Clone trooper/Legends

"A weapon they are. Obey orders without question for good or ill. For now they fight for us. Who is to say what the future holds?"

- Yoda

Clone troopers were soldiers bred and trained to serve as the Republic's army during the conflict that came to be known as the Clone Wars. Cloned and raised in the pristine stilt-cities of Kamino, the clone troopers, trained and drilled since birth, came to be regarded as one of the best military forces ever to have existed in galactic history. This was not only due to their unrivaled training, but also to their unwavering loyalty to the Galactic Republic and its leader, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

Commissioning and the genetic template
"They grow up loyal to the Republic&mdash;or they don't grow up at all."

- Alpha-17, quoting Jango Fett

The origins of the clone troopers can be traced back to the days before the debacle on Naboo, when it was commissioned by the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas in the name of the Galactic Republic. With the untimely death of Sifo-Dyas, however, the project fell under the supervision of a mysterious man known only as Tyranus.

After a series of stringent tests, Tyranus selected the famed Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett to serve as the army's genetic template. When the Kaminoans suggested creating the army using a Force-sensitive donor, Tyranus quickly squelched the idea. Before iniating the gestation process, the Kaminoans tampered with Fett's DNA, selecting behavioral genes having to do with such qualities as loyalty, aggression, independence, and discipline. This resulted in soldiers that were more obedient and more reliable than unaltered ones would have been. Only a small batch of one-hundred clones, which came to be the Advanced Recon Commandos, did not undergo these gene modifications. While it is often rumored that the clone's swift execution of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Order 66 was a result of genetic programming, the truth is that it was due solely to their ingrained loyalty to the Republic.

The Kaminoan's first foray into exploring Fett's DNA resulted in the creation of twelve prototype clones, only six of which managed to survive the gestation process. The clones, which came to be the infamous Null-class ARC troopers, were the results of an enhanced Fett genome. The experiment, however, was perceived as a failure by the Kaminoans due to the low birth-rate and no further such clones were created. The six that did survive were prevented from operating in the field due to their extreme independence and presumed unpredictability. As a result, they remained loyal only to their training sergeant, Kal Skirata.

Training
"They're trained from day one to be more obedient than us."

- Atin

As the clones matured, Fett took a hiatus from his bounty-hunting career in order to oversee the training of his soldiers. Fett personalized the clone's training regimen, and even had a hand in designing their armor. In order to make them available to the Republic as quickly as possible, all of the clones underwent genetic modification designed to hasten the growth process. As a result, each clone aged at twice the rate of a normal Human. By the age of ten, a clone would be physically fit and ready for combat. Clones that displayed an unusual or abnormal amount of individuality or independence were often reconditioned or reassigned. Clones that did not meet the Kaminoans' exacting standards more often than not found themselves mysteriously disappearing in the late hours of the night. This was the case with a company of clones whose vision was not quite 20/20.

All clone troopers received basic training in core military skills, such as weapons handling, marksmanship, and other essentials. The Advanced Recon Commandos received highly specialized training from Jango Fett himself, while their counterparts, the clone commandos, received training from a group of former Mandalorian mercenaries, which Fett dubbed the Cuy'val Dar. Officers (sergeants, lieutenants, captains, majors, and commanders) were drilled in how to effectively lead their men in the heat of combat. In clone trooper training sessions, a 2% fatality rate was the maximum allowed.

Every aspect of clone trooper behavior was governed by the Command Code.

Mandalorian heritage
"They'll do their job well, I guarantee that."

- Jango Fett

During their development, Jango Fett made a point of instilling the Mandalorian ethos into each and every one of the clones, presumably to carry on the Mandalorian legacy. This was particularly true of the army's upper echelon and special forces. This quickly spread to include Mando'a, the language of the Mandalorians, the use of which became widespread among the clones. The Mandalorian influence was particularly strong among the Republic commandos, as nearly all of those who had trained them were once Mandalorian warriors. When the Sith had their revenge with the execution of Order 66, the Mandalorians, in a way, got theirs too.

After clones from different templates and birth-born recruits were added to the stormtrooper ranks, it is likely that the Mandalorian culture in the once pure Jango Fett clone army gradually phased out as the Fett clones became a minority in the Stormtrooper Corps.

Armor


The first year of the Clone Wars saw the Republic's army outfitted in what is commonly referred to as Phase I armor. The armor, designed under the close supervision of Jango Fett, closely resembled the armor of the Mandalorian supercommandos, the most obvious example of which is the helmet's distinctive T-shaped visor. The armor itself was comprised of twenty form-fitting plates of plastoid-alloy composite, all sealed to a black body glove. All together, the armor weighed just under forty kilograms. In spite of its bulkiness, the armor allowed for a reasonable range of motion.

The armor's principle drawback, no doubt rooted in the Kaminoans' limited knowledge of Human anatomy, made the armor intensely uncomfortable to sit down in. Phase I armor was also notoriously ineffectual against sustained shrapnel downwash and concentrated blaster-fire. Because of this, the armor was routinely referred to as a "body bucket" by those with close ties to the GAR. In an obvious reflection of the stark sensibilities of its Kaminoan creators, standard infantryman armor was issued with a pristine-white coat of paint. Officers' armor, however, featured colored stripes running the length of their arms and helmets that denoted their rank and position within the army.



With the introduction of Phase II armor in the second year of the war, however, armor coloration came to denote division affiliation as opposed to rank. In addition, the enhanced version's introduction saw a rise in personalization and the modification of one's armor. The state-of-the-art armor also featured an improved heads-up display in the helmet and put an end to the discomfort that came with sitting down. It was also somewhat more durable than the flimsy Phase I armor.

Clone trooper armor was generously equipped with advanced battle aids from its inception. The clone trooper's armor formed the foundation of an integrated system of which their vehicles, such as the LAAT, formed part. Individual troopers could receive command signals and relay their status via this system, and could transmit video imagery from their helmet visors. Their helmets were equipped with multi-spectral imaging that could penetrate smoke, fog, and other typical battlefield obstructions. In addition, their blaster rifles could interface with their helmet displays, providing a video gunsight on their helmet's heads-up display. The armor was heat resistant, allowing clones to pass through shields as droids could, as well as deflecting glancing blaster shots and dampening direct hits enough to improve the chances of survival.

Kit
The typical infantry soldier was issued with a standard DC-15 rifle or its more compact counterpart, the DC-15 blaster carbine. In addition, clone troopers often carried one or more grenades of varying types, such as Merr-Sonn V-1 thermal detonators, concussion grenades and/or EC (electro-static charge) detonators. The pouches and compartments of a trooper's highly functional utility belt contained various equipment, including a grappling hook, spare ammunition, and a rudimentary medical kit containing enough synthflesh and bacta to keep a wounded soldier alive until a medic could arrive.

The Clone Wars
"An army of one man, but the right man for the job!"

- Clone trooper rallying call

With the abduction of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala by Count Dooku and his Separatists, the stage was set for the first conflict of the coming Clone Wars. The Grand Army of the Republic made its debut on the barren plains of Geonosis. Within the first hour, the clones, under the command of Jedi Generals such as Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi, had destroyed large numbers of battle droids (though they received heavy casualties themselves) and had prevented the construction of millions more with the capture of the planet's droid foundries. 192,000 troops managed to force the droid army to retreat in a matter of hours, with their combined ground and air assault.

The Grand Army's success on wind-swept Geonosis marked the beginning of the Clone Wars, a conflict into which the Republic's clone troops were flung headfirst. As more and more worlds declared their allegiance to Dooku's Confederacy, the troopers of the Grand Army found themselves being shipped off to the farthest and most obscure corners of the Galaxy. As their experience increased, so did their prowess. However, their victories more often than not came at a steep price. As of the Second Battle of Cato Neimoidia, towards the end of the war, a large fraction of the GAR's clones were either dead or too badly injured to ever fight again.

A face and a name
"Come on, boss, when have I ever let you down?"

- Commander Cody to Obi-Wan Kenobi



When the Grand Army was first unveiled on Geonosis, the Galaxy thought the clone troopers no better than their droid counterparts; faceless soldiers, sworn to lay their lives on the line for a Republic in which they had no stake, cannon fodder with no minds or lives of their own.

This attitude began to change, however, as casualties mounted. As the Clone Wars progressed, the Jedi formed a sense of attachment to the clones that they led and treated them as individuals rather than the soulless droids they battled throughout the war-torn Galaxy. Though this caused confusion for many clones at first, most of whom had grown to believe themselves to be no more than a product, they too began to develop genuine respect and admiration for their Jedi leaders. Many Jedi generals even befriended the clones during the war, such as in the case of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Clone Commander Cody, Aayla Secura and Bly, and many more as well.

At the behest of their Jedi Generals, clone troopers were allowed to adopt names to go along with their impersonal serial numbers. In further recognition of the clones as living beings as opposed to battle droids, the clones were allowed to customize their Phase II armor, which greatly increased the morale of the soldiers with a sense of pride and individuality.

The Great Jedi Purge
"The clone troopers, now proudly wearing the name of Imperial stormtroopers, have tackled the dangerous work of fighting our enemies on the front lines. Many have died in their devotion to the Empire. Imperial citizens would do well to remember their example."

- Emperor Palpatine during the Declaration of a New Order



Though the clone troopers had grown to respect and even like the Jedi they served in protecting the Galaxy in the name of peace and justice, they had been indoctrinated with absolue loyalty to the Galactic Republic, no matter what the case. Through the ever-increasing emergency powers of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the Chancellor had virtually become the Republic itself, thus all of the clones became ultimately answerable to his authority.

When Order 66 was finally initiated, the clones displayed their unwavering loyalty to the Republic by quickly executing their Jedi leaders with cold-blooded efficiency. Every clone had their own reaction to the order. Some thought of it as just another executive order to carry out, many more were genuinely shocked and uncertain as to why they had been ordered to turn on the Jedi, but virtually all of the clones followed the order without question or hesitation.

Throughout the Galaxy, the clones swiftly executed the Jedi, all of whom had grown to trust the clones with their lives; it was a fatal mistake for the entire Jedi Order. The very troops that they led to win the war after countless numbers of battles had betrayed them in cold blood without so much as a second thought. To the clones, Order 66 labeled every Jedi as a traitor to the Republic that had to be eliminated immediately. From the clones' perspective, they were merely carrying out a legal order; they felt no animosity or hatred against the Jedi as they levelled their weapons against their former commanders. This was the sole reason as to why the Jedi could not sense the clones' betrayal until it was too late. However, some commandos, such as Ion Team, who had been gifted with more individuality and morals than the average clone, refused to carry out the order, believing it to be illegitimate.

Only after so many Jedi had died were some able to detect the treachery, such as in the case of Jedi Master Yoda. Some Jedi, like Roan Shryne and his friends, managed to escape through luck. Yet, it was too late. By the time Kenobi and Yoda returned to Coruscant, the once mighty Jedi Order had been nearly eradicated to the last Master, Knight, and Padawan.

With the decimation of the Jedi Order and the raid on its temple, the loyal clone troopers of the Republic quickly became known as Imperial stormtroopers. The clones of Jango Fett that originally comprised the Grand Army were reorganized into the Stormtrooper Corps. The military would, for the most part, continue to remain as the exclusive province of the Jango Fett clones for another decade until Palpatine (now the Emperor) decided that an army of genetically identical clones presented too many possibilities of turning against him, just as they had done to the Jedi. Thus, it was through this radical reform that the Fett clones would gradually become overshadowed under a pool of clones from different genetic templates and many more birth-born recruits. None of the Fett clones, especially those belonging to the "Fett-pure" 501st Legion would ever truly grow used to fighting alongside the non-Fett stormtroopers that they dubbed as the "new guys".

During the reign of the Empire, those clones became lost in a sea of recruits, conscripts, and clones made from other templates. Although support for Palpatine's New Order was generally high at the time of the Great Jedi Purge, the people of the Galaxy would soon learn that the white-armored soldiers who had once sworn to protect Republic/Imperial citizens with their lives would now spread fear and terror throughout the Empire.

Special unit divisions

 * 5th Fleet Security
 * 38th Armored Division
 * 41st Elite Legion
 * 91st Reconnaissance Corps
 * 212th Attack Battalion
 * 327th Star Corps
 * 182nd Legion
 * 442nd Siege Battalion
 * 501st Legion
 * Combat Engineer Battalion
 * Galactic Marines
 * Homeworld Security Command
 * Sky Corps
 * Squad Seven
 * Lancer Battalion
 * 9th Assault Corps
 * 7th Sky Corps
 * Mace Windu's Attack Battalion

Specialized clone troopers


The initial clone trooper units produced included a limited number of soldiers trained for specialized roles, such as piloting or command. As the Clone Wars progressed, the Grand Army became increasingly specialized, leading to the development of units specialized for specific environments, equipment use or combat roles.

Combat role-specialized variants

 * Null-class Advanced Recon Commandos, though not initially activated due to instability and madness, were the lead intelligence units.
 * Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commandos represented the GAR's most elite and deadly soldiers.
 * Clone trooper commanders combined enhanced tactical knowledge with advanced combat skills.
 * Clone commandos trained, lived, and worked together in four unit teams to perform covert and commando style actions. They were as deadly and efficient as the ARC troopers.
 * Covert-Ops troopers and Republic shadow troopers offered stealth advantages.
 * Clone recon troopers carried out reconnaissance and surveilance for Jedi Generals.
 * Clone anti-Imperial troopers were designed specifically for the Kamino Uprising against the Imperial stormtroopers.
 * Clone marines were trained specifically to attack Separatist boarding parties during a space battle or sabotage enemy capital ships.

Environment-specialized variants

 * Clone jet trooper provided aerial tactics with jetpacks.
 * Clone cold assault troopers, trained specifically for battle and survival in extremely cold regions.
 * Clone scout troopers and clone swamp troopers, camouflaged and trained for recon on harsh terrain.
 * Clone SCUBA troopers, adapted to work and fight underwater.
 * Clone shock troopers, assigned to Homeworld Security Command and tasked with enforcing law and order on Coruscant.

Equipment-specialized variants

 * AT-RT drivers piloted AT-RT walkers.
 * AT-TE commanders led the massive AT-TE walkers.
 * BARC troopers, special BARC speeder riders.
 * Clone assassins operated as snipers and melee combatants.
 * Clone blaze troopers and clone trooper grenadiers provided heavy, close range anti-troop firepower.
 * Clone lancer troopers operated speeder bikes and joust with power lances.
 * Clone trooper pilots were trained to fly anything from a military speeder to a Venator-class Star Destroyer and serve as field technicians.
 * Clone paratroopers were a elite group of clones specially made for low combat jumps with specialized helmets and armor.

Rank notation
In the start of the Clone Wars, rank of the troopers was determined by color worn on their helmet, arm and shoulder armor.




 * White&mdash;Private (standard trooper).
 * Olive green&mdash;Sergeant; commanded squads made of 9 troops.
 * Blue&mdash;Lieutenant; commanded platoons made of 4 squads (36 troops).
 * Red&mdash;Captain; commanded companies made of 4 platoons (144 troops).
 * Yellow&mdash;Commander; commanded regiments made of 16 companies (2,304 troops). Many of these commanders were grown with more capacity for independent thought than their troops, and were sometimes known by names rather than numbers. They also received training from the ARC trooper Alpha-17, or Alpha as he was more commonly known. Notable clone commanders included Cody, Bly, Gree, Bacara, Appo, Neyo, Thire, Keller, and Salvo.

With the development and distribution of Phase II clone trooper armor, clone troopers no longer used color markings to denote rank. Instead, color patterns on troop armor signified legion designation and position.

Designations

 * Clone trooper commander: CC- or CRC-.
 * Null-class Advanced Recon Commando: N- or Null-.
 * Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commando: A- or Alpha-.
 * Clone commando: RC- (for "Republic commando").
 * Clone trooper captain to clone trooper: CT-.
 * Clone trooper lieutenant: CL-.

Behind the scenes
All of the clone troopers were digitally created in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Their voices were provided by Temuera Morrison, who also provided the faces for Commander Cody, Odd Ball, and Captain Jai'galaar, wearing a blue bodysuit that would be replaced in post production by the character's clone trooper armor. Morrison would also provide the voice of clones in many games, principally Star Wars: Republic Commando (while the regular clones' voices were provided by Roger Jackson) and the Battlefront series. Younger clones were portrayed by Daniel Logan (in Attack of the Clones) and Bodie Taylor (in both Clones and Sith). In the Clone Wars cartoon, the voice of the clone troopers was provided by André Sogliuzzo. In the Revenge of the Sith game, Andrew Chaikin provided the voice of the clone troopers.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Republic Commando
 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * Shatterpoint
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Equipment
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Odds
 * The Cestus Deception
 * MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
 * MedStar II: Jedi Healer
 * Jedi Trial
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith