Advanced Recon Commando/Legends



ARC troopers, more formally known as Advanced Recon Commandos, were elite special forces of clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic. At the behest of its military advisors and the prime clone, the creators of the clone army deemed its infantile grunts as the first stage of a greater organization bent upon victory for their client. To combat the first stage army's disability with covert and more delicate mission sets, two additional batches of clones were created. Both genetically altered to grow as fast as all their brothers but only one was developed without behavior correction. Underneath the harsh waters of Kamino, they began life like any of their grunt brothers receiving the art of war through flash data. As time passed, the future ARC troopers found themselves under the direct tutelage of the prime host (father of the clones) himself, Jango Fett. Under Jango's strict discipline they learned to use their fierce independence, innate creativity, and physical superiority beyond the limits that Jango had personally set. Their training taken as far as Kaminoan secrecy allowed was considered completed before their kind was needed and the Clone Masters' growing fear of their defiant nature kept the stalwart soldiers within stasis on Kamino. Only until the cloning facilities themselves became threatened by the Confederacy of Independent Systems were they activated. During the Battle of Kamino, the ARC troopers were reintegrated into the Grand Army of the Republic. As the ARCs took their place in the larger world, a great number developed distinct personalities due to their unaltered nature; some gave themselves names, others formed relationships outside the GAR.

Known Actions
Throughout the war, a majority of the ARC led missions were huge successes.


 * During the defense of the major cloning facilities on Tipoca City, Kamino, Alpha (A-17) was the lone survivor to oversee the final victory over the Confederacy's ground forces. When the Gungan moon colony of Ohma-D'un was attacked, a Jedi strike team and Alpha was sent to subdue a CIS bio-chemical weapon test and a trap set by the bounty hunter Durge and Separatist Commander Asajj Ventress. A-17 was also present during the opening conflicts of the Battle of Jabiim wherein he was captured along with General Obi-Wan Kenobi and was brought to the planet Rattatak. Both broke free from their captors and fled to the city of Riflor wherein they were rescued by Commander Anakin Skywalker. Due to his amassed experiences in almost any combat situation and service to the Jedi generals, Alpha was reassigned to conduct the Clone Commander Program.


 * The instrumental sabotage of Muunilinst's defense artillery and successful capture of the InterGalactic Banking Clan's leaders to justice is credited to a squad of ARC troopers and their captain, Fordo. Soon after the battle, Fordo and other ARCs were able to rescue many of the Jedi survivors at Hypori.


 * As a testament to the ARC's autonomous nature, Nate (A-98) later known as Jangotat, "reinterpreted" his standing orders to stand down in light of new data significant to the mission at hand. Already abhorrent to his docile brethren, Nate went out alone and saved millions of native Cestian lives by unraveling an ensnared situation created by Confederacy forces at the price of his own life. Before his death he is also accredited to having secured the planet Ord Cestus from hostile forces through training a local resistance that undermined the planet's economy.

Ordnance


Most ARC troopers were armed with heavy blaster rifles, reverse-polarity pulse grenades and, on occasion, PLX-1 missile launchers. They wore advanced versions of clone trooper amour with ceremonial kama that displayed rank and honor insignia.

Behind the scenes
ARC troopers first appeared in the Republic comic series (specifically, Star Wars: Republic 50, the Defense of Kamino), and took center stage in chapters 2 and 3 of the Clone Wars micro-series.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Republic 50
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Battlefront
 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader