Trench

Trench was a Harch admiral and naval commander who survived a number of presumed deaths throughout his career. Hailing from Secundus Ando, he acquitted himself in engagements with the Galactic Republic, all the while savoring the terror he struck in his enemies. Years after his purported death at the Battle of Malastare Narrows of 34 BBY, he resurfaced during the Clone Wars, becoming a key officer in the navy of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. From the dreadnought Invincible he oversaw the Confederate blockade of Christophsis, which brought him into conflict with a Republic battle group led by Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker along with an old foe, Admiral Wullf Yularen. When Skywalker and Yularen attempted to use an experimental stealth ship to breach the blockade, Trench began a deadly game of cat and mouse with them. Though Skywalker outwitted him by redirecting a volley of tracking torpedoes at the Invincible, Trench managed to survive his flagship's demise.
During the Battle of Ringo Vinda, Trench captured clone trooper Tup—who had mysteriously gunned down Jedi General Tiplar—and tried to send the clone to Separatist leader Count Dooku for examination, though a Republic team intervened and rescued Tup. In the Battle of Anaxes, Trench besieged the Republic shipyards at Anaxes for weeks on end, exploiting the Techno Union's secret access to a Republic strategy algorithm. Even as the tide of battle began to turn, Trench remained intent on annihilating the Jedi and their clone infantry. Though he activated a bomb beneath the assembly complex on Anaxes, Skywalker infiltrated Trench's flagship, the Invulnerable and forced the admiral to divulge the sequence to disarm the device. When Trench tried to retaliate, Skywalker drove his lightsaber through his chest, inflicting a death that even the hardened Harch could not escape.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Trench was a male Harch who hailed from Secundus Ando, Trench served in multiple battles throughout his military career, mostly in cruiser–to–cruiser action. In some of these battles he would fight against forces utilizing cloaked starships, defeating them through the use of tracking torpedoes fixed on the vessels' magnetic signatures.
Trench eventually rose to command a corporate fleet that blockaded the planet Malastare in 34 BBY.Star Wars: Timelines Trench was able to hold his lines against a Republic fleet led by Admiral Wullf Yularen sent to break the blockade, tearing their ships apart. However, a Jedi-led taskforce commanded by Master Kep-She was able to defeat Trench, vaporizing his flagship and seemingly killing him in the process. However, Trench survived the battle with the help of his species' hardy biology as well as a damaged pressure suit.The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 106
===Clone Wars===
====Blockade of Christophsis====
Trench, along with his tactical droid, TI-99, were later sent to Christophsis to assist General Loathsom and Count Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress in seizing the planet for the Confederacy, and blockading the planet to tighten their grip on the system. There, he commanded the blockade from his war-painted flagship, the Invincible, to prevent Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and other republic relief forces from being resupplied and to cripple any attempts to penetrate the blockade. Trench then held his lines against Jedi General Anakin Skywalker's fleet. Trench then watched as the Republic fleet retreated behind the moon and had his force recharge their cannons.
While the Jedi retreated and regrouped, Trench felt that he had won the first round. His tactical droid was puzzled and asked Trench if they should pursue. The Admiral instead ordered his troops not to follow the enemy, as per the commands he was issued by higher authority. After this, Trench commanded his droids to recycle the ship's shields and allow the cannons to recharge to full power. The Admiral, satisfied with the proceedings, seated himself at the bridge and awaited for the return of the Republic ships.
However, Trench's old adversary from Malastare Narrows, Admiral Wullf Yularen, was also present with Skywalker at the battle. After recognizing Trench's trademark insignia and crest painted on his flagship, Yularen studied everything Republic Intelligence had provided on the Admiral's tactics, allowing him to plan a counter-attack. This came in the form of an experimental stealth ship, piloted by Anakin Skywalker himself and Admiral Yularen as an adviser. Unaware of the existence and capabilities of the cloaked ship, Trench then grew impatient with the Republic fleet, and to put pressure on them to attack, he sent a squadron of Hyena bombers to attack Organa's refugee camp, particularly the command center as a plan to draw out the Republic on the surface who Trench viewed as "cowards."
When the Republic fleet did not attack, Trench understood that something odd was happening. Trench then spotted a cloaked ship moving to attack him. Trench and his crew were then able to raise the Invincible thermal shields. Trench fired torpedoes at the stealth ship, but missed. Trench then ordered a volley of lasers to be fired at it, and since no shots landed, Trench was able to deduce that the pilot was a Jedi, not a clone.
Trench sent a message to Skywalker, telling him that he had dealt with cloaked ships before. He also gloated that Christophsis' citizens and resources would join the Separatist Alliance. Trench also told Skywalker to retreat, for he was his doom. Trench prepared himself for the Jedi's inevitable second offensive. Eventually the cloaked vessel revealed itself, but this time, the crew had knowledge of Trench's tactics when dealing with cloaked ships.
After Skywalker attacked, Trench was able to track the ship's magnetic signature using tracking torpedoes so he could follow and destroy them. At first, Trench's tactic worked. However, he would be forced to lower his shields to do so and the droid advised that such a maneuver would be unwise. In a moment of compulsive anger and against the droid's advice, Trench gave the order and the torpedoes were launched. After seemingly attempting to elude the missiles, Skywalker then flew the ship towards the Invincible bridge. A horrified Trench then realized what Skywalker was intending and desperately ordered the shields up, but to no avail as they were recharging. Trench accepted his fate, but was able to survive once again. However, he did not escape this second defeat unscathed as he lost his left eye, left cheek mandible and all three of his left arms, which required cybernetic replacements.
====Battle of Ringo Vinda====
Trench, alongside the super tactical droid Kraken, later commanded the Separatist forces on the space station at Ringo Vinda against Jedi Generals Tiplee, Tiplar, Skywalker, and their clone forces. Trench took Kraken as his advisor over another T-series tactical droid as he knew the planet's complex environment, combined with the constant fluidity of control over territory aboard, meant he would make full use of Kraken's assistance.
As the Republic came close to breaking his lines, Trench witnessed one of the clone troopers kill General Tiplar, causing the Republic to retreat. Trench then contacted Count Dooku and described his observations, telling him that the clone looked "like he was in a trance of some kind". Trench's observation for minor details proved vital as it allowed Dooku and his Sith Master, Darth Sidious, to create a cover-up before the Jedi Order could discover the existence of Protocol 66. Trench then had Kraken capture and deliver the clone to Dooku, despite the Republic's blockade. After successfully kidnapping the clone trooper "Tup", the Count applauded the Harch's success, Trench then tasked Kraken to personally escort the captured Clone to Dooku himself. However, the mission failed as the Republic recaptured Tup and Kraken was decapitated by Skywalker. Following the recapture of Tup, the Republic eventually withdrew its forces from Ringo Vinda.
====Battle for Anaxes====
During the later phases of the Clone Wars, Trench, now on the offensive, commanded the Confederate forces during the Battle of Anaxes, fighting for the Republic's vital shipyards on Anaxes in a campaign which lasted for several weeks. Trench used his own tactical acumen, as well as using Clone Captain CT-7567's strategy algorithm against them using the Techno Union's test subject on Skako Minor, a captured ARC trooper named "Echo." Skywalker, Rex, and Clone Force 99 rescued Echo from the Techno Union, but Trench was not made aware of this because of Wat Tambor's greed.
When the Republic attacked Anaxes again, Trench had expected an easy rout by the Republic forces, only to be surprised when the entire force at the plant was disabled. In response, he went to his backup plan; a bomb in the Anaxes assembly complex that would rip the planet apart. Echo attempted to decipher the sequence to disarm the bomb, but the jamming signal incapacitated him before he could decipher the last number for Mace Windu, who was leading the Republic forces at the complex. Skywalker, having anticipated Echo would be unable to complete the job, forced his way to the dreadnought's bridge, where he cut down Trench's super tactical droid and accompanying BX-series droid commandos. Skywalker then threatened Trench for the last number, but the Harch refused, claiming that Dooku would kill him if he lost Anaxes. When Skywalker threatened to do it instead, Trench called his bluff, assuming that Skywalker would accede to Jedi nobility, only to be proven wrong when Skywalker sliced off his left arms proclaiming that he did not possess "such weaknesses", prompting him to quickly give up the number. As Skywalker relayed it to Windu, Trench attempted to electrocute him with his staff, but Skywalker resisted and ran the Harch through the chest with his lightsaber, fatally wounding him. Skywalker then grabbed the dreadnought's self-destruct detonator and indifferently bid the Admiral farewell as he dropped dead. Trench's body was subsequently vaporized when the clone commando Wrecker triggered his flagship's self-destruct, wiping out the Invulnerable and most of its surrounding fleet.
====Legacy====
Although Trench's Christophsis flagship, Invincible, was destroyed by Anakin Skywalker in a cloaked stealth ship during the Battle of Christophsis, some of the flagship's modules were salvaged and used to modify a Separatist dreadnought owned by Berch Teller's rebel cell to attack the Empire's Sentinel Base in 14 BBY.Tarkin During the New Republic Era, Trench was mentioned as having been a notable Harch in "Species From A to Z," a survival compendium sent out by Carson Teva.
==Personality and traits==
Trench was a 1.89 meter (6 feet, 2 inches) tall, Harch male, with brown hair, red eyes and gray skin. After the Battle of Christophsis, the left side of his head became cybernetic, including the left eye and chelicera as well as his left mandible. Trench's cybernetic replacements also included all three left arms and one electronet launcher.
Trench was a fearsome Harch admiral who was far larger than the average member of his species, as the arachnids seldom grew to such size due their exoskeletons not being able to bear the weight of the fur. He was a well-decorated military genius and his aggressive tactics and maneuvers in combat made him responsible for the destruction of many Republic fleets. Admiral Trench became a terror on the battlefield, as he held no mercy or remorse toward his opponents. His skill in hunting cloaked ships through the use of tracking magnetic signatures was also noted and recorded in the Republic Intelligence record, which was studied during the blockade of Christophsis by Admiral Yularen. Admiral Trench had a distinctive crest, resembling his face, emblazoned on all of his ships.
Trench prided himself for having won many battles in the war as a result of his tactical acumen, resulting in him developing an overconfident personality and often boasting about outsmarting his opponents. Trench often viewed his battles like a game and would often cajole and taunt his enemies as he made his moves, before leading them into a vulnerable position where he could eliminate them. However, his overconfidence nearly led to his own demise at the hands of Anakin Skywalker when he made an uncharacteristic oversight which left himself vulnerable to incoming missiles. Even when his death appeared imminent, Trench did not panic or show distress; he simply accepted his fate.
Following his defeat, Trench was immediately fitted with "top-of-the-line" cybernetics making up half of his limbs and face to ensure his quick return to service. Trench, learning from his mistakes of lowering his guard, carried an electrostaff-cane variant as well as one of his cybernetic arms being equipped with a stun net which he used against Skywalker prior to his demise. 
On Ringo Vinda, the planet's complex environment, combined with the constant fluidity of control over territory aboard the ringed space station, meant Trench needed the assistance of another tactical droid. This time, he opted for the superior ST-series super tactical droid, over another T-series model and Commander Kraken was vital in assisting the admiral in their campaign against the Republic.
When confronted and threatened by Anakin Skywalker, Trench initially refused to capitulate to his demands as it would mean his death at Dooku's hands for losing Anaxes to the Republic, persisting in his defiance by confidently asserting that Skywalker's Jedi nobility would prevent him from striking down an unarmed opponent. When Skywalker proved that he wasn't bluffing by ruthlessly slicing off Trench's prosthetic limbs, however, the Admiral quickly relented and gave up the final number. Despite this, he did try and take advantage of Skywalker's distraction to attack him with his electric cane, a move that proved to be futile and fatal in short order.
==Flagships==
===Trench's first ship===
Trench's first flagship was part of a corporate fleet which was present at the Battle of Malastare Narrows where Trench blockaded the planet and engaged Wullf Yularen's republic fleet which was successful until a Jedi-led task force intervened and sabotaged his campaign. It was believed that he had gone down with his ship, but this was later proven false at the Battle of Christophsis in 22 BBY.
===The Invincible===
The Invincible served as the Harch commander's first command ship after his reemergence where it blockaded the planet of Christophsis, offering a great range of attacks, and it was said that the cruiser could blockade a planet on its own. Unlike the stock variant of a Separatist dreadnought; Trench's was well-equipped with heavy deflector and thermal shields which allowed for a powerful defense. However, Trench underestimated the opposing commander, General Anakin Skywalker, resulting in him losing the upper hand and Anakin taking advantage of the Admiral's temper by redirecting Trench's projectiles to the bridge of his ship.
===The Invulnerable===
The Invulnerable was the last flagship used by Admiral Trench, witnessing action during the Battle of Anaxes. Onboard, he received transmissions of a stolen Republic strategy algorithm from the planet Skako Minor, routed through a Cyber Center on the surface of Anaxes, and used it to counter the Republic's moves.
==Behind the scenes==
Admiral Trench was created for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series and made his first appearance in the second season of the series "Cat and Mouse" and voiced by Dee Bradley Baker also known for voicing the Clone troopers in the series.
Trench was confirmed to have survived "Cat and Mouse" and made his return in the series in the sixth season episode "The Unknown," where Trench is alive with half his body consisting of cybernetics. Additionally, Clone Wars writer Brent Friedman confirmed on his Twitter account that he wrote a four-part episode arc that wasn't published that featured Trench. The episode arc, was screened at Celebration Anaheim Star Wars convention as story reel form apart of The Clone Wars Legacy project in 2015, which would have featured the return and death of Admiral Trench. The episodes were later released on StarWars.com. The unfinished episodes later aired as part of the revival.
The story reel version of "On the Wings of Keeradaks" contains a reference to Trench that was removed in the episode's final version.
==Appearances==
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*Tarkin 
*Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
Category:Confederacy of Independent Systems navy admirals
Category:Corporate Alliance personnel
Category:Cyborgs with prosthetics
Category:Harches
Category:Individuals with he/him pronouns
Category:Individuals with lost eyes
Category:Individuals with lost limbs
Category:Males