The Force Unleashed May Be Better Left to the Past

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 28, 2024 32 Views 7 Min Read
The Force Unleashed May Be Better Left to the Past



Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was one of the first video games to explore the period of time between Star Wars: Episode 3 and Star Wars: Episode 4. It introduced Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice who had an unprecedented connection with the Force, and who would be instrumental in the formation of the Rebellion.

While this story worked well for its time, Star Wars has changed a lot since the release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and many pieces of its story wouldn’t work in the franchise today. Starkiller as a character in particular would be difficult to place in Darth Vader’s story, and many of the roles he played, such as Vader’s apprentice and one of the founders of the Rebellion, have already been taken by other characters like Ahsoka Tano and the events of Star Wars Rebels. Other games such as the Star Wars Jedi series have covered the Inquisitorius and Vader’s movements during the Rebellion era more thoroughly, leaving little for Starkiller to contribute if he came back.

Split image of Galen Marek in The Force Unleashed and Starkiller fighting Darth Vader in The Force Unleashed II

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As much as The Force Unleashed games are cherished for all that they do well, they also have flaws that really stand out many years later.

Starkiller’s Role in Star Wars Before Disney’s Canon

Starkiller, also known as Galen Marek, had a story that filled a fundamental gap in Darth Vader’s story, and served to explain the origins of the Rebellion before Disney’s Star Wars canon was established. As Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, raised and trained by Vader specifically to overthrow Sidious, Starkiller went on to form the Rebellion as a secret Sith agent under Vader’s orders, making it so that Anakin inadvertently created the Rebellion and his own downfall. The Force Unleashed was released before Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars, which led to Star Wars Rebels. Rebels included story events that superseded the events of The Force Unleashed.

The presence of Darth Sidious’ Inquisitorius also goes on to specifically negate the presence of Starkiller. While a secret apprentice for Darth Vader would be compelling, there isn’t room for one in a narrative sense, considering the roles that Starkiller once filled have been taken by others, particularly from Star Wars Rebels as well as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Darth Vader’s Apprentice and His Canon Ending

Injecting Starkiller’s story into these narratives would sadly do nothing to strengthen them, and it would do nothing to better Darth Vader’s story. Starkiller’s conflict with Vader has already been told several times over, as depicted by several members of the Inquisitorius, Cal Kestis, and, most prominently, Ahsoka. While it would be great to give Ahsoka a parallel Sith apprentice, Maul has already fulfilled this role in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars final season. Notably, Maul was voiced by Sam Witwer, who also voiced Starkiller.

Ahsoka already works incredibly well as Vader’s apprentice, and she plays a pivotal role in founding the Rebellion. This takes away several of Starkiller’s fundamental roles, requiring a reboot of his character if he were to reappear again. Vader’s relationship with Ahsoka and Luke already fulfills what Starkiller’s once did, when he dies in Luke’s arms, and experiences conflict about the path Ahsoka, his apprentice, takes. Bringing Starkiller back would ultimately require a reboot of his entire arc and character, and would require a very different relationship with Darth Vader, if he’d have one with Vader at all. This begs the question of the point of bringing Starkiller back at all. Ultimately, the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed games were a lot of fun, especially for their time, but some games and stories should remain in the past.

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