The Star Wars franchise has produced a number of iconic games over its long history. In recent years, rereleases like that of Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy and Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast have given gamers a chance to revisit these games or experience them for the first time on modern consoles. Now, Star Wars: Republic Commando will be getting the rerelease treatment when it comes to PS4 and Switch. Although the past rereleases were cause for excitement for some, Star Wars: Republic Commando stands out as one of the most influential Star Wars games of the last twenty years.
When Republic Commando released in 2005, it was in the midst of a Star Wars gaming renaissance of sorts. The acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic had just released in 2003, and its sequel came just a year later. Republic Commando continued the trend of stellar Star Wars releases by giving players a tactical first-person shooter that put them in control of an elite squad of clone trooper commandos. The game has stood the test of time as a cult-classic among some Star Wars fans, and its influence has reached into almost every corner of Star Wars media.
Who Are the Republic Commandos?
The titular "Republic Commandos" in Star Wars: Republic Commando are better known as Delta Squad. The team is made up of four specially trained clone troopers, who go by the names of Boss, Fixer, Scorch, and Sev. Delta Squad was trained to handle the most demanding missions of The Clone Wars, and they were deployed in places where stealth and precision was key. Some of the squad's most pivotal missions saw them deployed to Geonosis, Coruscant, and the Wookiee home world of Kashyyyk where they were tasked with the rescue of Wookiee chieftan Tarfful.
Like many of the other clones that made up the Grand Army of the Republic, each member of Delta Squad has their own unique personalities and specialties in combat. Boss, the squad's leader, is who players take control of through the story of Star Wars: Republic Commando. As the team's anchor, Boss is in charge of making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time. He is not a man of many words, often only speaking to issue orders, but like other clones in the Star Wars canon he cares a great deal for his brothers.
The other three members of Delta Squad are not playable in Republic Commando, but this gives their personalities a chance to shine through. Fixer is the squad's by-the-book tech expert, Scorch is the wisecracking demolition man, and Sev is the unhinged sniper. Up until Star Wars: The Clone Wars released in 2008, the franchise hadn't seen such diverse personalities out of the Republic's clone troopers. The deep camaraderie that the team shared would prove to be one of the strongest elements of Republic Commando's narrative, and it would not be forgotten when the animated series was being produced.
The Legacy of Republic Commando
Star Wars: Republic Commando sits in a strange space as far as the current Star Wars canon is concerned. Like many other Star Wars stories, the story of Republic Commando was made non-canon and turned into a "Legends" story shortly after Disney purchased the franchise. However, Delta Squad and the Republic commandos as a whole were saved from this retcon by Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Supervising director Dave Filoni was a big fan of Republic Commando, and requested that Delta Squad be included in one scene. This incidentally saved the team from being retconned, and now they exist in the canon at the very least.
Before Star Wars: Republic Commando introduced fans to tactical Star Wars gameplay, the Republic commandos premiered in the world of literature. Although they aren't as widely consumed as the films or video games, the Star Wars novels and comics are still a pivotal part of the franchise. The game spawned its own five-part series, which featured Delta Squad, Omega Squad, and many other clone commandos. In addition to expanding on the story of the clone commandos, the final book in the series was able to adapt what was supposed to be the sequel to Republic Commando, Star Wars: Imperial Commando.
Although Delta Squad hasn't been featured in any canon appearances other than one episode of The Clone Wars, the popularity of the clone commandos has been reflected in other parts of Star Wars media. After the team was briefly shown in TCW, another clone commando by the name of Gregor was brought into the series and later featured in Star Wars Rebels. In the video game world, the clone commando was added as free DLC to Star Wars Battlefront 2. It featured many of the same combat abilities as Delta Squad, and served as a nice reunion for players that had played Republic Commando so many years ago.
Now that Star Wars: Republic Commando is being rereleased, a whole new generation of fans will be able to enjoy the tactical shooter. The game exists in a strange limbo between the old Star Wars canon and the current line of storytelling, but its impact on the franchise can still be seen in many places. One of the biggest indications of this is in the upcoming Star Wars: The Bad Batch series, which features its own squad of commandos that is reminiscent of Delta Squad. Hopefully, if both the game's rerelease and The Bad Batch perform well, it will mean more clone commando content for fans in the future.
Star Wars: Republic Commando is available now for PC and Xbox, with PS4 and Switch versions set to release on April 6.