Subject 1138

The creation of Subject 1138, widely recognized as "Starkiller," stemmed from the demise of his source, Galen Marek, the original Starkiller. Marek perished while saving the leaders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Prior to his death, Marek had undergone instruction from the Sith Lord Darth Vader, whose own Sith Master, Emperor Palpatine, intended to supplant him with Marek. However, Marek resisted the allure of the dark side and ultimately embraced the path of a Jedi, becoming one with the Force upon his death.

The cloning of a Force-sensitive individual was an unprecedented endeavor, and Jedi Master Rahm Kota deemed it an impossibility. Nonetheless, Vader secretly arranged for Marek's body to be transported to the planet Kamino, where he commissioned the Lead Cloning Technician to produce a clone of his former apprentice. Employing an accelerated cloning technique, the cloners successfully cultivated mature clones of Marek within a compressed time frame. However, due to reasons unknown to them, the Force interfered with the development of a Force-sensitive clone. Consequently, the initial clones of Marek exhibited aberrant traits and succumbed to clone madness. Despite subsequent refinements to the cloning process, the resulting clones remained unstable. The memory imprints instilled within Marek's clones also triggered an identity crisis, blurring the lines between Marek's memories and their own experiences. Vader personally supervised the training of the most promising clones, including Subject 1138, whom the Dark Lord of the Sith hoped would represent the first triumph amidst a series of failures.

The training of Subject 1138, also referred to as "Starkiller," progressed swiftly, largely due to the imprinted memory flashes inherited from the original Starkiller. Furthermore, Darth Vader subjected him to a series of brutal trials, including a thirteen-day period of isolation without sustenance, forcing him to rely solely on the Force for survival. During one of Vader's visits, the clone was released from the isolation chamber and informed that Rahm Kota, the original Starkiller's Jedi mentor, had been captured on Cato Neimoidia. As the culmination of his training, Starkiller was tasked with traveling to Cato Neimoidia and executing the Jedi. When Vader inquired about Starkiller's visions, the clone expressed curiosity about their significance. Vader dismissed them as mere "memories of a dead man," a temporary consequence of the accelerated cloning process. Subsequently, Vader initiated a training session, providing Starkiller with a pair of lightsabers. Engaging a group of Sith Training Droids mimicking Rebel Alliance soldiers, Starkiller dispatched them with ruthless efficiency, entering a trance-like state. However, as he turned to confront the final faux-Rebel, he recognized it as an imitation of Juno Eclipse.

Despite Vader's explicit orders, Starkiller found himself unable to strike her down. Disappointed by Starkiller's hesitation, Vader eliminated the false Eclipse himself, prompting Starkiller to rush to the deactivated droid as if it were the real Juno. Vader then declared that Starkiller would suffer "the same fate as the others." Realizing that he was about to be discarded by the Sith Lord, Starkiller lost all respect for him, questioning the existence of other clones with the same template. He believed that any version of Vader's fallen apprentice would share his love for Juno Eclipse and seek her out. Experiencing a sudden memory flash of the original Starkiller's betrayal at Vader's hands, Starkiller resolved to avoid the same outcome and turned against Vader at the last moment.

Darth Vader prepared to execute the clone with his lightsaber but was caught off guard by a sudden surge of Force lightning from an enraged Starkiller. The lightning caused Vader's cybernetics to malfunction, forcing him to kneel. Starkiller seized the opportunity to create a breach in the reinforced training room's wall, leaping from the tower into the torrential rain of Kamino. Utilizing the Force to clear a path through TIE fighters and external fixtures on the tower, Starkiller landed on the exterior ramparts of the Timira City cloning facilities. Drawing his two lightsabers, he cut a bloody swath of destruction across the rain-slicked platforms, eventually reaching the landing platform where Vader's TIE Advanced x1 starfighter was docked.

As Starkiller paused, Darth Vader emerged from the facility. Starkiller quickly boarded the fighter, lifted off, and escaped Kamino, despite Vader's brief attempt to telekinetically restrain the fighter. Although he knew he was not truly free, Starkiller succumbed to his imprinted feelings and dedicated himself to finding Juno Eclipse.

Recognizing Rahm Kota as a potentially valuable asset in tracking Juno, Starkiller resolved to rescue his progenitor's former Jedi ally. He acted on Darth Vader's information and journeyed to Cato Neimoidia. As he had not altered the transponder in Vader's ship, he was mistaken for the Dark Lord and directed to an executive landing pad, where he was greeted by a full retinue of stormtroopers and Baron Merillion Tarko, the Imperial governor who controlled the world from Tarko-se, a city named in his honor. When Starkiller, clad in a tattered Imperial flightsuit, emerged from the vessel, Tarko immediately sensed something amiss and questioned Starkiller's knowledge of local Imperial security codes, informing him that Kota had been in the Tarko-se Arena for several days. When Starkiller remained silent, Tarko and the stormtroopers brandished their weapons, prompting Starkiller to ignite his lightsabers. Tarko retreated as Starkiller swiftly cut down the troopers.

Fighting his way through the eastern archway of Tarko-se, Starkiller eventually reached a public tramway leading to the western arch, where the arena was located. During the journey, he was forced to defend the vehicle against an assault by Imperial air forces, destroying most of the opposition. However, the tram malfunctioned and plummeted from the sky just before reaching the western arch, compelling Starkiller to leap the remaining distance to the tram station. Once in the western arch, he proceeded to the entrance of the Tarko-se Arena.

Upon entering the arena, he approached an exhausted Rahm Kota in the ring. An incredulous Kota turned to him, expressing surprise but also certainty in Starkiller's survival. As one of the arena doors opened, releasing a rancor, Starkiller brandished one lightsaber. However, his relaxed demeanor quickly vanished when the rancor was seized and consumed by a massive Gorog, and he ignited his second blade. While Kota fled the arena to hunt down Tarko, Starkiller remained to contend with the Gorog. With Kota's strategic assistance, Starkiller managed to use the Gorog's restraints built into the arena to pin the beast's arms before leaping onto its head and cutting into its brain.

The Gorog broke free of its restraints and flung Starkiller aside, destroying the hanging arena's supports in an enraged pursuit of the Force Adept. Starkiller allowed this to happen, hoping it would fall along with the rest of the arena. Making his way to Tarko's executive box, he rendezvoused with Kota and confronted the Baron. However, the confrontation was cut short by the Gorog, who seized hold of the box in a last-ditch effort to avoid falling. Tarko fell into the Gorog's open mouth, while Kota was grabbed by the beast before it fell. Starkiller leapt after them, attacking the Gorog with bursts of Force lightning and lightsaber throws. Finally, Starkiller used the Force to burst through the creature's torso, causing the Gorog to release Kota from its grip. Once freed, Kota used his comlink to contact the Rogue Shadow, which swept in on autopilot and caught them before landing hard on the rocky terrain below.

Once aboard the ship, Starkiller rushed into the cockpit, expecting to find Juno Eclipse. Kota revealed that he did not know her whereabouts, as the Rebel fleet had been scattered. Starkiller convinced Kota to help him find Juno, and Kota provided the coordinates for the Rebel rendezvous in the Athega system. However, they were ambushed by an Imperial fleet upon arrival and forced to flee. Kota quickly attempted to persuade Starkiller to join the Rebellion in a counterattack against the Empire, dismissing Starkiller's claims of being a clone with the assertion that cloning Force-sensitives was impossible. He also tried to extract information about the Kaminoan cloning facilities in order for the Alliance to launch a full-scale invasion of Kamino.

However, Starkiller remained unconvinced that he could be the real Starkiller, believing that Vader had discovered a method to successfully clone Force-wielders with the aid of Kaminoan technology. Furthermore, he remained committed to finding Juno and stated that he simply needed a quiet place to meditate on his situation. Kota was enraged that Starkiller would not immediately commit to the Rebellion, believing that the clone was prioritizing one woman and his own inner conflict over the needs of the galaxy. Realizing that he could not convince or force Starkiller to change his mind, Kota stormed out of the cockpit, but not before relinquishing the Rogue Shadow to him, feeling that the ship had always been his, and demanding to be let out on the nearest spaceport before Starkiller got "lost in the stars."

After dropping Kota off on Malastare, Starkiller acted on both his Force visions and hints Kota had inadvertently provided. Traveling to Dac, he found the planet in turmoil due to recent resistance activity. On Kashyyyk, he experienced a vision of the original Starkiller's father. From freeing Kota to visiting several worlds, he realized that all of his attempts to find Juno had been counterproductive to his primary goal. Having exhausted all other options, he decided to travel to Dagobah.

Upon landing on the planet, he probed the swamps through the Force, discovering an unusual Force signature that studied him in return. Making his way through the swamps, Starkiller was forced to fight off several predators, but ultimately prevailed. Reaching the Dark Side Cave, he was greeted by Yoda. Yoda guided Starkiller to enter the cave, which the Force Adept did after a brief hesitation.

Within the cave, Starkiller experienced a vision. Clad in the robes of a Jedi Knight and wielding blue lightsabers, he wandered the interior of the cave, only to be confronted by various versions of himself. Initially brandishing his lightsabers, Starkiller lowered them and forced his way through. Entering a final chamber shrouded in shadows, he experienced additional layers of the vision, witnessing Darth Vader hiring Boba Fett to track him down and Juno Eclipse being attacked and wounded on the bridge of her vessel, the Salvation.

Emerging from the cave, Starkiller was advised by Yoda to follow what he had seen. Returning to his ship, Starkiller traveled to Malastare to find Kota. Locating Kota in the workshop of the Rebel contact Berkelium Shyre, Starkiller was recognized by Shyre, who was infatuated with Juno, as the man Juno Eclipse always spoke about. After Kota left to rendezvous with his new squad, Starkiller erased Shyre's memory of him and their last meeting with Juno. Afterward, Kota introduced Starkiller to his squad's medic, the Cerean Ni-Ke-Vanz. Vanz possessed extensive knowledge of cloning, having been educated in the subject by a Khommite slave during a shared sentence in the Spice Mines of Kessel. Vanz explained that cloning was not equivalent to immortality. A clone was a distinct individual, based on the biological structure of the original subject, but ultimately a different version of its template. Vanz also elaborated on the complications of cloning Force-sensitives, particularly how the clones would lapse into insanity, causing them to develop psychotic and violent tendencies. Although uncertain, Vanz speculated that the Force was somehow responsible for undermining the stability of Force-sensitive clones.

Starkiller was not reassured by this information, despite Kota's belief that it proved he was not a clone. They departed for Nordra, the current location of the Rebel fleet, soon afterward. En route, Kota presented Starkiller with a pair of blue lightsaber crystals, relics of the Clone Wars. Starkiller accepted the gifts and installed them in his dual lightsabers.

Upon arriving at Nordra, Starkiller and Kota docked aboard the Salvation ahead of Kota's squad, which had taken an alternate vessel. While riding a rapid cargo tram toward the Salvation bridge, Kota informed Starkiller about the state of affairs within the Alliance. The Alliance leadership was deadlocked, lacking the firepower to take out a meaningful Imperial target, while hit-and-run raids wasted too many lives. Juno Eclipse was part of the militarist camp, advocating for an aggressive strike, even if it was only for a symbolic victory. Kota did not tell Juno that Starkiller was with him, believing it would be better for her to see for herself. Starkiller handed Kota an encrypted code cylinder containing information about the Timira City cloning facilities, providing the Alliance with everything they needed to launch a successful attack.

The cargo tram suddenly came to a halt as the ship was attacked. Starkiller and Kota quickly drew their lightsabers and made their way to the bridge on foot, attacked by Imperial Terror Soldiers along the way. Reaching the bridge, they found it in shambles, with most of the personnel dead and Juno missing. Starkiller found PROXY, the original Starkiller's training droid, who informed them that Juno had likely been taken to the Deck 7 docking bays. While Kota remained on the bridge to take command of the ship, Starkiller continued alone, following the destructive trail left by Vader's bounty hunter and the Imperial forces.

Reaching the hangar, Starkiller arrived just in time to see Boba Fett and a shocked Juno Eclipse board Fett's ship. Attempting to stop Fett's ship from fleeing by grasping it telekinetically, Starkiller was forced to break off when he was attacked by a Terror Walker. Pursuing the monstrous droid into the Salvation's reactor chamber, Starkiller destroyed it. Contacting Kota, Starkiller demanded that Kota order the attack on Kamino so he could rescue Juno from Darth Vader. As his rage built up at the thought of Juno's capture and his Master, Starkiller experienced another vision in the Force. He stood victorious over a defeated Darth Vader and raised his blade to finally end the Sith Lord's life. Before he could deliver the final blow, however, he was impaled from behind by a lightsaber through the chest. In the last moments of his short existence, Starkiller saw that his killer's face was exactly like his own; it was another clone of Galen Marek—a "reborn Starkiller," deeply absorbed in the dark side and much more powerful. The last thing Starkiller saw before snapping out of the vision was water as Vader telekinetically pushed the imperfect clone's body into the vast ocean of Kamino.

Starkiller returned to the hangar just as the Rebel fleet arrived at Kamino. Engaging the Imperial forces that boarded the Salvation, Starkiller systematically eliminated them before returning to the bridge. Kota and PROXY informed him that the attack was going poorly, as the Imperials had been waiting for them, and the deflector shield protecting Timira City prevented them from landing any of their forces. Starkiller advised Kota to order the ship abandoned so he could crash through the planetary shield and destroy the planetside shield generator.

Slaving all ship systems to the bridge, Starkiller plotted a course straight at the planetside shield generators and set the ship on autopilot. As the ship plummeted toward Timira City, Starkiller cleared debris from the battle out of the ship's path, allowing it to smash through the shield. As the Salvation continued falling, it broke in half, with the rear half plowing into the shield generator while his flew at the spire where Darth Vader was holed up. Realizing too late that Juno was also being held in the spire, Starkiller used the Force to destroy the entire forward section of the Salvation. Managing to survive the fall onto the facility, Starkiller briefly lost consciousness.

While in a state of unconsciousness, Starkiller's thoughts drifted back to Galen Marek's mother, recalling her heroic act of self-sacrifice to shield her family from Trandoshan slavers before Vader seized Galen. Upon regaining consciousness amidst the Kaminoan conflict zone, he endeavored to dismiss the memory and concentrate on the immediate mission. Situated within the cloning facility, his priority was to secure an entry point for the incoming Rebel forces. As he advanced toward an Imperial hangar bay, he engaged in combat with numerous Imperial soldiers, eliminating a group of snipers who were targeting Rahm Kota and his team. After linking up with Kota, they infiltrated an Imperial command center, with the intention of utilizing it to unlock the hangar doors. However, the controls had been rendered inoperable by an Imperial bombing strike. While Kota and his team searched for a security station to prevent further lock downs, Starkiller sought an alternative command center, only to discover that its controls were locked. Undeterred, he employed telekinesis to forcefully open the doors.

Seeking a quicker route across the facility's interior toward the cloning spires' base, Starkiller ascended the hangar doors and boarded a passing Y-wing. The pilot, Wedge Antilles, complied with Starkiller's request for transportation, flying him across the dome. After disembarking and entering the spire, Starkiller began his ascent. Inside, he battled Imperial Saber Guards and Sith Acolytes, and discovered, to his dismay, that the majority of the cloning tanks within the spire contained additional clones of Galen Marek. He attempted to ascend discreetly, minimizing bloodshed, but a Terror Trooper spotted him, forcing him to eliminate all of them.

At one point during the battle, he came upon the cloning tank holding Subject 1157 and used a Force push to destroy it, thereby killing the other Galen Marek clone.

Despite Kota's warnings via comlink, Starkiller continued onward, exiting an elevator in the cloning labs near the spire's apex. As he navigated the smoke-filled corridors, Vader ambushed him. Starkiller managed to hold off the Sith Lord, but a sudden and intense Force vision incapacitated him, enabling Vader to escape. Haunted by his own mind as he traversed the corridors, Starkiller was attacked twice more by Vader before reentering the spire's larger interior spaces.

Darth Vader revealed himself on a tank platform, demanding Starkiller's surrender or death. Starkiller leapt to engage Vader, but the Dark Lord employed evasive maneuvers, deflecting Starkiller's attacks while deploying Sith Training Droids disguised as figures from Galen Marek's past to confront him. Starkiller easily defeated them and turned his attention back to Vader. However, the Vader he fought was merely another Holodroid, and Starkiller continued his ascent in search of the true Sith Lord.

As Starkiller prepared to face the real Darth Vader, he was confronted by a multitude of distorted Galen Marek clones, confirming that Vader had not been lying about creating other clones of Marek, as Starkiller had initially believed. As he fought his "brothers," Starkiller realized that all of the clones were virtually identical to him—not only because they possessed the same skills as him, albeit in varying degrees, but also because they had inherited the same Force potential and identity crisis as Starkiller. Faced with what were essentially alternate versions of himself and his template, Starkiller was compelled to truly acknowledge his identity as a clone in the face of this overwhelming proof. He reluctantly countered the clones' attacks, feeling that they had just as much right to live as he did. With a powerful Force repulse, he killed them all, then quietly questioned Darth Vader; Why me?

Following a brief exchange, Starkiller charged at Vader in a fit of rage. Vader casually deflected the attack, using his lightsaber and telekinesis to block the follow-up, knocking Starkiller off balance as the platform shook. Starkiller regained his footing and resumed his assault. Even as they fought across the tower's top level, Starkiller sensed that Vader was still testing him, and he attempted to control his emotions. When an opportunity presented itself, Starkiller moved to seize it, only to be struck by a vision of Juno Eclipse dead in his arms. Starkiller's momentary confusion allowed Vader to knock him down and quietly retreat. Starkiller pursued him, reaching the spire's summit.

When Starkiller demanded Juno's location, Vader evaded the question and revealed her standing behind him. Vader used telekinesis to choke her, demanding that Starkiller surrender in exchange for her life. Starkiller complied, discarding his lightsabers and kneeling. With the clone subdued, Vader ordered Starkiller to find and kill Rahm Kota, embrace the Dark side of the Force, and hunt down and execute the Rebel leaders upon completing his training; failure to comply with any of the Sith Lord's demands would result in Juno's death. However, while Vader was speaking, Juno grabbed one of Starkiller's lightsabers and attacked Vader. Vader dodged, blasting her back with a powerful Force push, seemingly killing her. Starkiller attacked Darth Vader in a blind rage, only to be thrown out of the spire as well. He landed on a nearby roof, situated above what appeared to be a power generator that harnessed Kamino's constant lightning strikes as an energy source. Starkiller immediately tried to reach Juno, desperate to save her, but Vader blocked his path.

Starkiller attacked Vader once more. Initially, he couldn't understand why Vader was preventing him from reaching Juno, as she was the one tool that could be used to control him. However, as they fought across the rain-slicked generator roof, Starkiller realized that his former master was using both the duel and Juno's death to tempt him back to the dark side. Without Juno, both Vader and Starkiller knew that he would no longer be motivated to resist the lure of the dark side. With this sudden comprehension, Starkiller attempted to reason with Vader, even as their fight intensified. He even suggested that his Master join the Alliance to destroy the Emperor. But Vader simply intensified his own attack in response, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the Rebellion. As they continued to fight, Vader tried to encourage Starkiller to rise above his artificial feelings for Juno Eclipse, stating that she meant nothing and was only holding him back. Starkiller continued to press his attacks in order to get to Juno, but Vader stayed firmly between the two and reminded the clone that Juno had loved Marek, but as Starkiller was not truly Marek, he could never have her love.

Eventually, Starkiller was forced onto his back foot and disarmed. Vader then gave Starkiller one last chance to surrender, telling him that if he did not, he would die. Starkiller appeared to surrender, causing Vader to lower his guard. Then Starkiller absorbed a lightning bolt from one of the lightning rods surrounding the platform upon which they were fighting and used the energy of the lightning in conjunction with his own powers to launch an incredibly powerful blast of Force lightning at Vader. Having dropped his guard, Vader was struck head-on by the blast and was severely damaged by the bolt.

Starkiller prepared to execute Darth Vader, even as the Sith Lord continued to try turning him. However, Rahm Kota and his squad stopped him at the last second. Kota called for taking Vader prisoner to interrogate and formally execute him, reasoning to Starkiller that Vader was the only one who knew for sure whether or not he was truly a clone. Unknown to Starkiller, both Boba Fett and the Dark Apprentice—a fellow surviving clone of Galen Marek—were preparing to intervene if Starkiller attempted to kill Vader. Ultimately, Starkiller chose to spare Darth Vader, thus heeding Kota's advice rather than succumbing to Vader's insistence that the clone fulfill his destiny.

With Darth Vader defeated, Starkiller rushed to Juno, whom PROXY was attempting to revive. PROXY was unsuccessful and apologized for his failure, though Starkiller quickly forgave him, stating that the fault was his own for seeking out Juno in the first place. Holding her body in his arms, Starkiller began grieving when Juno inexplicably awoke. Unknown to Starkiller, Boba Fett had been preparing to kill him with a sniper rifle but relented out of sympathy when Juno awoke.

With the battle won and Vader captured, the Rebel attention turned to cleaning up the Timira City facilities. Vader would be transported on board the Rogue Shadow to keep his whereabouts secret, with Starkiller supervising his transport. Kota oversaw Vader's "accommodations" aboard the Shadow, telling Starkiller that he hadn't said a word during this process. Starkiller was skeptical that Vader would give in to interrogation, believing that the Sith Lord's own experiences had already pushed him past his breaking point. Starkiller then saw PROXY enter the ship, with scavenged parts from the numerous Sith Training Droids Starkiller had destroyed clutched in his arms. Starkiller followed him into the crew quarters, where PROXY was experimentally swapping out components from the scavenged droids with his own, revealing that he was attempting to find himself a new primary programming to replace his long since erased original. Starkiller advised PROXY to instead figure out a common factor between all the various individuals he had encountered; a set of principles.

Starkiller then went into the onboard meditation chamber, where Vader was detained. While he attempted to project a bold front that perhaps Kota was right on one thing, Starkiller was inwardly confused and uncertain. He declared to Vader that by letting him live, he had broken the Sith Lord's hold over him. As Starkiller turned to leave, Vader countered that as long as Juno lived, he would always control Starkiller's life. Starkiller refused to give Vader the satisfaction of an answer and left the room.

Taking his place in the copilot seat in the Rogue Shadow cockpit, Starkiller left the piloting duties to Juno. The Shadow met up with a formation of Rebel cruisers above Kamino, all arrayed in different directions to throw off pursuit, and was the last to leave. However, they were being tracked by Slave I, which had been hiding in the wreckage from the battle.

Darth Vader's time in Rebel Alliance captivity would be short-lived, as he would be free and active again by 0 BBY. Starkiller's reemergence would likely benefit the Alliance, though both Kota and Juno encouraged him to keep a low profile, wanting to keep it under wraps for the time being, unsure about what the Alliance leadership would think of him.

Like the unsuccessful clones created by Darth Vader, Starkiller was programmed with Galen Marek's knowledge and abilities through memory flashes. Consequently, he also inherited a similar personality to his genetic template, with certain traits being more pronounced than others. He was initially loyal and obedient to his creator's will, fearing failure while also striving to prove his worth as the successor to the Dark Lord's original secret apprentice. Despite his efforts to gain Vader's approval, the clone was haunted by visions of his progenitor's life. Starkiller struggled to focus solely on surviving his Master's relentless and unforgiving training regimen, hoping that the motivation to succeed would compensate for the confusion and frustration that he endured due to Marek's memories.

On Kamino, Starkiller never questioned his origin as a clone. He fully accepted the explanation for his existence: the original Starkiller died, and he had been created to take the apprentice's place. Nevertheless, he remained conflicted by feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty regarding his purpose in life. As with the other clones, Starkiller did not inherit all of the same emotional attachments that Galen Marek possessed by the end of his life. Unlike the first Starkiller, who had gone to extreme lengths to uncover more memories of his forgotten childhood, all the while developing an affinity for his Rebel allies, the clone spared no feelings for the Rebel Alliance or the dead parents of his template. The cause of the Alliance was of little concern to him, and thus he was willing to comply with Vader's wishes to destroy the insurrection of his former apprentice. Regarding Kento and Mallie Marek, Starkiller immediately dismissed them both as irrelevant. They were long since dead, and hence neither mattered to him. After escaping from Kamino, he experienced several visions of the two Jedi parents through Marek's childhood memories, only to remain uninterested in either of them.

Despite his uncertainty about everything else, Starkiller was absolutely certain of his love for Captain Juno Eclipse. Darth Vader claimed that Starkiller's feelings for Eclipse were artificial, resulting from flaws he failed to eliminate from an experimental cloning procedure, and one of many emotional imprints that were randomly distributed into each clone of Galen Marek. It was Starkiller's sentiment for the Human woman that ultimately drove him to desert Vader and, in his deranged state of mind, embark on a single-minded search for Eclipse. His fixation with Juno also motivated him to aid the Rebel Alliance during the Assault on Kamino despite his indifference towards its cause.

While Starkiller's actions were motivated by his fixation on Eclipse and, by extension, the influence that Marek's emotional imprints had on him, the clone managed to distinguish himself as a separate individual from his genetic template to a certain degree. He insisted to Rahm Kota that he was not "Starkiller," not the same man whom the Jedi General befriended and mentored. Furthermore, the clone adamantly refused to be acknowledged as "Galen Marek." In his eyes, the original apprentice's codename and birth name belonged to a different man, not to the clone who had been created to replace him.

Starkiller initially doubted the existence of Galen Marek's other clones. Darth Vader revealed that they had all been compromised by various emotional imprints; some were distracted by memories of Marek's father; others were conflicted by his younger self; yet all experienced the same identity crisis that drove them into a state of complete and utter madness. At first, Starkiller was convinced that there were never any other clones, mainly because he found it impossible to believe that any other version of Marek could exist without being in love with Juno Eclipse. This belief was ultimately broken, however, upon viewing the aberrant clones with his own eyes. The revelation that Vader had told the truth about their creation led Starkiller to accept his origin as a clone; a copied version who was superior to his imperfect precursors but still an overall failure by Vader's standards. Overwhelmed with internal conflict, the clone became even more desperate to hold on to his feelings out of the fear that they truly were counterfeit. After killing the aberrant clones, Starkiller was distraught with guilt and remorse. Through the Force, he learned that they all had the same inner turmoil that mirrored his own, hence causing him to feel as though he had committed fratricide—even suicide—by killing his clone brothers, all of whom were made from the same genetic source that created Starkiller.

Though his abilities and Force techniques relied on the dark side of the Force, Starkiller's emotional attachment to Juno Eclipse caused him to struggle with his own anger and hatred. His compassion for the female Captain made him more resistant to the allure of the dark side, but it also proved capable of forcing him to surrender to its power if Eclipse's life hung in the balance. When Darth Vader threatened to kill Eclipse via strangulation through the Force, Starkiller submitted to his former Master once more.

As with most of the Galen Marek clones, Starkiller was trained to fight with dual-lightsabers. Starkiller strongly favored the Form IV/Ataru and Form VI/Niman lightsaber forms, using their dual-blade training regiments to develop his skills, mastering Jar'Kai. In combat, Starkiller utilized heavily pre-practiced fighting sequences, performing them instinctively while he lapsed into a trance-like state. His bladework was elaborate and highly unpredictable, reinforced by sudden Force-based attacks that he chained into his sequences. Like Galen Marek, Starkiller favored the Form V/Shien-style reverse grip.

Starkiller also demonstrated an aptitude for improvised weapons and disarmament techniques; in particular, he would often deprive riot stormtroopers of their Electrostaffs and attack them with the weapons. When caught up in the frenzy of Force fury, Starkiller would unleash brutal physical attacks against his hapless enemies. Also, while in "Fury mode", he utilized advanced Telekinetic lightsaber combat techniques, throwing his twin lightsabers in devastating arcs, often striking multiple opponents at a time.

Starkiller's skill as a duelist was so formidable that he could overcome most opponents with little difficulty, with only Darth Vader being able to stand against him for a significant length of time. Riot troopers, Imperial Saber Guardsman, even other Marek clones were no match for him. He was not invincible however, as Vader managed to both disarm him and destroy his weapons during their duel.

Starkiller retained the powerful Force connection of his genetic template, advancing quickly thanks to both Darth Vader's brutal training methods and memory flashes of the original Marek's experiences. Notably, the memory flashes did grant him knowledge of advanced Force techniques that he was previously unaware of. It was said that Starkiller was even more powerful than the original Marek was.

Starkiller's skills with telekinesis were such that he could catch and crush TIE fighters in mid-flight. When unleashing Force pushes, he could clear massive areas as everything in front of him was blasted back. Highly proficient at telekinetic lightsaber combat, he would often direct his lightsabers to seek out specific enemies. He was even able to catch or redirect missiles and other ballistics in mid-flight. Most notably, Starkiller's Force repulse unleashed sufficient energy to disintegrate enemies within a certain proximity, the only protection against this ability being either heavy armor or advanced Force abilities.

Starkiller proved able to utilize Force lightning in many unique ways, able to target multiple foes with overwhelming barrages. Like the original Galen Marek, Starkiller was able to chain lightning attacks into his lightsaber strikes, amplifying his melee attacks with sudden arcs of energy. He also used lightning in a more tactical manner, charging up or shorting out certain types of machinery. As with his telekinetic abilities, Starkiller's lightning even had the potential to disintegrate targets.

One of Starkiller's unique abilities was a variant of mind trick. Unlike Jedi, who used it subtly or to evade notice, Starkiller would take complete control over his target's mind, convincing them to attack their allies, or in more extreme cases, jump from high places or into environmental hazards. When he advanced his skills with this ability to their highest level, he was able to control up to three enemies at a time, and when the effects of the Mind trick wore off, they would physically explode in a sudden burst of Force energy, an otherwise unheard of ability.

One of Starkiller's most dangerous abilities was Force fury. Upon building up sufficient levels of Force energy, he would channel it through his body, heavily amplifying his already formidable abilities. His prowess with telekinesis would be boosted to the point where he could seize AT-STs and crush them, and then hurl the wreckage as a weapon, all with minimal effort. His blasts of Force lightning would instantly vaporize foes, and he was able to further amplify it with Tutaminis, even redirecting a lightning bolt into an offensive attack. Fury allowed the already powerful Starkiller to become a nigh unstoppable force of destruction, though its taxing nature meant that Starkiller could only draw on it sparingly.

Starkiller's lightsabers were modified versions of the standard lightsabers issued to the clones of Galen Marek. They all featured a transparent hilt that displayed the lightsaber energy oscillating within, which was lined by a series of black plates. The activator was a simple red button on a silver ring around the hilt approximately halfway along its length. The emitters on Starkiller's lightsabers featured a slanted, wrap-around guard that bore design similarities to emitter shrouds, as opposed to the standard emitters on the original stock design.

The vast majority of the clones wielded silver lightsabers, but Starkiller and other select clones were provided with weapons that emitted a red blade. Starkiller later replaced the red crystals with a set of blue crystals provided by Rahm Kota.

A basic set of clothes was given to each clone, and his test subject clothing was designed to be purely practical. The ensemble included simple pants and a short-sleeved shirt, along with plain boots, all in dark colors. A brighter, sleeveless tunic with a low-cut neckline was worn over these items. The shoulders and waist had guards or braces made of a leather-like substance. The uniform also seemed to resist fire. By the time Starkiller escaped, his particular set was ragged and worn due to his intense training under Darth Vader.

Starkiller apparently discovered his Imperial flight suit aboard Darth Vader's fighter when he absconded with the craft. This attire was a standard Imperial flight suit, although Starkiller notably removed the helmet and chest-mounted equipment.

Starkiller adopted a new outfit just before he and Kota met up with the Rebel fleet; this Hero's armor would become his standard look. The outfit consisted of a loose, form-fitting blue and white bodysuit, covered by a long, white, sleeveless tunic. It also featured a utility belt with numerous pockets and a segmented breastplate made of bare metal. His wrists and knees were also protected by bare-metal guards.

The clone also donned a worn training outfit that was previously used by the original Starkiller.

The Starkiller clone was created for the 2010 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, and just like the original Starkiller, he was portrayed by Sam Witwer. His initial appearance was in the game's announcement trailer, which was revealed during the 2009 SPIKE TV Video Game Awards on December 12.

In early marketing materials for The Force Unleashed II, the clone is seen wearing a different outfit known as the "combat arena" costume, which can be unlocked in the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360 versions of the game. One instance of this was on the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II official game website, where unlockable videos displayed segments of his missions within the game. In the final update before the site transitioned to an interactive format, Starkiller made an appearance and used a Force push against Subject 1157, the website's character.

The design of the lightsabers clearly went through a significant overhaul during the production of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. The initial design featured a robust, segmented hilt with a sizable emitter shroud and fabric wrapped around the grip. This design was showcased in the cinematic trailers, concept and promotional artwork, and the graphic novel adaptation. Furthermore, the lightsabers that Vader gives to Starkiller in the opening cinematic of The Force Unleashed II are actually a double set of original Starkiller's lightsaber.

Starkiller's Force rage ability functions somewhat differently in the Wii version of the game. Instead of greatly amplifying his other abilities, the player is required to select targets using the Wii remote. Starkiller then eliminates each enemy individually with a single blow in slow motion. Given the closer resemblance of the Xbox/PC/PS3 versions to the intended rage power, this article considers that version of the power canonical.

Starkiller was slated to return in the cancelled game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed III, which was intended to conclude The Force Unleashed saga. The limited plot details that were revealed indicated Starkiller would be compelled to form an alliance with Darth Vader to confront a threat posed by Darth Sidious.

The game hints that the player character may actually be the original Starkiller, who has been misled into believing he is a clone. However, this interpretation is primarily based on Rahm Kota's viewpoint. Most other supplementary materials explicitly identify Starkiller as a clone. However, the novelization, which is largely told from Starkiller's perspective, generally leaves the question open.

The primary evidence supporting the idea that Starkiller is a clone comes from the Distant Thunder cinematics, which are unlocked through the challenge levels. These motion comic-style cinematics depict the training and development of the Dark Apprentice, and they show Vader presenting Galen Marek's corpse to the clone. The body was clad in Marek's Sith training attire, rather than the Jedi Adventure Robes he was wearing at the time of his death.

The Distant Thunder cinematics occur before the game's ending and do not affect the game's progression. Considering the evidence, which includes the Dark Apprentice's appearance in the novel through a Force vision, as well as being mentioned in the Databank profile of the canonical Aberrant Clones, it is generally accepted that the Dark Apprentice is a canonical character. The Distant Thunder scenes also reveal that the Dark Apprentice learned to suppress his feelings for Juno Eclipse, the original Galen Marek's love interest, thereby becoming a "more perfect" clone of the original, devoid of emotions that could impair his judgment.

Darth Vader commanded the Dark Apprentice in the final scene of Distant Thunder to "intervene only when necessary" in Vader's impending battle with the other clone of Marek. When Vader was defeated by the clone at the conclusion of the game, the Dark Apprentice chose not to intervene in Vader's capture for reasons that remain unclear, as depicted in the light-side ending. However, the Dark Apprentice only appeared when his counterpart was about to deliver a final blow to kill Vader, as shown in the dark-side ending. In the light-side ending, Vader's life was not in immediate danger, therefore the Dark Apprentice was not required to prevent "Starkiller" from executing the Sith Lord.

Ignoring Kota's pleas to capture Darth Vader alive to be a prisoner for the Rebellion, Starkiller succumbed to his anger and hatred. As he prepared to strike down his former Master, a lightsaber with a red blade emerged from the center of his chest. Shocked and overwhelmed by intense pain, Starkiller dropped his lightsabers and collapsed to the ground in front of Vader. With Starkiller incapacitated and mortally wounded, his attacker de-cloaked, revealing that he had been secretly observing the duel the entire time. General Rahm Kota ignited his lightsaber and attempted to kill Vader's savior, but his efforts were futile. The dark assassin skillfully deflected all of Kota's attacks and slashed the General across the chest with a swift blow. While the Terror Troopers eliminated several Rebel soldiers and PROXY, the assassin used the Force to grab Kota and hurl him into the remaining Rebels. With a powerful Force push, he sent General Kota and his remaining troops into the vast ocean of Kamino, where they perished.

As Starkiller struggled to move despite his fatal wound, Darth Vader slowly approached the dying clone and revealed that he had been lying about failing to perfect the accelerated cloning process. At that moment, the mysterious assassin approached Vader's side and lowered his hood to reveal his identity. As Starkiller looked at the face of his killer, he saw that it was his own face, but pale and visibly corrupted by the dark side. The assassin revealed himself to be another clone of Darth Vader's fallen apprentice, the only perfect clone among many failures, including Starkiller. After gazing at the fallen form of Juno Eclipse for the last time, Starkiller despaired and died.

As the dark clone awaited his new orders, Vader praised him for completing his final test and then instructed him to take the Rogue Shadow to search the galaxy for the remaining Rebel leaders and eliminate them. As the Dark Apprentice turned to leave, he paused to stare at the body of the woman who loved his genetic template. Having purged himself of the original Starkiller's emotions, the dark clone walked past Juno's body. Escorted by a small TIE fighter squadron, the Rogue Shadow navigated through the debris left behind in the space battle above Kamino and entered hyperspace.