In September of 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed made waves with its groundbreaking physics-based Force powers, intense hack and slash combat system, and a storyline that delved into corners of the Star Wars galaxy that were previously unexplored. While the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was met with some heavy criticism, the franchise was regarded as a welcome addition to the Star Wars universe thanks to the added depth it brought to characters like Darth Vader in his earlier days as a Sith Lord and for shedding light on the lesser-known era of galactic history directly following the Clone Wars.
The protagonist of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was an apprentice of Vader's, Galen Marek, codenamed Starkiller. Starkiller's task was to hunt down and kill the remaining Jedi that survived the purge and to eventually become strong enough to help Vader overthrow the Emperor. Starkiller helped form the Rebellion as a means to help depose the Emperor, only to be betrayed by Vader who had the rebel leaders arrested. Unfortunately, these events have all been largely negated by recent Disney works. Vader's Jedi hunters are now the elite Inquisitorius, and the Rebel Alliance's origins have been reestablished in other media like the animated Rebels series. This sadly leaves very little room for Starkiller.
Starkiller's Role in The Force Unleashed Has Been Replaced by the Inquisitorius
One of the interesting facets of Starkiller's existence in the Star Wars universe is the fact that Vader had a secret apprentice. This goes directly against the Sith philosophy of the Rule of Two, where there is only ever a single master and their apprentice. Galen Marek's missions for Vader were highly classified and shrouded in secrecy to conceal this betrayal of ancient Sith ideals, and so the Starkiller codename was used to hide the nature of these missions. As Vader's precision instrument in the assassination of Jedi survivors and other high-value targets, Starkiller held a singularly unique role. For better or worse, Disney's reimagining of this timeline has replaced the secret Starkiller project with a far larger, more public Jedi hunting institution, the Inquisitorius.
The Inquisitorius has replaced Starkiller in many ways, particularly its mission and its relationship to Darth Vader. Each Inquisitor is personally trained by Vader in the arts of the Force and lightsaber combat in order to be the most effective Jedi killing organization in the galaxy. Rather than a single apprentice like Starkiller, the Inquisitorius acts as a miniature Sith Order with the single goal of purging the Jedi from the galaxy. It does differ from Starkiller in some areas, however. Starkiller's intended purpose was eventually to help Vader overthrow the Emperor. Meanwhile, the Inquisitorius depicted in the Rebels series and notably featured in Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order is an Imperial institution at its core.
The Rebellion's Origins in The Force Unleashed Have Been Overwritten
Starkiller's role as one of the founding members of the Rebellion was one of the most impactful revelations for the Star Wars story as a whole. Once Vader had betrayed Starkiller for the last time, he ventured into the Death Star to rescue the rebel senators he had previously been manipulating on behalf of Vader. Starkiller sacrificed his life in order to save the senators, who went on to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In honor of Galen Marek's sacrifice his family emblem, a Starbird, was adopted as the instantly recognizable rebel symbol familiar to anyone who's seen a Star Wars film.
The animated series Star Wars Rebels followed the Rebellion's formation from its beginnings as a group of loosely organized rebel cells. Featuring the rebel crew of the Ghost along with the Phoenix Cell, Rebels shows the gradual organization of these cells into the formidable and organized Alliance that would eventually topple the Empire. Starkiller is nowhere to be seen, of course, and the Alliance's emblem is shown to be a combination of Sabine Wren's personal signature and Saw Gerrera's three-pronged symbol. With even the Marek family crest being repurposed, it's increasingly difficult to find a place for Starkiller without essentially creating an entirely new character that shares his name and personality. Even secondary characters from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed such as Juno Eclipse or PROXY seem to have more room for possibility.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is available for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Nintendo Switch.