After more than half a century, regardless of whether it’s deemed canon or not, Star Wars lore has become quite overwhelming to try to parse, especially when consuming it across movies, TV shows, video games, and comic books altogether. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’s Sam Witwer perhaps said it best when he referred to understanding Star Wars lore as if you’re hearing a story around a campfire, and yet fans will always get more out of any Star Wars story if they’re able to comprehend how substantial one piece of iconography is to the overall lore of the franchise in general.

For example, fans who are unfamiliar with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will have sadly had Andor’s incredible Easter egg fly over their heads as swiftly as an X-Wing or TIE Fighter. And, if it wasn’t for fans’ knowledge of lore dating back to the origins of Star Wars itself, the new playable character in a popular mobile Star Wars game would lack substance.

Per Twitter/X, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has added a playable character inspired by Ralph McQuarrie’s original 1975 concept art for Deak Starkiller, the character that wouldn’t become Luke Skywalker until the middle of filming Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes introduces Starkiller with his own abilities, and his appearance is highly unique, complete with a mask and breathing apparatus.

Of course, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes isn’t the first time that this Starkiller made their video game debut, as he was added as a post-launch DLC character in Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Nonetheless, it’s fantastic to see there are other video game outlets that are finding ways to adapt Starkiller, and it hopefully isn’t the last game that adapts the design, even if it’s only as a skin.

Of course, Star Wars fans likely know Starkiller far better now as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s Galen Marek, who is still technically teetering on the edge of a knife in terms of their place in the official canon lore. Starkiller’s Luke never became an actual character; he only evolved into the Luke we know today, and it was probably a better choice for Star Wars in the long run.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes is honoring Starkiller in its Era of Myths and Legends season alongside Darth Jar Jar, a Dark Side Yoda, and more, and it’s phenomenal to have McQuarrie’s original concept take on new life so many years later in Star Wars. Luke’s origin story might’ve looked quite different if this design was adhered to, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II’s Starkiller even had a pre-order skin resembling this design, which shows how iconic it still is.

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

Movie(s)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.