Clone trooper

Clone trooper
Homeworld	Kamino
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Height	1.83 meters
Hair Color	Brown
Eye Color	Brown
Affiliation	Galactic Republic

Clone troopers were an army of clones, created by the cloners of Kamino to serve as the infantry units in the Republic Army. The clones were highly trained, and were unquestioningly loyal to the Republic and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

History of the clone troopers

In an investigation revolving around repeated attempts to murder Senator Padmé Amidala from Naboo, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbled upon Kamino. When he landed on the planet, Lama Su and Taun We told him that Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas had ordered an army for the Republic ten years prior (in 32 BBY). The Kaminoans drew on their history of cloning and genetic manipulation to create the finest clone army ever created. As of the Battle of Geonosis, 200,000 troops were ready to serve the Republic, with a million more undergoing the final stages of training.

The Genetic Template

Jango Fett was chosen by Darth Tyranus as the genetic template for the clone troopers. Even though the Kaminoans considered at first using a Jedi as a template (making them an army of Force-sensitives), they did not know if it was possible and Tyranus considered Jango's Mandalorian heritage made him a better candidate for the clones. His genes were easy for the Kaminoans to work with, they were able to select genes that determine behaviors such as loyalty, aggression, courage, and discipline. The clones were completely loyal to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, which is why they carried out Order 66 without hesitation.

Before altering Fett's genes, the Kaminoans first attempted to enhance them, resulting in 12 prototype ARC troopers, although six of them did not survive the gestation period. The other six became the deadly Null ARC troopers—completely unpredictable and dangerous troopers who were only loyal to their training sergeant Kal Skirata.

Though the Kaminoans created a Prime Clone—from whom the cloners could take further DNA samples for next-generation clones—Jango remained on Kamino to supervise clone trooper growth and combat training. Clone troopers matured twice as fast as a standard human being thanks to the growth acceleration programs introduced by Chief Scientist Ko Sai. Ten years since his creation, a clone trooper was fully matured and ready to fight for the Republic. This rapid growth also meant clones had a short lifespan, even if they were to survive their many battles. It had been said the only beings clone troopers feared were the Kaminoans. The Kaminoans strove for perfection, so any clones that didn't meet their high standards either died in simulations or mysteriously disappeared; the latter happened to a batch of clones without full 20/20 vision.

Training

Clone troopers were flashed-trained in military skills, those being weapons and tactics among others. Unlike ARC troopers or clone commandos, clone infantry units did not receive special training. ARC troopers were trained by Jango Fett himself, while the clone commandos were trained by the Cuy'val Dar. However, regular clone troopers were trained in classrooms and live-fire simulators, resulting in highly trained soldiers. Sergeants, lieutenants, captains, majors, and clone commanders were all flash trained to have leadership skills.

Mandalorian Heritage

The clone troopers were created from the genetic template of a Mandalorian, were trained by Mandalorians, and spoke the language of the Mandalorians. Jango Fett, being Mandalore once himself, played a big part in helping the clones realise their Mandalorian culture. About 75% of the Cuy'val Dar were Mandalorians, and that was reflected in the way the clone commandos acted. Many of the clones, if not most of them, knew how to speak Mando'a, with the exception of clone like Bacara, who spoke the Concord Dawn dialect. It was only fitting that when the Sith got their revenge on the Jedi, in a way, the Mandalorians did too.

Equipment

Armor

In the beginning, clone troopers were outfitted in Phase I body armor similar in design to the battle armor worn by Mandalorian shock troopers. Clone trooper armor was comprised of twenty form-fitting plates of lightweight plastoid-alloy composite, sealed to a black bodysuit. The armor itself was white—the color was the Kaminoans' own personal touch. However, command units such as sergeants of captains have colored stripes like red or green. Phase II clone armor didn't have rank stripes, and instead, colors were given to different legions. The armor was very protective; if a clone trooper was injured, the bodysuit would keep the injury contained.

Kit

Clone troopers were issued DC-15 blaster rifles or DC-15 Blasters as their primary weapon. They were also armed with two Merr-Sonn V-1 Thermal detonators, two concussion grenades, an anti-droid grenade (also known as an ECD), and a personal medpack containing bacta and synthflesh. The elite clone commandos were issued DC-17 blasters.

The Clone Wars

The clone troopers' first engagement was the Battle of Geonosis, shortly after Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the existence of the clone army. Led by Jedi Master Yoda, the clone troopers stormed Geonosis, taking on the Separatist army and destroying many escaping transports. The clone army was well organized; a true testament to the depth of their training. 192,000 clone troopers were deployed on Geonosis, and their combined might was enough to rout the Separatists and destroy countless thousands of droids.

The Battle of Geonosis marked the beginning of the Clone Wars, a conflict into which the clone troopers were flung headfirst. The Grand Army of the Republic was deployed across the galaxy to counter the Separatists, and the white-armored Republic soldiers soon became a common sight. Their prowess grew, despite losses on many worlds. Even medical treatment was made easier by the fact that replacement organs were easy to obtain; sharing the same genetic structure, clone trooper body parts are interchangeable, and many complicated operations are standardized among clones. However, despite this, half of the 1.2 million clones in service at the start of the war had been killed by the time of the First Battle of Cato Neimoidia in 19 BBY.

A Face and a Name

This approach initially gave the impression that clone troopers were no better than droids; faceless soldiers, ordered to fight and die for the Republic, with no minds or lives of their own. However, as the war progressed, this attitude shifted as more and more clone troopers laid down their lives to protect the peoples of the Republic. The Jedi Knights worked closely with the more advanced clone soldiers, and formed battlefield friendships with many of the more independent specimens. As such, largely due to Jedi insistence, second- and third-generation clones were given names, as opposed to numbers.

The Jedi Purge

The defenders of the Republic would soon no longer be seen in such a light. When Palpatine declared himself Emperor of the galaxy, he transmitted a special command to his clone troopers: Order 66, tasking the clones with the elimination of the Jedi 'traitors'. In an act of "mutiny by order", the clone troopers turned against the Jedi Generals and Jedi commanders, while the 501st Legion, led by Darth Vader, stormed the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. As Emperor Palpatine forged the evil Galactic Empire, the loyal clone troopers became the Imperial stormtroopers, the feared drones of the New Order. During the Empire's reign, as the number of the original Jango Fett clones began to dwindle, they were replaced by clones from other sources and recruits from the Imperial Academy. By 0 BBY, the original clone troopers made up only a small minority of the stormtrooper ranks.

Only one clone trooper, A-1707, avoided becoming one of the mindless enforcers of the Empire. During the Clone Wars, his unit had been decimated in a battle against Separatist forces attacking them, and he was stranded on a deserted planet with no external communications. As a result, he never recieved Order 66, and when he was found by the Rebel Alliance 20 years later, he was still loyal to the Old Republic. Ironically, this led him to fight against the Empire in the Galactic Civil War, and he later became an Alliance intelligence agent. His fate is unknown.

Special Unit Divisions

• 41st Elite Corps
  
• 91st Reconnaissance Corps
  
• 212th Attack Battalion
  
• 327th Star Corps
  
• 501st Legion
  
• The Galactic Marines
  
• Homeworld Security Command
  
• Sky Corps
  
• Squad Seven
  
• Lancer Battalion

Specialized Clone Troopers

During the Clone Wars, a number of special clone trooper variants were created. These included:

• Clone pilots, trained to fly anything from a military speeder to a Venator-class Republic Star Destroyer and to serve as technicians.
  
• ARC troopers, or the Advanced Recon Commando trooper; deadly soldiers representing the elite of the Republic armed forces. They wore much more advanced and expensive Katern armour then standard clones.
  
• ARC trooper captains, red-armored clone elite leading the deadly ARC troopers.
  
• Clone commanders, the elite commanders of the clone troopers.
  
• Clone commandos, or Republic Commandos, seen in action in the video game of the same name. Work well in squads of four, and often customize their armor. Like ARC troopers, their armour was much more advanced and expensive. They could be hit by a direct blaster hit, and there would be nothing but a black burn mark where the bolt hit.
  
• Clone lancer trooper, trained to pilot speeder bikes and joust with power lances.
  
• Clone SCUBA troopers, adapted to work and fight underwater.
  
• Clone shock troopers, assigned to Homeworld Security Command and tasked with enforcing law on Coruscant.
  
• Clone scout troopers, camo troops trained for recon on harsh terrain.
  
• AT-RT drivers, trained to pilot AT-RT walkers.
  
• BARC troopers, special BARC riders.
  
• Clone sharpshooters, trained to operate as snipers, armed with DC-15x rifles.
  
• Aerial clone trooper captains, battlefield leaders equipped with jetpacks.

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.

• None—standard trooper.
  
• Light green—Sergeant; command squads, made of 9 troops.
  
• Blue—Lieutenant; command platoons, made of 36 troops.
  
• Red—Captain; command 16 companies, made of 144 troops.
  
• Yellow—Commander; command regiments, made of 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. Notable clone commanders included Cody, Bly, Gree, Bacara, Appo, Neyo, and Thire.
  

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