CLONE TROOPERS



At the time of their introduction, the Republic clone trooper represented the future of galactic warfare. Far superior to the battle droid armies of the era, the clone troopers formed the backbone of the Republic's new military initiative that battled against the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Identical in form, physical prowess, stamina and mental capacity, each of the first generations of clone trooper was grown in the cloning facilities of Tipoca City, on the storm-drenched world of Kamino. Within the hermetic confines of the secret facility, the politically ambivalent Kaminoans applied their mastery of genetic sciences to craft what they deemed the finest of clone armies.

The clone army was apparently commissioned by a Jedi, Sifo-Dyas, a decade previous to their introduction on the battlefield. The original source of genetic material was an extremely skilled bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Using his genetic code as a template, the Kaminoans carefully tampered with the material to produce clones with diminished independence and accelerated growth.

Growth acceleration is essential to the production of clones, otherwise it would take over two decades for a soldier to reach combat maturity. In a decade's time, the clones were constantly trained in fighting techniques, vehicular skills and battlefield tactics. Yet they still maintained a spark of independent and creative thinking, making them far more suited to handle unexpected turns of warfare than droids.

Clone troopers were fully encased in hard white armor, their identical faces concealed behind a t-shaped visor. Color-coded flashes on the armor denoted rank, with green troopers being sergeants, blue being lieutenants, red being captains, and yellow being commanders. The clones designated for command duty were specifically trained in that capacity.

During the increasing tensions of the Separatist crisis, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the secret clone army on Kamino. The Jedi Council was surprised to learn of its existence, and of the involvement of Sifo-Dyas. Nonetheless, when it became clear the Separatists were gearing for war, the clone army was desperately needed to protect the sanctity and stability of the Republic. The Supreme Chancellor was granted emergency powers, and as his first act, he activated the clone troopers as the grand army of the Republic.

On the barren plains of Geonosis, a major Separatist stronghold, the first battle of the Clone Wars erupted. The clone troopers, equipped with advanced armor and air support, stormed the Separatist forces, and cut through the battle droid ranks. Led into battle by Jedi commanders, the clone troopers secured the first victory of the war.

It would be a long and bloody conflict in the years to come, but the efficiency of the clone trooper infantry would be proven time and again on many scattered worlds.

ARC TROOPERS










The clone troopers of the Galactic Republic exhibited exacting uniformity in skill and appearance, but a few were designed to stand apart from the masses. The ultimate in the clone trooper ranks were the Advanced Recon Commandos, or ARC troopers, elite infantry hand-trained by Jango Fett.

Only a select number of ARC troopers were bred and trained before Fett's untimely demise at the Battle of Geonosis, and they were used sparingly during the Clone Wars. At the Battle of Kamino, Prime Minister Lama Su personally activated the ARC troopers to defend Tipoca City from Separatist attack. They have also served in campaigns on Muunilinst, Jabiim and Pengalan IV.

ARC troopers were used for only the most dangerous missions that require a substantial amount of independent thought. Though these troopers undergo growth acceleration like the standard clones, their docility and independence has not been at all altered.

[ Arc troopers ] ARC troopers employ an advanced version of the clone trooper armor, and carry heavier weaponry or mission-specific gear such as reverse-polarity pulse grenades or PLEX-1 portable missile launchers.

CLONE COMMANDO







The Kaminoans encountered a great deal of difficulty with the independent and hard-to-command ARC troopers. Eventually the experimental soldiers were relegated to stasis fields and work was begun on a new type of warrior: the clone commando.

Veering away from rogue clone individuals, the Kaminoans took as their example the fiercely efficient hunting pods of the native aiwha. Candidates were plucked from the regular clone batch, and segregated into groups of four. During their training and education, these "pods" were kept together, forced to depend upon each other, and pitted against other pods in combat. The Kaminoans soon found they had a number of small squads, each highly-trained and fiercely-cohesive, yet divisible into smaller units for varied mission profiles. Ultimately, neither the regular army clones nor the ARC troopers could match them when it came to organization and team-work. The experiment was a success.

The Jedi Generals and the Republic leadership immediately identified the potential of these strike teams, and set them to work at flash-points across the galaxy. Equipped with specialized weaponry like the DC-17m rifle, special tactical visors, and Katarn-class body armor, the commandos infiltrated the deepest, darkest reaches of the Separatist strongholds. The Clone Wars were won or lost, more often than not, due to the efforts of small, anonymous squads of Republic commandos, working behind the scenes and deep behind enemy lines to do what larger armies could not.

CLONE SCUBA TROOPERS












Though clone troopers were genetically identical in design, a few elite groups underwent specialized training to better prepare them for specific environments. These combat skills were supplemented by equipment modified for use on specific terrains. One notable group was the clone SCUBA troopers. These aquatic assault troopers were outfitted with modern gear that allowed them to effectively wage war against aquatic cultures that would otherwise enjoy the advantage of fighting in a difficult native environment.

[ Clone SCUBA trooper ] A clone SCUBA trooper's armor is lighter in weight than the standard plastoid-alloy composite armor worn by the line infantry. The helmet features lenses and sensors that help penetrate the ocean murk and bring underwater enemies into crisp focus. Miniaturized scrubbers built into the breathing unit are able to extract oxygen from water environments, and allow for attachment of oxygen tanks. A clone SCUBA trooper wears an aquatic propulsion pack and has maneuverability jets incorporated into his shin guards to allow for impressive underwater agility.

Clone SCUBA troopers carry specialized blaster rifles with a modified collimator barrel array that retards blaster bolt diffusion from the water environment. These troopers are typically outfitted with explosives that take advantage of an ocean's ability to transmit concussive shock. General Kit Fisto led an army of clone SCUBA troopers on Mon Calamari during the Clone Wars.

CLONE TROOPER PILOTS









The clone troopers that stormed the world of Geonosis during the first battle of the Clone Wars were fully supported by air and ground vehicles. Piloting the Republic attack gunships were specially trained clone trooper pilots. Their uniforms bore yellow markings and specialized helmets.

Clone


Category: Technology
Type: Biological



genetically reproduced beings, clones were created from genetic material taken from a specific source. Among the best cloners in the galaxy were the Khommites and the Kaminoans. Both races used genetic manipulation to maintain their civilization. The Khommites cloned individual family members who exhibited desireable traits, so that each succeeding generation was a replica of the previous one. Very little variation occurred, so that the Khommites were assured of stable generations. The Kaminoans, by comparison, produced clones for other beings. Their work first came to light shortly before the Battle of Geonosis, when Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the clone army which had been commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. These clones, grown over a period of ten years from the genetic material of Jango Fett, were used to augment the forces of the Jedi Knights in defeating the Geonosians. This vast clone army was later used during the Clone Wars. The Kaminoan clones were provided with growth acceleration, producing a twenty-year-old clone in just ten years. Over the next generation, the average growth period was reduced to just 3-5 Imperial years, and there was an accepted doctrine that the shortest time needed to create a stable clone was 1 year. There was speculation that a method was found that could allow them to be grown in 15 to 20 days, and this speculation was shown to be true when Grand Admiral Thrawn began mass-prodicing clones to crew the Katana Fleet ships he obtained some five years after the Battle of Endor. Investigation into his cloning activities revealed that Thrawn was growing his clones at the Mount Tantiss facility on Wayland, in the presence of thousands of ysalamiri. The ability of the ysalamiri to create bubbles that repelled the Force allowed Thrawn's clones to grow without the "normal" influence of the Force, resulting in exceptionally fast growth rates. However, this lack of contact with the Force warped the minds of these rapidly-grown clones, which eventually led to insanity. Thrawn felt that the risk of insanity was sufficient in order to quickly create a legion of armed forces.