Galen Marek

Galen Marek (pronounced /ɡeɪlən ˈmæɹɛk/) was a Force-sensitive human male who became an accomplished warrior during the Imperial Era. Trained in secret by the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and given the codename "Starkiller", Marek was one of Vader's deadliest assassins—but later turned to the light side just shortly before his death. Marek was the son of two Jedi Knights, Kento and Mallie Marek, born on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk in the aftermath of the Clone Wars. Following his mother's death, Kashyyyk was invaded by the Galactic Empire as a target of the Great Jedi Purge, where Kento was confronted and slain in a lightsaber duel by Vader, who discovered the fugitive Jedi's son in the process. Gauging the orphan's raw strength in the Force, he abducted Marek and raised him to embrace the dark side of the Force.

In time, Marek forgot all about his past and even his birth name, having been taken from his home at a very early age. Though trained in the ways of the Sith, the Rule of Two dictated that there could only be two Sith at a time—Starkiller was therefore not considered a true Sith, so long as his master was still apprenticed to Darth Sidious. As such, Vader kept his existence top secret, utilizing him as a hidden agent, often dispatched to deal with problematic elements within the Empire. For years, Starkiller aspired to truly become a Dark Lord of the Sith, believing it was his destiny to help Vader overthrow Sidious and usurp his throne as Galactic Emperor. As his training neared completion, Starkiller was formally acknowledged as an apprentice by Vader after surviving his trials, and was ordered by Vader to kill the few remaining members of the fallen Jedi Order—specifically the Jedi Masters Rahm Kota, Kazdan Paratus, and Shaak Ti.

Starkiller completed his missions, prevailing against his more experienced targets, only to be betrayed by his master after the Emperor confronted them. Stunned by this turn of events, Starkiller nevertheless remained loyal to Vader, and began fomenting a rebellion against the reign of the Galactic Empire as part of his master's plan to depose Sidious. The mission was another ruse, however. After the apprentice convinced Bail Prestor Organa, Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma to join him, Vader had the senators arrested and left Marek for dead, betraying him once more, revealing he was but a tool in a plot by Sidious and Vader to crush the rebellion before it even began. Unbeknownst to them both, however, Marek survived—resolving to rescue his allies, he managed to infiltrate the Death Star before the Emperor could execute them. Although he was killed in the ensuing battle aboard the battle station, the senators were able to escape with the help of Marek's companions, PROXY and Juno Eclipse. As a result of the former apprentice's actions, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was officially formed, uniting malcontents across the galaxy under the symbol of Marek's family.

Text and facts from the “Galen Marek” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.