Skifter, designated as CT-1155, served as a gunship pilot within the clone trooper ranks. He participated in the First Battle of Geonosis during the Clone Wars. His primary duty during this conflict was the transportation of several platoons of clone troopers onto the active combat zone.
CT-1155's origins trace back to the aquatic planet of Kamino, where he was created as a clone derived from the genetic material of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. From his inception, his training was geared towards becoming a pilot for the Grand Army of the Republic. Within the confines of his cloning tank, CT-1155 underwent countless simulations, mastering the operation of a diverse array of ships and vehicles, notably developing a strong dislike for the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer. CT-1155 eventually adopted the alias Skifter, a term also associated with cheating at the card game sabacc.
In 22 BBY, following the capture of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala, a massive force of 190,000 clone troopers was deployed to the planet Geonosis to thwart the Separatist Alliance's operations there. Following this substantial deployment, Skifter was dispatched to Geonosis aboard an Acclamator-class assault ship, where he was paired with another pilot named Ronto to co-pilot an LAAT/i gunship.
As he entered Geonosis' atmosphere, Skifter initiated his troop transport mission, detaching from his Acclamator and setting course for the designated drop zone beyond the Im'g'twe Hills. However, his craft immediately encountered heavy fire from a squadron of Geonosian starfighters. Navigating through the Im'g'twe Hills, Skifter's copilot successfully neutralized several enemy fighters, enabling the LAAT/i to execute a relatively safe landing, sustaining only minor damage to its rear section. While disembarking a platoon of clone troopers, Skifter experienced intense anxiety, feeling as though every missile, torpedo, and turbolaser in the entire system was targeting him. Upon receiving clearance, Skifter returned to his Acclamator to embark additional troops. Throughout the day, Skifter continued to ferry platoons of clone troopers, eventually losing count of the total number of troops he deployed.
Upon his return to the Acclamator, Skifter struggled to remove his armor, his back, legs, and posterior aching from the constant transport runs. As soon as he reclined in his bunk, he instantly fell asleep, feeling as if he had been struck by a stun blast. Awakening the following morning to the hum of the ship's hyperdrive, Skifter understood that the battle on Geonosis was merely the prelude to a much larger conflict.
Skifter, being a clone of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, possessed a height of 1.83 meters. As a clone pilot during the phase 1 era of the Clone Wars, Skifter wore specialized clone trooper armor equipped with a unique chest-mounted box that supplied oxygen directly to his helmet. Skifter's armor, like that of most clone pilots during the First Battle of Geonosis, featured yellow markings along with two red Galactic Republic symbols located on top of his helmet. During his time in the cloning tanks of Kamino, which he nicknamed "Big Stormy", Skifter expressed a strong aversion to the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer, criticizing the walker's limited maneuverability.
Jason Fry initially conceived Skifter for The Essential Guide to Warfare, intending for him to feature in the short story A Soldier's Story: I was a Gunship Pilot. However, due to narrative similarities with Clone Trooper Falls in a Hole…, and space constraints within the book, Skifter's story was ultimately omitted from The Essential Guide to Warfare. Two years later, on May 6th 2014, Jason Fry and Erich Schoeneweiss released a twelve-part StarWars.com blog series titled Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, which revived many of the stories that had been cut from the original book. In the eighth installment of the blog, entitled Tales of the Clone Wars, Skifter's narrative was reintroduced, accompanied by commentary from both Jason Fry and Erich Schoeneweiss.