TK-421/Legends

TK-421 was the designation of a clone stormtrooper stationed aboard the first Death Star.
==Biography==
At some point in 1 BBY, TK-421 went off-duty and went to the Star Tours interstellar travel agency for unknown reasons. His bag was eventually discovered by G2-9T during baggage checks, and upon learning of who it belonged to, decided that TK-421 might have good reason not to be at his regular post before clearing it.Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
After the Millennium Falcon was captured shortly before the Battle of Yavin, he was ordered to stand guard in front of the freighter's boarding ramp, while a scanning crew attempted to determine if anyone was hiding aboard the Falcon.
Just seconds after the scanning crew had made their way up the boarding ramp, a loud thump was heard and someone (Later revealed to be Han Solo) called down to them, asking TK-421 and his fellow guard, TK-422, for help with a piece of equipment. The two stormtroopers made their way up the ramp to assist the technicians; both troopers were ambushed by Han Solo and stripped of their armor to conceal Han and Luke's identities aboard the Death Star.
Lt. Pol Treidum (observing from Docking Control Room 327 that TK-421 was absent) attempted to contact the stormtrooper, asking (via comlink) why he wasn't stationed at his post. Luke Skywalker (having disguised himself as TK-421 by that time) concealed TK-421's current status by motioning to his ear to imply that the comlink in his helmet must be broken.
After the battle of Detention Block AA-23, a security team was dispatched to the hangar housing the Millennium Falcon where TK-421 and his comrades were found unconscious aboard the Freighter. He, along with TK-422 and the two crewmen were taken to the infirmary and perished in the Death Star's destruction during the battle of Yavin 4.
==Behind the scenes==
===Origin and portrayal===
TK-421 first appeared in the 1977 original trilogy film, Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope, and was portrayed by an uncredited extra, Stephen Bayley. In the novelization and in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, the trooper was referred to as THX-1138, a homage to George Lucas's first feature film. In the Star Wars radio drama, he is referred to as TX-421. In Star Wars (1977) 3 he is likewise referred to as TX-421 and as part of Scanning crew BT-445. In the German dubbing of Episode IV, the trooper's designation is "TK-241" instead of "TK-421." The Italian dub changed it to "TK-21" and had Treidum refer to him in plural form; this can either be a form of extreme respect or a form used when one does not know how many people they are talking to over radio or telephone, but could also be a translation error. In the video game Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, the character TK-664 is a direct reference to this character. In the game, TK-421 is also the name of the player skin of a stormtrooper that is selectable in multiplayer.
===Non-canon adaptations===
TK-421 appears as Guard 1 with TK-422 as Guard 2 in the non-canonical 2013 satire William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher, a retelling of A New Hope in the style of poet and playwright William Shakespeare. The guards have a dialogue about the scanning crew, the ship's presence, and their friendship before they are tricked into boarding.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
*Star Tours: The Adventures Continue 
*Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice 
* 
*Star Wars: A New Hope novelization 
*Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope junior novelization
*Star Wars (1977) 3 
*
* 
*The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi 
*Star Wars Journal: Hero for Hire 
*Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast 
===Non-canon appearances===
*LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
*LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
*
*William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: The National Public Radio Dramatization 
* 
*
*
*
*
*
==Notes and references==
==External links==
*
*
Category:Clone stormtroopers
Category:Death Star residents
Category:Males
Category:Stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire