Del Meeko

"Del Meeko. You worked your way up through the ranks, first as a stormtrooper, then a shoretrooper, then a TIE pilot. You have received several commendations for courage under fire. Your commanders have made notations that you excel at whatever you turn your hand to, but you seem to be par­ticularly gifted with repairing everything&mdash;from armor to droids to engines."

- Admiral Garrick Versio

Del Meeko was a human male native of Coruscant, the capital world of the Galactic Empire during the Imperial Era. During the reign of Emperor Sheev Palpatine, Meeko served in the Imperial Military as a stormtrooper, a shoretrooper, and a TIE fighter pilot in turn. Following the Rebel Alliance's theft of the plans to the Death Star in the year 0 BBY, Meeko became an agent of Inferno Squad, a special forces unit led by Captain Iden Versio.

The Emperor's death in 4 ABY resulted in the activation of Operation: Cinder; as part of the overall Contingency, its purpose was to ensure the annihilation of both the Empire and its enemies. Inferno Squad was dispatched to Fondor with orders to retrieve satellites that were critical to the execution of Operation: Cinder. After completing their objective, Meeko was ordered to destroy the Emperor's Observatory on Pillio. In the course of his mission, he encountered the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. Despite their different allegiances, Meeko and Skywalker worked together by fighting off many scritters&mdash;indigenous lifeforms that were hostile to the offworlders&mdash;in order to reach the observatory.

After parting ways with Skywalker, Meeko rejoined Inferno Squad at Vardos where the team learned that Versio's homeworld was one of the targets under Operation: Cinder. Unwilling to participate in the ruin of a planet noted for its loyalty to the Empire, Meeko and Versio rebelled against the military in an effort to save civilians. Having severed their ties with the Empire, they surrendered to the Alliance, but were given a chance to fight alongside the Rebels at the Battle of Naboo. By saving Naboo, another planet targeted by Operation: Cinder, Meeko and Versio were both welcomed into the ranks of the newly-formed New Republic by Princess Leia Organa.

In 5 ABY, approximately one year after the Battle of Endor, the new Inferno Squad was among the Republic forces that defeated the Imperial forces led by Counselor Gallius Rax at the Battle of Jakku. In the years that followed the Empire's defeat and the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War, Meeko and Versio raised a daughter named Zay. By 34 ABY, roughly three decades after the war, Meeko was captured by the First Order and interrogated by Kylo Ren, a dark side warrior tasked with hunting the last Jedi. With no further use for Meeko, Ren turned the veteran soldier over to Commander Gideon Hask&mdash;a First Order officer who once served with Meeko as an agent of Inferno Squad&mdash;who personally executed his former comrade.

Biography
A native of Coruscant, Del Meeko grew up during the time of the Jedi Order, although the stories he heard about the Jedi caused him to fear them. Meeko worked his way through the ranks of the Imperial Military, starting as a stormtrooper, then as a shoretrooper on Scarif then as a TIE fighter pilot and finally a chief engineer aboard a Star Destroyer. Sometime after the Battle of Yavin, Meeko, along with Senior Lieutenant Iden Versio, Gideon Hask and Seyn Marana, was drafted into Inferno Squad, a Special Forces unit in the Imperial Military, by Admiral Garrick Versio. Meeko participated in Inferno's first mission: to infiltrate and destroy the Dreamers, which was successful, though Marana died.

Meeko continued serving as an elite agent in Inferno Squad, conducting special operations for the Empire throughout the Galactic Civil War against the Rebel Alliance. He fought at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, which saw the death of Emperor Palpatine and destruction of the second Death Star. Meeko held the Corvus during the battle of Fondor, where Inferno fought against a Rebel attack on Moff Raythe's Star Destroyer Dauntless, which was transporting satellites to be used as part of Operation: Cinder. Meeko later took part in the Mission to Pillio as the sole Inferno agent with orders to destroy the

Emperor's Observatory. Despite being on opposite sides of the war and once fearing the Jedi, Meeko agreed to a temporary truce with new age Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker to find the Observatory while fighting off Pillio's native bugs, ultimately allowing the Jedi to keep a special compass from the facility.

When the climate disruption arrays from the Dauntless targeted the Versio homeworld of Vardos, Meeko remained loyal to Iden as both went rogue, helping a group of civilians and their crew escape aboard the Corvus, narrowly evading the Eviscerator and Admiral Versio. They decided to surrender to the Rebel Alliance, and provided key intelligence on Operation: Cinder to Danger Leader Shriv Suurgav and General Lando Calrissian. Meeko and Iden both fought at the battle of Naboo in an effort to combat Operation: Cinder, and ultimately defected to the New Republic as Princess Leia Organa welcomed them in.

Meeko continued to serve in Inferno Squad as it was integrated into the New Republic under the command of Iden Versio, making attempts to capture Hask and Admiral Versio as they fought against the Imperial remnants in the final year of the Galactic Civil War. Meeko piloted the Corvus at the Battle of Jakku while Iden shot down Hask and attempted to rescue her father from the crashing Eviscerator. Iden narrowly escaped aboard an escape pod, and reunited with Meeko at the end of the battle, which saw a victory for the Republic and the final defeat of the Empire.

Del and Iden went on to marry and have a daughter. Del used the Corvus to haul cargo in his newfound life of peace, and found faith in the Force. However, about thirty years after the Battle of Jakku, Del and his crew were captured by Protectorate Gleb and Jinata Security on Pillio, where he was interrogated by Kylo Ren for information on where Lor San Tekka took the map to Skywalker. Afterwards, he was confronted by a living Hask, now an officer in the First Order. In his final words, he addressed Hask by his first name and implored him not to go after Iden, warning Hask it would not end well for him before being shot four times to death by his former squad mate.

Personality and traits
Despite his Imperial background and loyalty to Inferno Squad, Del Meeko was deeply conflicted, and often uncertain about the Empire's methods. Growing up on Coruscant, he heard only frightening stories about the Jedi until being saved by Luke Skywalker, who encouraged him to follow his own path.

Behind the scenes
Del Meeko was portrayed by British actor TJ Ramini in Star Wars Battlefront II.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Battlefront II: Inferno Squad