Chapter 11 of Star Wars Zero Company forces a hard moment. During the Stillwatch mission, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine issues his secret military order, and the game hands you control of Trick with instructions to execute the Republic “traitors.” Progress only continues once you fire on one of your own teammates, after which control returns to Hawks and the rest of the squad for a fight against Trick and the Stillwatch battalion.
Quick answer: You cannot finish the Stillwatch mission without defeating Trick. The story does not advance until he goes down, so treat the fight as mandatory. He survives the encounter and rejoins your team later.
You cannot avoid defeating Trick in Stillwatch
There is no hidden path, dialogue choice, or tactic that lets you clear this mission with Trick still standing. Several obvious workarounds fail outright.
| What you might try | Result |
|---|---|
| Skipping your turn after clearing the Stillwatch battalion | Trick keeps attacking |
| Meleeing Trick down to almost no health without finishing him | He refuses to stand down |
| Reloading an older save and leaving Trick off your operator roster | He joins the mission anyway |
Because none of these change the outcome, the fastest route is to defeat him and move on. The story is scripted to continue only after Trick is down.
Does Trick die during Stillwatch?
No. Defeating Trick in the Stillwatch mission does not kill him. Hawks brings him back to The Den, where M-3VO treats his wounds in the medbay. He is out of action for a stretch, but he is not lost from your roster.
Note: This is a story-driven event, not a permadeath outcome. Even players on higher difficulties, where saves are limited and characters can be lost for good in normal combat, do not lose Trick here.
When Trick rejoins your squad
Trick returns to the team after you complete the Deep Cover critical mission. That mission becomes available roughly halfway through the Back to Business chapter, so you only go without him for a handful of missions.
If you are working toward maxing out his bonds or finishing both of his crewmate missions, this short absence does not block that progress. Once Deep Cover is done, he is back in the rotation as a usable operator.
The takeaway is straightforward. The Stillwatch confrontation looks like a point of no return for Trick, but it is a temporary setback written into the story. Take the fight, let M-3VO patch him up, and clear Deep Cover to have him back on your squad.
