Crix Madine/Legends

"I've come to the conclusion that those people who truly do great deeds don't feel the need to talk about them all the time."

- Crix Madine

Crix Madine was an Imperial Army officer who formed and led the notorious Storm Commandos of the Imperial military. In light of later missions, such as releasing a plague on Dentaal, Madine defected to the Rebel Alliance, though it cost him his fiancé, Karreio. After several complications in his defection, Madine became a valuable part of the Rebellion, advising and leading commando operations. He also planned the successful commando raid on the second Death Star's shield generator. After the Battle of Endor, Madine continued to serve in the New Republic. He was killed in action by Durga Besadii Tai after being captured on a mission to sabotage the Darksaber superweapon.

Imperial service
Born on Corellia sometime prior to 31 BBY, Crix Madine attended the Raithal Academy and entered service in the Imperial Army. He rose quickly through the ranks after establishing himself as an innovative tactician and effective leader. He was engaged to a woman named Karreio. When the Imperial Military identified a need for a surgical strike force to counter the Alliance's guerrilla tactics, Madine was selected to form the unit. The result was the Storm Commandos, which Madine hand picked from the stormtrooper ranks and trained himself. He led the unit on a number of missions, but found the missions he and his men were called on to perform were increasingly questionable.

Defection complications
He attempted to defect to the Alliance prior to the Battle of Yavin, and, to prove his loyalty, Madine provided essential guidance for the sabotage of Operation Strike Fear and the destruction of the Star Destroyer Invincible. However, it was the order to release the Candorian Plague on Dentaal that convinced Madine it was time to leave for good.

Wracked with guilt over his role in the death of the entire Dentaalian population, Madine left his unit while performing a training mission in 1.8 ABY. Madine erased himself from Imperial records, although his disappearance was covered by some HoloNet news channels. He did not even tell his fiancée where he was going, not wanting to place her in a dangerous situation.

During this period, Madine provided clues to the Rebellion about the Dark Trooper project; eventually he was captured by General Rom Mohc and imprisoned in Orinackra, where he awaited execution. Upon learning of his capture, Mon Mothma dispatched Kyle Katarn to rescue Madine, who revealed Mohc's role in the project. He also provided the Alliance with intelligence on two subsequent targets to sabotage the Dark Trooper project.

After slipping back to his homeworld of Corellia, Madine's defection was intercepted once more by Imperial forces, but the timely arrival of Rogue Squadron allowed him to escape.

Rebel leader
"We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator."

- Crix Madine

While some Alliance commanders were suspicious of Madine's Imperial past, he was allowed into the High Command Advisory Council with the backing of General Carlist Rieekan. His intimate knowledge of Imperial tactics earned him the position of Chief Military Advisor on the Advisory Council, and Supreme Commander of Alliance Special Forces. In the latter capacity, Madine trained Alliance ground commanders on tactics to use the Alliance's smaller numbers effectively against the Empire. Madine's Rules of War became the baseline standard operation procedure of Alliance SpecForces across the galaxy. Madine also led a Y-wing squadron named Gold Squadron against Imperial forces on Gerrard V.

Madine usually accompanied his subordinate in field missions (such as missions alongside Risiev Credal), which earned him the respect of many Rebel soldiers. The Task Force on Alliance Security, working alongside Madine in different missions, asked him to send a team of agents to recover designs by Imperial-aligned engineer Diran Miciluz. Madine also worked with the Task Force writing reports on threats to the Rebel Alliance, including the Granse Confederacy and Zayl Braith&mdash;Madine discovered that Braith was a fugitive of the Galactic Empire, and reported it to the Alliance.

Madine would also advise Rogue Squadron on many pivotal missions, including the Battle of Fondor, Mission at Destrillion, and the Battle of Dubrillion.

His unit of Alliance commandos sabotaged a number of critical Imperial shipments to slow construction on the second Death Star and was responsible for the capture of the Tydirium. The most important battle of the war, the Battle of Endor, might never have happened without Madine, in fact, as Mon Mothma was extremely hesitant about killing Emperor Palpatine, for she saw it as assassination, a tactic practiced only by criminals. Madine convinced her of the necessity of killing the Emperor, and when it came time to plan the Alliance's strike on the Death Star, Madine was chosen to coordinate the destruction of the Sanctuary Moon-based shield generator.

New Republic service
"Any last words?" "Not to you."

- Durga Besadii Tai & Crix Madine shortly before being executed.



Following the foundation of the New Republic, he turned down a seat on its Inner Council, preferring to remain with the Republic's growing military. He eventually ascended to the New Republic Defense Force's highest intelligence post, Chief of Intelligence, although he continued to operate in the field. Following the First Battle of Coruscant, he learned that Karreio had died in the battle. In 10 ABY, he helped command ground forces at the First Battle of Mon Calamari.

As Special Operations Commander in 11 ABY, Madine had given the New Republic Special Forces briefings on strategy for the Second Battle of the Maw Installation.

In 12 ABY, Madine led a team to infiltrate the Hoth Asteroid Field and gather intelligence on the Darksaber project, but his teammates were soon killed, and he was captured. Prior to this mission, he had planted a tracker on Durga's vessel that allowed the New Republic to learn the location of the superweapon. Onboard the Darksaber, Madine taunted one of his captors, the phony Sulamar. Boasting that his superweapon kept him safe from Republic reprisals, Durga Besadii Tai personally shot Madine through the heart, killing him instantly. Madine faced his end bravely without flinching, and the New Republic later brought about the destruction of the weapon.

Legacy
Following the resolution of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Madine was honored by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances with the construction of the General Crix Madine Military Reserve in orbit over Coruscant.

Behind the scenes
Crix Madine was portrayed by Dermot Crowley in Return of the Jedi. Terence McGovern provided Madine's voice for Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Tom Kane provided his voice for Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.

Several production photos taken during Return of the Jedi reveal that Madine may have been slated to be aboard one of the Mon Cal cruisers that was destroyed by the second Death Star. One of the photos in question was available in Crix Madine's Databank entry, although it has since been removed as a part of the site redesign.

His death in Darksaber made him the first Rebel film character with a speaking role to be killed in the Expanded Universe. The distinction of first overall belongs to Maximilian Veers, who was killed in Dark Empire II 1 almost a year prior to Darksaber's publication.

There is conflicting information about when Crix Madine defected. Star Wars: X-wing mentions him as helping the Rebellion by masterminding the destruction of the Invincible with the Sullustans, before the Battle of Yavin. In Star Wars: Dark Forces that takes place after the battle, Mon says that Madine intended to defect to the Rebellion. Darksaber says he defected 9 years prior to the book, or 3 ABY. In The Isis Coordinates, provisionally set 1.25 years after the Battle of Yavin, Madine contacts the Rebel team on the Handree to inform them of the loss of the [Desolator]] - if they managed to cause it to collide with a rogue star - and the response of the Galactic Empire transmitted by Captain Needa. It is assumed that before "officially" defecting, he was already involved with and helping the Rebellion.

Madine is incorrectly shown with white hair in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, against the fact that he had red hair in Return of the Jedi.

Appearances

 * The Farlander Papers
 * Star Wars: Dark Forces
 * Child of Light
 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Shadows of the Empire comic
 * Entrenched
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and novel
 * Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 3: Mission to Endor
 * The Truce at Bakura
 * The Deposition of General Solo
 * Mara Jade: A Night on the Town
 * The Vandelhelm Mission
 * Gathering Shadows
 * Gathering Shadows
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * Dark Empire
 * Jedi Search
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Champions of the Force
 * Darksaber
 * Specter of the Past
 * Tempest
 * The Isis Coordinates

Notes and references
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