Galen Marek

+ Inquisitorius

   "*He was meant to root out the Rebels. His sacrifice will only inspire them.*"
―Darth Sidious, on Galen Marek
**Galen Marek** (pronounced /ɡeɪlən ˈmæɹɛk/), codenamed **Starkiller**, was a human male Force-sensitive who served as Inquisitor under the Sith Lord Darth Vader, who trained Starkiller as his secret apprentice. Marek was the son of two Jedi Knights, Kento and Mallie Marek, born on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk in the aftermath of the Clone Wars. Following his mother's death, Kashyyyk was invaded by the Galactic Empire as a target of the Great Jedi Purge, Kento was confronted and slain in a lightsaber duel by the Dark Lord of the Sith, who discovered the fugitive Jedi's son in the process. Gauging the orphan's raw strength in the Force, Vader abducted and ultimately raised Marek, who became Starkiller, to embrace the dark side of the Force.

In time Marek forgot his past and even his birth name, having been taken from his home as a child by the Dark Lord. For years, Starkiller aspired to truly become a Dark Lord of the Sith, believing it was his destiny to help Vader overthrow Sidious and usurp his throne as Galactic Emperor. As his training neared completion, Starkiller was formally acknowledged as an apprentice by Vader after surviving his trials, and was ordered by Vader to kill the few remaining members of the fallen Jedi Order—specifically the Jedi Masters Rahm Kota, Kazdan Paratus.

The secret apprentice completed his missions, prevailing against his more experienced targets, only to be betrayed by his master after the Emperor confronted them.

## Biography

### Early Years

"*I sense someone far more powerful than you nearby. Where is your master?"* *"The dark side has clouded your mind, you killed my master years ago!* "
―Darth Vader and Kento Marek
Galen Marek was a child during the early years of the Galactic Empire and the Great Jedi Purge. The son of Kento Marek and Mallie Marek, Galen was born with an extremely powerful connection to the Force. His parents were both members of the Jedi Order; they married in secret during the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems which they continued to participate in until Mallie became pregnant. As a result, they reluctantly deserted the Order and fled to the Outer Rim Territories prior to Order 66, a contingency directive that instructed all Republic clone troopers to execute their Jedi officers—the culmination of a Sith plot to exterminate their ancient rivals while simultaneously transforming the Republic into a dictatorship. The war itself had been orchestrated by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, who turned the clone army against the Jedi through his public guise as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, shortly before his ascension as Emperor of the galaxy.

The Marek family was constantly on the run, moving from one planet after another in an effort at anonymity in the increasing tensions of the war. They ultimately settled on Kashyyyk, sometime shortly before or soon after Order 66. However, their new life was cut short when Mallie was killed while protecting Wookiees from Trandoshan mercenaries and slave traders, leaving her husband to raise Galen alone. When Imperial spies learned of the Jedi's fight with the slavers, a large military force was deployed to Kashyyyk under the command of the Emperor's apprentice, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. During the battle, Vader defeated Kento Marek in a lightsaber duel and discovered the Jedi Knight's son. Impressed by Galen's potential in the Force as demonstrated by his reflexive use of telekinesis, Vader abducted the younger Marek shortly after he killed the boy's father and a squad of stormtroopers in order to keep Galen's existence a secret. Despite his outward loyalty to Palpatine, Vader harbored much hatred toward his Sith Master and intended to overthrow him with Marek as his secret apprentice. As such, he endeavored to teach the ways of the dark side of the Force to his new disciple, whom he first controlled through fear before training Marek to harness his anger and other base emotions.

### Training Under Vader

"*You were weak when I found you. Now your hatred has become your strength.*"
―Darth Vader, to Starkiller — Listen (file info)
Ensconced onboard Vader's incomplete flagship, the *Executor*, and given the codename "Starkiller," the apprentice repressed all the memories of his previous life and spent the next two decades training as a Sith under Darth Vader's supervision, with the ultimate goal of standing at Vader's side against Palpatine. Darth Vader was not a kind guardian and his brutal training methods bordered on torture. He taught Starkiller to draw on his hate and rage for power, while giving him training in only the basics before forcing the apprentice to develop his own methods through sparring matches and brutal tests. Starkiller was provided with a lightsaber-training holodroid, PROXY, who was capable of credibly imitating Jedi and programmed to regularly attack Starkiller with lethal intent to keep him sharp; another brutal training regimen devised by Vader. Despite this, PROXY developed a close relationship with his Master, providing the Force-adept with enough compassion to stay sane.

Despite Vader's cruel treatment, some of the worst horrors Starkiller endured were actually self-inflicted. On one occasion, Starkiller had PROXY chain him immobile in the dark and deprive him of nourishment until he had successfully assembled a lightsaber through telekinesis. While the exercise had been a failure, Starkiller felt it had strengthened him. In meditation, Starkiller took to staring at his ignited lightsaber blade, using the red coloration to make himself think of anger and carnage in order to draw on the dark side of the Force. However, Starkiller remained endlessly frustrated by his inability to experience visions of the future, and as such, any break from usual routine would surprise him.

Starkiller took on the role of Vader's personal assassin and enforcer, dispatching problematic individuals throughout the Imperial military and government with vicious enthusiasm. Starkiller personally developed into a staunch Imperialist, viewing these assassinations as a form of service to the Empire. To this end, Starkiller was provided with a custom-designed ship, the *Rogue Shadow*, and an Imperial officer assigned to serve as his pilot, for although Starkiller was a skilled pilot in his own right, Vader preferred that his apprentice focus on meditation and other exercises while the enlisted pilot delivered him to his destination. There was evidently a high turnover for such individuals, as they were either killed in the field or executed by Vader. His first pilot was a dour old sergeant who, according to Starkiller, flew the *Rogue Shadow* like an oil barge. One of his missions with this pilot involved hunting down a treacherous Imperial aide on Malastare who had run up gambling debts. With PROXY's help, Starkiller infiltrated the aide's security installation in Port Pixelito, and crawled through the ventilation ducts to his target's private chambers. Starkiller then Force-choked the aide while he was working at his desk. The sergeant was later executed for tardiness. Another mission took him to Duro, where the local Imperial despot had grown overly ambitious. Starkiller developed an unending dislike for All Terrain Scout Transports during the mission.

When engaging Vader in a sparring match in 3 BBY, Starkiller expected it to be business as usual afterward. However at the end of it, Vader ordered Starkiller to kneel before him. Believing that his time had come to an end, Starkiller obeyed and waited for death. Instead, Darth Vader formally "knighted" Starkiller, officially recognizing him for the first time as his apprentice, something that Starkiller always believed himself to be. He declared Starkiller's training complete and dispatched him on his first test; the surviving Jedi Master Rahm Kota was attacking an Imperial shipyard above Nar Shaddaa. In response, Vader ordered Starkiller to kill Kota and to bring the Jedi's lightsaber back as proof of Kota's death. Vader also left Starkiller with orders to leave no witnesses by killing everyone on the shipyard including the Imperial troops, an order the Imperialist Starkiller found disturbing. But not wishing to displease his Master, Starkiller was quick to hide his reluctance and voiced his compliance, convincing himself that it was just another stepping stone to achieving his Sith destiny.

On his way out to his ship, Starkiller was ambushed by PROXY, who was using his Obi-Wan Kenobi combat module. Starkiller quickly defeated PROXY, though he expressed surprise at PROXY's use of such an old module, one he thought erased. As they approached the *Rogue Shadow*, Starkiller awkwardly met with his new pilot, Juno Eclipse. The main reason for Starkiller's surprise was that he had never had a female pilot before, and he afterwards became convinced that it was some sort of test from Vader.

### The TIE Fighter Construction Facility

Main article: Battle of the TIE Fighter Construction Facility
"*A boy?* Months *of attacking Imperial targets, and Vader sends a* boy *to fight me?*"
―Rahm Kota, to Starkiller
Departing the *Executor* for Nar Shaddaa, Starkiller was informed about Rahm Kota by PROXY. Kota was a respected Jedi General during the Clone Wars, but while he was a military genius, he considered clone troopers unfit for battle, instead relying on his own militia. When Order 66 was issued, there were no clones in his squad to obey, and Kota was able to disappear. Starkiller quickly deduced that Kota's primary motivation for coming out of hiding and attacking the Empire was to attract attention; he wanted to be found. Upon arrival at Nar Shaddaa, Starkiller became increasingly troubled by Vader's order to "leave no witnesses" as many of his eventual victims were loyal Imperial citizens whose only error was to cross his path, though Starkiller satisfied himself that this was yet another test from Vader and steeled himself. As the *Rogue Shadow*, guided by Juno Eclipse's deft hand, approached the TIE Fighter Construction Facility that Kota and his men were currently attacking, Starkiller centered himself in the violence and conflict from within. As they approached one of the facility's hangars, Starkiller activated the *Shadow*'s weapons systems and destroyed the hangar defenses. Leaping out of the ship right into the thick of the battle within the hangar, Starkiller killed off the combatants within with brutal efficiency, quickly clearing the hangar. The survivors retreated through the heavy blast door at the entrance with Starkiller in pursuit.

Informed by Eclipse via comlink that the command center had been stormed by Kota's militia, Starkiller made that his destination. With tactical updates from Juno, Starkiller carved his way through the facility, all the while the warring forces became progressively more alarmed by his presence. The militia forces thought he was some kind of Shadow trooper, while the stormtroopers merely thought him a Jedi. The militia forces became the primary focus of his rage due to their disloyalty to the Empire. However, he noted that many of the militia soldiers were equipped with explosives and had been setting them throughout the facility, motivating Starkiller to hurry before the entire facility was destroyed. Just then, the facility was crippled, and began falling out of the sky. Starkiller picked up the pace, now unceremoniously attacking his foes with telekinesis, either jamming their weapons or simply sweeping them aside. Reaching the entrance to the command center, Starkiller took a moment to center himself before entering.

Within the command center, Starkiller encountered Rahm Kota. Both were surprised by what they saw. Starkiller had been taught that Jedi were soft from a life of privilege and hadn't expected the hardened soldier that Kota was; Kota had been expecting Darth Vader to come personally, not to send "a boy" in his stead. Starkiller opened the contest with a bolt of Force lightning which Kota deflected, albeit with difficulty. Starkiller followed up by charging, cutting at Kota's throat. The Jedi ducked and attacked the Darksider's legs, though Starkiller evaded by tucking in and over-leaping. Kicking himself off the nearest wall, Starkiller came on again, chaining a telekinetic blast into his attack. Kota deflected the push, the rebounding energy forcing both combatants apart. Readjusting his tactics, Starkiller circled more cautiously, cutting apart chairs with his lightsaber and blasting their fragments at the Jedi, attempting to provoke an attack. Kota suddenly charged, his speed and determination forcing Starkiller to rely on tight Form III defensive sequences to fend him off. Unable to penetrate this defense, Kota backed off and changed his style, fighting more slowly and deliberately, but chaining in sudden and devastatingly quick strikes, hoping to tire out Starkiller. However, this tactic backfired, and Kota's guard began to slip, allowing Starkiller to counter.

Starkiller focused entirely on the duel, ignoring all other factors as he hammered at Kota's defenses. He came to the conclusion that while Kota was wily, strong, and possessed certain unique moves, his age and his rejection of the dark side of the Force left him inferior. Kota twice attempted to regain the offensive, but only managed to tire himself out, and the Jedi began taking hits. Seeing that he was being driven back, Kota broke off and complimented Starkiller's skills before telekinetically wrenching the entire command center free of the shipyard and sending it plummeting into Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere. As their battle renewed, Starkiller seized the initiative, telekinetically thrashing Kota with chunks of debris before physically assaulting him and throwing him to the ground. Before Kota could regain his feet, Starkiller was on him, initiating a bladelock. As their blades ground against one another, Kota experienced a Force vision of Starkiller's future, expressing shock at seeing himself as part of it. Unconcerned, Starkiller drove Kota's own blade into his eyes, blinding him. As Kota stumbled backwards, Starkiller suddenly experienced his own vision, seeing his forgotten father in Kota's place, telling him to run. Pulling back, fearing that Kota was using a Mind trick of some sort, he gave Kota the opening he needed to escape. Kota dropped his lightsaber and unleashed a telekinetic blast that shattered the viewports of the command center. The drastic pressure change sucked out Kota, who dropped spreadeagled into the Nar Shaddaa atmosphere.

Starkiller retrieved Kota's lightsaber before he himself jumped out through the shattered viewports, landing on top of the *Rogue Shadow* as it passed underneath. While satisfied that the gravely-wounded and blinded Kota would no longer be a problem, Starkiller was disappointed by his failure to actually kill the Jedi. Darth Vader was pleased with Starkiller's performance, but felt that his apprentice remained unfocused and easily distracted, drawing Kota's lightsaber on him to illustrate his point.