If you’ve ever played Star Wars: The Force Unleashed or read the tie-in comics, you’ve probably heard of Starkiller—the secret apprentice of Darth Vader.
His original purpose was to help Vader overthrow Palpatine, but as we saw in The Force Unleashed, things didn’t quite go according to plan.
As a fan who loved the game, I’ve always thought Starkiller would make an incredible addition to the Star Wars canon.
And if he were to make the jump from Legends to the current timeline, there’s one role that stands out to me: the Grand Inquisitor.
It may sound like a wild idea, but hear me out!
Starkiller’s Backstory Makes Him Perfect as the Grand Inquisitor
At the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, we see Darth Vader on a mission to Kashyyyk, hunting down a Jedi survivor hiding on the planet.
After a fierce confrontation, Vader successfully eliminates the Jedi but discovers something unexpected—a child named Galen Marek, the Jedi’s son, who possesses a strong connection to the Force.
Vader, seeing the boy’s raw potential, secretly takes Galen and begins training him in the dark side.
Over time, Galen becomes Starkiller, a deadly and loyal apprentice molded by Vader himself.
This is where I think Galen Marek’s story could fit perfectly into Star Wars canon.
After Order 66, we know the Empire—likely under Palpatine’s orders—sought out Force-sensitive individuals to turn them into Inquisitors.
Imagine Vader finding young Galen as an orphaned Force-sensitive and grooming him to lead the Inquisitorius.
In The Force Unleashed, Starkiller’s loyalty to Vader is undeniable. No matter where Vader sends him or who he orders Starkiller to confront, Starkiller accepts the mission without hesitation or question.
Not only that but in canon, we know that the Inquisitor program operates directly under Vader’s control.
If Darth Vader wanted, he could bring anyone into the program—and Starkiller’s backstory and loyalty make him a perfect candidate to lead the Inquisitorius.
The Grand Inquisitor Could Be Just the Start—Starkiller Could Still Be Vader’s Secret Apprentice
The Inquisitor program was created by Palpatine to assist Darth Vader in hunting down surviving Jedi. However, if we look closely, most of the Inquisitors were former Jedi Padawans, or in the case of the Grand Inquisitor, a former Jedi Temple Guard.
These ties to the Jedi Order often left them ill-suited for the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.
Beyond their lingering connections to the light side, many of the Inquisitors also lacked the raw power and potential needed to serve as a Sith apprentice truly.
While they were effective at hunting weaker Jedi survivors, they were no match for the likes of a fully-trained Jedi Master or even other dark-side users.
For example, in Star Wars Rebels, we see the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister struggle against Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger—two Jedi who were far from fully trained.
Starkiller’s case, however, is entirely different. Unlike the Inquisitors, he was untainted by a Jedi past, making him pure and far easier to mold.
Starkiller’s strength in the Force set him apart, and this strength was proven throughout Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
He defeated powerful Jedi Masters like Rahm Kota, Shaak Ti, and Kazdan Paratus—all while carrying out Vader’s orders with unwavering loyalty.
Whereas the other Inquisitors were often conflicted by their history with the Jedi, Starkiller had no such attachments.
Trained purely in the dark side, his singular focus was on executing Vader’s will. His raw power and dedication make him an ideal candidate for the role of a secret apprentice, far surpassing any of the brothers or sisters in the Inquisitorius.
Starkiller would fit seamlessly into the role of Vader’s Sith apprentice.
In the Darth Vader comics, we see Vader attempt to recruit Luke Skywalker after discovering he is his son and recognizing his potential.
If we were to imagine Starkiller in canon, he could serve as a placeholder apprentice before Luke’s appearance, maintaining the balance of power under Vader while setting the stage for the larger Star Wars story.