You cannot stop Trick from turning against Zero Company during Stillwatch, and there is no alternate choice that lets you finish the mission without defeating him. The good news is that defeating Trick does not kill him, and he can eventually return as a usable Operator later in the story.

Jump To Section:
Can You Save Trick?
What Happens in Stillwatch?
Can You Avoid Fighting Trick?
Does Trick Die?
How to Get Trick Back
Best Party for Stillwatch

Can You Save Trick in Star Wars Zero Company?

Not in the sense of preventing what happens during Stillwatch. Trick turning hostile is a scripted story event, and you have to defeat him to complete the mission.

There isn't a hidden dialogue option, squad combination, non-lethal takedown route, or alternate objective that lets you talk him down. Even leaving Trick out of your deployed squad doesn't prevent the confrontation.

However, that doesn't mean Trick is permanently lost.

Zero Company separates the unavoidable Stillwatch fight from Trick's actual fate. You have to fight him now, but you haven't ruined his storyline by doing so.

What Happens to Trick During Stillwatch?

Stillwatch takes place during the events surrounding Order 66. Because Trick is a Clone, the inhibitor chip compels him to turn against Zero Company once the order is issued.

The sequence is scripted. You'll briefly control Trick and are forced to fire on one of your former allies before control returns to Hawks and the rest of the squad.

From there, Trick fights alongside the Stillwatch forces and becomes one of the enemies you need to deal with before the mission can end.

If you're searching for a way to save him because the game suddenly gives you an objective to defeat one of your own Operators, you haven't missed an earlier loyalty decision. This is supposed to happen.

Can You Avoid Fighting or Defeating Trick?

No. Players have tried several obvious workarounds, and none change the outcome.

Skipping turns after dealing with the other enemies doesn't cause Trick to surrender. Bringing his health extremely low without finishing him doesn't trigger another conversation. Reloading an earlier save and entering Stillwatch without Trick selected doesn't prevent him from appearing either.

Trick continues fighting until you defeat him, so there is no benefit to deliberately dragging out the encounter in hopes of unlocking a secret condition.

I would just treat defeating Trick as the actual mission objective rather than worrying that dealing the final hit will permanently remove him from the campaign.

Does Trick Die If You Defeat Him?

No. This is the important part that isn't obvious while you're actually playing Stillwatch.

After the mission, Trick can be found inside a bacta tank at the base. Dialogue establishes that he survived the confrontation but is in a coma.

So while Zero Company forces you to defeat him, the encounter isn't secretly asking you to choose between campaign progress and keeping Trick alive.

There also doesn't appear to be a different outcome based on how you defeat him. You don't need to finish the fight with melee damage, leave him at a particular health value, or use a specific Operator.

How to Get Trick Back as an Operator

After Stillwatch, continue playing through the main story normally. You don't need to complete a secret side mission or make a special dialogue choice to begin Trick's return.

Eventually, you'll reach the main story mission Deep Cover. During that mission, Rex explains that some Clones have successfully had their inhibitor chips removed.

Trick is then taken from the bacta tank to undergo the same procedure.

Once Deep Cover is completed, a cutscene shows Hawks reuniting with Trick. He returns wearing new commando armor and becomes available as an Operator again with his previous abilities.

Because Deep Cover is a main story mission, Trick's recovery is not something you need to discover through optional exploration. Keep progressing the campaign and you'll reach it naturally.

When Does Trick Come Back?

Trick does not return immediately after Stillwatch. There is a stretch of the campaign where he remains unavailable while recovering in the bacta tank.

One documented playthrough reached Deep Cover around Cycle 29, but I wouldn't treat Cycle 29 as an exact universal unlock requirement. Cycle timing can vary depending on how you spend your available missions and campaign opportunities.

The more reliable milestone is Deep Cover itself. Once that main story mission becomes available, you're approaching the point where Trick rejoins the squad.

One Useful Stillwatch Party Trick

Since Trick's betrayal can't be prevented, there is at least one thing you can do before Stillwatch to make the squad situation less awkward.

Don't select Trick as one of your normal deployed Operators if you're trying to maximize how many usable allies you have once the mission changes. He's going hostile regardless of whether you brought him yourself.

Tel is also brought into the sequence automatically after a cutscene, so using both Tel and Trick as your initial selections wastes opportunities to bring other Operators who can remain useful once the scripted events begin.

This doesn't change Trick's fate, but it does let you plan around a confrontation that the game is going to force either way.

So, Should You Worry About Saving Trick?

No. There is nothing you need to redo before Stillwatch.

Trick will always succumb to Order 66, you will always have to defeat him, and he will always survive the battle. Continue through the story until Deep Cover, where the inhibitor chip is removed and Trick eventually rejoins Zero Company.

If your concern is simply that attacking him during Stillwatch might permanently kill one of your Operators, you're safe to finish the mission. The fight is mandatory; Trick's loss is temporary.

Star Wars Zero Company