Sarkli, during the Galactic Civil War, served the Galactic Empire as a captain within the Stormtrooper Corps. He was a Human male. As a member of the distinguished storm commandos, Sarkli, related to Admiral Firmus Piett as his nephew, stood out as one of the most skilled spies the Empire had, even gaining an audience with Emperor Palpatine. Before joining the Empire, Sarkli flew as an X-wing starfighter pilot for the Rebel Alliance, serving under Commander Luke Skywalker in Red Squadron. He participated in the evacuation of the Alliance's Yavin 4 base, and later in the operation to extract the Imperial defector Tycho Celchu from Dantooine. Known for his inflated ego, Sarkli would eventually betray the Rebellion during a defense of the planet Ralltiir.
While serving the Empire, Sarkli interfered with Rebel plans to liberate Alliance prisoners from a facility orbiting Bakura. Rogue Squadron tracked him to Geonosis. Surviving this encounter, he was later stationed on the forest moon of Endor, guarding the shield bunker for the superweapon Death Star II. During the Battle of Endor, General Han Solo of the Rebel Alliance, who infiltrated the bunker with a team, killed Sarkli.
Sarkli, a Human male, was born before 0 BBY. He was related to Firmus Piett, an Admiral in the Galactic Empire. During the Galactic Civil War, Sarkli joined the Rebel Alliance around the time of the Battle of Yavin, opposing his uncle's allegiance.
During one of the Imperial raids on the Alliance's base on Yavin 4, Sarkli accompanied pilots Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles to defend the Rebel transport Luminous. Sarkli provided air support for the Great Temple while Skywalker and Antilles rescued General Jan Dodonna and Lieutenant Bren Derlin, who were trapped inside. Sarkli saved the group from Imperial scout walkers in the hangar bay.
Later, Sarkli joined Red Squadron to meet Tycho Celchu, a Rebel sympathizer seeking defection from the Empire. When the meeting on Dantooine was compromised by Imperial storm commandos, it became a rescue operation. Skywalker infiltrated the Imperial camp to rescue Celchu, ordering Sarkli to wait with the ships. During Skywalker's absence, an Imperial ambush wiped out the team, leaving Sarkli as the sole survivor, who informed Skywalker upon his return.
Sarkli later participated in a Rebel operation to save scientists trapped by storm commandos in a city on Ralltiir. Despite initially assisting Red Squadron and hindering Imperial reinforcements, he used the battle to defect to the Empire, surrendering to a storm commando convoy. Sarkli quickly rose in the Empire, becoming captain of a storm commando unit and a renowned spy, gaining favor with Emperor Palpatine.
After the Battle of Hoth, Sarkli disrupted a Rebel rescue mission over Bakura. Piloting an Imperial escort carrier, he destroyed a Rebel transport carrying rescued Rebel prisoners before fleeing to Geonosis. He lured the pursuing Alliance fleet into an ambush in the Geonosian asteroid field, engaging former wingman Wedge Antilles. Sarkli's carrier sustained critical damage, forcing him to retreat to the planet's surface in an escape pod. Antilles pursued Sarkli into the Geonosian canyons, where Sarkli attacked him using a LAAT/i gunship. Antilles damaged Sarkli's gunship with an E-Web blaster cannon stolen from a stormtrooper, causing it to crash.
Sarkli survived the incident and was present on the Death Star II over Endor during Darth Vader's visit in 4 ABY.
Sarkli was later assigned to the shield bunker on Endor, commanding a storm commando sentry unit. His unit failed to stop Han Solo's Rebel strike team from entering the bunker and planting explosives. Sarkli confronted Solo with a blaster rifle, attempting to block his escape, but Solo told him the Empire was finished. After a short fight, Solo fatally wounded Sarkli near the entrance. His uncle, Admiral Piett, died in the same battle when Arvel Crynyd crashed his starfighter into the Executor.
Sarkli possessed a significant ego, which contributed to his defection from the Rebellion. In Red Squadron, he felt overshadowed by pilots like Luke Skywalker. During the raid on Yavin 4, General Dodonna credited Skywalker for saving them, overlooking Sarkli's actions. He often felt restricted by orders, expressing dismay at being told to stand down on Dantooine. Before defecting on Ralltiir, Sarkli claimed his skills were too great for the Rebellion.
As an Imperial, Sarkli saw the Empire as a peacekeeping force and the Rebellion as a disruption. His commitment to the Empire, including killing former allies, made him a valuable asset and a master spy. Despite his blaster skills, he was never able to defeat his former Rebel allies, ultimately dying at the hands of Han Solo.
Sarkli's first appearance in Star Wars canon was in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi as an unnamed Imperial officer in the Death Star II hangar scenes. In 2000, the Star Wars Customizable Card Game named Sarkli in Legends continuity, establishing him as a spy and relative of Piett favored by Palpatine.
Sarkli was expanded upon in the LucasArts game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. He starts as an ally in "Revenge of the Empire," "Defiance on Dantooine," and "Defenders of Ralltiir" before becoming the antagonist. In "Relics of Geonosis," he pilots a Republic gunship and is shot down with an E-web cannon. He is fought again in "Triumph of the Rebellion" as Han Solo, escaping the burning bunker on Endor.
Images on T-bone's Star Wars Universe show Sarkli was meant to appear in more scenes in Return of the Jedi. He is shown with other officers greeting Palpatine upon his arrival.
Footage from Return of the Jedi was added to the special edition of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. While the extra playing Sarkli is seen during Vader's return to the Executor, it doesn't necessarily make Sarkli canonically present in the film.
Sarkli appears in the non-canon exploits of Galen Marek's clone, the Dark Apprentice, in the Infinities expansion of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, voiced by Jarion Monroe. The Dark Apprentice counters the Rebel attack on the shield generator on Endor, killing Chewbacca, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. After Organa's death, Palpatine orders Sarkli to destroy the Dark Apprentice. A fleet commanded by Sarkli surrounds the Dark Apprentice before the game cuts to black. Sarkli's name is misspelled as "Sarcli" in the credits.