Venku Skirata

On the world of Mandalore, Venku Skirata entered the world as the son of Etain Tur-Mukan, a Jedi, and Darman Skirata, a clone commando. Darman, the boy's father, remained ignorant of Etain's pregnancy and the existence of his son until a year following the child's birth. Due to the Jedi Order's prohibition against attachments, Etain concealed her pregnancy, and the Jedi Council remained unaware of her relationship and offspring. Kal Skirata, the adoptive grandfather, bestowed the name Venku upon the child. However, a few days later, when Omega Squad encountered the newborn, Darman—oblivious to his paternity—expressed his intention to name a son "Kad." From that moment forward, members of Clan Skirata privately referred to Venku as "Kad."

Kal Skirata sought a solution to decelerate the accelerated growth rate of his adopted clone sons. Shortly before Kad's birth, he located and apprehended Ko Sai, a Kaminoan geneticist. Ko Sai, the geneticist responsible for the Fett genome used to create the clones, refused to assist Skirata, suspecting he intended to monetize her research. However, Etain negotiated with Ko Sai, appealing to the Kaminoan's fascination with studying Jedi blood. Etain offered Ko Sai samples of her blood and Kad's umbilical cord for research purposes. Satisfied with this arrangement, Ko Sai began divulging information about reversing the clone aging process. Shortly after Kad's birth, and before she could fully disclose all the necessary details for halting the clones' aging, Ko Sai took her own life. The data from Ko Sai to stop clone aging was ultimately finalized, though the specifics of how, when, where, and by whom it was completed remain unclear.

During the final year of the Clone Wars, Kad primarily resided in his aunt Laseema's apartment, under the care of Laseema, his aunt Besany Wennen, grandfather Kal Skirata, or uncle Bardan Jusik. Etain would visit Venku whenever her duties as a Jedi General permitted, and she was overjoyed when Venku addressed her as "Mama" during one of her visits. Later that year, Etain finally revealed to Darman that Kad was his son. Although initially shocked and hurt by the concealed truth, he recovered, and the three enjoyed quality family time together, with Etain even capturing family holos of the three of them. Upon meeting Darman, Kad repeatedly uttered "Dada."

During Order 66, Etain was killed by a Jedi while protecting a clone trooper from an attack by said Jedi. Kad experienced her death through the Force, screaming for a full five minutes at the moment of her demise, and her passing transformed him into a more somber child who seldom smiled. Among Etain's belongings were her two lightsabers, which Skirata initially wanted burned alongside her, but Jusik insisted Kad retain them. Her possessions also included a data and comm kit, data chips containing the family holos recorded earlier, and a small stuffed nerf toy, which Kad placed on her funeral pyre. Skirata retrieved the slightly burned stuffed nerf, stating that he would return it to Kad when he was older to impart the toy's significance. However, the plan lasted hours, as Kad, being Force-Sensitive already knew that his mother was dead and wouldn't return.

Due to Darman's refusal to abandon a wounded Niner, he became stranded on Coruscant and was reassigned to one of the newly established Imperial commando units. Consequently, Skirata assumed the responsibility of raising Kad, while Bardan Jusik continued to instruct him in the ways of the Force. With the exception of Darman and Niner, all members of Clan Skirata defected from the Grand Army following Order 66 and relocated to Mandalore, establishing their home in the town of Kyrimorut.

By 40 ABY, Kad had opted to use his birth name, Venku. Boba Fett, the ruling Mandalore, learned about the political ideologies represented by Kad'ika through his second, Goran Beviin. Fett was curious to know if he wanted to be Mandalore himself, though both Beviin and Fett's granddaughter Mirta Gev said he wanted Fett to be the Mandalore.

Later that year, Boba Fett and Mirta encountered a clone wearing gray leather gloves on Kuat who claimed to have fought in the Clone Wars. The clone introduced himself as Jaing Skirata, and Fett inquired whether he possessed Ko Sai's data, which Fett had been seeking to alleviate his cloning-related ailments. Jaing stated that the research had been destroyed after its use on him and his brothers, and he no longer possessed a copy. Jaing expressed concern that providing Fett with a blood sample might lead to its sale to the Kaminoans. However, Jaing relented, offering to provide a cure if Fett would provide a blood sample, with the condition that Fett return to Mandalore and heed Kad'ika's advice. Fett agreed, and Mirta collected his blood sample for Jaing.

Shortly thereafter on Mandalore, Venku introduced himself to his uncle and Mirta, delivering a bone marrow sample from Jaing Skirata as a cure for Fett's cloning-related issues. Venku witnessed the injection of the bone marrow cure into Boba Fett. As he departed, he mentioned Mirta's Heart of Fire pendant, prompting her to state that she needed a Kiffar to read it. He pledged to inform her if he found someone, and true to his word, he later approached Fett and Mirta in the tapcaf, informing them that a Kiffar named Gotab could interpret the stone. Gotab read the stone, revealing details about Fett's deceased wife, Sintas Vel, including her last known location. However, Gotab grew weary from reading the stone, and Venku escorted him home.

Venku and Gotab would later cross paths with Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, who had come to Mandalore to learn Mandalorian combat techniques in order to defeat her Sith Lord brother, Darth Caedus. Gotab revealed to Jaina that he was not a Kiffar but a former Jedi Knight named Bardan Jusik, and that Venku was the offspring of a Jedi and a clone trooper. He confessed that Clan Skirata had concealed Venku for years, fearing that the Empire would either kill him for his Force sensitivity or capture him to breed a new clone army from his DNA. They also kept Venku's existence a secret from Fett, because they were afraid that Fett was going to sell him to the Kaminoans. Following Gotab's confession to Jaina and his advice on how to confront her brother, Jaina engaged Venku in a lightsaber training duel, during which Venku wielded both of his mother's lightsabers.

As a child, Venku was consistently cheerful and smiling, but his mother's death transformed him into a serious and grave individual. Having been raised in the Mandalorian tradition by Kal Skirata, Venku possessed a deep passion for his fellow Mandalorians and his planet, even advocating for Mandalorian reform to improve the lives of his people.

As an adult, Venku's voice carried subtle traces of a Kuati accent, possibly with hints of a Muunilinst inflection, suggesting he had spent time in those regions. It is worth noting that Kal Skirata was originally from Kuat before becoming a Mando'ade. He donned a patchwork of armor, which he claimed was crafted from plates of the armor of deceased relatives, naming uncles, a cousin, and an aunt, as well as his father—a significant deviation from traditional Mandalorian customs. In addition to wearing the armor of his various family members, Venku also carried both of his mother's lightsabers.

Through his mother, Venku possessed Force-sensitive abilities, but he consciously avoided using the Force whenever possible. This reluctance may have stemmed from his upbringing, having concealed himself from the Galactic Empire on Mandalore, a planet not known for its tolerance of Force users, during the Great Jedi Purge

Even prior to the revelation of Venku's identity as the son of a Fett clone, fans speculated that he was the child of Darman and Etain Tur-Mukan, given that the child was to be raised as a Mandalorian by Kal Skirata and thus would inherit his perspective on traditional Mandalorian culture. With the release of Republic Commando: True Colors, the question of whether Venku was Etain's and Darman's son was closed. Karen Traviss verified that Venku was indeed Etain's and Darman's son.

The name "Venku" originates from the Mando'a word vencuyot, signifying "future." In this context, "vencuyot" implies a "positive future." The name Kad is the Mando'a word for saber. Kad'ika, in turn, means "little saber."