The old Star WarsLegends was full of unique, huge storylines, many of which permanently altered the way the first six films were perceived. There were references to Earth, a parasitic alien invasion, and more. Now, of course, the new Disney era means that Legends has been de-canonized, meaning that it does not exist within the main timeline. That was always the way they should have been interpreted, according to Star Wars creator George Lucas himself.
One incredibly popular Legends story was The Force Unleashed, which starred Sam Witwer as Starkiller, a secret apprentice to Darth Vader. That sort of storyline would be virtually impossible to adapt into the new canon, but there’s still plenty of room to bring Starkiller in. Given that his role as Vader‘s apprentice mirrors the current role of the Inquisitors, even down to their respective backstories, it would make the most sense to reprise Starkiller in the new canon as a member of this dark side group.
In the old games, Starkiller was born as Galen Marek on the Wookiee home world of Kashyyyk. Force sensitive from birth, Galen’s parents were both Jedi who hid from the Clones during the massive Jedi purge. Darth Vader himself was the one to kill Galen’s parents, leaving him an orphan. The Dark Lord of the Sith then took the child in and raised him in the Dark Side, much as the Jedi did in their heyday as they brought in young children to start their training early. It was said that Vader’s plan was to eventually use Galen, now known under the name Starkiller, to overthrow Emperor Palpatine and have the two rule the galaxy themselves.
If that backstory sounds familiar, it’s because many of the current movies and shows have used Starkiller’s story as a model for the modern day Inquisitors. Inquisitors are typically former Jedi who turned against their kind in the years after Order 66. They are Force sensitive, but are distinct from the Sith Lords because of the Rule of Two, something that prevented more dark lords besides Darth Vader and Palpatine from appearing. Much like Starkiller was tasked with hunting down the remaining Jedi in hiding, this is now the primary objective for the Inquisitors in the new canon.
This was seen just a few months ago with the introduction of Reva in the Obi-Wan show. The Inquisitors were hunting Jedi and eventually stumbled upon Kenobi. Reva was an Inquisitor who served Vader, but as the show went on to reveal, was actually angry at him and wanted to destroy him, which was the reason why she got so close to him. She effectively served as Vader’s apprentice, alongside the other Inquisitors, but was pushed into the spotlight when she began to pursue Obi-Wan Kenobi. Reva had a rivalry with the iconic Darth Vader in the same way that Starkiller did, and Reva's "family" (her fellow padawans at the Jedi temple) were killed by Anakin, just as Galen's parents were killed by Vader. Clearly, the influence of Starkiller is there, but that doesn’t mean that he himself can’t appear once again.
Starkiller actor Sam Witwer has spoken about how he’d love to return to the franchise in a live action role, and so reprising his character from the old video games would be quite the triumphant comeback. Bringing Starkiller back could be done in several ways, and the possibilities are limitless, especially in the era of Disney+. Starkiller could return just like Reva, the Grand Inquisitor, or more, with a plot line as a villainous Inquisitor opposite a hero Jedi. They are becoming increasingly common in the stories being told right now, particularly as the era in between Episode III and Episode IV is being explored even more. This would potentially be convenient for the writers as to fill the villain hole in a given story with a preexisting beloved character, and one that wouldn’t require that much change to his backstory.
There have been rumblings for a few years now that a live action Inquisitor show could be in the works, and if that is the case, Starkiller is one character who would be perfect to lead such a series. There’s already so much built in fan interest in the character, with people still to this day pleading with Lucasfilm and Disney to bring him back into the new canon. Disney typically tends to prioritize shows that are lead by preexisting characters in order to solidify interest and viewers of the show, with The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi being prime examples of this. That makes a potential Starkiller show more likely.
For now, though, The Mandalorian season 3 is set to premiere on March 1. Skeleton Crew, Ahsoka, Star Wars Visions, and perhaps even other shows are also on the schedule for the franchise.
