Isn’t it odd that some of the most compelling, likable and distinct characters of Star Wars are a series of soldiers who all share the same face and voice? Ever since Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the clones first featured in the Star Wars prequels have become exceptionally compelling. The prequels themselves don’t do all that much to characterize them, so the Star Wars TV series had to do the work to give them personality and individuality.
Indeed, The Clone Wars showed the humanity of the clones, as we get to see each of them as distinct individuals. It shows the tragedy of the clones’ existence, and their participation in Order 66. Star Wars is a franchise in which, inevitably, even the most obscure characters can and will see development. Ultimately, it was necessary to give the Clones some personality, given their prime role in the Clone Wars, but the way it was done made sure that many clone characters would exist beyond the show they were made for. In some ways, in hindsight, it seems obvious they would be so sympathetic. None of the clones asked to be soldiers, and eventually they will be forced to betray the people they have been fighting with for so long. Here’s a look at why audiences love The Clones.
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The Clones are Distinct
Via Disney
Created from the genetic material harvested from bounty hunter Jango Fett, the Clones were designed as an elite army trained from birth. Much like the iconic stormtroopers, they also have a specific aesthetic based around matching armor. In many ways, the Clones are similar to Stormtroopers, with the main difference being the crest on top of their helmet and the color details they usually have. However, unlike the Stormtroopers, who are all uniform and fairly anonymous, the clone troopers are very distinct.
Clones have many aesthetic distinctions. For example, Anakin’s 501st clones have blue accents to their armor and Obi-Wans 212nd have orange accents. The elite ARC troopers look very different from the Coruscant Guard. This gives each of the clones seen in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars across the galaxy a distinct look and a bit of personality. Clones also have many distinct characters. From the cavalier Captain Rex to the by-the-book Commander Cody.
There are also many clones who don’t fit the conventional mold of what makes a clone. An episode on Kamino — Season 3, Episode 1: “Clone Cadets” — dealt with a squad of clones who had a few quirks due to the cloning process, and were doubted by the individuals responsible for their training. There is also the Bad Batch, who all had genetic oddities that resulted from the cloning process that led to them having more specialized roles and being treated as “freaks” by the other clones. There is also the clone deserter, seen in the tenth episode of season 2 called “Cut” — his existence proves that despite conditioning the clones could choose not to participate in the war.
The Clones are Tragic
Some of the best drama of the show was provided by Clones. Key episodes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars were carried by the tragedy inherent in the clones’ position as a conscripted army. An example of this would be the show’s fourth season with the appearance of General Pong Krell. From the episode “Darkness On Umbara” to “Carnage of Krell,” the Jedi general Pong Krell was in charge of Anakin’s 501st clones. The Jedi treated those clones as expendable meat shields and did not respect them. In the end, he was executed as a Jedi who turned to the dark side, but his attitude shows how the Clones were not in control over their own fate. How the war was forced on them and though the Jedi generals we had seen had been benevolent to them, some Jedi might see them as expendable troops to be sent to die.
The final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is perhaps the most tragic for the Clones. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith showed Order 66, which was the point when the clones betrayed the Jedi, but prior to The Clone Wars, audiences hadn’t really seen anything else about that event. Revenge of the Sith didn’t show much of the Clones’ perspective either. Order 66, meanwhile, has been built up in the Clone Wars for a while. The series reveals that the clones have chips in their mind which preprogram them with set orders, activating their cognitive conditioning. We see in Season 6, Episode 2 “Conspiracy” that the clones are, on some level, subconsciously playing out this eventuality. It’s referred to as the “mission in our dreams.” The finale of Clone Wars where this plays out fully is especially heart-wrenching, as it pits Jedi exile, Ashoka Tano, against Captain Rex for a bit, as he desperately tries to resist the programming built into him so that he doesn’t kill her. Order 66 is made ever more tragic by the fact that these clones had to be pre-programmed to turn on the Jedi they had worked and formed strong relationships with this whole time.
Clones managed to survive after the Clone Wars, per Screen Rant, though their accelerated aging meant that they ended up being discharged from the imperial military. Captain Rex would help the Rebel Alliance, showing up in the series Rebels a few times. The Bad Batch also operated after the birth of the Empire. It adds to the tragedy of the clones that they were callously treated, how they were disposed of after they served the Empire, with many of them left to die early deaths due to their accelerated aging.
The story of the Clones is a sympathetic one, and they endear themselves to audiences because Star Wars: The Clone Wars worked to make each clone distinct and individual where they could, while also emphasizing the tragedy of soldiers bred for nothing less or more than to fight a war, and then betray their own side. Though It’s unlikely that a clone will ever make the transition to live-action, they do deserve much more recognition in the movies and the big budget TV shows Disney is making.
