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- "Our sacrifice will not be in vain. This day will be remembered. They can't silence a million voices…"
- ―TK-622, prior to his death on the first Death Star
TK-622, also known as 622, was a sergeant in the Galactic Empire's Stormtrooper Corps during the Galactic Civil War. He participated in military campaigns on both Malastare and Ralltiir, before being transferred to the first Death Star in 0 BBY. A staunch believer in the Empire, 622 was utterly convinced he was on the morally superior side of the war. After his commanding officer and friend Commander Akobi was assassinated by a sabotaged Viper probe droid aboard the Death Star, TK-622 set out to track down the culprit. He enlisted the help of Krono Relt, a droid technician, but despite this his investigation was largely fruitless. As the Battle of Yavin raged outside the Death Star, Relt revealed himself to be Akobi's killer, and admitted to being an undercover Rebel operative. In the violent confrontation that ensued, 622 saw his friend avenged when Relt was killed by stray fire from the outside battle. TK-622 died reflecting on galactic politics when the Death Star exploded mere minutes later.
Biography
Service on Malastare
One of the Empire's millions of clone soldiers, stormtrooper sergeant TK-622 participated in a military campaign on the planet Malastare in 2 BBY. At one point during the conflict, he saved the life of Commander Akobi, a superior officer, and the two became friends. After that incident, Akobi made a point of always keeping TK-622 at his side and under his command. Thus, when his commanding officer was reassigned to Ralltiir, 622 followed.[1]
Ralltiiri rebellion
TK-622 saving Akobi from an explosion.
- "So, Ralltiir. Was it as bad as they say?"
"Worse. I'm not sure if it can be saved." - ―TK-717 and TK-622.
By 0 BBY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic had established a presence on Ralltiir. Expecting minor resistance, TK-622 and Akobi were sent to the planet to help the local populace rid themselves of Rebel control. It quickly became evident that popular support for the Rebellion ran deep, causing the local rebels to employ fanatical tactics such as suicide bombing against the Imperial forces. Despite their best efforts to convert the Ralltiiri, TK-622 and his division were constantly harassed by enemy sabotage. The Ralltiiri resistance confused TK-622, as he truly believed the Galactic Empire to be the only thing keeping both Ralltiir and the galaxy at large from anarchy.[1]
Four days before the Battle of Yavin, TK-622 and his squad were ambushed by a Rebel force. Although the entire squad save him was killed, 622 hunted down the culprits and incapacitated them with a thermal detonator. He arrested the surviving Rebels and escorted them back to division headquarters. Upon arrival, he was commended for capturing the enemy soldiers, and informed by Commander Akobi that their division was being transferred to the newly completed first Death Star battlestation. TK-622 noticed an out-of-place countdown sound, which he found suspicious enough to hurl both Akobi and himself to the ground, just barely avoiding a sizable explosion. 622 instantly suspected the Rebels had a finger in the explosion, but Akobi dismissed it as an accident.[1]
Death Star
TK-622 witnessing the destruction of the Death Star.
- "Lucky for me you're just a clone. Otherwise you'd have figured things out a long time ago."
- ―Krono Relt
When Akobi's division was transferred to the Death Star, the commander made sure that TK-622 followed. Such was Akobi's trust in 622 that he even made special arrangements to share quarters with the stormtrooper. Upon arrival at the battlestation, Akobi asked TK-622 to take care of the file and equipment transfers. 622 complied, but halted when he noticed an out-of-place RA-7 protocol droid approaching the commander. As the droid pulled out a blaster rifle and began firing at Akobi and a few other officers, 622 shot it in the neck area, effectively stopping it. Although Akobi escaped from the incident unscathed, at least two officers had been killed. TK-622 was ordered to bring the destroyed droid to the droid maintenance crew to have its programming read.[1]
622 delivered the RA-7 to Krono Relt, a droid technician. Relt informed him that the droid had fused processors, which he claimed caused it to be unable to either receive upgrades or think outside its directives. As the two were inspecting the droid's programming, 622 noticed what he thought was an order to assassinate Commander Akobi. Just as he mentioned his concern to Relt, the droid's remains exploded, rendering the programming unreadable. After this incident, 622 voiced his suspicion to Akobi. Yet again the commander dismissed a near-fatal situation as an accident, caused by the generally poor quality of the droid model. On their way to an award ceremony for one of Akobi's most well-known military exploits on Ralltiir, 622 and the commander were rapidly approached by a Viper probe droid. Flabbergasted, 622 was unable to react fast enough to stop the droid before it electrocuted and nearly killed Akobi on the spot.[1]
Following the assassination attempt, the barely-alive Akobi attempted to explain to TK-622 that the award ceremony was meant to cover up the truth about the incident on Ralltiir: that the commander himself had displayed poor judgment and erroneously ordered the bombing of a med center. Shortly before his death, Akobi used this as an argument to convince the stormtrooper that the Empire was imperfect. 622 led a personal investigation of the droid sabotage, avoiding his duties as a soldier to focus on the case. Despite his perseverance, 622 found naught but contradicting clues, and failed to make any progress. As the Battle of Yavin erupted around him, TK-622 was approached by Krono Relt, who revealed himself to be both a Rebel saboteur and the architect of Akobi's demise. The two fought for a short while, until Relt was killed by a stray Rebel torpedo from the battle. Troubled by Relt's betrayal and questioning his loyalty to the Empire, 622 watched as Luke Skywalker fired a torpedo into the thermal exhaust port of the Death Star. When the battlestation exploded shortly after, TK-622 was one of the thousands of casualties.[1]
Personality and traits
- "You're a good soldier, 622. Always on your guard, whether the situation warrants it or not."
- ―Akobi
TK-622 was a dutiful and alert soldier, able to save Akobi's life on several occasions simply by being carefully perceptive of his surroundings. Although he possessed quick reflexes, his clone conditioning kept him from being a great thinker, which severely impaired his investigation of Akobi's assassination. He complained about how he would lose focus when attempting to reflect upon the, to him, complex case.[1]
He truly believed the Galactic Empire to be the only faction keeping the galaxy from being a "chaotic free-for-all," and was willing to die to defend it. This view was only reinforced by the fanaticism of the Ralltiiri Rebels, who even employed children in their struggle to rid their planet of the Empire. However, Akobi's dying speech about how the Empire wasn't "always the shining example of order" caused the stormtrooper to doubt himself. He questioned whether he believed in the Empire simply because he had been trained to do so. In the end, however, he concluded that the Empire ultimately failed because the Rebellion had corrupted its spirit. Just like Luke Skywalker's proton torpedo had pierced the Death Star, so had the Rebels planted the seed of doubt in him. He died hoping that the destruction of the Death Star would expose the Rebellion as terrorists.[1]
Behind the scenes
TK-622 was created by Jeremy Barlow, and appears in only a single issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic series. For this appearance, 622 was drawn by Patrick Blaine.
Appearances
- Star Wars: Empire 13: What Sin Loyalty? (First appearance)
Sources
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I ("Akobi, Commander")
Commander Akobi in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
