10 Star Wars Moments Explained In Video Games

6. The Origins Of The Rebel Alliance Symbol - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Star Wars Battlefront II The Last Jedi Luke Skywalker
EA & Lucasfilm

One of the most distinctive symbols in the Star Wars universe is that of the Rebel Alliance, which uses a songbird design that typically appears as insignia on Rebel pilots' helmets and around Resistance structures.

But the symbol's origins were actually laid out in the ambitious, somewhat underappreciated 2008 action-adventure game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

The game's canonical Light Side ending concludes with protagonist and Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Galen "Starkiller" Marek, sacrificing himself in the final battle against Palpatine in order to preserve the remnants of the Rebellion.

To honour his heroic actions, Leia then decides to use the Marek family crest, the songbird, as the symbol for the rebellion, neatly tethering the game to the movie world in a tangible yet inobtrusive way.

However, The Force Unleashed is another canon casualty of Disney's acquisition of Star Wars, even if there hasn't yet been a totally concrete update of the symbol's origin story.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.