The new era of Star Wars seems to be tying up all the loose ends of previous projects, and the future of the clone troopers is looking more grim by the day. Star Wars: The Clone Wars bridged the gap between what happened in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. It all stemmed from George Lucas’ desire to provide deeper backstory to the original trilogy and eventually grew to include a plethora of new faces. The Cartoon Network show introduced popular characters like Ahsoka Tano, Cad Bane, and Hondo Ohnaka. It also gave fans a reason to fall in love with the clone troopers, the deepest tragedy of all. The Star Wars show gave them names, personalities, and even a reason outside their control for having turned on the Jedi.
In 2005, Revenge of the Sith saw Commander Cody (Temuera Morrison) take a comm call from Emperor Palpatine before ordering Ghost Company, the 212th Battalion, and the Grand Army of the Republic to fire on the Jedi, who had become enemy #1. It also saw a Fallen Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) lead members of his own Torrant Company – part of the 501st Battalion – on a murder spree through the Jedi Temple. As far as fans were concerned, the clone troopers turned bad of their own volition. Some even figured that it was the result of years of hidden resentment. After all, many lives were lost during the Clone Wars, but none sacrificed as much as those of the clone troopers.
However, no concrete reason for their change in alignment was given at the time. The franchise finally delivered an answer during season 6, episode 1 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, appropriately titled, “The Unknown.” In it, Clone Trooper Tup (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, like all the clones) is plagued by headaches and mental distress before shooting Jedi Tiplar (Anna Graves). He does it all it in a trance-like state while chanting, “Good soldiers follow orders.” He’s later too discombobulated to remember his actions, but the damage is done.
Tup's story kicks off that of ARC Trooper Fives, who goes on a harrowing journey that ends with his untimely death. Before he’s killed at the hands of Marshal Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard, Fives discovers that the very Kaminoans who made the clone troopers have put behavior-altering chips in their heads. These chips are later revealed to by activated by the voice command of none other than Chancellor Palpatine, who has been secretly playing both sides of the Clone Wars. Fans finally get an explanation for what makes the clones turn on the Jedi without question, and it’s even more tragic than they’d previously believed.
According to Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the mind-controlling chips have started to wear off. Fans get their first glimpse of just how much with Captain Howzer in season 1. They even get to see him channeling a bit of Fives in his impassioned speech to his fellow troopers about how they’re people, not droids. They can choose not to do the awful things being demanded of them.
Meanwhile, Crosshair was trying to convince the Bad Batch to ditch Omega (Michelle Ang), their newly acquired ward, and join him in fighting for the Empire. He insists that their skills make them special and that they’ll be exempt from whatever disturbing fate awaits what he calls the regular clones – those without their enhancements. When season 1 ends with the Empire completely destroying Kamino, he’s forced to reconcile this delusion with the reality in front of him. Season 2 picks up by forcing both Crosshair and the audience to ask: what will happen to the clone troopers when they’re no longer needed?
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In season 2, episode 12, “The Outpost,” Commander Mayday realizes that he’s lost his entire team while unknowingly protecting armor for the very stormtroopers set to replace him. “We’re good soldiers. We followed orders,” he says to an unresponsive Crosshair, “and for what?” It’s a heavy quote for an increasingly heavy show, filled with the implications of how disposable Mayday knows they are in the eyes of the Galactic Empire. Cody’s return migh have been the first crack in Crosshair’s armor, despite him having been stranded among the ruins of Kamino for a little over a month. But it’s watching Commander Mayday die because their resident lieutenant refused to get him medical attention that finally forces him to realize the devastating truth.
There is no happy ending for the clone troopers. At best, they desert and take their chances on civilian life like Cody. At worst, they’re neglected like Mayday, silenced like Clone Trooper Cade, or simply put down for doing his job like Captain Wilco. Yet, somehow there’s still hope.
At many points throughout Star Wars, people suffer with little end in sight. But George Lucas didn't just create a space opera filled with action and despair. He imbued his world with characters who either hold to hope, or create it from nothing. Season 2 of The Bad Batch is a stark reminder of the tragedy that lies before the clone troopers. However, there are still characters fighting for what little light at the end of the tunnel they can grab for themselves and others. Echo leaves the Bad Batch to assist Rex in his pursuit of helping clone troopers. Senator Riyo Chuchi (Jennifer Hale) puts her life on the line to help Cade and ensure compensation for the clone troopers. Even Omega is waking up to the feeling of responsibility she has toward making a better life for her fellow clones.
Still, newer Star Wars shows paint an ugly picture of what the clone troopers have in store. Rex, Commander Wolffe, and Captain Gregor are the only remaining clone troopers in Star Wars: Rebels. There's even fan speculation that Rex makes it all the way into the original trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi features a homeless clone trooper using his helmet to collect whatever credits he can beg off of strangers. There’s very little reference to clone troopers in The Mandalorian, despite their cultural connections Mandalore through Jango Fett. For Star Wars fans who’ve come to love the clone troopers, it’s hard to watch.
For those who still subscribe to the canon that the clone troopers willingly turned on the Jedi, it might feel more like karma. Either way, the fate of the clone troopers has been sealed in stone by canon. They were good soldiers, they followed orders, and for what? Only time will tell just how dark things will get for them in the end.