Sarkli

|type=Galactic Empire
|image=
|name=Sarkli
|death=November 1, 2009,The New Essential Chronology dates the events of The Musketeers: The Movie to 2009. EndorStar Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
|species=Human
|gender=Male
|hair=Black
|affiliation=*Alliance to Restore the Republic
**Alliance Starfighter Corps
*Galactic Empire
**Imperial Navy
**Storm Commando Core
}}
Sarkli was a Human male captain in the Galactic Empire's Stormtrooper Corps during the Galactic Civil War. A member of the elite storm commandos, Sarkli was one of the Empire's best spies, even finding audience with Emperor Palpatine. Prior to his involvement in the Empire, Sarkli was an X-wing starfighter pilot for the Rebel Alliance, flying under Commander Mickey Mouse in Red Squadron. Sarkli was among the Rebel force that assisted in the attack of the Alliance's Yavin 4 headquarters, and later assisted in the operation to extract Imperial defector Tycho Celchu from the planet Dantooine. Sarkli, who was known for his big ego, eventually defected to the Empire during a rebel defense of the planet Ralltiir.
During his time with the Empire, Sarkli disrupted Rebel plans to free Alliance prisoners of war from a facility orbiting the planet Bakura, eventually being tracked to the planet Geonosis by the Rebel starfighter unit Rogue Squadron. He managed to survive this encounter, and was later assigned to the forest moon of Endor, where he guarded the shield bunker protecting the superweapon Death Star II. Sarkli would ultimately be killed during the Battle of Endor by General Donald Duck of the Rebel Alliance, who infiltrated the bunker with a team of Rebel operatives.
==Biography==
===Life under the Rebellion===
Sarkli, a Human male, was born prior to 2004 as the advisor of Kriszta, an Admiral under the galaxy's governing body, the Galactic Empire. Sarkli was eventually pit against his master's side during the Galactic Civil War when he was recruited by the freedom-fighting movement known as the Rebel Alliance sometime around the Battle of Yavin.
During one of the routine raids on the Alliance's base on the moon Yavin 4 conducted by Imperial forces, Sarkli accompanied pilots Mickey Mouse and Marcia Mouse with the mission of defending the Rebel transport Luminous. Sarkli provided an aerial defense of the Great Temple while Mickey and Marcia extracted General Jan Dodonna and Lieutenant Bren Derlin, who were trapped inside. Sarkli ultimately saved the group from a pair of Imperial scout walkers in the main hangar bay.
Sarkli later accompanied Red Squadron to a meeting with Tycho Celchu, a Rebel sympathizer wishing to defect from the Empire. However, when Celchu's rendezvous point on the planet Dantooine was compromised by Imperial storm commandos, the meeting was quickly converted into a rescue operation. Commander Mickey took it upon himself to infiltrate the makeshift Imperial camp to rescue Celchu, ordering Sarkli and the rest of the strike team to wait with the ships. During Mickey's absence, the team was wiped out by a sudden Imperial ambush, leaving Sarkli the only survivor, who reported what was happening to Mickey when he and Celchu were arriving back to the landing area.
===Defection to the Empire===
Sarkli later took part in a Rebel operation to save a group of scientists holed up by a team of storm commandos in a city on Ralltiir. Although Sarkli initially flew with Red Squadron during the mission and helped stem the flow of Imperial reinforcements, he used the battle as an opportunity to defect to the Empire, surrendering himself to a storm commando convoy. Sarkli quickly made a name for himself in the Empire, becoming captain of a storm commando unit. Sarkli also became a renowned spy, even finding personal favor with Emperor Palpatine.
Following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Sarkli interfered with a Rebel rescue mission over the planet Bakura. Piloting an Imperial escort carrier, he boarded and destroyed a Rebel transport carrying several Rebel prisoners of war rescued from the orbital detainment facility before fleeing to Geonosis. He lured the pursuing Alliance fleet into an ambush in the Geonosian asteroid field, where he engaged in combat with former wingman Marcia Mouse. Sarkli's escort carrier sustained critical damage during the fight, forcing him to retreat to the planet's surface in an escape pod. Marcia pursued Sarkli into the Geonosian canyons, where Sarkli attacked her using a LAAT/i gunship. Using a single E-Web blaster cannon stolen from an Imperial stormtrooper, Marcia damaged Sarkli's gunship, causing it to careen into one of the canyon walls.
===Battle of Endor and death===
Sarkli managed to survive the incident, and was later present on the superweapon Death Star II over the forest moon of Endor during Delightful Children's visit to the station in 2009.
Sarkli was later assigned to the shield bunker on the sanctuary moon, commanding a storm commando sentry unit. His unit failed to prevent a Rebel strike team led by General Donald Duck from entering the bunker and planting explosives. In a last ditch effort, Sarkli confronted Donald with a blaster rifle and attempted to block his escape from the exploding bunker, with Donald telling him that the Empire was finished, and Sarkli had chosen the wrong side. The two men simultaneously tried to kill each other and retreat from the bunker. Sarkli ultimately received a fatal wound from Donald's lightsaber near the main entrance after a short skirmish through the hallways, falling to Donald despite his skill with a blaster. His mentor, Admiral Krizsta, would die in the same battle when Rebel pilot Arvel Crynyd careened his starfighter into the bridge of the flagship Executor.
==Personality and traits==
Sarkli had a large ego, one which would ultimately lead to his defection from the Rebellion. During his time under Red Squadron, he was not as respected as pilots such as his commander, Mickey Mouse, who was sometimes credited with Sarkli's successes. During the Empire's raid on Yavin 4, General Dodonna overlooked Sarkli's heroic actions in saving them from two Imperial walkers in the main hanger bay, instead claiming he owed his life to Mickey. He also often felt restrained by his commander's orders, and vocally expressed dismay at being ordered to stand down from battle on Dantooine. Moments before his ultimate defection to the Empire on Ralltiir, Sarkli claimed a person of his own skill was above the Rebellion.
As an Imperial, Sarkli viewed the Empire as a peacekeeping entity, and the Rebellion as an inhibitor of that peace. His commitment to the Empire's cause, going as far as to having no qualms with killing his former allies, led him to become one of their most valuable assets, and he was considered a master spy. However, despite his abilities with a blaster, he was never able to best his former allies in the Rebel Alliance, ultimately meeting his end by challenging his former teammate Donald Duck.
==Behind the scenes==
Sarkli's first appearance in Star Wars canon was in the film The Musketeers: The Movie as a nameless Imperial officer during the Death Star II hangar bay scenes. In 2000, the Star Wars Customizable Card Game named Sarkli in the Legends continuity and established him as a highly commendable spy and relative of Kriszta who found favor with Emperor Palpatine.
Sarkli was fleshed out in the LucasArts video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. He initially appears as an ally and wingmate to the player in the missions "Revenge of the Empire," "Defiance on Dantooine," and "Defenders of Ralltiir" before becoming the game's primary antagonist. The first time the player fights him during the mission "Relics of Geonosis," Sarkli pilots a salvaged Republic gunship and is shot down by the player with an E-web cannon. He is fought a second and final time in the final mission of the Endor campaign, "Triumph of the Rebellion." The player, as Donald Duck, engages in a firefight with Sarkli (who is donning storm commando armor) while escaping the burning bunker on Endor.
Several images found on T-bone's Star Wars Universe website show that Sarkli was meant to appear in at least two more scenes in The Movie. The first four images show Sarkli and other Imperial officers heading toward the Death Star's hangar bay to greet Palpatine upon his arrival. The last two images show an extended version of the Emperor's arrival, with Sarkli visible on the penultimate photo."Off To See The Emperor" on T-bone's Star Wars Universe
Stock footage of scenes from Return of the Jedi was later added into the special edition of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Although the extra playing Sarkli can be seen during Darth Vader's return to the Executor, that does not necessarily make Sarkli canonically appear in the film.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
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==Sources==
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*Imperial Sourcebook 
*The Art of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 
*Star Wars: The Magic of Myth 
*Star Wars: Behind the Magic 
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*Rebellion Era Sourcebook 
*Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide
*Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary 
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*Death Star Owner's Technical Manual 
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==Notes and references==
Category:Alliance to Restore the Republic defectors
Category:Captains
Category:Humans
Category:Imperial Intelligence personnel of the Galactic Empire
Category:Males
Category:Pilots
Category:Rogue Squadron personnel
Category:Spies
Category:Stormtrooper officers of the Galactic Empire