The clones ofStar Warswere bred to be the best soldiers possible as guardians of theGalactic Republic. They all share the DNA of the galaxy’s best bounty hunter,Jango Fett, aMandalorian foundling. They were the bravest, most loyal, and most skilled soldiers. Each clone had a unique personality despite all sharing the same identity. The brotherhood and camaraderie amongst their ranks created the strongest bonds that war can only forge. For three years, they fought with the Jedi to restore peace to the galaxy, only to be manipulated through a secret none of them were aware of.
After the initiation ofOrder 66, the clones were tasked with hunting down and destroying all the Jedi. Once the order had been carried out to the best of their ability, the next question was what to do with them. Now that the Galactic Republic was dissolved and theGalactic Empireformed, the clones were again a hot-button issue for the Senate. Many stories told inStar WarsTV showsdetail what happened to the clones after Order 66. There were a few different avenues the clones took, all a result of their unfortunate and unjust mistreatment.
Many Clones Remained Loyal To The Empire
Until the defense recruitment bill was introduced
Understandably, after Order 66, most clones continued to serve as they had before. The only difference was that they were now under the banner of the Empire rather than the Republic. They continued serving as the Imperials' fighting force, butwere downgraded to a security force. They were tasked with keeping order, and sometimes, they were even assigned to hunt down rebel cells. Other times, they kept track of cargo. Without a war to fight, many clones believed their tour of duty was over. Instead, their highly touted skills were under-utilized in the service of the Empire.
Then, the stormtrooper program was introduced in the Senate. As seen inStar Wars:The Bad Batchseason 2, after the destruction of the cloning facilities on Kamino,Emperor Palpatine influenced the Imperial Senate to pass his stormtrooper legislation, which effectively sealed the fate of all the clones in the Empire. They were to be cast off as volunteer conscripts became the new army of the Empire. At this point, troops began questioning their standing and turning.
Some Clones Defected As Their Inhibitor Chips Wore Off
Or, in Clone Force 99’s case, they never activated
Clone Force 99were among the few clones whose chips did not activate when Order 66 happened. That said, once Order 66 happened, the use of theinhibitor chipsbegan to wear off over time, causing clones to start questioning their place in the Empire. This was highly prevalent after clones were ordered to destroy Kamino, as seen with the clone troopers Cade and Slip inThe Bad Batchseason 2, episode 7 “The Clone Conspiracy.” Slip claimed they were following orders, while Cade wanted more to be done.
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The stigma around them grew within the Imperial ranks as the clones began being forced out. The new conscripts who were just introduced had more respect than the battered clones who fought in the war. As the Empire started dissociating itself further from clone troopers, their resentment grew. Even loyal troopers like Crosshair, whose chip was removed in season one, began to see the horrible treatment clones were receiving. He and other clone troopers began to defect from the Empire in one form or another.
Crosshair’s turn can be seen inThe Bad Batchseason 2, episode 12, “The Outpost.”
There May Have Been A Clone Uprising
One happened in Legends, and one may still happen in canon
Another clone uprising may have happened. In the oldStar Wars: Battlefront IIvideo game, a Legends story showcases the 501st stormtrooper legion being deployed to Kamino to take down an uprising of clone troopers. The campaign took place in 12 BBY, led by a young Boba Fett, who was hired due to his knowledge of the Kaminoan facility. The ensuing battle resulted in an Imperial victory as stormtroopers (and some clones) took down the facility and killed off the Kaminoan leadership.
Officially, there never was a ‘Clone rebellion’ on Kamino. Unofficially, approximately twenty years after we were created, a special detachment of the Imperial 501st Legion was dispatched to Kamino with orders to eradicate an army of clones that had been bred to take arms against the Empire.
— 501st journal intro for the Kamino campaign
While this uprising was in Legends,The Bad Batchseason 3 teased a clone uprising through Captain Rex’s recruitment of former clone troopersbefore and after the Defense Recruitment Bill was put into law. However, that one never came to fruition, though his clone rebellion may still be shown in the future. It could help viewers understand how he ended up in a self-imposed exile inStar Wars Rebels.
Only A Few Clones Lived To Help The Rebellion
Most were left behind by the Empire
Captain Rex’s revitalization inStar Wars Rebelswas a great addition to the show and helped relieve fears of his fate from Order 66. He and two other clones, Wolffe and Gregor, would eventually join forces withEzra Bridgerand the Phoenix squad to fight for the Rebellion - although they are the only clones known to have fought for theRebel Alliance. Most clones were displaced and left to fend for themselves, as evidenced by the clone seen inObi-Wan Kenobi, with absolutely no help or resources from the Empire with which to do so.
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The clones inStar Warshave a sad fate. From the moment they were born, they were manipulated to follow orders loyally, only to turn on the Jedi they fought with because a chip was put into their heads when they were young. After their service to the Republic, they were downgraded to doing grunt work for the Empire while they introduced a new conscription army behind their backs. Their mistreatment drove many to defect and take up arms against the Empire. Like many in theStar Warsgalaxy, they were also victims of Palpatine’s grand plan.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
