- "These new troopers, what do you mean they're our replacements?"
"Well, we clones are soldiers of a Republic that doesn't exist. These recruits come from all over the galaxy. They swear loyalty to the Empire. They're not as skilled, but there's an endless supply of 'em." - ―Echo and Gregor
Project War-Mantle,[3] also known as simply War-Mantle,[7] was an initiative of the Galactic Empire enacted soon after its founding that sought to fill out the ranks of the burgeoning Imperial Army with conscripted human soldiers, a departure from the clone army of the Galactic Republic. The first of these soldiers were CT-9904's Elite Squad, led by CT-9904, previously known as Crosshair, a former member of Clone Force 99. The project was part of Vice Admiral Rampart's vision for the Empire, and he received support from Governor Wilhuff Tarkin.[4]
After the Elite Squad's initial success,[4] the project continued with the training of the first "TK troopers" at an installation on the planet Daro in the Outer Rim Territories. The first thousand recruits on Daro were trained by a group of fifty clone commandos, although one of the instructors, Captain CC-5576-39, nicknamed "Gregor," defected from the Empire not long afterwards with the assistance of the remaining members of Clone Force 99.[5]
Plans for the initiative were contained with similar top-secret projects covered by the Tarkin Initiative at the Citadel Tower on Scarif, along with those of the Death Star and Stellar Sphere. When he learned of a rebel incursion at Scarif, Tarkin thought it would be a special pity to see War-Mantle be setback, though he also noted it would hardly be a major blow to the galactic timetable, particularly with the Death Star now online.[7] At one point, rebel technician Tenzigo Weems found a mention of it in an intercepted data packet that was pulled from the Balmorra relay and reported it to Davits Draven.[8]
Behind the scenes[]
War-Mantle was first mentioned in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story[6] and its adaptations,[7] but would not be seen on screen until the third episode of the 2021 Disney+ series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, where it was revealed to focus on the Empire's recruitment of conscripted soldiers.[4]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – "Replacements" (First appearance) (First identified as Project War-Mantle)
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – "War-Mantle"
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – "Return to Kamino"
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (First mentioned, simultaneous with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization and Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization (Mentioned only)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story audiobook (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel audiobook (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Rogue One Graphic Novel Adaptation (Mentioned only)
- Rogue One Adaptation 6 (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: The Rebel Files
Star Wars Helmet Collection 56 (Highlights of the Saga: Infiltrating the Citadel)
"Replacements" Episode Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑
Tech's Notes: "Replacements" Trivia Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link) (Slide 1)
- ↑
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – " Aftermath"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2
"Replacements" Episode Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link) (Slide 3)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – "Replacements"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – "War-Mantle"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rebel Files