Penn Pershing

Doctor Penn Pershing was a human male from an astronomical object who had wanted to be a scientist since his youth. His mother was a doctor in the town where he had grown up, and he spent days in her office dreaming of an advanced laboratory. Pershing admired his mother more than anyone else. His interest in cloning was sparked by her death from heart failure while Pershing was young. Pershing believed that her death would have been easily preventable if simple organ cloning had been available on his homeworld. Pershing vowed in that moment to dedicate his life's work to helping others avoid similarly needless loss.

Later in life, Pershing was pressed into working for the Galactic Empire as a scientist and member of the Imperial Officer Corps. After the Empire collapsed, Pershing continued to work as part of an Imperial remnant under the former Moff Gideon. While stationed aboard Gideon's light cruiser, Pershing regularly walked past Communications Officer Elia Kane, but he never learned her name. In around 9 ABY, Pershing was sent to Nevarro, where Pershing worked with an individual known as "the Client" to attempt to acquire a Force-sensitive child named Grogu, whose connection to the Force Pershing had been tasked with investigating. The Client placed a bounty on the infant with the Bounty Hunters' Guild, who sent many hunters to accept the contract. One of these hunters was Din Djarin who met with the Client and four stormtrooper guards face to face.

After the Client greeted Djarin, Pershing joined the meeting unannounced, causing Djarin to quickly draw his weapons. The doctor cowered and apologized for surprising the bounty hunter while the four stormtroopers kept their weapons aimed at Djarin. The Client then defused the situation and had the stormtroopers lower their weapons, after which Djarin took a seat and listened to the Client's description of the job. When the Client stated that the hunter could provide proof of termination instead of bringing the infant in alive, Pershing interrupted and complained that termination was not what they had previously agreed, but the Client dismissed the complaint and claimed he was "simply being pragmatic."

Djarin successfully recovered the infant and delivered it directly to the Client and Pershing. Upon seeing the infant the pair rushed up, the Client first verifying its identity with a fob while Pershing scanned it to check that it was in good health. Pleased with the infant, the Client paid Djarin while Pershing escorted it from the room. Once Djarin was gone, the Client and Pershing argued about the infant, with the Client demanding he simply remove the material they needed from the Child even if it killed it. Pershing refused, reminding the Client that they had orders to deliver it alive, after which the Client warned Pershing they could no longer assure his safety and left. Pershing would harvest a small amount of blood from the Child to be used for his project.

Djarin later had a change of heart and returned, attacking the facility where Pershing was working on Grogu. After fighting his way through a number of stormtrooper guards, Djarin blasted open the door to the room where Pershing was working. A stormtrooper inside shot the bounty hunter, only for the bolt to rebound off his beskar armor. Djarin then killed the trooper and shot an IT-O Interrogation Unit while Pershing begged for his and the child's lives. After the scientist explained it was only because of him that the baby had not been killed, the bounty hunter took the baby and left, sparing Pershing.

Pershing continued to serve Moff Gideon and continue his experimentations. In the Imperial base on Nevarro, he worked on volunteers, injecting Grogu's blood into their bodies. After seeing promising results for two weeks, the bodies rejected the blood and did not survive. Pershing was unable to continue his work because he exhausted the supply of blood gathered from the Child. Knowing it would be difficult to obtain any more blood with such a high "M-count", referring to the midi-chlorians, he recorded a hologram message for Gideon revealing his failure but promised that he would ultimately succeed. Three days later, Din Djarin returned to Nevarro, where he, Greef Karga and Marshal Cara Dune came across Pershing's recording. The group later evacuated the base after setting the reactor to explode, which destroyed the base.

Following the abduction of Grogu by Moff Gideon, Pershing was being transported aboard Shuttle 2743 when the ship came under attack from Boba Fett in Slave I, and was disabled by Fett's ion cannon. Thinking the shuttle was under attack by pirates, Pershing suggested they fight back, but the co-pilot said he didn't have a death wish and refused. When Djarin and his mercenary ally Cara Dune boarded the shuttle, the co-pilot held a blaster to Pershing's head, stressing the clone engineer's importance to Gideon and the New Republic, although Pershing confirmed to Djarin that Grogu was alive aboard Gideon's light cruiser. After goading Dune about the destruction of Alderaan, she shot and killed the pilot. Pershing's ear was grazed by the blaster bolt, leaving a partial hole.

After Djarin obtained the help of the Mandalorians Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves, Pershing gave them valuable intel for their raid on Gideon's cruiser, including Grogu's location, and the presence and power-up time of a platoon of third-generation dark troopers. During the raid, Djarin used Pershing's code cylinder to access the brig and to seal the cargo bay housing the dark troopers.

After betraying Gideon, Pershing was brought into New Republic custody. He was accepted into the New Republic's Re-Integration Institute and then the New Republic Amnesty Program, a rehabilitation program designed for former Imperials, where he was given the designation "Amnesty Scientist L52." Pershing was relocated to Coruscant, a major planet in the New Republic, and placed within an apartment at Amnesty Housing. He was surpised by the number of former Imperials in the program. He was given a job in the New Republic archival office, where he worked to archive datacards under a lab tech, who did not know the scope of Pershing's experience. A short time after arriving on Coruscant, he gave a speech to a large group of people in the Galaxies Opera House, where he described his past life and his research in cloning after admitting to the wrongs of his deeds done in service to the Empire. Unknowingly, his speech was watched by Elia Kane, who had joined the Amnesty Program as an undercover agent for Gideon, and the lab tech, who learned about Pershing's skills from the speech.

Following his speech, Pershing found himself walking with and describing his work to another individual, only to be pulled aside by a woman who was inspired by his story. As the woman asked him about working for the New Republic, Pershing found himself surrounded by a number of Coruscant socialites who laughed about the Outer Rim, with one man even being unable to tell the difference between the Empire and new government. While a Mon Calamari, overjoyed to have the doctor on the side of the New Republic, wished him the best, Pershing found it awkward to the subject of discussion amongst the socialites. Afterward, Pershing took a taxi to return to Amnesty Housing and took the ride as a chance to study Coruscant's city scape in a thoughtful manner.

Pershing's contemplation was interrupted by the taxi droid pilot, who congratulated the doctor on entering the Amnesty Program and attempted to recommend the Skydome Botanical Gardens until Pershing nervously reminded the droid to focus on the sky lane ahead. The droid complied but continued suggesting sites for Pershing, including the Galactic Museum and Holographic Museum of Extinct Animals, until they arrived at Amnesty Housing, where Pershing made his way through a housing block into a central courtyard. As he continued his walk, Pershing made a shy glance towards a group of fellow residents, one of whom, Amnesty Officers M34, noticed Pershing was a new addition to the program thanks to his pin. Pershing was called over to join them for a drink by M34, who welcomed Pershing to Amnesty Housing and introduced the doctor to M40, G27, and G68, whom he recognized as Elia Kane, the communications officer whose name he never learned despite both working under Moff Gideon, much to his surprise.

Pershing's surprise at seeing a fellow member of Gideon's crew, which Kane had not revealed to the others she had been part of, kicked off a minor discussion between M40 and G27 about what happened to the moff, but Kane changed the topic by claiming herself to be a willing servant of the New Republic. Pershing was soon given a glass flask by M34 and joined them in a salute of "Long live the New Republic" after a moment's delay. Pershing took an anxious sip and joined the group's concrete picnic table, where Kane offered to show him around Coruscant's major sights when he wanted. Pershing was then caught off-guard when G27 asked if he missed anything about the Empire but did divulge that he missed yellow travel biscuits from Imperial ration packs, kicking off a discussion amongst his new neighbors that made him smile. While in bed listening to information on his new home planet of Coruscant, his doorbell rang, and upon opening it, he discovered a black Imperial box filled with yellow travel biscuits.

While at work in his New Republic archival office cubicle the morning of the next Benduday, Pershing, who found himself falling behind on his archival work, was approached by the lab tech, who delivered a new tray of datacards for archival and mentioned having seen Pershing's speech. The lab tech expressed surprise that Amnesty Program had him working in the office, which Pershing promised was no issue. Before the tech could respond, the conversation was cut off when an R-series mail droid dropped off more datacards for the doctor, resulting in the lab tech leaving Pershing to get back to his duties.

That evening, Pershing visited Monument Plaza with Kane, passing by its sights and many other visitors as they enjoyed frozen, glowing treats. As the two talked about their experiences on Coruscant, Pershing expressed doubt that the New Republic would appreciate his scientific pursuits enough to allow him to continue researching cloning, but Kane suggested he continue anyway, reminding Pershing that blindly following orders is what got them into their current position. The two then walked to the peak of Umate, where Kane convinced Pershing to touch the mountain's top, getting him in trouble with a security droid. Laughing, the duo left, and Kane offered to buy Pershing a Photon Fizzle.

During a parole check-in, Pershing was asked by a parole droid about his overall wellbeing and his feelings toward the New Republic. After answering, Pershing asked if he would be allowed to continue his research recreationally. The droid informed him that his research would be prohibted under the Coruscant Accords, Section 13, subparagraph seven, as it involved cloning and genetic engineering. Upon leaving the check-in, Pershing came across Kane in the Amnesty Housing courtyard and informed her that he was thinking about continuing his research, mentioning that he would need supplies and a mobile lab station. After offering some encouragement, Kane stated that she knew of a place to get a mobile lab station, but that it would require them to leave their designated perimeter. Out of fear of being forced to return to the Re-Integration Institute, Pershing declined, though Kane asked that he think about her offer after some sleep.

In the morning, while at work in the archival office, Pershing brought to the attention of the lab tech that the equipment he was archiving was all coded to be destroyed. The lab tech confirmed, and when Pershing suggested that he would be of more use demonstrating how the Imperial technology described in the datacards could benefit the New Republic, the lab tech explained that they were very behind on inventorying the Imperial disposal yards and were also simultaneously decomissioning the Alliance Fleet. They informed Pershing that he would need authorization from the department to access the information, potentially through submitting a C-1023 request, though they were unaware of anyone from the Amnesty Program ever making such a request and was unsure it was even possible. Pershing gave in, and the lab tech reassured him that his work was truly helping the New Republic.

In a following parole check-in, Pershing hesitated when asked if he felt anger or resentment toward the New Republic or any of its representatives. He asked the parole droid if their primary objective was to help the Republic above all else, which the droid confirmed. Pershing left the check-in and headed to Kane's apartment, where he took her up on her offer to retrieve the mobile lab station the following night.

The next day, a Taungsday, Pershing, no longer wearing his Amnesty Program uniform, spoke to himself in a mirror, convincing himself that what he was about to do was for the good of the Republic. After sunset, Pershing and Kane arrived at a Coruscant train station and sneaked through an entry gate to board a train. During their train ride, Kane revealed that they were headed to a scrapyard to acquire a mobile lab station from a decommissioned Imperial ship. The doctor was skeptical of the plan; nevertheless, he remained committed. Shortly after their conversation, a pair of police droids entered their car and began requesting tickets from passengers. Kane told Pershing to follow her, and the two walked to the other end of the car, opened the door, and jumped to the next car. The droids followed until the pair reached the end of the train. Kane told Pershing they were going to jump and asked him to trust her, timing their jump until right before the train arrived at the Shipyard Depot station and landing on an inflatable pad.

The duo then proceeded across a long bridge to a decommissioned Imperial-class Star Destroyer, and Kane hotwired the door panel so they could enter. They navigated the hallways of the ship to a labratory, discussing their pasts working on the same ship and formally introducing themselves along the way. Once in the labratory, Pershing began packing up equipment before hearing a loud noise. Kane stood watch at the doorway until Pershing was finished, and the two left back down the hallways. However, they stopped upon noticing lights and voices on the other side of a doorway and quietly ran in the opposite direction, exiting the ship and crossing the bridge again. Once they reached the other side, a spotlight was shown on them, and Pershing was placed under arrest by New Republic personnel, with Kane revealing she had betrayed the doctor and taking his equipment.

Waking up in a bed attached to a device, the scientist was informed by a Mon Calamari technician that Kane had already filed a report detailing the incident, and that he was simply here for help overcoming his Imperial indoctrination. Pershing recognized the device he was hooked up to as a Mind Flayer, but the technician stated it was a Six-O-Two Mitigator, a type of Mind Flayer with low voltage. He panicked, stating that they were going to wipe his mind, though he was reassured that was not the case, and the procedure began with a low voltage as Kane watched from behind a window. However, being left alone in the room under the pretext that she wanted to see her relapsing friend recover, Kane turned up the voltage drastically, putting Pershing in noticeable pain. During a later gathering of the Shadow Council of Imperial warlords, Moff Gideon, a member of the council, confirmed that Pershing had been captured by the New Republic and that his research was lost for the time being. The Moff then denied allegations that he had held Pershing on Nevarro to work on cloning experiments.

Penn Pershing was a human male who stood 1.7 meters, or 5 feet 7 inches, tall. During his younger years, Pershing admired his mother more than anyone else. The roots of Pershing's devotion to science came with the death of his mother, whose heart failure could have been prevented by organ cloning, pushed him to study cloning in the hope he could save others from similar grief. He was a nervous scientist who worked for the Empire and Gideon's remnant only because he was forced into it. According to the Client, his enthusiasm outweighed his discretion. It was his opinion that pursuing knowledge was the greatest choice one could make in life.

Pershing was also a fearful man, especially when confronted with weapons at the hand of alert Mandalorians. Pershing could also be awkward in social situations and when surrounded by socialites. After Pershing's right ear was grazed by a blaster bolt, he developed a tick in which he would reach to and touch his scarred ear, as he did during his speech at the Galaxies Opera House. Pershing found life on Coruscant more comfortable than his time in the Outer Rim, although he suspected many places would be better than the Rim.

Pershing was eager to learn about Grogu and was dedicated to his work, but he believed the research he did for Gideon was being corrupted into a cruel and inhumane endeavor. While he was respectful to Gideon in his communications and promised not to fail, he privately regarded Gideon with distain, feeling the moff was a desperate man fueled by a greed for power. Pershing's assumption proved to be true: Gideon was interested in securing power over the united Imperial Remnant for himself and hid his cloning experiments from other high ranking warlords. Pershing regretted the research that he did for Gideon.

In contrast to the Client, who was willing to acquire Grogu at all costs, Pershing sought to avoid harming the child. Despite being immediately contradicted by the Client, he informed Djarin that Grogu had to be returned alive. When Djarin returned the asset, Pershing refused the Client's demands to do whatever was necessary to extract the needed material, stating that they had very specific instructions to keep the child alive. That decision ended up saving Pershing's life when Djarin returned to rescue the child, as the Mandalorian realized Pershing was the only one in the facility trying to protect Grogu. He did fundamentally believe in the original intentions of his research and thought that it could be used for better means by the New Republic. In the end, however, he found himself to be too trusting of Elia Kane.

Pershing was extremely happy to be given a second chance at life by the New Republic, even if he did wait a moment to join in on a chant of "Long Live the New Republic" with fellow amnesty program members. All the same, he found himself quickly bonding with his fellow former Imperials after a moment of anxiousness. He also quietly agreed to M38's sentiment that the Empire would never have allowed a similar program. Even though he was at first willing to take on any job offered to him by the New Republic, even if his lab tech co-worker thought archival was beneath the doctor's talents, he grew eager to prove himself to the New Republic. His eagerness was exploited by Kane.

As an Imperial scientist, Pershing wore an Imperial scientist officer's uniform, along with a pair of tinted, round plasspecs. The black belt on his uniform included a compartment with a hidden location device. After he joined the New Republic Amnesty Program, Pershing started to wear an Amnesty uniform, including a red and black pin.

Pershing first appeared in the first episode of the 2019 Disney+ television series The Mandalorian, which aired on November 12, 2019. He was portrayed by Omid Abtahi. The design of Pershing's uniform resembles the livery worn by Galen Erso and his colleagues in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the symbol on his right shoulder was inspired by the emblem worn by clone troopers on Kamino in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. For the character's entire appearance, including his hairstyle and posture, Brian Matyas took inspiration from Nazi scientists, making everything clean and simplified. Jon Favreau, writer and executive producer of The Mandalorian, felt that glasses were the right look for the character, although design supervisor Doug Chiang was initially nervous about the concept. In the season one finale of the 2021 animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, titled "Kamino Lost," a medical officer named Scalder wearing a uniform similar to that of Doctor Pershing approaches the Kaminoan Nala Se.