Star Wars is a massively popular science-fiction fantasy franchise, and this influence translates to its games. Many Star Wars titles adapt their associated films, but there are fantastic stories told in original games that take place in a familiar era, yet tell unique narratives. There is a lot of room in the Star Wars mythos for creators to dive into other interesting characters, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is evidence of that.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which has since been deemed non-canonical and not part of the main continuity anymore, features many ambitious plot choices. It debuts an entirely new character, Starkiller, and presents him as a connective tissue between the light and dark sides of the Force. Starkiller's actions, and how other characters interact with him, produce a strong narrative that pushes the boundaries of what stories can be told in future Star Wars games.
Starkiller Shows What Luke Could Have Become
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s Starkiller, also known as Galen Marek, is a conflicted and tragic character, brought to life through Sam Witwer’s facial-capture and emotional performance. Subservient yet inquisitive, Galen has no empathy or perspective under Darth Vader’s tutelage. Vader's ambitions manipulate Galen and the player to the point where it is uncertain where either of their loyalties truly lie.
In the end, continuing to fight Vader rather than rescuing General Kota seems like an unfounded choice, but neither option the player receives leads to a positive conclusion. Instead, the game's canonical light side conclusion has Starkiller sacrifice himself to save Kota. Starkiller survives in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's non-canonical dark side conclusion, but Starkiller's fate as the Emperor’s Dark Apprentice is just as gruesome.
The dark side conclusion, while non-canonical, reopens the game’s narrative to explain Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s three DLC packs. This depicts what Luke, or even Leia, may have become had Vader raised them. Fortunately, Luke and Leia were able to escape Vader’s clutches thanks to Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Galen would become Vader's secret apprentice instead.
The Secret Apprentice Demonstrates the Power of the Dark Side
Both canonical and non-canonical conclusions in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed result in a tragic end for Galen, but he is unable to find respite even in death as his corpse is harvested for Vader to clone and produce another apprentice.
Galen represents qualities characteristic of a Sith. Vader murders Galen's father front of him in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s opening, and throughout both installments, Galen never truly knows freedom as he is driven by someone else’s ambitions and malice. This is represented in his combat style, which is among the most entertaining and innovative elements of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's hack-and-slash gameplay.
Starkiller's combat combines bludgeoning, reverse-grip lightsaber strikes, and an unfettered command of the Force in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s physics engine. Enemies are flung from one end of the screen to the other, or out of frame entirely; flailing enemies suspended in midair latch onto other enemies and drag them into the air; and enemy corpses vanish into thin-air.
While he is a powerhouse protagonist who upholds the narrative, Starkiller is only part of what makes the game impactful as a Star Wars story. PROXY, for example, is an immersive simulation droid who represents Galen’s more human side. Further, Obi-Wan being one of PROXY’s training simulation modules demonstrates the enduring resentment Vader retains for his former master. These references service the narrative as well as fans' nostalgia for previous entries.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's Cal Kestis Could Become the Next Starkiller
There is another modern Star Wars character who is designed similarly. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Cal Kestis offers the unique perspective of a Jedi apprentice as an Order 66 refugee. Yet only the opening act on Bracca follows that suspenseful narrative of Cal withholding his abilities and keeping his identity a secret to not attract attention.
The rest of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has Cal pursuing holocrons with the guidance of Jedi Master Eno Cordova and former Jedi Knight Cere Junda. Cal’s character remains intriguing as he mends his connection with the Force, but the opening arc of being an apprentice on the run did not truly get an opportunity to shine. The redheaded Padawan’s character is a safe choice for a protagonist.
Of course, Starkiller and Cal only represent the highly popular Force-oriented side of the Star Wars mythology. Characters who are unable to wield the Force may be just as interesting and entertaining as the Jedi Knights, and it is refreshing to see characters without abilities making their own stamp on the Star Wars canon, such as Star Wars Battlefront 2’s Iden Versio. However, the opportunity to roleplay as a Jedi or Sith character may be too preferable an option to pass up.
If Star Wars continues to highlight its Force-wielding characters, whether on the light side or the dark side, they need to offer something more to the franchise and challenge the traditional portrayal of Jedi or Sith. Both Starkiller and Cal Kestis represent that the choice between the light and dark side does not need to be binary, and that there is a lot of room for exploration in that grey area. If future Star Wars games have characters as comprehensive as Galen Marek, the franchise should continue to house impactful narratives.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed releases April 20 for Nintendo Switch.