Slick

"It's the Jedi who keep my brothers enslaved. We do your bidding. We serve at your whim. I just wanted something more."

- Slick, to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker

"Slick" was the nickname of a Clone Sergeant who served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Early in the war, he came to believe that the Jedi Order, which commanded the clone army, was using him and his fellow clone troopers as slaves in their war against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He secretly turned against the interests of the Republic and began to pass information to Asajj Ventress, a Sith acolyte of the Separatist leader Count Dooku, in exchange for money and freedom.

Slick's duplicity came to light during the Battle of Christophsis, one of the earliest engagements of the war. He passed information to Ventress regarding the specifics of a Republic operation, which led the clone forces and their Jedi leaders, Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, into an ambush. The Jedi and the two clone commanding officers, Clone Commander Cody and Clone Captain Rex, realized that this meant there was a spy among their ranks.

While the Jedi set off to infiltrate the Separatist headquarters to learn more, Cody and Rex investigated the Republic base. They discovered Slick's actions once he accidentally let slip that he knew the Jedi had left the Republic base, and Slick led the clone officers on a chase throughout the complex. Once he was captured, Slick berated the Jedi for what he saw as their treatment of his clone brothers, and he was taken into custody on Cody's orders.

Early life
The clone of bounty hunter Jango Fett who would earn the nickname "Slick" was born from one of the first batches of clone troopers created by the Kaminoan cloners for the Grand Army of the Republic. Slick became a Clone Sergeant and was deployed into service during the Clone Wars, the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in which the clones were created to fight. Slick also eventually led a group of fellow clones that included the troopers Chopper, Gus, Jester, Punch, and Sketch, and he considered his clones the best of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Ambush in the city
"You think someone infiltrated our defenses?''" "Possibly. It'd have to be someone cunning and resourceful enough to gain access to all our plans." "But that still wouldn't explain how they got our intel." "''You're right. They wouldn't act alone. They'd have someone working with them."

- Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Slick saw action at the Battle of Geonosis, the first battle of the war. In the chaos of the battle, Slick came to believe that the Jedi who led the battle were not competent commanders. In the battle's aftermath, the Separatists struck swiftly into the Outer Rim Territories and targeted the planet Christophsis. The people of Christophsis initially attempted to defend the planet themselves but were forced to call for assistance from the Jedi Order and the Grand Army of the Republic. Clone troopers, under the command of Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, were deployed to Christophsis, where they planned to attack the Separatist Droid Army in one of the planet's cities.

Believing that the defeat of the Jedi would bring an early end to the war, and free his fellow clones from indentured servitude, Slick turned against the Republic's interests on Christophsis. Secretly and of his own accord, Slick began providing information about Republic operations to Asajj Ventress, the Sith acolyte of Separatist Head of State Count Dooku. Ventress offered him money to join the Separatists, but Slick's only interest was freedom. Despite this change in allegiance, he still cared for and loved his fellow clones. He saw what he was doing as striking a blow for all of them and sent a transmission to the Separatists every few days.

With the Republic ready to launch its attack, the Jedi-led clone forces positioned themselves inside two large towers, from which they would ambush approaching battle droid forces. Slick was stationed with Kenobi and Clone Commander CC-2224&mdash;nicknamed "Cody"&mdash;in the south tower, while General Skywalker and Clone Captain CT-7567&mdash;nicknamed "Rex"&mdash;held the position in the north tower. Using the information that Slick provided to their leaders, the Separatist droids ambushed Kenobi's forces in the south tower. Skywalker, Rex, and their clones arrived from the north tower to reinforce Kenobi's overwhelmed soldiers, and both teams made it to the tower's roof to evacuate aboard a LAAT/i gunship. As a result of Slick's actions, the operation ended in failure for the Jedi and the Republic.

The clone forces returned to the Republic's base in the aftermath of their failed attack. Although most of Slick's unit headed for the base's barracks and mess hall, Slick departed from his troops and brought his comlink to the command center, leaving it activated so he could overhear the impending conversations between the Jedi and clone commanders. While eavesdropping on the leaders, Slick overheard Kenobi and Skywalker come to the conclusion that there was a spy in the base who had passed information to the Separatists. He also learned that the two Jedi planned to infiltrate the Separatist base to investigate the situation, while Cody and Rex would remain behind and search for the spy. After the Jedi left, Cody discovered the comlink, and Rex found Slick in the hallway, though Rex did not recognize Slick due to the distance between them. Slick ran from the clone officers and hid in the mess hall, which was filled with other identical clones. Although Cody and Rex lost Slick's trail, the lack of non-clones in the mess hall led them to realize that the spy had to be a clone trooper.

Duplicity discovered
"Sergeant, what did you mean, 'till the Jedi come back?' How did you know the Jedi were gone?''" "''I really wish you hadn't noticed that, sir."

- Commander Cody learns that Slick is the Separatist spy

Having safely outrun Cody and Rex, Slick reported Kenobi and Skywalker's mission to Ventress, who planned to confront the two Jedi in the Separatist base. Cody and Rex determined that the computer terminal used to contact the Separatists was located in the barracks for Slick's team, so they approached Slick about the idea that there could be a spy in their midst. Slick feigned incredulity and said that his forces were the best, and that they could not possibly assist the Separatists.

However, Cody and Rex called the soldiers into the barracks. Slick requested that he be allowed to discuss it with his troops first, citing issues of morale, but Cody began to question Chopper, Gus, Jester, Punch, and Sketch. The clones were able to account for their actions immediately after the failed operation until Chopper lied about where he was. He claimed that he went to the mess hall, but Sketch said he arrived later than the other clones who were there. With suspicion growing about Chopper, the clone came clean about where he was and said he was hiding so no one would notice that he was creating a necklace of droid fingers, thus violating military rules. Slick attempted to cast further suspicion onto Chopper and promised that he would receive a full and fair investigation once the Jedi returned, which accidentally revealed Slick as the spy as he should have had no way of knowing that the Jedi had left the base unless he was eavesdropping on their conversation in the command center.

With his duplicity discovered, Slick assaulted Cody and pushed his way through the other clones who had confronted him, fleeing from the barracks while Cody and Rex pursued him. Slick fled onto the grounds of the Republic base, where he left his utility belt near a gunship. The belt contained a thermal detonator, and he intended to use the belt to lure Rex and Cody into a trap by making them believe that his plan was to escape the base. The two clone officers followed the belt's signal but discovered that Slick was nowhere to be found, at which point the belt exploded, setting off more explosions across the grounds that destroyed Republic gunships and All Terrain Tactical Enforcer heavy walkers. The officers were uninjured, but the explosions knocked out the power across the base and destroyed the Republic's weapons depot.

Capture
While Republic forces rushed to the grounds, Slick made his way into the base's command center, but he was spotted by other clones, who informed Cody and Rex of his location. Slick hid in the air vents above the command center, overlooking the two officers as they entered. Cody and Rex, who realized Slick was in the vents, carried out a conversation in which they pretended to believe they were unaware of his location. Rex feigned a belief that Slick was headed for the base's south exit and pretended to leave the command center but instead hid elsewhere in the room. Cody, meanwhile, placed a blaster without ammunition onto the table behind him.

Thinking he was going to sneak up on Cody, Slick quietly jumped down from the ventilation shaft and grabbed the gun, only for Rex to approach from behind and place a blaster rifle to Slick's head. Undeterred, Slick turned and attacked Rex, stealing his blaster and making a run for the door. Cody grabbed him and pulled him to the ground, and the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat before Rex pulled Slick off the commander. Slick grabbed Rex's leg and injured it, while revealing that he helped Ventress not just for money, but for freedom from Republic servitude. The fight came to an end when Cody punched Slick, knocking him unconscious.

Kenobi and Skywalker soon returned to the base after confronting Ventress in the Separatist headquarters, where they discovered that she was amassing an army with which to fully invade Christophsis. Slick was brought before the Jedi, who questioned why he would turn against his brothers. Slick lashed out at them, berating the Jedi Order for using his fellow clones like slaves. He claimed he acted as a spy because he loved his brothers and wanted to help them, but Cody told him that, if he truly loved his brothers, he would not have put them at risk. On Cody's orders, Slick was imprisoned in the Republic base. The Republic troops prepared for the incoming droid forces, but due to the loss of their heavy walkers were forced to fortify their position instead of attempting an alternate strategy.

Legacy
"Yes, she offered me money. But she offered me something more important. Something you wouldn't understand. Freedom!"

- Slick, on his deal with Asajj Ventress

The Republic ultimately won the Battle of Christophsis and covered up Slick's betrayal. His motives were kept secret from all but the Republic High Command and those who were present for his confession. The revelation that clone troopers were not fully obedient was also minimized so similar sentiment would not spread throughout the Republic army. The Jedi themselves had previously viewed commanding clones as a more noble action than the Separatists' use of battle droids, but Slick's betrayal introduced the complicating idea of free will.

Personality and traits
"I'm not the traitor. You are! All of you just blindly following orders, for what? At least I got something out of all this suffering."

- Slick

Slick was a human male created as a clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Like his genetic template, he had black hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and was 1.83 meters tall. His hair was trimmed in a crewcut, while his eyebrows were colored dark red.

Before the Battle of Christophsis, Slick came to harbor a resentment toward the Jedi Order, believing that the Grand Army's Jedi commanders were using the clones as slaves in order to fight the war with the Separatists. Unlike clones such as Commander Cody and Captain Rex, who believed in loyalty to the Republic and saw service during the Clone Wars as something honorable, Slick yearned to be free from Republic service, going so far as to work for Asajj Ventress in the hopes of achieving his idea of freedom. He convinced himself that his actions were in service to his brothers, for whom he professed a great love, but did not see that his actions would put his fellow clones into danger. By providing information to the Separatists, he placed his brothers into an increased risk of injury or even death.

Once his role as Ventress's spy was discovered, Slick used his extensive knowledge of the military and his fellow brothers to trick Cody and Rex into believing that he wanted to escape, luring them into the trap on the grounds of the Republic base. However, he was outwitted when Cody and Rex tricked him into leaving the ventilation shaft in the command center. His ensuing fight with both clones proved he was capable in close-quarters combat, but he was ultimately defeated and arrested.

Behind the scenes
"If one clone can break from his brothers, and what he is bred for as a soldier of the Republic, and act on his own, how many more would do the same? This creates an interesting beginning of something to come."

- Steward Lee, director of "The Hidden Enemy"

Slick was created for "The Hidden Enemy," the sixteenth episode of the first season of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which aired on February 6, 2009. He was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who provided the voice for all clone troopers in the show. When originally conceived, Slick was meant to have red hair. Once the production team rendered the character, though, the standard dark clone hair was used. The change allowed the character to blend into his fellow clones rather than stand out as a suspect.

As a clone who worked as a Separatist spy, the character of Slick allowed The Clone Wars to explore two key ideas. The first was that a clone could turn against his fellow brothers, which Dave Filoni, the show's supervising director, referred to as a clone having "gone Jango," a reference to the bounty hunter Jango Fett, who provided the clones' genetic template. Filoni said that some clones, who were not all bred with the same personalities, could have some of Fett's traits, such as the bounty hunter's willingness to do anything for money. The second key idea was how the Jedi Order used clones as their military force while knowing that the clones were bred specifically for combat. For Filoni, the idea that the Jedi would use clone soldiers is one of the issues inherent in the Republic's conflict with the Separatists. He elaborated on Slick's motives, saying that Slick would not see serving the Republic as something honorable, as Cody and Rex would, but rather as willingly becoming cannon fodder.

The episode's director, Steward Lee, and writer, Drew Z. Greenberg, both relished the opportunity to explore the idea of a clone turning against the Republic out of a sense of being a slave. Lee felt that Slick's "logic is understandable," and Greenberg said that the story of Slick's actions is "all about the brotherhood, and how far those boundaries stretch." Greenberg said that the story strikes at the idea of "what it means to be a clone and what it means to be part of that brotherhood." Lee also characterized it as a sign of potential betrayals to follow, saying that if one clone could break away from the Republic, then more could do the same.

Appearances

 * Dark Disciple
 * Dark Disciple
 * Dark Disciple