The Star Wars series is popular for many reasons, but it had a broad appeal brought about by the fact that it was visually stimulating, with great attention to detail shown in the characters' appearances as much as in the worlds they inhabit. The incredibly creative costume design is one of the aspects of the films which many viewers recall.
Click here to download Clone Trooper art (pdf)
The clone troopers, with their heavy white armour and hidden faces, are an example of this memorable costume design.
But who are the Clone Troopers? They are soldiers created by clone technology who initially formed part of the army of the Galactic Republic. They were created on planet Kamino from the genetic code of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. This genetic code was then altered to create a soldier who would obey any order without questioning it.
The clones were put on growth accelerators, allowing them to reach an adult age in half the time a normal human being would. Without this, it would have taken twenty long years to reach combat maturity, an unacceptable delay for Count Dooku, who had devised the clone army.
The clones were a very useful weapon for the Republic during the battles that took place across the galaxy, during the era of the Clone Wars. The original idea behind the creation of this superior military force was to fight against the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Yoda, as is his style, had some wise (and prophetic) comments on the clone army: "A weapon they are. Obey orders without question for good or ill. For now they fight for us. Who is to say what the future holds?"
His words proved painfully true in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith when the Clone Troopers became the final instrument of betrayal for Darth Sidious. As the absolute head of the Republic (soon to be the Empire), he activated Order 66, designating every Jedi an enemy of the Republic. The Clone Troopers, whose sole purpose was to serve the Republic turned on the Jedi with whom they had fought side-by-side, and assassinated them in cold blood.
In his role as the Emperor, Darth Sidious also made use of the Clone Troopers, under the name of Imperial Stormtroopers. However, he soon realised that the unerring loyalty which had led them to kill the Jedi might somehow be turned against him, too. So, although the Stormtroopers remained an important weapon of the Empire, birth-born conscripts and clones from other genetic codes began to make up a larger part of the Empire's defences.
Homeworld: Kamino
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 1.83 metres
Weapon: Blaster rifle
Vehicle: AT-TE Walker, Republic attack gunship, SPHA-T Walker, BARC speeders, Republic assault gunboat, clone turbo tank, AT-RT walker, AT-AP walker, AT-OT walker, swamp speeders, Republic artillery transport
Affiliation: Galactic Republic
Associations: All Terrain Open Transport and Clone Commando among others.
