Star Wars: The Clone Wars is back! The beloved animated series just returned for its seventh and final season on the streaming service Disney+, a special treat for fans who followed the George Lucas-created, Dave Filoni-penned show from the beginning. Set during the eponymous, tumultuous galactic wars, the final season tells multiple stories, including the Siege of Mandalore–an event hinted at over time, most recently in The Mandalorian, that will tie up several loose threads in the universe.
If you’re only passingly familiar with the series and decided to check out the final season to see what the fuss is about, you might be a little lost. The show is dense and multifaceted, with a lot of serial-style storytelling. It’s also stacked with a cast of clones, who all look and sound alike (and are all voiced by the extremely talented Dee Bradley Baker)–a device as necessary as it can be confusing.
If you’re new to the world or need a refresher, we put together this brief guide to all of the key clones of The Clone Wars.
Jango Fett
Before we get into the specific clones, we need to start with a brief explainer of how they came to be. Though not a clone himself, Jango Fett was a male bounty hunter who served as the template for the clone army. He wore Mandalorian armor but was disavowed by Mandalore officials, who claimed he had no connection to their planet or culture. Regarded as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, he was recruited by a Sith Lord named Darth Tyranus to be cloned for the Grand Army of the Republic. They were created in hopes of defeating the Separatist Droid Army.
The army was created on the planet of Kamino. Jango had no real pride or affection for the clones, even though they were comprised of his genetic material. He agreed to have his likeness copied but requested that one clone be spared for him to raise as a son. He named this clone Boba Fett, and trained him as a bounty hunter. Though Boba is a clone, he was different from the others: He wasn’t aged at an accelerated speed nor was he trained to be obedient to the Republic.
Jango continued on his bounty hunting ways, and was later assassinated on Geonosis by Mace Windu for his possible connection to the assassination plot against Padmé Amidala.
Lucasfilm
Captain Rex
The most famous of the clones is Captain Rex, or CT-7567, an Advanced Recon Commando (ARC) who commanded the Torrent Company–part of the 501st Legion within the Grand Army of the Republic. Rex regularly accompanied and took orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, and was an honorable soldier through and through. He’s easy to spot due to his customized blue markings and his double blasters.
The Clone Wars does an excellent job of fleshing out the clones and bringing their humanity to the forefront, with Rex the “face” of the duality between clone and individual. As the conflict raged on, he found himself questioning his allegiance and place in the Republic. After Ahsoka was excommunicated from the Jedi Order and his comrade Fives was murdered for learning about Order 66, Rex lost faith. He was able to disable his inhibitor chip and avoid Order 66–a directive that had the clone army slaughter the Jedi–fleeing with Ahsoka.
Rex would later appear in Star Wars Rebels, where he crossed paths with another surviving Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. We learn that he retired from battle with fellow clones Wolffe and Gregor on the planet Seelos. Though reluctant at first, he eventually joins the Rebel Alliance and even appears in Return of the Jedi as a member of Han Solo’s strike team during the Battle of Endor.
The seventh season of The Clone Wars should fill in some of the gaps of Rex’s story that we haven’t seen yet, like what exactly happened when he avoided Order 66 and what his participation was in the Siege of Mandalore.
Lucasfilm
Commander Cody
Another noble clone, Commander Cody, or CC-2224, was the leader of the 7th Sky Corps and a clone marshal commander assigned to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was very loyal to Master Kenobi, and well respected by his fellow clones. Cody was present for several important battles during the Clone Wars, including the Battle of Christophsis, the Third Battle of Kamino, the Battle of Kiros, and more. He was close with Captain Rex.
Unfortunately, Commander Cody was not able to deflect his programming and participated in Order 66, which was activated when he was on Utapu with Kenobi. He would become part of the first generation of imperial Stormtroopers after Palpatine secured his role as Emperor. His exact fate after the events of The Clone Wars is unknown.
Lucasfilm
Other ARC Troopers
We’d be here for days if we had to go through every single important ARC Trooper, so here’s a quick rundown of some others, and why they’re important to this current season of The Clone Wars. First, there’s Echo, a Kamino clonetrooper and member of the 501st Legion. A comrade and friend of Rex, he seemingly died during a mission to collect Nexus Route coordinates, but as we learned in the first episode of the seventh season, he is possibly alive and working for the Separatists. (If you’re familiar with the unfinished episodes of the series, then you already know his fate.)
Fives is another memorable ARC Trooper, and the one who discovered the conspiracy of the inhibitor chips, which were inserted into the clones to execute the Jedi on the orders of Palpatine. He told Anakin and Rex of his discovery; Anakin didn’t believe him and accused him of trying to assassinate Palpatine, and he was murdered by a Coruscant clone guard named Fox in the middle of his explanation. He died in Rex’s arms, but his legacy was profound: Because of his discovery, Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor removed their chips and escaped the terror of Order 66.
Lucasfilm
Coruscant Guard
These elite clones were shock troopers for the Grand Army of the Republic, tasked with protecting the capital planet of Coruscant. Their duties included patrolling the streets of the city planet, conducting hostage rescue operations, and serving as bodyguards for important figures like the Jedi and Palpatine–accompanying them on dangerous missions and protecting them from any form of hard. They were known for their extreme loyalty and became part of the first generation of imperial Stormtroopers.
Some were present when Anakin Skywalker was transformed into Darth Vader on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith, including Commander Thire. They are also heavily involved in the arrest and persecution of Ahsoka Tano during the events of The Clone Wars, for a crime in which she was wrongfully accused.
Commander Fox is the best-known of the Coruscant clones. One of the most decorated soldier in the Republic Military, he dutifully served and protected Palpatine and would join him for the rise of the Galactic Empire. In the Darth Vader comics, we learn that during his service of the Empire, he was murdered by Vader.
Lucasfilm
The Bad Batch
In the first episode of The Clone Wars’ seventh season, we’re introduced to Clone Force 99, otherwise known as the “Bad Batch.” This clone commando squad was comprised of four clone troopers with specially designed genetic mutations, like enhanced sensory abilities, muscular form, eyesight, and intelligence. Their helmets were marked with a skull icon to differentiate them from other clones. Crosshair, Wrecker, and Tech were led by Clone Sergeant Hunter.
Though formally introduced in the Disney+ seventh season, fans have known about the Bad Batch since 2015. George Lucas originally conceived them as a Dirty Dozen-style clone troupe, and their abandoned plot was the focus of a panel at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim that year. Now that the series is back, the abandoned plot is no longer abandoned, and we can look forward to more adventures with this motley crew of clones.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm