Review: Star Wars Black Series Deluxe Lord Starkiller from The Force Unleashed, Gaming Greats Galaxy Collection
"I am my Master's weapon. I lay waste to all that stands in his way."
The first Star Wars Black Series release of Starkiller from The Force Unleashed was in 2023, when Galen Marek arrived in his generic costume, first as a Hasbro Pulse Con exclusive in a deluxe set with two Stormtroopers and a selection of effect parts to reflect Starkiller’s many Force powers. The second release, of the same figure but slimmed down to just a single lightsaber accessory, followed the same year as part of Wave 15 of the Galaxy Collection Gaming Greats series. With Starkiller's debut into the Black Series, the clamour for this iconic Lord Starkiller Sith Stalker armoured look began to grow. That figure was finally announced in the Spring of 2026 as a Deluxe Gaming Greats release, shipping out to collectors in late June and early July.
Lord Starkiller arrives in a wider deluxe box with the usual matt black base colour, Star Wars Black Series central logo across the top rail, and an assigned accent colour to break up the black base just under and to the right of the window. As a Gaming Greats release, this colouring is a turquoise finish, used on the text to confirm the character name and the source material as The Force Unleashed video game. Just above this and stuck onto the window of the box is the Gaming Greats hexagon foil logo.
The turquoise colour is used on the side art, depicting the masked Lord Starkiller reaching out with his clawed hands against a backdrop of what looks like the scenery of an Imperial secret facility with doors or a view screen visible at the very back. Lord Starkiller is number 30 in the Gaming Greats Galaxy Collection and follows on from the last single release of Kyle Katarn from earlier in 2026.
The back of the box has a zoomed-in image of Lord Starkiller, the same as the side art but focused only on his helmet, torso and outstretched clawed hand. Unlike the other Galaxy Releases that do not usually feature any source material logo, the logo for The Force Unleashed is imposed over the base of this inserted image. The text to the side talks about Galen Marek and his role as Lord Vader’s apprentice and the principle of multiple paths in the game, one of which leads him to become the Sith Stalker Starkiller
Inside the box, the figure and accessories sit in the usual inner tray; this then sits in the colour-coordinated turquoise backing card which features the same embedded image of a corridor and doorway as seen behind Starkiller in the main artwork.
Lord Starkiller is, as per the game and the novelisation, an alternative version of Galen Marek and one that has succumbed to the Dark Side and become a Sith Stalker Assassin for The Emperor. The visuals for the character are part of the Ultimate Sith Edition expansion packs, allowing you to play as Lord Starkiller in two missions against the Rebellion on Hoth and on Tatooine. The figure replicates this onscreen design, built entirely from scratch with no obvious re-use of parts.
The main suit of the figure, cast in black, replicates the ridged design of Darth Vader’s suit, showing how this Sith Stalker Starkiller has followed the same path as his Master, damaged in battle and rebuilt with cybernetic enhancements and a breathing mask and helmet. Over this is a shaped torso armoured section, also in black, and across the shoulders dull silver armour that is shaped around the neck and extended across into two shoulder pauldrons. The hands are black and form long-sleeved gloves with sculpted strapping around the wrists. The right forearm also features three sections of silver pipework extending from the wrist bracer section and connecting to the wrist just above the hand. Both hands feature sharp blade claws, also in silver, that sit above the gloved fingers.
Around the back of Starkiller is more intricate detailing, particularly a silver-painted spine to the suit and some form of life support tooling that is embedded into the shoulder armour and features red icons and indicators. The costume is finished with a belt that includes several hooks and a large front buckle with red indicator lights, again paying homage to the Vader suit design.
From this belt come three shaped skirt pieces in black fabric. They are also wired, the second figure to feature this after the recent Darth Vader from the Empire Strikes Back Deluxe Set. This supercharges the soft goods, allowing them to be posed dynamically with the figure. It takes a bit of time to shape them, but once positioned, they can be shown flowing out from a static Starkiller or blowing to the side in the wind. The effect is truly spectacular.
Yet while we are celebrating how amazing the wired soft goods are, we are faced with the discovery that, for some reason, Hasbro has had to include a fabric care label on the inside of one skirt piece. This is a white fabric tab, pretty much the same size as you may get in one of your own T-shirts, and featuring some copywriting information as well as washing instructions to surface clean only. This has never appeared before on soft goods Black Series figures to my knowledge; it may be a more recent requirement under legislation. It is, however, particularly ugly, and one most fans may choose to carefully snip out of their Starkiller skirt.
The iconic Sith Stalker helmet is cast in silver to match the armoured panels on the shoulder beneath. While much of the shaping is smooth and even, there are small dings in the helmet frontage to indicate battle wear. The main helmet is framed around the mouthpiece with the sweeping side sections that wrap round the back of the figure. The T-visor is picked out in black, while the rest of the helmet relies on the light falling on its complex cut-out panels to pick out the wider detail. From the back of the helmet projects a softer plastic braid of hair that extends down Starkiller’s back; this is a basic brown colour with sculpted ties down the length of the braid in black.
Lord Starkiller’s deluxe status is driven both by the wired soft goods but also the sheer volume of accessories, with our Sith Starlker coming with six different lightsaber hilts, all individual and all having its own a red translucent blade. To hold these, you also get a second pair of clawed hands, swapping out with the outstretched versions to create a gripping option in both hands if you wish.
The saber hilts predominantly represent Starkiller’s trophies and include a version of Vader’s saber hilt in silver and black, taken after he defeated his Master. There is also Rahm Kota’s saber hilt in brown with a silver emitter and pommel. A third blade is part of Darth Maul’s twin saber; this is cast in grey/silver with red buttons. Saber four is Starkiller’s original saber, a similar design to Vader’s with a silver body and black inserts. And then we have a fully black hilt, which is the end of Kazden Paratus’s pike. The final saber is Lord Starkiller’s own saber, a huge gunmetal silver hilt with black grip and a trio of extending spikes around the emitter. Each saber hilt has a loop at the end, and that allows them all to be hung on the six corresponding hooks on Starkiller’s belt, wearing the trophies as we see in the game.
Every saber can accommodate one of the included six red blades, and this gives Starkiller multiple options for display. While the game only showed these as trophies and not sabers Starkiller could wield, the figure and the gripping hands can choose and fight with any combination of sabers, either single or dual-handed. The grip in the hands also supports the Shien reverse grip as played in the game as well as more traditional wielding positions.
Articulation is pinless, and there are 19 points in total across the body. The legs include ankle rockers, a bootcup swivel, a rotating knee joint, and ball joint hips. There are no obstructions from the skirt, and a broad range of motion in all the joints that allows Starkiller extremes of positions from kneeling to wide stance attack poses. I did find the ankle rockers a little trickier to sit flat as they do not appear to be ratcheted. Secure stances also require you to consider and pose the skirt or the wired elements can push the figure forward or to the side if not repositioned.
The torso has a ball joint waist, giving Starkiller the ability to lean back and hunch forward as well as rotating the upper body. The neck is dual-jointed, and this allows a degree of manerisms to be included despite the helmeted head, which can then be cocked inquisitively, or looking down ominously on a victim. The arms feature both ball joint and butterfly shoulders, elbow joints, and a ball joint where the hand connects to the wrist - a change from the usual plug-in pivot. The arms have a full range of movement, and the silver shoulder pauldrons are hinged to move with the arms rather than impede them
Combining this level of movement with the poseable soft goods allows for some of the best poses so far in the Star Wars Black Series, and even in these images I have not scratched the surface of how Starkiller can pose and stand.
with 2023 Galen Marek Starkiller figure (right)
While Lord Starkiller is not unmasked in the game, I can confirm that the Galen Marek head from the original release does work with the Sith Stalker version. There are differences in the neck peg, so you will need to swap the head or simply have the unmasked head sit on the neck without articulation.
Galen Marek Starkiller head not included
There is much noise already from collectors on how Lord Starkiller may be the best ever Star Wars Black Series figure. I wouldn’t want to claim that, but it is certainly a step on in terms of features than your standard releases through the game-changing wired soft goods. And the depth and accuracy of the lightsaber trophy accessories is equally impressive.
There are, however, some issues, notably that fabric care label that is quite intrusive even if its inclusion was likely out of Hasbro’s control. It is also noted that despite the character's other Force Powers in the game, the lack of any Force Lightning or Force Push effects may also be disappointing to some, considering they already exist in the line. Considering that only two lightsabers can be used at any one time, the inclusion of six blades feels excessive, particularly when they are all the same colour, and I might have traded four of these out for some other effect pieces, which might have also included the ‘Swoosh’ blades Hasbro has been very keen on including recently.
That all being said, for the RRP of £33.99 here in the UK, you are getting one hell of a figure and one that expands the Gaming Greats line and the Force Unleashed series out further, as well as giving a statement display for fans of that genre.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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