After Return of the Jedi, the Empire was falling apart, but Luke Skywalker was not finished crossing paths with Imperial soldiers.
In Star Wars Battlefront II, Luke ends up on the planet Pillio, where one of Palpatine’s secret observatories is hidden. At the same time, Del Meeko, a member of Inferno Squad, is sent there on an Imperial mission.
What makes the story interesting is that Luke does not treat Del like an enemy who deserves to be left behind. When Del is trapped and asks for help, Luke saves him.
So why did Luke Skywalker help an Imperial agent, and what did they find inside Palpatine’s hidden observatory?
Luke Arrived On Pillio Because Of The Force
In Star Wars Battlefront II, Luke Skywalker travels to a planet called Pillio not long after the fall of the Emperor.
Hidden on the planet was one of Palpatine’s secret observatories, basically a locked vault where the Emperor kept things he did not want anyone else to find.
At the same time, an Imperial agent named Del Meeko was sent there by the Empire. His mission was to get inside the observatory and destroy what Palpatine had left behind.
But Luke was not there for the Empire’s mission. He came because he felt something through the Force. Something on Pillio was calling to him.
When Luke eventually reaches the observatory, we see what he was being led toward: an old Jedi compass hidden among Palpatine’s collection. The Emperor had kept it locked away with the rest of his relics, but Luke sensed that it belonged with the Jedi, not inside one of Palpatine’s vaults.
Luke Saved Del Meeko Because He Asked For Help
When Luke finds Del Meeko on Pillio, Del is not standing there ready to fight him. He is trapped inside a cave, caught by the planet’s native creatures, and he needs help getting out. Del is still an Imperial agent at this point, so from his side, seeing Luke Skywalker walk in probably feels like the worst possible timing.
But Luke does not treat him like someone who should be left behind. He cuts Del free and saves him. Del knows exactly who Luke is, so he asks the obvious question: why would Luke help him? Luke simply says: “Because you asked.”
Del needs to reach the Emperor’s observatory and disable its defenses, while Luke believes the place is connected to whatever called him to Pillio through the Force. The two fight through the skritters, reach the observatory, and use both Del’s technical skills and Luke’s Force sensitivity to open it.
Inside, Del expects to find something dangerous, but most of what Palpatine kept there looks like old relics and strange artifacts. Luke, however, finds what he was meant to find: a Jedi compass hidden among the Emperor’s collection.
Del lets Luke keep it, even though his mission was to destroy the observatory and everything inside. By that point, Luke has already saved him more than once, and Del has seen enough to know the Jedi is not what Imperial propaganda made him believe.
Before they part ways, Luke tells Del that he can feel conflict in him. Del admits he knows what the Empire is capable of, but asks what else there is.
Luke does not tell him to join the Rebellion. He tells him there is a choice, a choice to be better.