Starkiller


 * " I'm not Starkiller! Not the original Starkiller, anyway. I'm a clone, grown in a vat by Darth Vader to take the old Starkiller's place at his side. '"''


 * ―Starkiller[src]

"Starkiller," originally designated as Subject 1138, was the codename given to a clone of the late Galen Marek, the secret apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Vader and founder of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

When Marek died in 2 BBY, shortly after the formation of the Alliance, Vader endeavored to recreate his disciple by utilizing the cloning technologies of the planet Kamino. The accelerated cloning process—an enhanced version of the Kaminoan method which allowed for a rapid growth rate within its subjects—was initially imperfect and many clones were too unstable to take Marek's place as the Dark Lord's new apprentice. After months of failure, one particular clone impressed Vader enough for him to hope that this version might become the first success. But as with the others, he inherited Marek's power and skills at the cost of receiving his emotions as well, a side effect of memory flashes used in the training process.

Like those who came before him, the clone could not free himself from the emotional imprints passed on by Marek, especially his personal attachment to Captain Juno Eclipse, a former Imperial pilot stationed on Marek's starship, the Rogue Shadow. As with Marek, the clone's dedication to the dark side of the Forcewas undermined by Eclipse as he steadily became obsessed with her. When Vader judged him to be another imperfect copy, the clone escaped from Kamino and embarked on a personal journey to find Eclipse.

Lacking a name of his own, and refusing to take the one that belonged to his template, he was subsequently known by Marek's callsign "Starkiller." Immediately after his escape from Kamino, Starkiller's first stop on his quest was the planet Cato Neimoidia where he rescued General Rahm Kota, Marek's informal Jedi mentor. During this process, which took place in the city of Tarko-se and its arena, the clone single-handedly incapacitated the massive Gorog beast that belonged to Baron Merillion Tarko. His desire to find an identity for himself led him to Dagobah, where a brief encounter with the revered Jedi Master Yoda and an epiphany allowed him to glimpse into the future. This vision offered him insight as to the whereabouts of Captain Eclipse, by then a Rebel stationed on the flagship Salvation. Darth Vader used Starkiller's obsession with her to his own advantage and hired the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett to abduct and transport Eclipse to Kamino in an attempt to lure Starkiller back to his homeworld. Starkiller rallied the Alliance Fleetto launch a massive attack on Kamino, using the Alliance's military

assets to help him achieve his own personal goal. In the midst of the battle, Starkiller kamikazed the critically damaged Salvation into Timira City and confronted Darth Vader. The clone proved to be as strong as his template and incapacitated Vader with a powerful blast of Force lightning, allowing Alliance soldiers to place him under arrest. Through Starkiller's involvement, the assault on Kamino became the Rebel Alliance's first major victory against the Empire in the Galactic Civil War. Afterward, Starkiller and Eclipse were assigned to personally transport their Sith prisoner to the Alliance secret headquarters on Dantooine to await trial and execution for his crimes against the galaxy