Does Rogue One Mads Mikkelsen Character Have Ties to Darth Vader?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyis currently in production, but it seems one actor,Mads Mikkelsen, took a break over the holiday weekend to attend Fan Expo Canada in Toronto. There he signed a poster for fanJ.J. Good, where he revealed his character’s name is “Galen” under the signature. The poster was also signed byStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesactor Zachariah Jensen, also signed the poster in the same format, with his autograph above his character’s name, Kit Fisto. The big question that remains is, who is Galen?

Some fans have speculated already that Galen could be Galen Marek from the popularvideo game,Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The character was best known by his call sign,Starkiller, as an homage to Luke Skywalker’s original name inStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. IfMads Mikkelsenis in fact playing Galen Marek, this reveal could have interesting implications.

In theForce Unleashedvideo game, Starkiller was the secret apprentice toDarth Vader, who went on to become instrumental in the formation of the Rebel Alliance, after uniting several of the Empire’s enemies. It’s worth noting that 37-year-oldSam Witwerprovided the voice for Galen Marek in the game, andMads Mikkelsenis 12 years older than the voice actor, so it’s equally possible thatMads Mikkelsenis paying a different Galen entirely inRogue One. After all, Galen was part of the Expanded Universe, which LucasFilm has confirmed is not part of theStar Warscanon.

Then again, Darth Vader has been rumored to appear inRogue One: A Star Wars Story, not as the main villain, but appearing either through a hologram or a view screen.Ben Mendelsohnis rumored to be playing themain villain, who, if this rumor is true, will be working under Lord Vader.Mads Mikkelsenhimself recently revealed that he is not playing a villain, although he does have an important role.

With all of that being said, do you thinkMads Mikkelsenis actually playing Galen Marek inRogue One: A Star Wars Story? There have been a number of other characters named Galen that appeared throughout the Expanded Universe, but since those stories aren’t part of the officialStar Warscanon, it seems unlikely that we will see Galen Marek inRogue One: A Star Wars Story. While we wait for new details, check out the photo fromJ.J. Good’s Twitter account, featuringMads Mikkelsen’s autograph.