Starkiller is a popular character from the Star Wars Legends community. As the protagonist of The Force Unleashed game, he was the secret apprentice of Darth Vader who later joined the Rebellion and sacrificed himself as a Jedi.
Starkiller’s Force powers within the game appear to be quite impressive. Among his feats, he pulls a Star Destroyer out of space and even defeats Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
This has led some fans to wonder: how strong is Starkiller? Is he the strongest Force-user in the franchise?
Starkiller is no longer canon, so he cannot be considered the strongest in the galaxy. Even within the Legends community, despite his great strength, there is evidence that he was far from being the most powerful Jedi or Sith.
Contents
How Strong is Starkiller?
Starkiller was born Galen Marek, and he was the son of two Jedi who married in secret sometime before Order 66.
In the early days of the Empire, Darth Vader found him living with his father on Kashyyyk. He sensed great power in the boy but assumed it was coming from his father, as Galen was only a couple years old at the time.
Even at that young age, Galen was powerful enough to rip the lightsaber from Vader’s hand using the Force.
Impressed by his abilities and the Force powers he sensed within the boy, Darth Vader took Galen and raised him in secret, grooming him in the ways of the dark side and eventually training him as an apprentice and giving him the name Starkiller.
Vader hoped to keep Starkiller’s existence a secret from Emperor Palpatine. He looked forward to a time when he and Starkiller could combine their strength to overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy.
But Palpatine had already found out about Starkiller. He allowed the boy to live, planning to eventually use him as a replacement for Vader.
Back to the original question: how strong is Starkiller?
He was strong enough to have the attention of both Vader and Palpatine, who could sense his incredible power. Instead of killing him as they did most other Force-sensitives, they kept him alive in order to exploit that power when the time came.
Why Is Starkiller So Powerful?
As mentioned above, Starkiller was born to a pair of Jedi. This likely gave him an extra amount of Force-sensitivity.
Most Force-sensitive beings were born to those with little or no Force-sensitivity. Very few were born to Jedi, as it was against the Jedi Code to marry and form other close emotional attachments.
Anakin Skywalker went against this stipulation of the Code, and he eventually fathered Luke and Leia. Both of them inherited a great amount of Force-sensitivity from their father, even though their mother was not a Force user.
Starkiller, however, inherited his Force-sensitivity from both of his parents. In other words, it seems likely that he would have naturally inherited a greater amount of the Force than if neither of his parents, or only one, were Force-sensitive.
In addition to his raw powers, Starkiller was trained by Darth Vader–one of the strongest Sith Lords in Star Wars.
Combine his natural abilities with excellent training, and it is easy to see why Starkiller was so powerful.
Is Starkiller the Strongest?
Some fans have argued that Starkiller was the strongest Sith Lord in Star Wars. But, as mentioned, his character is not currently considered canon.
With this in mind, he cannot be considered the strongest because, technically, he doesn’t exist within the official Star Wars franchise.
Even within Legends, he is not actually a Sith Lord. Because of the Rule of Two, it was against the Sith Code for Darth Vader, the apprentice of Palpatine, to take on his own apprentice. Thus, Starkiller was not officially recognized under the Sith title.
In The Force Unleashed, he is seen pulling a Star Destroyer out of the sky and defeating both Vader and Palpatine. However, the novels and comic books released alongside the game add some perspective to these incredible feats.
Regarding the Star Destroyer, he didn’t actually pull it out of the sky–it was already falling. He simply used the Force to redirect its path to an area where it would cause less destruction, and this effort took most of his strength.
When he was fighting Vader, he only began to gain the upper hand when he used Vader’s emotional and psychological weaknesses against him. He used his master’s own conflicted motivations against him, eventually winning the fight.
And in his fight against Palpatine, Starkiller only appeared to momentarily win because Palpatine faked his own defeat. Ultimately, he ended up killing Starkiller, who gave himself as a sacrifice so the Rebel forces could escape.
With all of these factors in mind, it’s easy to see that even though Starkiller was strong in the Force, he was not the strongest.
Is Starkiller Stronger Than Yoda?
Yoda was arguably the strongest Jedi Master that ever lived. Not only did he survive a direct attack during Order 66, he also faced off against Palpatine in the wake of the Order.
Palpatine is considered by many to be the most powerful Sith Lord in Star Wars canon. Though Yoda did not defeat him, their duel ended in a draw.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Yoda’s power is that he showed incredible Force strength during the waning years of his life.
Starkiller was young and extremely strong in the Force, but he was ultimately killed thanks to his confrontation with Palpatine.
For these reasons, it is unlikely that Starkiller could be considered stronger than Yoda.
Is Starkiller Stronger Than Luke?
Some fans have claimed that Starkiller “is what Luke Skywalker would’ve become” if Darth Vader had had access to him during his youth. He is sometimes called a “photo negative” of Luke.
So, you may be wondering: How do Luke’s and Starkiller’s powers compare against each other?
Luke and Starkiller appear to be fairly evenly matched in terms of their Force powers. Both were extremely strong in the Force, and if they were to go head to head against each other there’s a good chance the duel would end in a draw.
There are other parallels between the two characters as well. The name Starkiller was originally supposed to be Luke’s last name, but it was changed to Skywalker to give it a less brutal sound. What’s more, they are both about the same age.
One major thing that sets them apart is the amount of training they received. Starkiller was trained by Vader from a young age, whereas Luke received very little training even as an adult.
Had they both received an equal amount of training in the ways of the Force, it’s possible that Luke would have been far more powerful than Starkiller.
Is Starkiller Good or Evil?
The short answer to this question is, he was both.
Starkiller would have likely been trained as a Jedi had his parents not been killed. Following their deaths, he was taken and trained by Darth Vader.
He was very young at this time, and Vader repressed Starkiller’s memories to the point that really couldn’t recall his parents or anything about the Jedi way.
Thus, he was trained to be evil.
Furthermore, he believed it was his destiny to eventually become a Sith Lord, and he stayed loyal to Vader even after he betrayed him.
According to Legends, it was Starkiller who began planning a rebellion against Palpatine and the Empire. However, Vader betrayed him again, leaving him for dead and arresting Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Garm Iblis after Starkiller gained their trust.
This was the turning point for Starkiller. He forged a plan for the senators to escape, ultimately sacrificing himself in the ensuing battle. Thus, he died as the Jedi Galen Marek, having forsaken his connection to the dark side of the Force.
Conclusion
There’s no question that Starkiller was one of the most powerful Force users within the Legends side of the Star Wars community. That said, he was not the most powerful–Darth Vader, Palpatine, Yoda, and even Luke all appear to be somewhat stronger than Starkiller.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.