Summary
- Jedi clones were forced to turn on their Jedi generals during Order 66, causing confusion and sadness for audiences.
- The Clone Wars revealed that the clones were implanted with inhibitor chips, turning them into slaves who had no choice but to obey Order 66.
- The Bad Batch hints at a possible clone uprising in season 3, giving the clones a chance to seek revenge against the Empire for their mistreatment.
One of Star Wars’ most tragic group of characters are the Republic clones who fought during the Clone Wars, but a new theory gives them redemption after Order 66. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas commissioned the clone army about ten years before the Clone Wars broke out, due to his gift of foresight. After Obi-Wan Kenobi uncovered the creation of this army in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, the Republic utilized these clone troopers to create the Grand Army of the Republic, with Jedi generals leading the clones in various battles against Count Dooku and the Separatists.
Throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the clones remained mostly a mystery, other than the fact they were modeled off of bounty hunter Jango Fett. Star Wars: The Clone Wars did a lot to give the clones history and individuality, showing the deep ties that were often created between clones and their Jedi generals. Order 66, then, became a much more horrific event, all because of what the clones did in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
Upcoming Star Wars Shows: Story, Casts & Everything We Know
Several exciting Star Wars TV shows are set to be released on Disney+ in the coming years from the realm of both live-action and animation.
Revenge Of The Sith Saw The Clones Turn On The Jedi
When Palpatine executed Order 66 during Revenge of the Sith, it was shocking to see how the clones turned on the Jedi so easily. For a long while following the release of the 2005 movie, many thought that the clones’ willingness to exterminate the Jedi was a conscious choice and that they were simply just following the orders of the Supreme Chancellor. This certainly made the betrayal of the clones that much harder to swallow for audiences who felt connected to the clones and loved the bonds they shared with their Jedi generals.
This problem was compounded when audiences became even more attached to certain clones during The Clone Wars. With story arcs solely following clones and letting audiences get to know them and mourn lost clones, the impending Order 66 declaration was much harder for audiences to believe. Clones like Captain Rex and Commander Cody quickly became fan-favorites, and viewers had a hard time accepting that they willingly betrayed some of their closest friends. While it took a while, the creators of The Clone Wars eventually found a smart workaround that provided a reason why the Clones betrayed the Jedi.
The Clone Wars Turned The Clones Into Slaves
The Clone Wars season 6 introduced an arc that followed an ARC trooper named Fives who tries to uncover a mystery following one of his brothers, Tup, killing a Jedi after having a mysterious illness. It is revealed by the end of the arc that each of the clones had an inhibitor chip implanted in their brains from birth which restricted their free will and would cause them to follow orders when Order 66 was executed. Fives would end up removing his inhibitor chip and being hunted down.
Following Fives’ death, Captain Rex made a report that went uninvestigated but was later uncovered by Ahsoka following the execution of Order 66. Ahsoka was able to free Captain Rex from his inhibitor chip, thus freeing him from the control of Palpatine. This change in The Clone Wars made the clones’ supposed betrayal of the Jedi into a tragic fate of being slaves to Palpatine’s will. The clones’ personalities changed following the activation of their inhibitor chip and were transformed into beings who only lived to comply with someone else’s orders. It took away any kind of free will they had.
Every Clone Who Disobeyed Order 66 In Star Wars Canon & Legends
Star Wars’ Clone Troopers were bred for absolute loyalty and secretly created to destroy the Jedi…but not every one obeyed the sinister Order 66.
The Empire Has Betrayed The Clones In The Bad Batch
Star Wars: The Bad Batch showed exactly how the Empire was able to transition from the use of clone troopers to stormtroopers so seamlessly. The clones were quickly decommissioned following the establishment of the Empire and were forced into retirement. Many of the clones were secretly taken to be a part of a secret cloning experiment led by Dr. Royce Hemlock. Many clones like Captain Rex, Gregor, and Clone Force 99 were being actively hunted by the Empire. Rex had set up a secret underground network of clones who were working to free others and help them remove their inhibitor chips.
It’s unclear how Rex goes from leading an underground network of clones to living with Gregor and Commander Wolfe on Seelos during Star Wars Rebels, but hopefully, The Bad Batch season 3 will shed some light on it. It was also seen in The Bad Batch season 2 that many clones, like Commander Cody, had objections to the brutality of the Empire. Knowing he would face disciplinary action following his inability to kill someone, Commander Cody went AWOL and likely connected with Rex’s network of clones. It was obvious that the Empire looked down on the clones and considered them dispensable.
The Bad Batch season 3 premieres February 21st on Disney+ and will be the show’s final season.
Will The Bad Batch Season 3 Feature A Clone Uprising?
One theory The Bad Batch poses is that there will be a clone uprising in The Bad Batch season 3. With forces led by the likes of Commander Cody and Captain Rex, this doesn’t seem too far off. It’s unclear how many clones Rex’s network has been able to rescue, but if there’s enough, it seems likely that they will attack to help free their brothers from the Empire and its experiments. While a clone uprising likely won’t end well for the clones, at the very least it may free them to live whatever life they can.
It would be validating for the clones to turn on the Empire that enslaved them and then promptly discarded them once they were no longer useful to them. Many details about The Bad Batch season 3 are still unknown, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see fan-favorite clones return to take on the Empire. This uprising may be something as small as a jailbreak, or a small attack to make their point. The clones deserve some kind of revenge or validation following the Empire’s mistreatment of them and hopefully, Star Wars will give them that in The Bad Batch season 3.
