rest of the Cloud City’s security secured the area, Galen asked Bel Iblis to join the rebellion and he agreed.
===Betrayed by a Master===
Bail Organa contacted Galen and explained that he was meeting with Bel Iblis and Mon Mothma, another senator, and things were going well, since Galen noted that the stakes were getting more dangerous. He spent time hiding out near Rhommamool, passing the time by buying some new shoulder servos for PROXY and sparring with Kota, though he had to avoid questions about himself. Galen was eventually contacted by Darth Vader and explained that everything was coming together. However he added that the Rebels were still somewhat afraid and only starting to trust him, saying that if he was discovered talking to Vader or if they suspected his past, everything would be for naught. Vader told Galen to contact him soon, before ending the communication. 
Juno asked if they could trust the Dark Lord, but the apprentice said that Vader wouldn’t endanger his mission, not matter what doubts he had. Galen then said that he was doing the right thing for the both of them. He and Kota then went to meet with the other rebel leaders on Corellia, where they set up their Rebel Alliance. However they were suddenly attacked by Imperial forces led by Darth Vader, capturing the senators and Kota, and the Dark Lord said Galen had done well. He then knocked his apprentice out into the snow and Galen angrily demanded to know why he was interfering. However Vader said he’d lied from the beginning and his apprentice realized his entire life had been a lie, saying that the Dark Lord had never planned to kill Palpatine. Vader said he did plan to destroy the Emperor, just not with Galen. He then used the Force to push his former apprentice to the edge of a cliff, leaving him barely holding on. Galen realized that his true purpose had been to just gather the Emperor’s enemies in one place so as to remove them in one fell swoop. He decided that he deserved death for planning to use the Rebels for his own plans and Vader prepared to finish him. But PROXY, using the combat module of Obi-Wan, attacked the Dark Lord, only to get struck down. However when Vader was distracted, Galen lost his grip and fell, surviving and was found by Juno in the Rogue Shadow. As she brought him onboard, he told her his birth name.
===Facing the Dark Side===
Now considering himself a Jedi for the first time, Galen set out to save the Rebels and meditated to try and use a Force vision to find the Senators. He succeeded, but was almost overwhelmed by the many possible futures he saw, and tracked the Senators to the Death Star, which was still under construction. Using the Rogue Shadow’s cloaking system, Juno was able to get Galen close to the incomplete space station and he prepared to head inside. She asked him if he’d make it back and he said that he’d most likely die, prompting Juno to kiss him, saying she’d never have to live it down. Galen then wished her good bye and leapt inside the structure of the Death Star. Upon landing, he tried to sense the Rebels, but they were concealed by the pain and misery inside the Death Star and Palpatine’s dark presence. Galen came across two storm troopers overseeing a group of Wookie slaves and Force choked one unconscious. He mentally controlled the other and made him reveal all he knew, which was little, before putting him to sleep. Galen then asked the slaves, freeing them and leading a revolution, and two of the Wookies guided him to the Emperor. 
After finally reaching a super laser convergence chamber, Galen came to the door that led to the Emperor. However a Shadow Guardsman with four other Imperial Guardsmen came out to fight Galen. Despite their skills, the Jedi was able to defeat them and opened the door. As he went, Galen was finally confronted by Darth Vader, who said that he’d trained him well, but he replied that the Dark Lord had nothing else to teach him. They engaged each other in a fierce battle as Galen realized that before, he and Vader had never fought all out, one of them had always held back. The Jedi was able to match the Dark Lord’s strength and tenacity with his speed and precise attacks, realizing that there were other ways to fight and win other using anger. Galen started to pity Vader, seeing him as a result of all the same things he’d been through and became determined to kill him to free him of his enslavement to the dark side. Galen eventually began gaining the upper hand, striking Vader with machinery and attacking him with his lightsaber, knocking off his helmet. 
The Jedi then knocked his former master through a window into service pit, struggling to get to his feet. At first Galen was ready to finish him, but hesitated and Palpatine approached him, encouraging him to kill Vader. He said that he’d decided long ago that Vader was a broken imitation of his former potential, while in Galen, he saw the perfect apprentice. Palpatine again encouraged the Jedi to kill his former master and take his place at the Emperor’s side. Galen felt conflicted since he did wish to kill Vader and it would be difficult to give up the dark side. However Kota telekinetically grabbed Palpatine’s lightsaber and attacked the Emperor, who easily blasted him away with Force lightning. Bail Organa called out for Galen to help Kota and the Jedi was left to choose between killing Vader or saving his allies (A choice made by the player). In the Dark Side ending, Galen chose to finish Vader, impaling him with both their lightsabers while Palpatine killed the rebel Senators and severely weakening Kota. He emerged from the service pit and the Emperor told him to kill Kota, saying he would then be a Sith Lord. However Galen attacked Palpatine instead, who easily blocked his lightsaber, saying he’d anticipated his betrayal and that he’d doomed himself and his friends. 
Palpatine blasted Galen away with Force lightning, towards the dead senators and when Juno flew close, the emperor telekinetically flung the Rogue Shadow at the Jedi. When Galen awoke, he’d been rebuilt by Palpatine, similar to Vader, and the Emperor said that he could still use him to destroy his enemies. However Palpatine made it clear that when he found another apprentice, he’d cast Galen aside, before leaving the medical droids to finish their work as Galen screamed in agony. In the Light Side ending (the canon ending), Galen realized he didn’t want to be the way he used to and that killing Vader wouldn’t really change anything, while ensuring the Rebellion’s survival would change history. Thus Galen attacked Palpatine and the two engaged in an epic battle, unleashing numerous Force attacks. As they fought, the Emperor revealed that Galen had been taken from Kashyyyk at Palpatine’s command. 
He had been the Jedi’s true master and Galen, enraged by this information, attacked with new vigor. He managed to hit Palpatine with numerous Force attacks and gave his comlink to the Rebels so they could call Juno in to get them to safety. Galen advanced on the Emperor, who said it was his destiny to give in to his hate and destroy him. The Jedi was tempted to at first, but relented and told Kota to get the Rebels onboard the Rogue Shadow. 
However Palpatine declared that neither the Rebels nor the Jedi would have Galen and fired Force lightning at Kota. Galen immediately intervened, stepping into the blast himself and was almost overcome by the pain, which was unlike anything even Vader’s training had put him through. However Galen was able to absorb and gather the energy as he advanced towards Palpatine, noticing that a squad of stormtroopers was going after the Rebels. Galen then released all the energy he’d gathered, unleashing a massive shock wave that wiped out the stormtroopers. As a result, Galen found himself dying and in his last moments, thought of Juno, before he finally became one with the Force.
===Legacy===
After Galen’s death, he’d driven a major wedge between Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, who became determined to find someone else to help him defeat the emperor. Galen also became a martyr for the rebellion, inspiring them to finally launch a full revolution against the Empire and they took the Marek family’s crest as their symbol. However Vader brought Galen’s body to the cloning facilities on Kamino so as to create a stronger and more obedient version of his former apprentice. After many failures, Vader created a mostly stable clone that would turn on him, Starkiller, before finally creating a clone that was everything he’d wanted, the Dark Apprentice.
==Personality==
Even as a child, Galen did have some traces of the dark side, but was not completely fallen, suppressing his traumatic memories for most of his life. His training with Darth Vader filled Galen with anger and coldness, making him a loyal, but unstoppable assassin. He came to have a belief that what didn’t kill him made him stronger, enduring Vader’s brutal training in the dark side, because he knew nothing else. Galen also found himself adopting a much more formal attitude around his master as opposed to his usual personality. 
He was highly reclusive, opening up only to PROXY, and it took Galen some time to warm up to Juno, though his feelings for her greatly confused him. Galen was also raised to be extremely loyal to the Empire, though he was disturbed whenever he had to kill Imperial soldiers. However he craved a chance to fight and kill a Jedi. At first, Galen was sure that being trained as a Sith was his purpose in life, but as he was exposed to the light side of the Force, his certainty began to waver. After being betrayed by Vader for the last time, Galen finally left the Dark Side behind him and came to pity his former master. In the end, he demonstrated that he was loyal to his friends and sacrificed himself to save them.
==Abilities==
Galen is extremely skilled in lightsaber combat, even though he was only taught the basics. He has instead developed his own way of fighting and has defeated many skilled lightsaber duelists. Galen does have some knowledge in the seven forms of lightsaber combat, mainly using Juyo, a vicious and fierce form, Shien, a combined offensive and defensive form, and Soresu, a defensive form designed to deal with blasters. Galen is also naturally gifted with the Force, able to use powerful telekinesis to perform great feats, like moving a Star Destroyer, attacks, such as telekinetically guiding his lightsaber, or smaller, more precise tasks, like assembling and disassembling his lightsaber. Galen’s Sith training has also makes him able to use Force lightning, which he can fire from his hands, channel through his lightsaber blade, and form a brief lightning shield around himself. Galen can also use the Force to manipulate the minds of weak willed beings and to perform quick dashes of speed.
==Gallery==
OctTable.PNG|Galen with Kota, Mothma, Leia and Bail Organa, forming the rebel alliance.
Galen Marek dual.png|Galen Marek as Starkiller.
Starkiller in Soul Calibur 4.png|Galen Marek in Soul Calibur 4.
Lego Starkiller.png
==Trivia==
*Galen's codename came from Luke Skywalker's name in early drafts of the original Star Wars movie, Annikin Starkiller. Galen was also originally going to be called Jacob Nion.
*Galen was intended to be what Luke Skywalker would’ve been if he’d chosen to join Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
*Galen Marek was originally set appear in Star Wars Rebels as an inquisitor, but it was scrapped because it didn't fit the story. Star Wars Rebels Starkiller The Force Unleashed 
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