Chopper (clone trooper)/Legends

"Chopper" was the nickname of a clone trooper who served in Clone Sergeant Slick's platoon during the Clone Wars. An aggressive trooper, Chopper was scarred during a battle droid ambush on Geonosis, and held a grudge against his Separatist adversaries. In 22 BBY, he was dispatched with a Jedi-led contingent of the Grand Army of the Republic to liberate the planet of Christophsis from the Confederacy. Chopper joined his unit on reconnoitering the planet for a strategical ambush site, but the Confederacy was able to ambush the Republic forces.

After the clone troopers returned to the planet's Republic base in Crystal City, Chopper hid in the base's south exit and strung together stolen fingers of droids from the battlefield as a symbol of his hatred for them. When Clone Captain CC-7567 and Clone Commander CC-2224 interrogated the members of Slick's platoon to locate a possible Confederate spy, Chopper at first lied about his whereabouts, and his sergeant suggested that he was the spy. However, Slick himself was revealed to be the turncoat and was apprehended.

Chopper would later fight in the Second Battle of Geonosis. Along with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was the only survivor of his downed LAAT/i.

Biography
The clone trooper nicknamed "Chopper" was a clone of bounty hunter Jango Fett, born on the planet of Kamino to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic. During the Clone Wars, he sustained heavy scarring from a battle droid ambush on Geonosis, and his right eye was also discolored in battle, causing him to hold the Separatist droids in contempt. A member of Clone Sergeant Slick's platoon, Chopper was dispatched with a contingent of the Republic Army&mdash;under the command of High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker&mdash;to liberate the planet of Christophsis from the Confederacy in 22 BBY. Slick's unit reconnoitered the planet and located the North and South towers in Crystal City as a suitable site from which to ambush the Confederate droids. While returning to the Republic base, the platoon came across a group of B1 battle droids that were attempting to clear a major boulevard of Christophsians.

The battle droids discovered a crippled Christophsian and discussed killing the man, but the refugees diverted the droids' attention to the clones. The troopers intervened and eliminated the droids, after which Chopper threw one of the battle droid's legs at the disabled man and insulted him out of his contempt for their cowardice, before returning to the base with his platoon. Later, Slick's unit was stationed in the South tower with Kenobi and Clone Commander CC-2224, while Skywalker and Clone Captain CC-7567 were based with their troopers in the parallel North tower. The Republic troops prepared to attack the Confederate droids below, but the approaching droid column unexpectedly split in two, and battle droids arrived in the South tower and ambushed the clones. Skywalker and his men arrived in the South tower to reinforce Kenobi's group, and taking a turbolift to the roof of the tower, the Republic forces escaped in clone pilot Hawk's LAAT/i gunship.

After the Republic forces had returned to their base, Chopper hid in the base's south exit and strung battle droid fingers&mdash;items that were forbidden to be taken from a battlefield&mdash;together in a necklace as a symbol of his hatred for the droids. Chopper trooper later went to the mess hall. During investigations regarding the possibility of a Confederate spy amongst their ranks, CC-2224 and CC-7567&mdash;nicknamed "Cody" and "Rex," respectively&mdash;traced an irregular wavelength in external communications to Slick's barracks. Suspecting that one of the sergeant's men was the turncoat, the two clone officers called the platoon to individually interrogate each soldier in the unit's quarters. Seeking to hide his droid finger necklace, Chopper claimed that he had immediately gone to the mess hall. However, fellow trooper Sketch challenged his alibi, forcing Chopper to reveal his actions.

Slick suggested that Chopper was the spy, but while stating to the trooper his right to silence, the sergeant revealed that he was aware that the Jedi had left on a confidential mission to search for information. Chopper retaliated at Slick and said that he had spotted his sergeant entering the base's command center, and Cody then confronted Slick on his knowledge of the Jedi's mission; Slick would not have known about the Jedi's confidential mission unless he was the spy who had been eavesdropping on the Jedi and clone officers earlier. Revealed as the spy, Slick knocked Cody and Chopper over before fleeing, and after Slick severely damaged the Republic's gunships, AT-TE walkers, and weapons depot, he was spotted running into the base's command center. The two clone officers ordered Slick's platoon to secure the perimeter, and Rex and Cody managed to apprehend the traitorous Slick.

Personality and traits
"Of all the blasted&hellip; You want a crutch? Try this one! 'Fraid I don't have a spine for you!"

- Chopper insults a crippled Christophsian

Chopper dyed and shaved his hair, but had heavy scarring across the right side of his head from a battle droid ambush, and his right eye was discolored from an injury in battle. Slick noted that Chopper had skill in battle. Chopper held a grudge against the Confederate battle droids, feeling that they "owed him." His hatred for the droids led him to express crude humor when a crippled Christophsian attempted to use a severed droid leg for a crutch. Chopper attempted to hide the fact that he had stolen droid fingers from the battlefield, an action equivalent to cutting off pieces of a corpse and taking them as mementos, but his lie about his whereabouts was eventually revealed. When Slick suggested that Chopper was the traitor, the trooper was quick to confront his own sergeant on his actions after returning to the base.

Behind the scenes
Chopper first appeared in The Clone Wars web comic Shadowed, and went on to appear in "The Hidden Enemy," the episode of the television series' 2008-2009 first season that the comic led into. In the episode, he was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who provided the voice for all of the series' clone characters.

During the preparations for the attack on the Separatists from the South tower portrayed in the opening of "The Hidden Enemy," Chopper was to originally help set up a sabotage droid nicknamed "The Beast" that was to lure the battle droids into the Republic's ambush. His visible attachment for the droid would have contrasted with his willingness to "casually" disobey war protocols and string together battle droid fingers later in the episode. As indicated by the script, the Beast would be unsuccessful, and the clones would be forced to retreat. However, the scene was ultimately cut to keep the battle focused on the clones fighting droids and not the confusing element of the troopers themselves utilizing droids against the Separatists.

Appearances

 * The Clone Wars: Shadowed

Notes and references
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