Nearly 17 years ago, LucasArts, Krome Studios, and n-Space released one of the most belovedStar Warsgames of all time,Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. A third-person, hack-and-slash game similar in gameplay to Santa Monica Studio’sGod of Warseries,Star Wars: The Force Unleashedwas one of the last majorStar Warsgames developed and released by LucasArts before Disney acquired theStar Warsproperty in 2012. With the third-personStar Wars Jediseries in between games currently,Star WarsLegends and Disney canon fans alike should startForce Unleashedover again this year to get a glimpse at what theStar Warsuniverse was like in the 2000s and discover what made players fall in love with this game in the first place.
The Story of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Explained
Set initially a few months afterStar Wars: Episode 3 Revenge of the Sithand later a few years beforeStar Wars: Episode 4 A New Hope,Force Unleashedfollows the traumatic journey ofDarth Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller, otherwise known as Galen Marek. Taken from his Jedi father by Vader in the wake of Order 66, Marek was trained as a Sith assassin to kill the remaining survivors and eventually join his master in killing Emperor Palpatine and usurping his throne. Once his training is complete as a young adult, Marek, his training droid PROXY, and his pilot Juno Eclipse travel to Nar Shaddaa to assassinate Jedi General Rahm Kota.
The Jedi is seemingly killed and Vader later sends Marek to kill the crazed Jedi Master Kazdan Paratus and the wiseJedi Master Shaak Ti. Marek is successful but betrayed and seemingly killed by Vader after Palpatine discovers Starkiller’s existence. Vader secretly repairs Marek and orders him to unite the Emperor’s enemies to distract him, allowing the Sith Lord and apprentice the chance to slay Palpatine. From here, Marek begins the foundations of the Rebel Alliance and recruits Kota, Bail and Leia Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis to his cause. Just as rebellion is officially declared on Corellia, Vader attacks and captures the rebels, revealing that he only used Marek to weed out the Galactic Empire’s enemies for the Emperor.
The Many Endings of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Marek survives Vader’s attack and travels to the incomplete first Death Star with Eclipse to rescue Kota and the other rebel leaders. After first confronting Vader, the player has a choice to either attack Palpatine or to kill the fallen Jedi Knight. Should players attack Palpatine, Marek will sacrifice his life to free the rebels, allowing for the Galactic Civil War to begin, leading into theevents of 2010’sStar Wars: The Force Unleashed 2.
If players kill Vader, the rebel leaders will die and Marek will be badly wounded, becoming another cybernetic servant to the Emperor. This dark side ending is continued in two DLCs set at the beginning ofA New HopeandEmpire Strikes Back, whereinLord Starkiller kills Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobion Tatooine and recruits Luke Skywalker as his own secret apprentice on Hoth.
The Alternate Versions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
The Force Unleashed’s core story is told across all versions of the game, but a few plot points are exclusive to certain versions of the game. For example, theLord Starkiller DLCs are exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360versions of the game. Additionally, the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable versions of the game feature several levels, story beats, characters, and enemies not seen in the PS3 or 360 versions.
One major difference between the two versions is that the Wii, PS2, and PS3 versions feature multiple levels at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant wherein Marek is forced to fight holographic simulations of ancient Sith Lords, includingDarth Desolous and Darth Phobos. A DLC level of Coruscant is featured on the PS3 and 360 versions, but it does not feature the ancient Sith.
All versions ofThe Force Unleashedmake several references to theStar WarsLegends expanded universe and cut versions of the theatrical films.Star Warsbook fans were especially excited to see Garm Bel Iblis appear in the game as he was first created for the long-celebratedThrawn trilogy of novelswritten by Timothy Zahn in the early 1990s. While Iblis only appears in a couple of scenes on the PS3 and 360 versions, a whole level is dedicated to his recruitment on Cloud City on the Wii, PS2, and PS3 versions. Here, Marek fights a Gungan bounty hunter, an army of Mandalorians, and a Basilisk war droid first seen in the 1995 Dark Horse comics seriesTales of the Jedi.
More Legends References and Version Differences in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Some appearances inStar Wars: The Force Unleashedreference alternate scenes from theStar Warsfilms and enemies from otherStar Warsgames. For example, Shaak Ti’s appearance in the game and Order 66 survival is a reference to her many confusing deaths initially set to appear inRevenge of the Sith. Starkiller’s title itself is a reference to Luke Skywalker’s original surname used in early drafts of the firstStar Warsfilm.Force Unleashed’s toweringImperial Purge Trooper droidswere created to be early prototypes of Dark Troopers first seen in the 1995 FPSStar Wars: Dark Forces, with the Purge Trooper specifically appearing similar to the Phase III Dark Trooper. The Wii version ofForce Unleashedeven included a PVP multiplayer mode featuring playable characters from Legends such as Mara Jade and Asajj Ventress.
The Impact and Legacy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
By September 2008, theStar Warsuniverse was seemingly complete for many fans as George Lucas completed the original film saga withRevenge of the Sithin 2005. While theStar Wars: The Clone Warsanimated filmand series were being released, many fans at the time were opposed toThe Clone Warsas they saw it as too childish and contradictory to pre-established media set in betweenAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith. In contrast,Force Unleashedwas seen as a celebration of allStar Warsmedia released up to that point, featuring characters, locations, or references to prior books, comics, games, and more.
For many fans,Star Wars: The Force Unleashedwas seen as the dark story many wanted to be told betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope.Galen Marek’s dark journeyfrom a Sith apprentice to a redeemed Jedi is so beloved that Disney writers and producers have considered reintroducing him to modern canon as an Imperial Inquisitor, but he is often regarded as too powerful for modernStar Warsstories. WhileForce Unleashed 2received mixed reviews, the originalForce Unleashedstill stands the test of time as a fantasticStar Warsgame and story, no matter the continuity.
An enhanced remaster of the Wii version ofStar Wars: The Force Unleashedwas initially released for the Nintendo Switch in 2022 and later included as one ofseven games in 2023’sStar Wars: Heritage Pack.
