Darman Skirata

Biography

Darman, a Republic Commando, was assigned to Theta Squad and received training from Sergeant Kal Skirata. During his initial mission on Geonosis, Darman lost communication with his squad members and attempted to contact each of them individually via comm, but received no response. He waited until the final LAAT/i departed, hoping his squad would return, but he was ultimately forced to accept that all other members of Theta Squad had perished. Darman was then reassigned to Omega Squad, which included Niner RC-1309, Fi RC-8015, and Atin RC-3222. He was regarded as their demolitions specialist. He fought alongside his squad until the Clone Wars ended, at which point half of the squad deserted to Mandalore.

Mission to Qiilura

Omega Squad received orders to demolish a bio-weapons facility located on Qiilura. The Separatists supported Dr. Ovolot Qail Uthan, a microbiologist, in her efforts to create a nanovirus designed to target all Fett clones. Upon arriving on Qiilura, Darman was separated from his squad, leading the other Omegas to believe he was dead. After landing, Darman encountered Jedi Padawan Etain Tur-Mukan, who was unaware of the new clone army or her new role as a commander. Working together, and with the assistance of Jinart, a shape-shifting Gurlanin, they managed to reunite with Omega Squad. Together, with Darman present, Omega Squad launched an assault on the bioweapons facility, successfully retrieved the Clone nanovirus, and captured Doctor Ovolot Qail Uthan.

Despite the mission's eventual success, it nearly resulted in failure. An EMP pulse rendered Omega's armor and weapons useless, and they narrowly avoided death at the hands of Dr. Uthan's Mandalorian protector, Ghez Hokan. Furthermore, Dr. Uthan and Atin sustained critical injuries from a Verpine rifle round, necessitating a month-long stay in bacta for Atin.

During the mission, Darman and Etain developed a deep friendship. Etain relied heavily on Darman's commando expertise to survive on the Separatist-controlled planet, while Darman depended on Etain's Force abilities to evade danger. As the mission concluded, Etain offered Darman the chance to remain with her on Qiilura to assist her and Jedi Arligan Zey in clearing the planet of Separatists. However, Darman chose to stay with his squad.

Galactic City spaceport hostage siege

One month after the Qiilura mission, Omega Squad was stationed at the Arca Company Barracks on Coruscant, from which they were summoned to resolve a terrorist hostage situation at a nearby spaceport. With assistance from Kal Skirata and the Null ARC Captain Ordo, they successfully resolved the crisis.

Mission to the Corellian-Perlemian Intersection

367 standard days following the Battle of Geonosis, Omega Squad received orders to intercept and detain the occupants of a Gizer L-6 freighter. After boarding the vessel, they managed to subdue the crew and apprehend several prisoners. Regrettably, their own ship, along with their pilot Sicko, was shot down by a civilian freighter, Nova Crystal, which mistakenly identified them as a pirate ship. The attack resulted in several hull breaches in the L-6, leaving Omega stranded.

A Red Zero distress signal was immediately sent, prompting responses from both the RAS Fearless and Delta Squad. Delta Squad arrived first in a Neimoidian shuttle, docking with the crippled freighter. They successfully evacuated the prisoners and Omega Squad, while the RAS Fearless provided cover and destroyed an attacking Neimoidian starship that had also responded. Darman was reunited with Etain aboard the Fearless.

Mission to Coruscant

Due to increased terrorist activity on Coruscant, Omega and Delta Squad were personally selected by Kal for a clandestine black ops mission. Omega and Delta joined forces with training Sergeant Walon Vau, Ordo, Jedi Knights Bardan Jusik, and Etain for the mission.

The team established Qibbu's Hut as their operational base. During this time, Darman and Etain decided to pursue a relationship, disregarding the rules against it. Unbeknownst to Darman, Etain became pregnant with their son. Kal posed as a black-market explosives dealer, and the terrorists quickly took the bait. After several interactions with the terrorist network, an exchange was scheduled. Led by Ordo, the team consisted of Mereel, Kal, Omega, and Delta Squad. Their objective was to neutralize the terrorist cell that would attend the exchange, while a separate team targeted other cells.

The team managed to eliminate fifteen out of twenty-six terrorists almost immediately, while the remaining terrorists retreated to a warehouse. The survivors made a final, desperate attempt to deceive the commandos with a false surrender. Darman was nearly killed in the attempt by a flame projector. Fortunately, his Katarn-class commando armor protected him from the attack. All of the terrorists were killed during the second firefight.

Both teams completed their missions without any casualties. They regrouped at their base and celebrated their success.

Mission to Gaftikar

Darman traveled to Gaftikar alongside Omega squad to assist a rebellion against the CIS-aligned government. While there, he encountered AWOL ARC Trooper Sull, whom he and Atin captured and delivered to the commanding Null ARC A'den stationed at Gaftikar. The Null allowed the AWOL ARC to escape, and Darman went to the former residence of the AWOL ARC trooper to gather any evidence of his presence. While doing so, two Covert Ops clone troopers attempted to assassinate him, mistaking him for Sull. Darman killed them, which caused him to question his actions and later feel internal guilt. Sometime later, Darman experienced another emotional ordeal when squadmate Fi was severely wounded in battle.

Mission to Haurgab

On Haurgab, Darman and his squad were tasked with assassinating a rebel leader named Jolluc. After they eliminated him, they found themselves under attack by more rebels than Intelligence had indicated. They made a stand on a hill and, after a fierce firefight, were rescued by a LAAT/i dispatched by Captain Maze.

Return to Coruscant

Upon Omega's return, they were forced to navigate the Battle of Coruscant. They barely managed to pass through the planet's shield, and a droid starfighter followed them through the opening. Their ship crashed somewhere in Galactic City, where they joined other troopers in the area to repel the Separatist invasion. Omega successfully defended a HNE Station.

Etain's death

Etain Tur-Mukan was killed after being struck down by a young Jedi Padawan when she intervened between the Padawan and a clone trooper to prevent the Padawan from attacking the trooper, who had been blocking his escape. After witnessing her death, Darman convinced himself that she had not died, despite the constant replay of her being struck down in his mind. He then admitted to himself and Niner that she had died and distracted himself from his grief by focusing on helping Niner, whose spine had been broken by a young Jedi attempting to evade Imperial troops. Believing that Niner would be left to die by his superiors if no one intervened for him, Darman decided to stay with Niner, despite Niner's protests, instead of abandoning him and fleeing to Mandalore with Skirata and the others. Darman requested a medical evacuation craft to his location and, after it departed with him and Niner on board, Darman repeatedly screamed Etain's name within his helmet until his vocal cords were exhausted.

Darman ensured that Niner received the necessary medical attention. Both were now soldiers of the Galactic Empire, and Darman's new responsibility was to train other clones to become commandos. Darman was unimpressed by the performance of the Spaarti-grown Fett clones and frustrated by their insistence that Centax-2 was Kamino. However, he believed that they were not to blame for these shortcomings, which resulted from being grown in only one or two years and being repeatedly told that Centax 2 was Kamino by their superiors. Conversely, he held a higher opinion of the clones within the 501st Legion. To cope with his new role, Etain's death, and the changed political landscape, Darman felt he had to suppress his personal beliefs until he could escape the current situation. He also anticipated an inevitable conflict between the Empire and Kamino.

Working with the Empire

Three weeks after the Empire's declaration, Vader briefed the surviving clone commandos, including Darman, Niner, and former Delta Squad members Boss, Fixer, and Scorch. They were formed into the Imperial Commando Special Unit within the 501st Legion, specifically tasked with hunting down Jedi, deserters, and other enemies of the Empire. The list of targets was transmitted to the clones' HUDs, and Darman recognized names like Maze and Sull, former Omega Squad members Corr and Atin, Commander Levet, as well as Yayax and Hyperion Squad. Darman's wife, Etain Tur-Mukan, was also listed as missing, as the Empire was unaware of her death. Niner placed his hand under Darman's elbow to prevent him from reacting visibly to seeing his deceased wife's name and thus revealing himself to Vader, but Darman remained impassive. Darman blocked out the fact that Etain was dead, convincing himself it happened to another Darman in another place.

Darman continued his service within the newly named Squad 40, asserting it was to protect Kad from the Jedi. Darman's squad eventually gained a new officer, Roly Melusar. During a mission to eliminate a Ranger named Jilam Kester, they were ambushed by Iri Camas, who was with Kester at the time. Kester escaped hours before Squad 40's arrival, and Camas killed a trooper named Bry in the ensuing battle before being killed himself. Another trooper, Ennen who was in an earlier squad with Bry, demanded a traditional Corellian cremation. Roly Melusar, Squad 40's new commanding officer, had Bry cremated, proving to be as honorable as Jaller Obrim. A new member, Rede, was assigned to replace Bry. On a subsequent mission, the four were deployed into Coruscant's undercity in pursuit of a suspected Jedi. Ennen killed the man, disgusted to discover that the supposed Jedi was merely a common thief who had stumbled upon a lightsaber. Later that day, Ennen committed suicide. Darman felt responsible, as he had intended to eventually inform Ennen about Kal's location on Mandalore if he ever wished to desert. By this point, Darman learned that the Nulls could contact Niner via a secure link through his helmet. Following Ennen's suicide, the remaining three members of Squad 40 were sent to deal with the Jedi Borik Yelgo, who was killed by Ennen. Darman was enraged when he later had the same secure link installed in his helmet and was informed that Jedi were at his home on Mandalore. All his efforts to protect Kad and Kal had allowed the Jedi into his home, where Kad lived. He even threatened Bardan Jusik, vowing to track him down if the Jedi took Kad away, demonstrating how far he had strayed from his original self. Eventually, he released his anger and grief over Etain's death and devised a plan in the refreshers to go to Mandalore. He convinced Commander Melusar that he could find a Jedi on Mandalore named Djinn Altis, planning to use it as an excuse to desert. He surprised Niner by stating that he intended to hunt down the Jedi on Mandalore, all in the name of Kad's safety.

Legacy

As an adult, Darman's son Venku wore a patchwork of armor, including pieces from his father's.

Personality and traits

Like all clones of Jango Fett, Darman possessed a youthful nature despite his commando training. The loss of his original squad deeply affected him, but he eventually came to regard Omega as his new family.

Darman was known as the calm individual within Omega Squad. His squad mates, especially Fi, observed that Darman seemed capable of relaxing, and sometimes even sleeping, before missions. Fi once perceived him as sleeping during a TIOPs mission to retrieve prisoners, where a hull breach limited the squad's and prisoners' oxygen supply. Despite his calm demeanor, he was capable of a fierce temper, as demonstrated when he attacked Kal Skirata for not informing him about his son, Kad.

Trained by Kal Skirata, he wholeheartedly embraced Mandalorian culture. Burdened by guilt over killing those he considered his brothers, he chose to honor Moz and Olun by reciting their names daily, following a Mandalorian custom. He was also quick to defend Etain against any derogatory remarks.

After Etain's death, Darman's heart was shattered. He had been close to achieving his ideal family with Etain, Kad, Kal, and his comrades, only to witness his wife's death before him and the desertion of the rest of his squad from the GAR. Niner tried his best to keep Darman focused, but Darman became increasingly unstable, sometimes lashing out for no reason, such as when he returned from rejecting the Null's offer to take him back to Mandalore.

Toward the end of the Clone Wars, Darman developed a negative view of the Jedi, with the exception of Etain. This sentiment intensified after he became an Imperial, as he constantly feared that the Jedi would take his son Kad. He even resolved to hunt down the Jedi on Mandalore to protect Kad.

Also, like all clones of Fett, Darman suffered from claustrophobia but was forced to crawl through a Gdan tunnel on Qiilura.

Darman's preferred weapon was the bowcaster.

Romantic relationship

During the mission to Coruscant, Darman's relationship with Etain Tur-Mukan deepened, and they became romantically involved. They also spent most of their free time together in private. Darman's relationship with Etain was likely unique, as a clone-Jedi affair was unprecedented at the time. Etain, desiring to give him a future and respecting Mandalorian culture, conceived a son but did not inform him for some time. She eventually revealed Venku's identity to Darman, and although he was initially angered by being the last to know he had a child, he and Etain reconciled and spent time together with their son on Coruscant. The couple later married via comm messages during the Battle of Coruscant. In the aftermath of Order 66, Darman refused to comply out of love for Etain. Following her death, Darman was haunted by her loss and worked tirelessly to protect their son from the Jedi.

Behind the scenes

According to Karen Traviss's blog, Darman was named in honor of Peter Darman, a military writer. "Darman" served as a temporary placeholder name until a better name could be devised, but it was accidentally released into the public domain.

An in-universe explanation in Republic Commando: Triple Zero reveals that Darman's name, likely given to him by Kal Skirata, is short for Dar'manda, a Mando'a term for someone who has lost their Mandalorian heritage and, consequently, their soul. Presumably, Kal Skirata gave him the name out of pity.

"Darman" functions as a cheat code in the PC version of the game Star Wars: Republic Commando, allowing the player to instantly complete the current level without any required actions.

Theta Squad is referenced in Star Wars: Republic Commando after the player eliminates Sun Fac. "As you know, 36's squad has been incapacitated." This could be a reference to Darman; even though he was not the leader of Theta, he was the only survivor which would explain why they mention him.