A conflict unfolded circa 18 BBY, approximately a year following the conclusion of the Clone Wars. This engagement transpired on the world of Kashyyyk, the original planet of the Wookiee people. The combatants were the Imperial ground troops of the Galactic Empire, led by Supreme Commander Darth Vader, pitted against the Wookiees and the fleeing Jedi Knight Kento Marek. Marek had survived the initial stages of the Great Jedi Purge, which commenced with Order 66. Beyond the previous Imperial incursion on Kashyyyk, this confrontation signified the successful culmination of the Empire's endeavor to conquer and subjugate the Wookiee population.
Initially, the Wookiees managed to resist the invaders, primarily through ambushing Imperial infantry as they landed on Kashyyyk. Despite his dissatisfaction with this initial setback, Lord Vader largely ignored the broader battle to pursue a specific objective: locating the Jedi Kento Marek. Accompanied by a small group of stormtroopers, including members of Triton Squad, the Dark Lord of the Sith entered the Wookiee settlement, the epicenter of the conflict, and eliminated numerous Wookiees en route to his target. Upon encountering Marek at the Jedi's residence, they engaged in a brief lightsaber duel, during which Vader quickly gained the upper hand and disarmed his adversary. Shortly thereafter, he discovered the Jedi's son, Galen Marek, a child possessing exceptional sensitivity to the Force. Recognizing the potential usefulness of the younger Marek to the Sith, Vader chose to spare the child's life. However, he promptly killed Marek's father, along with several nearby soldiers, to ensure his discovery remained secret.
In the years following Kashyyyk's subjugation by the Empire, Darth Vader secretly nurtured and mentored Galen Marek in the ways of the dark side, all while remaining an apprentice to Darth Sidious. Sidious, the Sith Lord who governed the galaxy as Emperor Palpatine, was unaware of Vader's actions, despite the established rule that there could only be two Sith. Vader violated this principle, hoping that his secret apprentice, codenamed "Starkiller," would eventually become powerful enough to assist him in assassinating Sidious.
Before the end of the Clone Wars, Jedi Knights Kento and Mallie Marek abandoned their responsibilities as members of the Jedi Order and as commanding officers within the Grand Army of the Republic after they fell in love. Shortly after their clandestine marriage, Mallie discovered she was pregnant, leading to the birth of their son, Galen Marek. Soon after, the Jedi Order and the Republic collapsed under the rise of the Galactic Empire, compelling all Jedi fugitives, including the Marek family, to seek refuge.
As Emperor Palpatine consolidated the galaxy under his New Order, Kento and his family eventually took refuge on Kashyyyk, where they were welcomed and given sanctuary by the local Wookiee inhabitants. However, Mallie was killed when she gave her life to protect the Wookiees from Trandoshan enslavers. With his wife gone, Kento was left to raise their young son alone. Shortly after Mallie's passing, Darth Vader detected Kento's presence on Kashyyyk, prompting him to launch a full-scale invasion of the Wookiee homeworld.
The initial assault proved disastrous for the Galactic Empire, resulting in significant casualties due to underestimating the defensive capabilities of Kashyyyk's Wookiee population. The first wave of Imperial soldiers quickly realized the Wookiees were surprisingly well-prepared for the invasion; this misjudgment led to their being overwhelmed and decimated by the Wookiee counteroffensive.
Upon Darth Vader's arrival on Kashyyyk, he remained indifferent to the battle's progress, solely focused on hunting down the Jedi fugitive who had evaded Order 66. As stormtroopers fell around him, the Sith Lord was approached by a nervous Imperial commander attempting to excuse his incompetence by claiming the situation was under control. Using a Force choke on the commander, Vader emphasized the importance of focusing on his personal mission. He spared the commander's life, but only because he didn't want to personally command the troops against the Wookiees.
While the main Imperial force engaged the Wookiees in a direct assault, Vader infiltrated the enemy stronghold with a small escort of stormtroopers from Triton Squad. Advancing through the Wookiee village, the center of resistance, the Sith Lord eliminated every Wookiee warrior in his path, thereby dismantling the resistance and clearing a path for the Imperials. The Wookiees attempted to overwhelm Vader at a series of bridges leading to the Jedi's hut; at least one TIE fighter was shot down and crashed into a bridge as Vader approached his objective. Despite the Wookiees' efforts to stop him, Vader killed them all, eventually reaching his destination.
Kento Marek, initially disguised as a hermit, emerged from the hut with two Wookiee guards. He tried to deter Vader, but the Sith Lord saw through the ruse and attacked. With no other option, Marek confronted Darth Vader in a fight to the death. Though Marek neutralized Vader's stormtrooper escort with a telekinetic blast, he soon discovered that Vader was not so easily harmed by the Jedi's Force abilities.
Realizing Vader's superior skills with the lightsaber, Marek used the Force to pull several TIE fighters from the sky and hurl them at Vader. Despite his efforts, Marek was no match for Vader's skills and strength in the Force. The Dark Lord disarmed the Jedi, seized him with the Force, and sent him crashing through the entrance of his own hut.
Upon entering the hut, Vader used the Force to levitate and trap Marek in mid-air. But he paused before delivering the killing blow due to a powerful presence he suddenly felt in the Force. Assuming it was the Jedi's Master, Vader demanded to know where the mysterious Force-user was hiding. When Marek refused, Vader raised his saber to strike him down. Before he realized it, his weapon was snatched from his hand, causing him to turn in surprise. To Vader's shock, he found his lightsaber in the hands of a young boy. After deducing that the child was the son of the Jedi, Marek told his son to run away, a selfless act that got him killed when Vader strangled him.
As Vader observed the frightened child, he was impressed by the boy's potential in the Force—a potential that rivaled Emperor Palpatine's. But as he cautiously approached, the Imperial commander and three stormtroopers arrived. Believing the child was threatening the Sith Lord, the commander ordered the troops to execute him. After a moment of hesitation, Vader telekinetically took his lightsaber back and defended the boy from the troopers' blaster shots. As the boy looked on, Vader slaughtered the commander and the stormtroopers. After killing all the witnesses, Vader took his new charge away from the hut before Imperial reinforcements arrived.
The Second Battle of Kashyyyk ended with an Imperial victory, leading to the subjugation of Kashyyyk and the enslavement of the Wookiee population. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, Darth Vader took Kento Marek's son and raised him on the incomplete Executor. For years, the boy, once known as Galen Marek, endured training under his new master. By young adulthood, he had forgotten his former life, including his name.
Under the codename Starkiller, the boy became an assassin who eliminated Vader's enemies. Due to Starkiller's raw strength in the Force, Vader spent years pushing his potential to its peak. This training turned Starkiller into one of the most powerful Force-users, despite his age. As the apprentice to Darth Vader, Starkiller longed for the day when he and his master could overthrow Emperor Palpatine, allowing them to rule the Empire as master and apprentice.
The Battle of Kashyyyk is the introductory level of The Force Unleashed, where the player controls Darth Vader. Vader's Force powers are available from the start, showing what Galen Marek would strive to achieve later.
The Wookiee warriors and berserkers were designed by the game's art team based on the Wookiee characters from the Battle of Kashyyyk in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, forming continuity with the movies. Amy Beth Christenson added armor, gears, weapons, and other details.
The two versions of game depict different versions of the battle. In the PS2, Wii and PSP versions, the Imperial forces wear standard stormtrooper armor with Clone Wars-era 501st Legion markings, but in the PS3, PC and Xbox 360 versions, their armor is a hybrid between stormtrooper and Phase II Clone Trooper armor. Additionally, the battle develops during the night in the PS2, Wii and PSP versions with Vader arriving with the Invasion force while in the other versions the battle develops during the day and Vader arrives midway into the assault. The setting of Kento and Vader's duel also differs, as the PS2, Wii and PSP versions have it take place on a beach, while the others have it take place outside the Marek home in the forest.
In the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions, the commander in charge of the operation that Darth Vader Force-choked was relegated to a Stormtrooper Commander while as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions had him resembling an Imperial Officer. On a related note, while the Xbox 360/PS3 versions make it clear that Darth Vader spared him, the way the PS2/Wii/PSP versions handled the Commander's fate was ambiguous, as the scene immediately cut to behind Vader after releasing his grip.
In the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of the game, if the player kills twelve stormtroopers under Vader's command they receive an achievement/trophy called "Worst Day Shift Manager Ever," which is part of the subtitle of an award winning fan film series called Chad Vader. Coincidentally, Matt Sloan, the voice of Chad Vader, also portrayed Darth Vader in The Force Unleashed. Another achievement called "Bossk" is awarded for killing 200 Wookiee warriors.