While it may have had some issues even when it was first released, The Force Unleashed games went a long way in re-invigorating interest in the Star Wars franchise following the luke-warm reception of the prequel trilogy. Following Galen Marek, also known as Starkiller, in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, both hardcore and casual Star Wars fans alike found something to love with both titles.
Gamers have had a chance to play as powerful wielders of the Force before, but Starkiller turned all of these powers up to 11 and was capable of decimating armies of clone soldiers and Jedi alike with little trouble through the use of both Jedi and Sith powers.
10 He Is The Son Of Two Jedi
In the opening sequence of The Force Unleashed, players control Darth Vader as he casually walks towards the source of a powerful Force-sensitive Jedi, casting Wookies aside like ragdolls. After easily defeating the man, Kento, who Vader assumed was the person he was searching for, he discovers Galen and takes him in. Although he doesn't recall his family until much later in his life, it is revealed that both of his parents were Jedi and married in secret, not unlike Anakin and Padme had to in Attack of the Clones.
9 Born On Kashyyyk
Since both of Starkiller's parents had broken the Jedi code to remain unmarried as well as having to hide from the Empire following the Clone Wars and Order 66, Kento and Mallie Marek bounced around the galaxy searching for a safe place for their son before settling on Kashyyyk. Shortly after giving birth to Galen, Mallie was killed by a group of Trandoshan slavers while protecting both her family and the Wookies, forcing Kento to raise his son on his own until Vader eventually found him.
8 He Is Possibly One Of The Strongest Users Of The Force
There are several powerful Force users in the Star Wars canon, but Starkiller's abilities may outstrip them all. While still an inexperienced child, he was able to tear Vader's lightsaber from his hands with little effort, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
One of the more famous scenes in The Force Unleashed is when Starkiller pulls an entire Star Destroyer out of space using just the Force, all while fighting off tie-fighters that are also trying to kill him, a feat that hasn't been replicated before or since.
7 The Secret Apprentice
After seeing the raw potential Galen had in terms of his connection to the Force, Vader adopted the boy and trained him in secret under the name Starkiller, hoping to use his strength to overthrow Palpatine once he had become strong enough. In reality, Palpatine knew about his existence from the very beginning and waiting to see how powerful he would truly become, with the possibility of replacing Vader eventually. In the "bad" ending of The Force Unleashed, Vader is defeated and Starkiller is turned into Palpatine's new apprentice, wearing a similar style armor to Vader following his injuries in battle.
6 He Was Never Considered A Sith
Due to the Rule of Two as well as the fact that Vader tried to keep his existence a secret, Starkiller was never granted the title of a Sith, with the only exception being his "bad" ending, which wasn't canon to the story as he was brought back as a clone in The Force Unleashed 2. Despite not having the official title, Starkiller was more than powerful enough to be labeled as one if players follow the Sith route of gameplay.
5 His Droid Companion Was Built To Try To Kill Him
Most protagonists in the Star Wars series have a droid companion in one form or another, either as comic relief or as an essential character to drive the plot forward. In Starkiller's case, his droid companion, PROXY, was built and programmed by Vader to help train the young man by consistently trying to kill him. Later in life, however, he was also the source of Starkiller's humanity, since he most likely would have been driven insane without PROXY's influence and companionship.
4 He Was, Canonically, A Jedi In The End
Both The Force Unleashed and its sequel have two different endings depending on the actions taken by Starkiller in the story, with one where he follows the Jedi and another where he follows the Dark Side. Despite being trained as Vader's Apprentice and learning many skills only known to the Dark Side, he would die as a Jedi and become one with the Force
While his Sith ending is still interesting, it completely erases Vader's existence from the first three films as well as the presence of the Rebel Alliance that persisted well into the sequel trilogy as well.
3 He Is Responsible For The Creation Of The Rebel Alliance
It was only due to the actions of Starkiller and Vader, the latter of which ordering his apprentice to seek out the budding rebels and destroy them before they could become a real problem, that the Rebel Alliance was formed in the first place. Unfortunately for Vader, because Starkiller was eventually influenced by Rahm Kota, a Jedi who he was ordered to kill in an earlier mission, he would eventually side with the rebels and be the martyr that sparked their mission to overthrow Palpatine.
2 The Rebel Insignia Is Starkiller's Family Crest
The Rebel insignia is one of the most easily recognizable symbols in the Star Wars universe alongside its counterpart, the one used by the Galactic Empire. According to The Force Unleashed's "good" ending, Galen's death and transcendence to become one with the Force was the sacrifice that the Rebels could get behind to overthrow the Empire, using the Marek family crest as their insignia in tribute to the man responsible for bringing them together.
1 His Existence Is No Longer Canon
After Disney bought out the rights to the Star Wars franchise, and the official canon was changed, the only canon stories are the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies, as well as The Clone Wars and Mandalorian TV series. Every other game, novel, or comic that was released before 2014 is now considered non-canon to the overall story, including The Force Unleashed.