Clone trooper
Class: | Infantry |
Strength: | 748 Million |
Species: | Human[1] (cloned from the Mandalorian bounty hunter, Jango Fett) |
Type: | Front-line soldiers, led by the Jedi Order |
Affiliation: | Galactic Republic Galactic Empire |
Standard weapon: | DC-15 blaster rifle Or the DC-17 blaster rifle variant. |
The clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic are soldiers in the Star Wars universe, cloned from Jango Fett, a Mandalorian bounty hunter. They first appeared in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and returned in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith where they were played primarily by Temuera Morrison. In the two Clone Wars animated TV shows, they are voiced by Andre Sogliuzzo and Dee Bradley Baker.
Clone troopers comprised the bulk of the Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. They are depicted as the main part of the armed forces of the Galactic Republic in its final years, becoming one of the largest armies ever assembled, only surpassed by the Separatist Droid Army. Nearing the end of the clone wars, they were ordered to slay the Jedi. This famous Jedi purge was known as 'Order 66'. After the Clone Wars, they served as the nucleus for the armed forces of the Galactic Empire, eventually becoming the Imperial Stormtroopers.
History
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it was revealed that (10 years prior) Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas had ordered the creation of a clone army for the Republic. The genetic template of the clone troopers was Jango Fett, one of the most feared bounty hunters in the Galaxy. In exchange for "considerable" payment and an unaltered clone "son," Boba Fett,[2] Jango provided his genetic material and Mandalorian battle training to the cloners on Kamino. All clone troopers' genes were manipulated; they had accelerated aging, making them grow and mature twice as fast as a normal human, and were made more loyal and willing to follow orders than their donor. The clone troopers were outfitted with armor styled after Mandalorian battle armor, (notably the helmet and its T-shaped visor), and armed with weapons and vehicles produced in secret by Kuat Drive Yards, Rendili Stardrive, and Sienar Fleet Systems.
The Battle of Geonosis marked the first deployment of the clone troopers as well as the beginning of the Clone Wars. After Geonosis, clone trooper armies were led by Jedi generals, who were in turn accompanied by Clone Commanders. The clone troopers eventually carried out Order 66 at the behest of Chancellor Palpatine, turning the clones against their Jedi generals. This marked the end of the Clone Wars, as well as the death of the Old Republic. After the war and the birth of the Galactic Empire, the clone trooper army evolved into the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps. This transition also resulted in the decrease of clones, and the increase of natural soldiers, which lowered the quality of the Empire's troops.[3]
According to Star Wars Battlefront II, the surviving clone troopers were fitted with new armor and weapons, and became the Imperial Stormtrooper corps of the Empire. Later, a combination of natural-born humans as well as clones from different donor templates would be incorporated into the Stormtrooper corps. One of the few Stormtrooper legions to remain completely composed of Fett clones throughout the era of the Empire was the 501st Legion.
Specialized clone troopers
Within the film series and in the Star Wars Expanded Universe media, a number of specialized trooper units are seen, including elite special forces units such as the Advanced Reconnaissance Commandos (ARC troopers), and Null ARCs,[4] who usually work alone, and Republic Commandos, who operate in squads of four, with each member a specialist of some kind, created for the video game Star Wars: Republic Commando and reappearing in the "Star Wars Republic Commando" series novels by Karen Traviss. All clone commandos and ARCs were trained by Mandalorian mercenaries; the Elite Clone Troopers are known as Shadow Troopers.
The style and colour of a clone troopers armor often varies depending on their rank, specialisation, regiment or environment, for example, the clone troopers on Kashyyk wear camouflage green scout-style armour whereas the 501st legion wears standard white armour with blue accents. Another example is the aquatic SCUBA troopers, who appear in the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars. SCUBA troopers are equipped with high-tech breathing apparatuses and long range blaster rifles. Notable units in the novels are Delta Squad and Omega Squad.[5][6]
Clone trooper armor
No physical clone trooper costume was produced for their first onscreen appearance. As revealed in the audio commentary of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, every single clone trooper in the film is a computer generated image. In fact, the only thing present on the set was the actor, whose head was used during scenes requiring a clone's face.
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the armor is redesigned, but remains computer generated. Within the fictional history of the Star Wars universe, this is the basis of the Imperial Stormtrooper armor and shows a gradual evolution in design toward the armor worn in episodes III-VI, known as "Phase II" armor. The actual armor never changes, but the helmet progresses. [[[7]]]
Ranks
Originally clone troopers were identified in rank by the color of their armor, as in this chart below. However, by Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith, colors became associated with a trooper's legion affiliation.
- Black — Shadow Trooper
- White — Clone Private (standard trooper)
- Green-Yellow — Clone Sergeant, commanded squads made up of 9 troops.
- Blue — Clone Lieutenant, commanded platoons made up of 4 squads (36 troops)
- Red — Clone Captain, commanded Companies made up of four platoons (144 troops).
- Yellow/Orange — Clone Commander, commanded regiments made up of four battalions (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.
Once the Galactic Empire is established, all armor uniforms of the clone-troopers, now re-classified as 'storm-troopers' and issued new armor, are once again all white, with no outward sign of rank, legion, or other unit affiliation.
See also
- Star Wars: Republic Commando (Video Game)
- Star Wars Republic Commando series (Novels)
- MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
- 501st Legion
- Imperial stormtrooper
- Star Wars: Battlefront
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars game
- Star Wars: Clone Wars
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 series)
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of The Sith
References
- ↑ "clone troopers". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ↑ Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (Video Game), LucasArts
- ↑ Star Wars Battlefront II, LucasArts
- ↑ "Republic Commando: Triple Zero"
- ↑ Traviss, Karen (2004). Hard Contact. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0-345-47827-4.
- ↑ Traviss, Karen (2006). Triple Zero. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0-345-49009-6.
- ↑ File:Picture1|thumbnail
External links
- Clone Troopers in the Official StarWars.com Encyclopedia
- Clone trooper on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars wiki
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