Battle on Death Star I

"I have trained you well, but you still have much to learn.''" "''You have nothing left to teach me."

- Darth Vader and Galen Marek confront one another.

The Battle on Death Star I was a conflict during the Great Jedi Purge and Galactic Civil War, in which Darth Vader and Galen Marek, his former apprentice, dueled against one another on board Death Star I.

Prelude
"Keep the ship cloaked and wait beyond scanner range. I have a really bad feeling about this... Then we must be doing the right thing. Am I ever going to see you again? If I can free the rebels, they'll need extraction...Probably not, no. Then I'll never need to live this down..."

- The last words between Galen Marek and Juno Eclipse.

After the Rebel leaders were captured by Darth Vader for personal execution by Emperor Palpatine, Galen Marek and Juno Eclipse set out to rescue them. Juno Eclipse set down their ship, the Rogue Shadow, inside Death Star I, which was still under construction during the time.

Opening the ship's ramp, Galen was ready to enter the large station. Before doing so, Juno asked if she would see him again to which he said that it was possible he would die in the attempt at freeing his friends. Seeing that it might be the last time she would see him again, Juno embraced Marek in a passionate kiss, stating that if he did die then she would not have to live it down.

Being parted from her, Galen jumped from the Rogue Shadow and landed on the Death Star's surface.

Wookiee revolt
"Those hairy beasts down there are always running amok."

- Stormtrooper describing Wookiee slaves on the Death Star.

Once on the Death Star's surface, Marek ambushed a patrol of stormtroopers escorting a prison gang of Wookiees on the equatorial trench. Seeking further direction on the location of the prisoners, Marek freed the Wookiees, who subsequently went on a rampage against their captors. The Wookiee revolt eventually escalated into a full-scale battle. Using this distraction and following the guidance of a small band of Wookiee companions, Marek was able to infiltrate the Death Star via a thermal exhaust port.

Infiltration
Inside the hangar, Galen found himself besieged by stormtroopers of varying types as well as AT-CTs that were assembled at the bay to aid in the movement of construction equipment. In addition to this, there were a number of AT-STs that were called in to protect the station from the Force user. His main aim was to locate the massive station's laser tube, so that he could gain entry into the observation platform, where the Emperor as well as his prisoners were present.

Along the way, Marek was challenged by numerous Purge troopers which he defeated after which he used the Force to open the ground panels to gain a deeper entry into the station. Once there, he was present within the massive laser tube which he was forced to make his way down in order to enter the heart of the Death Star. The nature of the tube meant that he was forced to seek shelter every now and then in order to escape the laser test fire sequence that fired on occasion. Furthermore, he was forced to fight a number of stormtroopers and personnel that were guarding their posts.

At a number of points on his journey, Galen was obstructed by large circular focusing dishes, which he had to shatter in order to make his way down the laser tube. Several guards were killed during the test firing sequence while pursuing Marek, when they were caught in the midst of the laser that shot through the tube. The Empire discovered that they had an intruder in the facility and began fortifying the station in order to stop Marek. This brought about the activation of the Death Star's internal defensive cannons, which were also destroyed in their attempt at stopping Marek.

Battle in the Station
Going deeper inside the station, Galen found himself at the laser convergence center, which he learned were seven such structures within the massive station. Juno communicated to him that there were sixty four laser tubes that were directed into a single powerful beam. Above this post was where the Emperor's observation platform resided.

After eliminating a number of stormtroopers and AT-ST walkers, Galen made his way to a part of the chamber. Using a number of graviton beam based lifts, Galen was able to rise to the top of the structure in order to reach the relevant doorway. With the various acts of sabotage complete and ready to enter the watchtower, Marek found the large door opening before him, which spilled out a member of the Emperor's Shadow Guard along with a number of his Royal Guard. A great lightsaber conflict erupted between the two sides. Galen managed to kill off the Royal Guard before engaging the Shadow Guard in unarmed combat, breaking its neck.

With his foes defeated, Galen was ready to enter the Emperor's observation dome. This required him to use the Force to manipulate the door mechanism to open allowing him entry.

The duel


"Lord Vader... deal with the boy. Properly, this time."

- Emperor Palpatine

Inside the dome, the former Sith apprentice found General Rahm Kota, along with Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis before the Emperor's throne, who accused the captives of being traitors to Empire. He threatened them with interrogation and torture in order to reveal all their contacts and allies, after which they would be killed. A defiant Bail Organa said that their deaths would only rally others, but Palpatine retorted by saying that their executions would serve as a warning to others to prevent further dissent.

It was then that a warning signal activated, which revealed to both the Emperor and Darth Vader, that Marek had infiltrated the base and was within the observation dome - this was something that gave Rahm Kota hope that a rebellion might still survive. Palpatine called upon his Sith apprentice Vader to eliminate Marek. The Dark Lord calmly made his way to the corridor outside, lightsaber ignited, where he confronted his former apprentice.

Duel with Vader
"You've served me well, but your usefulness is at an end."

- Darth Vader

As they prepared to engage one another, Darth Vader admitted that he had trained Galen well, but stated that he still had much to learn. An angry Galen retorted, claiming that his former master had nothing left to teach. With that, they began their duel. After a furious lightsaber engagement in the corridor, Darth Vader pushed Galen aside with the Force before retreating deeper into the observation platform, with Galen in close pursuit.

The duel progressed into a throne room antichamber, where Galen gained the upper hand, striking Vader in the leg, and telekinetically assaulting Vader with several pieces of the ceiling. Vader, temporarily distracted, lost his helmet to a vicious beating from Galen, who then seized the Sith Lord with the Force, and flung him through the window into Palpatine's chambers.

Battle with Sidious


"You will scream like your father."

- Palpatine taunts Galen Marek

After witnessing the defeat of Vader, Sidious tried to tempt Galen into destroying his former master, and taking his position as apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith. Kota attempted to put an immediate stop to this by stealing Palpatine's lightsaber, and attacked him. Palpatine struck Kota down with a furious barrage of Force lightning. Galen came to his friend's rescue, engaging Darth Sidious in a vicious battle. The Sith Lord assailed Marek with telekinetic assaults and barrages of Force lightning, but left most of the fighting to intervening Stormtroopers and Imperial guards.

After briefly trading attacks with the Force, Galen managed to stun the Emperor and hurl him onto the floor.

Watchtower Explosion


Rising to his knees, Sidious turned to Marek declared that it was his destiny to destroy him, tempting him to give into his anger and complete his descent into the dark side. But as Galen raised his saber to strike Palpatine down, Kota told him to let his anger go, saying that he would be right back where he started if he killed Sidious now. With this advice, Galen deactivated his saber, sparing Palpatine's life. Palpatine, in frustration, roared to his feet and once again attacked Kota with a barrage of Force lightning, but Galen quickly threw himself in front of the blast to save his friend. With tremendous effort, Galen managed to endure the lightning. Pushing against the barrage, Marek managed to work his way closer and closer to the now immensely powerful Darth Sidious.

In the process of blocking Sidious' attack, Galen sensed through the Force, that a recovered Vader and a platoon of stormtroopers were attempting to halt the escape of the Rebel leaders still on board the Death Star. Galen, in a desperate attempt to aid their escape, physically grabbed Palpatine, causing his lightning to backfire on the Sith Lord, and then opened his body to the Force. The resulting release of energy caused an immense explosion that nearly destroyed the Emperor's tower.

Aftermath


The explosion was strong enough to kill all the stormtroopers that were attempting to kill the Rebel leaders, thus allowing the Rogue Shadow to escape. However, it was not powerful enough to kill the wounded Darth Vader or Palpatine. After recovering from the initial shock of the blast, Vader limped towards the center of the explosion, beaten and broken and found the body of his former apprentice, solemnly noting that Galen Marek was dead.

Palpatine also looked down at the fallen apprentice, shock and bitter disappointment written all over his face. For not only had he lost a powerful apprentice, he was still burdened by the diminished Vader, but the Emperor angrily credited Galen Marek as being "more powerful than ever." Marek's sacrifice made him a martyr, a selfless act that would galvanize all rebels and dissidents under a common cause to fight the Galactic Empire.

Darth Vader promised to his master that since they now knew who the leaders were, he would hunt them down and destroy them, to which he sarcastically added "as you always intended, master." Palpatine's encouragements to Galen Marek during the duel indicated that, as with Darth Tyranus before him, Palpatine intended to betray his apprentice for one far younger and more powerful. Ultimately, nothing much changed between master and apprentice. Darth Vader wanted to overthrow his master for years, but was too afraid of the Emperor's powers to do so. If anything, the battle proved to Vader that he was merely a tool to be utilized until a new apprentice could be found, at which time, the Emperor would cast Darth Vader aside.

The Emperor, realizing the magnitude of such a terrible setback in his plans, told Darth Vader to be absolutely vigilant in his new task, as if even a single Rebel survived, then the Rebellion, which they had inadvertently created, would be their downfall, along with that of the Empire and the Sith as well.

The damage Marek had done had also delayed the construction of the Death Star with its timetable being set back in order to effect a full repair of the structural damage sustained by the blast.

After the battle, Bail Organa and Juno Eclipse returned to Corellia, where they found and rebuilt Galen's droid companion, PROXY, who had been critically damaged after a brief duel with Vader. PROXY then revealed that Galen ordered him serve Juno after his death, which he did, and began telling everything about his former master to Bail.

Elsewhere, Bail, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis met in secret with Rahm Kota, Juno Eclipse, PROXY, and Princess Leia Organa on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. There, they found the abandoned home of Galen Marek and his father, Kento Marek. Inside, they discovered the Marek family crest. It was decided by the assembled rebels that Galen Marek's heroic sacrifice saved their lives and allowed them to meet for their congregation then to honor him, they would use it as a symbol of hope for the Rebel Alliance and so completed the Corellian Treaty.

Outside, Juno Eclipse asked Rahm Kota if he always knew who Marek was, to which he said he had his suspicions. She asked Kota why he went along with it and what kept Galen going to, which the General said that he sensed something in the boy, and that his redemption came through Juno herself, as she was what inspired him to change. On that day, a formal Rebellion was created to fight the tyranny of the Galactic Empire.

Behind the scenes
Palpatine's taunt to Starkiller, "You will scream just like your Father!", mirrors a similar taunt made by Andross when Fox McCloud goes through one of the tunnels to Andross's inner sanctum in the Easy ending of "Star Fox 64". Coincidentally, Star Fox 64 has made references to Star Wars, as well.

Alternate ending
"You have betrayed your master and your allies both; I knew you would betray me as well! And now, you have doomed yourself and your friends!"

- Palpatine to Starkiller.



In the alternate non-canon ending of this battle in The Force Unleashed, Galen chooses to finish off Vader, avenging the murder of his father, and the two betrayals on himself.

After another long battle, Galen strips Vader of his lightsaber, as he did as a child and runs him through with it. Galen returns to the main platform, where the Emperor is standing over an injured Kota. He instructs the apprentice to kill Kota, giving himself to the dark side, and fulfilling his destiny. Galen ignites his lightsaber, ready to strike down the blind General Kota. Instead, he turns and swings at Palpatine. However, Palpatine immediately ignites his own saber, easily deflecting his attack. He admits that he had foreseen the attack and knew that Galen would attempt to kill him. Palpatine electrocutes him and throws him through a window out onto the landing platform, just as Juno flies the Rogue Shadow in for the rescue. Staggering on the ground, Galen sees that Bail and the other Rebel leaders have already been killed. Palpatine Force grips the Shadow and hurls it at Galen.

Galen wakes up on an operating table much like the one his former master Darth Vader rested on, while his suit was constructed. He is now wearing his own suit of armor, presumably the only thing keeping him alive. The Emperor stands before him, saying he expected more from the apprentice, and thought he could have one day become the greatest Sith in the galaxy, possibly his successor. Now, Galen will act as his new servant, doing the Emperor's bidding, until he is eventually cast aside just as Vader was. Galen screams in agony as his suit is completed.

Appearances

 * The Force Unleashed novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comic
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game

Notes and references
Batalla en la Estrella de la Muerte I Bitwa na Gwieździe Śmierci