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Starkiller

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Starkiller
Starkiller / Galen Marek
Background information
Feature films
Television programs
Video games
Park attractions
Portrayed by Sam Witwer
Animators
Voice
Performance model
Designer
Inspiration
Honors and awards
Character information
Full name
Other names
Personality
Appearance
Birthday
Occupation
Affiliations
Goal
Home
Relatives
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Minions
Enemies
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Powers and abilities
Weapons
Fate
Quote


Starkiller, also known as Galen Marek and The Apprentice, is the anti-hero main protagonist of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed project (including a video game, novel, and comics), who first appeared in the game Soulcalibur IV. He is voiced by Sam Witwer, who also gave his likeness to the character.[1] After Darth Vader kills Galen's father, he is raised by Vader and is made his secret apprentice, under the name "Starkiller".[2] He is potent with using the Force for destructive purposes, with Witwer describing him as less of an assassin and more of a "Force wrecking ball".[3] After Starkiller's supposed sacrificial death in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, he is either resurrected or cloned by Darth Vader in order to be his secret apprentice again. Starkiller escapes from the cloning facility, and at the end of The Force Unleashed II he captures and imprisons Darth Vader.

The character's name is taken from Star Wars creator George Lucas' working name for Luke Skywalker, "Annikin Starkiller";[4][5] the character is designed to be a "photo-negative" of Skywalker.[3][6] Witwer described the character as being extremely competent, aggressive and unsubtle, but having an innocent side to him, stating that his growth had been stunted by being raised by Vader, meaning there are many parts of the character that are wide-eyed and innocent.[3] Witwer has also said that while for other Force-users fighting a battle against a powerful opponent might be a difficult struggle for them, for Starkiller "finding a moment of inner peace is the true struggle".[1]

Starkiller has been well received by IGN, who called his story arc in The Force Unleashed "nice and complete",[7] as well as by Game Informer, UGO Networks and GameDaily. However, GamesRadar has criticized Starkiller's design.[8] In GameSpot's vote for the greatest video game character of all time Starkiller (as "The Apprentice") was eliminated in round 1 against Niko Bellic,[9] based solely upon his appearance in Soulcalibur IV.

Concept and creation[]

George Lucas motivated the team working on The Force Unleashed to make a brand-new character (a friendly Sith).[10] Before deciding on the character of Starkiller, other ideas for the main character included a Han Solo-like smuggler, a superheroic Rebel Wookiee, "the last Skywalker" and a gadget-wielding mercenary.[10][11][12] The developers of The Force Unleashed used feedback from focus test respondents and executives at LucasArts in order to make Starkiller.[10] The developers consciously decided not to give him a name in the game, but as the novel's author (Sean Williams) said he needed a name "Galen Marek" was given in the novel.[4][13]

Starkiller was designed as a photo-negative of Luke Skywalker,[3][6] and is named after "Annikin Starkiller" (Luke Skywalker's original name in Star WarsTemplate:'s early scripts).[4][5] The developers of The Force Unleashed tried to avoid making Starkiller too rigidly defined while keeping the character developed. The developers also wanted to avoid making Starkiller seem irredeemably evil, and used elements of his backstory and his relationships with other characters to balance it, while trying not to explain too much of his backstory. In order to avoid the character being over emotional, they tried to let short pieces of dialogue and looks carry scenes so that the player could interpret how Starkiller felt.[14] They attempted to make Starkiller feel like he would belong in the classic Star Wars trilogy by making his actions faster and more intense.[6] During an interview to Haden Blackman by The Guardian, Blackman claimed that most of the testing players wanted the character to be ultimately redeemed by the end of the game.[15]

Sam Witwer (2007)

Sam Witwer provides both the voice and the likeness for the character of Starkiller.

Starkiller was voiced by and given the likeness of Sam Witwer. According to Blackman the staff were very hard on Witwer when casting him, but claimed he was far above the other candidates and that "he was already inhabiting the mind of this character". Starkiller's expressions are based on Witwer's, which Blackman described as a "a new approach for LucasArts", noting that it "affected the way we handled casting for The Force Unleashed" and comparing it to how people see Bill Nighy as Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.[1] Blackman noted that Witwer brought new ideas and a sense of humanity to Starkiller.[14] Sam Witwer has said that Starkiller would be a character he wouldn't mind revisiting.[6]

During the concepting stages of The Force Unleashed II the developers considered replacing the character with either a new Force wielder or a previous named Star Wars character. However they decided to keep Starkiller as the player character as they were fond of and were attached to him, and felt that there was more story that he could supply and they could build a franchise around him.[16] Blackman commented that after deciding how to have Starkiller return, he felt "it all made sense and fell into place".[16] Developers tried to make The Force Unleashed more personal to Starkiller,[16][17] with the game focusing on Starkiller's search for the truth of his identity.[17]

Characterization[]

Because look, you've got the central character of the series – that's Darth Vader. You've got the most heroic character, who's Luke Skywalker. And then you've got the most badass character, which is Starkiller.
—Sam Witwer, IGN[6]

Witwer compared him as being "two parts Han Solo, one part Darth Maul, one part Indiana Jones [...] and then one essential part Luke Skywalker", noting that in the character's development "behind it all, there had to be this wide-eyed kid who was trying to figure out what the hell to do". According to Witwer, Starkiller's characteristics and personality depended on who he was talking to and what circumstances he is in. Witwer called him "a really interesting guy, speaking of layered characters".[6] Although acting as a villain in the beginning of the first game, Blackman has commented how Starkiller is "really just this damaged kid."[14]

Haden Blackman noted that in the first Force Unleashed Starkiller was a hunter, while in the second Starkiller is more a fugitive.[17] Matt Filbrandt, one of the producers of The Force Unleashed II, said that Starkiller in the second game is trying to find out "who he is" and "what it means to be human".[18]

Appearances[]

Starkiller first debuted in Soulcalibur IV as a fighter, alongside Darth Vader and Yoda.[19] In Soulcalibur IV he is known as the "Apprentice". After Darth Vader sends him to investigate a dimensional rift that seems to be growing, he passes through to the Soulcalibur universe. The Apprentice defeats Algol and returns to Vader without either the Soul Edge or the Soul Calibur, due to perceiving them as worthless.[20] Vader Force Chokes the Apprentice for disobeying him,[20] causing the Apprentice to draw his lightsaber and prepare to fight Darth Vader.[21] Starkiller also appears in Star Wars: Visions of the Blade, an Infinities comic focusing on the Soulcalibur and Star Wars crossover.[22]

In the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game, as well as the novel and comic adaptions, Darth Vader dispatches Starkiller to kill the Jedi who survived the Great Jedi Purge (an event portrayed in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith).[23][24] Starkiller is initially kept in secret,[25] though after Starkiller is discovered by the Emperor, Darth Vader sends Starkiller to find enemies of the Galactic Empire and unite them.[26] Darth Vader later betrays Starkiller and attempts to kill those he united, but Starkiller sacrifices himself for the Rebel Alliance and becomes a martyr for the rebels.[27][28] During the game, he falls in love with Captain Juno Eclipse, an ex-Imperial Shuttle Pilot, and his own ship's pilot. If Starkiller chooses to kill Darth Vader rather than the Emperor at the end of the game, Starkiller becomes a minion of the Emperor and is put into a suit similar to Darth Vader's. Starkiller reappears in this suit in the Ultimate Sith Edition of The Force Unleashed game, which continues the dark-side path as a "what if" story.[29][30] However, the light-side ending is considered canon ending, and is used in the novel adaption and sequels.[2][27]

In the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II video game and comic, as well as the Force Unleashed II novel, Starkiller is allegedly cloned by Vader. Starkiller is haunted by visions of the original Starkiller's life.[18] After escaping Kamino, Starkiller goes on a quest to find out who he is and to find Eclipse, who has been kidnapped by Darth Vader.[18][31] At the end of the game, if the player chooses the light-side ending, Starkiller spares and captures Darth Vader, and rescues Juno.[32] However, in the dark side ending Starkiller is stabbed just before he can kill Vader by another successful clone trained by Darth Vader.[32] The dark side clone of Starkiller reappeared in downloadable content for the video game, which took place on Endor.[33]

Starkiller appears under the name "Vader's Apprentice", as an unlockable character in Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. He is unlocked by finding all the mini-kits in the "Defenders of Peace" level.

Promotion and reception[]

GalenStalkerArmor

In the dark side ending of The Force Unleashed Starkiller is made the Emperor's apprentice. This redesign was reused in the Ultimate Sith Edition of the game. GamesRadar criticised the design for being just "Vader with Boba Fett's helmet".

Hasbro has made multiple action figures of Starkiller, along with the rest of the characters in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.[34] A Lego version of Starkiller was released as one of the three figures in the Rogue Shadow Lego set.[35]

UGO Networks chose the character as the 50th top Star Wars Expanded Universe character.[36] IGN's Jesse Schedeen called Starkiller's appearance in Soulcalibur IV the second best bonus character in the series, complementing his inclusion from a story standpoint as "[Soulcalibur IV] is about the dichotomy between good and evil, corruption and redemption, [...] Starkiller is a Dark Jedi who finds himself at a crossroads. He can either follow his master and take control of the galaxy, or break away and seek out his own destiny",[37] with Schedeen later including Starkiller in a list of characters that would make up their idea of the ultimate fighting game.[38] Chris Buffa also put the character as the 24th top gaming hunk, saying that "nothing compares to a bad boy".[39] Jesse Schedeen called Starkiller one of the most promising player characters to be released during fall 2008.[40] After the release of The Force Unleashed, Robert Workman, also from GameDaily, put the character as one of his favorite Star Wars video game characters.[41] Buffa choose Starkiller as one of the top double-crossing characters.[42] Jesse Schedeen listed Starkiller as one of the best video game entertainers of 2008, commenting that "Starkiller unleashed the Force in ways the movies never showed us".[43]

UGO Networks listed Sam Witwer's performance as Starkiller as one of their top 11 celebrity voice actors in video games.[44] Chris Buffa put Starkiller as the 19th top anti-hero, commenting that "the thought of cutting through good guys as a Sith filled us with murderous joy", also praising his eventual turn to good.[45] Jesse Schedeen also thought that it would be best if the character was not revisited in the upcoming live-action TV series after the first The Force Unleashed as "his story arc was nice and complete".[7] Starkiller was voted the top 10th Star Wars character by IGN's readers.[46] IGN later claimed Starkiller as the 34th top Star Wars character.[47] GameSpot listed Starkiller, as "The Apprentice", in a vote for the all time greatest video game character. Starkiller was eliminated in the first round after being put against Niko Bellic, a character from Grand Theft Auto IV, with Starkiller garnering 44.9% of the votes.[9] Starkiller was also voted as the 17th top video game character by Game Informer's readers.[48] Game Informer listed him sixth on their list of the "Top 10 Dorks", saying "The words "jedi" and "dork" rarely go together, but Starkiller is the Chosen One to unite them".[49]

See also[]

  • HK-47, a major supporting character in the Knights of the Old Republic video game series.
  • Kyle Katarn, the main character of the Jedi Knight video game series.
  • Revan, another character in the Knights of the Old Republic series and the main character of the first game.

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 W. Haden Blackman (18 September 2007). Casting and Capturing Performances. StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved on December 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Starkiller (Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice). Star Wars Databank. StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved on March 14, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Russ Frushtick (16 September 2008). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Sam Witwer and Nathalie Cox Video Interview. UGO Networks. Retrieved on March 25, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Little Nemo (19 August 2008). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Interview. UGO Networks. Retrieved on March 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Skywalker, Luke. Star Wars Databank. StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved on December 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Anthony Gallegos (16 September 2008). From Smallville to Star Wars with Sam Wither. IGN. Retrieved on November 17, 2010.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jesse Schedeen (8 July 2009). Players Unwanted: Star Wars Live Action TV Show. IGN. Retrieved on November 17, 2010.
  8. ↑ Dave Meikleham. 9 half-assed character designs. GamesRadar. Retrieved on November 18, 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 GameSpot's All Time Greatest Game Hero. GameSpot (1 September 2009). Retrieved on April 11, 2011.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Brett Rector (1 March 2007). Production Diary: A Tale of Many Storylines. StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved on February 9, 2011.
  11. ↑ Tor Thorson (22 February 2008). GDC '08: LucasArts prioritizing PS3 dev, unleashing Force. GameSpot. Retrieved on February 9, 2011.
  12. ↑ W. Haden Blackman (22 March 2007). The Force Unleashed: From Concept to Console. StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved on February 9, 2011.
  13. ↑ Williams, Sean (19 August 2008). The Force Unleashed, Star Wars. Del Rey, 316. ISBN 978-0-345-49902-8. “His full name was Galen Marek.” 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 A Force Unleashed Interview With LucasArts' Haden Blackman. Galactic Binder. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
  15. ↑ Greg Howson (14 July 2008). Star Wars Force Unleashed - new interview. The Guardian. Retrieved on November 17, 2010.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Template:Cite journal Template:Dead link
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Cam Shea (4 July 2010). The Force Unleashed II – Why This Is The Sequel You're Looking For. IGN. Retrieved on May 22, 2011.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 McInnis, Shaun (21 May 2010). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II First Look. GameSpot. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
  19. ↑ Randy Nelson (5 June 2008). Third Star Wars character joins Soul Calibur IV cast. Joystiq. Retrieved on March 22, 2011.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Template:Cite video game
  21. ↑ Template:Cite video game
  22. ↑ Star Wars: Visions of the Blade - An Online Original Comic. StarWars.com (21 August 2008). Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved on April 6, 2011.
  23. ↑ Gandhi, Mayur (16 May 2008). The Force Unleashed: Interview with Dan Wasson. NZGamer.com. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
  24. ↑ Keighley, Geoff (28 May 2008). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. GameTrailers & Spike TV. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
  25. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (7 July 2008). The Force Unleashed: Cast of Characters. IGN. Retrieved on April 2, 2011.
  26. ↑ Williams, Sean (19 August 2008). The Force Unleashed, Star Wars. Del Rey, 108. ISBN 978-0-345-49902-8. “"You will locate the Emperor's enemies and convince them that you wish to overthrow the Empire. When you have created an alliance of rebels and dissidents, we will use them to occupy the Emperor and his spies. With their attention diverted, we can strike."” 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Williams, Sean (19 August 2008). The Force Unleashed, Star Wars. Del Rey, 368–369. ISBN 978-0-345-49902-8. 
  28. ↑ Williams, Sean (19 August 2008). The Force Unleashed, Star Wars. Del Rey, 376. ISBN 978-0-345-49902-8. “The people in the room would rally behind his family's crest and continue the work that he had started: the first rebel, the one who had given them hope.” 
  29. ↑ Andrew Burnes (24 July 2009). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition Announced For PC. VE3D. IGN. Retrieved on February 9, 2011.
  30. ↑ Randy Nelson (24 July 2009). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed receiving 'Ultimate Sith Edition,' new missions. Joystiq. Retrieved on February 9, 2011.
  31. ↑ Lynch, David. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Anthony Gallegos (8 November 2010). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2: Spoiler Alert. IGN. Retrieved on April 2, 2011.
  33. ↑ Anthony Gallegos (16 November 2010). Starkiller's Adventure Continues in Force Unleashed 2 DLC. IGN. Retrieved on February 9, 2011.
  34. ↑ Pawlus, Adam. Hasbro Celebrates Star Wars 30th Anniversary With Cool Figures And Spare Change. Toy Fair 2007. Galactic Hunter.com. Retrieved on November 19, 2010.
  35. ↑ Luke Plunkett (7 February 2008). The Force Unleashed Lego You Had To Have. Kotaku. Retrieved on June 9, 2011.
  36. ↑ Adam Rosenberg (1 July 2008). Top 50 Star Wars Expanded Universe Characters. UGO Networks. Retrieved on November 17, 2010.
  37. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (31 July 2008). Soulcalibur: Top Bonus Characters. IGN. Retrieved on November 17, 2010.
  38. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (15 October 2008). Players Wanted: Ultimate Fighting Game, Part 2. IGN. Retrieved on March 25, 2010.
  39. ↑ Chris Buffa (28 May 2008). Top 25 Gaming Hunks. GameDaily. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  40. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (25 August 2008). Fall Videogame Preview: Players Wanted. IGN. Retrieved on May 21, 2011.
  41. ↑ Robert Workman (11 September 2008). Our Favorite Characters From Star Wars Video Games. GameDaily. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  42. ↑ Chris Buffa (11 December 2008). Double Crossing Characters. GameDaily. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  43. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (17 December 2008). Videogame Entertainers of the Year: Day 2. IGN. Retrieved on May 21, 2011.
  44. ↑ Russ Frushtick (20 February 2009). Top 11 Celebrity Voice Actors in Games. UGO Networks. Retrieved on March 24, 2011.
  45. ↑ Chris Buffa (24 April 2009). Top 25 Anti-Heroes. GameDaily. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  46. ↑ Phil Pirrello (18 August 2010). Who Is Your Favorite Star Wars Character?. IGN. Retrieved on January 13, 2011.
  47. ↑ Top 100 Star Wars Characters. IGN. Retrieved on November 17, 2010.
  48. ↑ Bryan Vore (3 December 2010). Readers' Top 30 Characters Results Revealed. Game Informer. Retrieved on January 13, 2011.
  49. ↑ Template:Cite journal

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