Star Wars Republic Commando: Triple Zero - The Father, Kal Skirata
Skirata is the father-figure we deserve.
Star Wars Republic Commando: Triple Zero starts with one of the more engaging opening chapters I have ever read in a SW-novel. It begins with a Mandalorian named Kal Skirata as he makes his way onto the planet Kamino to see how the clone army for the Republic is coming along. It’s here that Kal discovers that Jango Fett is being used as the model for the clones. Kal and Jango are Mando-friends but what was more shocking for Kal is that the Kaminoans were discarding the clone-children who didn’t meet the perfect standards.
This is where the father arc of Kal starts.
At one point in the opening chapter little Ordo, who grows up to be on Omega Squad, asks what is “Mandalorian?”
Kal thinks to himself:
“For some reason that hurt most of all. If these kids didn’t know their culture and what made some a Mando, then they had no purpose, no pride, and nothing to hold them and their clan together when home wasn’t a piece of land. If you were a nomad your nation traveled in your heart. And without the Mando heart, you had nothing - not even your soul - in whatever new conquest followed death. Skirata knew at that moment what he had to do. He had to stop these boys from being dar’manda, eternal Dead Men, men without a Mando soul.”
It’s sweet in a masculine way - a patriarchal way - without the negative attachments of those words.
My introductory post for this Substack was about the original Republic Commando book entitled Hard Contact. In it, Kal is mentioned, and the Omega Squad refers to him as their fearless leader and trainer but it isn’t until this novel that Kal gets plenty of screen time. Set very soon after the events of the first book, we are still in the early stages of the Clone War. The opening section pulled me in but the rest of the book, well, certainly fights to hold your attention.
Triple Zero is a hard book to navigate through because the draw is Kal Skirata’s pure love for his adopted clone children and not the plot. The return of Etain and Darman was also appreciated but their blossoming love story which I wanted more of, gets lost in the shuffle. The storyline to Triple Zero is muddy compared to the straightforward Hard Contact. The previous novel also had the added advantage of having a magnetic villain of Ghez Hokan and its wild plot to create a bioweapon that only kills clones. Triple Zero revolves around a terrorist threat on Coruscant and Omega Squad's investigation of said threat. It lacks the progression of the last book and a clear, imposing villain. It’s not a bad book by any means but Traviss was writing her smart thriller here when we all just want goofy antics.
With that said, Kal Skirata is my favorite part of the book. His love for his adopted, imperfect, and almost thrown away clones is admirable. He leads with a firm hand but also with the tenderness of a father.
I wanted to take time to highlight Kal’s legacy and point out what happens to him in his life.
Kal was originally born Falin Mattran but after his family died during a war, he was discovered by a Mandalorian named Munin Skirata. Kal attacked Munin out of survival instinct and Munin was sympathetic to the young boy rather than angry. Munin adopted Kal and trained him in the Mandalorian ways. He was given the name “Kal” which means blade in Mandalorian.
Kal married and had children but they left him. Out on his own, he answered the call from Jango Fett to help train new soldiers on the planet Kamino. This is where the beginning of Triple Zero begins. As a long time friend of Jango’s, he trusted the work was important and well paying.
Due to the Kaminoans' harsh treatment of the NULLs or “less than perfect” clones, Kal found them to be more than perfect to himself. The Nulls were created as the first batch of clones based on Jango’s DNA but because of their independent thought, they were seen as a liability. Kal renamed them in Mandalorian names and made it his life’s work to ensure their safety and create a brotherhood for them.
After the events of the Clone Wars and all that happens to the clones themselves, Kal spends the rest of his life working towards finding a deaging serum to stop his boys from dying too early. Clones age double to what normal people age and so every year was detrimental to the health of these men. They weren’t meant to live long - in fact, most were just bred to die on the battlefield but because of the few Nulls, Kal made it his purpose to save his men from an early death.
It’s clear to me that when Kal was adopted by Munin when he was child, it had such a profound effect on him that he looked to repay that debt in any way he could. Kal would’ve killed Munin if he wasn’t stopped but yet the Mandalorian was kind to the orphaned boy. Even after years of war and death, Kal never lost that part of him that felt responsible.
There is a ton more to Skirata’s legacy but I hope to experience more of it organically as I read the rest of the books in the series. While I wasn’t in love with Triple Zero, I am looking forward to continuing my journey with the Omega Squad and hope that Skirata gets even more time on the page.