DNA / Legends DNA was a gene tic substance located in the cells of plants , animals , and microorganisms such as bacteria , viruses , and fungi . In animals , it was found in every individual and , with the exception of unaltered clone units and identical twins , was considered unique to each individual . The presence or absence of certain DNA segments could influence the appearance and physical health of an individual , and may even cause some natural mutations to occur in individuals or in populations . Manipulation of DNA was used as the basis in many different types of gene - altering procedures , most notably cloning , gene therapy , genetic hybrid creation and breeding ( transmutation ) , and in the development of bioweapon s . Overview . In animals , DNA was a genetic substance in the body containing units called gene s , which contained the genetic information of an individual . Except for unaltered clones and identical twins , DNA was unique to each individual . Depending on what genetic material was inherited from the parents , the presence or absence of some genetic material could influence the appearance of an individual , with certain segments influencing hair ( or fur ) color , eye color , height , body type , the ability to use the Force , and the aging process , among other things . Most DNA samples are recovered via a blood sample , although in at least one case the umbilical cord of a newborn was also useful for genetic studies . The structure of DNA differed from species to species . In humans , it appeared as a double helix pattern when viewed . Applications of DNA . There are many uses of DNA ; listed are some of the most common . Cloning . Cloning was the process in which one or more copies of an individual were created from the genetic material of the donor . Clones came in two types : modified and unmodified . Whether modified or unmodified , there was a chance that clones could suffer from genetic defects due to random mutations , even if the genetic structure was untouched . Modified clones were clones that have had their genetic material manipulated during the cloning process . Some traits that may have been modified include temperament , intelligence , the acceleration of the aging process , and the ability to augment the clone ' s connection to the Force . However , sometimes the manipulation of genetic material may cause the clones to become mentally unstable . In the development of the Grand Army of the Republic , the first batch of development produced 100 units , twelve of which became the Null - class Advanced Recon Commando s . Since they were highly intelligent and uncontrollable , the Nulls were deemed defective and marked for " reconditioning " at the hands of the Kaminoans . Out of the original twelve , six managed to avoid " reconditioning " due to Kal Skirata ' s intervention . The Kaminoans took note of this " failure " and used the genetic template of the other 88 clones as the basis of the Grand Army of the Republic . One particular cloning study , initiated by Grand Admiral Thrawn , attempted to splice Jedi and Sith DNA into the clones of various Jedi and Sith in order to create super powerful Force - sensitives ; this resulted in the clones going insane and homicidal , having murdered those who ran the study and plotted their escape from the research facility . Unmodified clones were direct genetic copies of their donors . Depending on the method used and the approach taken , clones could be created within as little as twenty days or over a period of several years . Some clones created in this fashion had a greater chance to suffer from clone madness , especially if they were created using Spaarti cloning cylinder s . Example of unmodified clones include Boba Fett ; most of the residents of Khomm ; Joruus C ' baoth ; Luuke Skywalker ; all of Palpatine ' s clones ; Thrawn ' s clone ; Soontir Fel ' s clones ; Cinzia Xandret , the clone of Eldon Ax ; and the Dark Apprentice . Gene Therapy . Gene therapy is the use of using modified DNA to treat or cure an illness . This is done by modifying the genetic material of an individual to correct a mutation causing the illness , or to shut off or accelerate the development of a particular gene . Gene therapy was used to correct the aging process of the clones from Clan Skirata ; although the exact process is unknown , it involved manipulation of the gene responsible for accelerated aging and allowed the clone members of Clan Skirata to live out normal lifespans . This procedure was developed based upon the research data of Kaminoan geneticist Ko Sai , the one responsible for the development of the Fett genome used to make the Grand Army of the Republic . Years later , in 40 ABY Boba Fett was suffering from a number of degenerative illnesses related to his status as a clone ; when his doctors could not help him , he went to look for Ko Sai ' s data . Along the way , he came across his long - lost granddaughter Mirta Gev , who informed him that she saw a clone around the same age as Fett , which should have been impossible . The pair tracked the clone down , who revealed himself to be Jaing Skirata . Fett demanded Ko Sai ' s data , but Skirata stated that the data was destroyed after it was used on his brothers and himself . Skirata mentioned that he could engineer a cure for Fett , but refused to give him a blood sample for fear that Fett might sell it to the Kaminoans . Instead , Fett had Mirta take a sample of his blood for Skirata to test upon . The only condition for this was that Fett had to go to Mandalore and take the advice of a man named Kad ' ika . Fett agreed , and a while later , a cure arrived . The cure was a bone marrow transplant , which involves the injection of the sample sent by Skirata into the bone marrow of his sternum . The genetically modified cells in the transplanted sample took root in the bone marrow and reproduced , curing Fett . Project Chubar , a medical program initially started by Palpatine but continued under Zsinj , was created by Binring Biomedical Product and headed by Tuzin Gast . This program was designed to genetically manipulate several non - human species to enhance their intellect to meet or exceed human standards . Some test subjects of this program specialized in certain areas ; Voort saBinring , a Gamorrean test subject , developed superior mathematical capabilities rivaling supercomputers and the ability to speak Basic via an implanted translator . Project Chubar was presumed terminated when Zsinj was killed aboard the " Iron Fist " . Bioweapons . In some cases , the DNA of an individual or a species may be reverse engineered and combined into a virus to target that specific group but leave other groups alone . During the Yuuzhan Vong War , a pathogen named Alpha Red was developed in 28 ABY by Chiss biotechnicians working with agents from the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances . This pathogen was supposed to target and kill all Yuuzhan Vong and their associated biot s , but despite Chiss assurances to the contrary , the Alpha Red pathogen mutated and started to kill off some of the local wildlife on the test planet Caluula . The plan to deploy Alpha Red on a galaxy wide basis was cancelled after a Yuuzhan Vong coralskipper escaped the GFFA imposed quarantine of Caluula and Supreme Overlord Shimrra Jamaane tried to use it to kill off the sentient planet Zonama Sekot . After Shimrra ' s defeat , all test samples of Alpha Red and the blueprints for its creation were believed destroyed . Over a hundred years later , in 137 ABY , a Sith scientist named Darth Maladi discovered a copy of the Alpha Red blueprint that somehow escaped destruction . From this , she created Omega Red , a pathogen based on Alpha Red that would kill all non - Sith . After she had been captured by Emperor Roan Fel , Maladi used Omega Red as a bargaining chip during her interrogation , but instead of stating its true intentions , she lied to Fel and told him that it would wipe out the Sith . Fel considered using it , but refused to do it after comparing his potential actions to those of Palpatine . A while later , Fel , frustrated by all of the losses suffered during the Second Imperial Civil War , fell to the dark side and decided to use Omega Red , but was killed by Imperial Knight Antares Draco before he could give the order to deploy it . FG36 was a bioweapon that had its roots in the Clone Wars . Developed by Separatist scientist Ovolot Qail Uthan in 22 BBY , the virus was based on the DNA of Jango Fett and was meant to wipe out all of the clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic . Her virus unfinished due to not having narrowed down the gene responsible for accelerated aging , Uthan was captured by Republic forces before the virus could be deployed . After her capture , Palpatine acquired some samples of the unfinished virus and used it on Uthan ' s homeworld of Gibad in 19 BBY when they refused to comply to his demands . Since the virus was unfinished , it infected and killed everyone on the planet . After having been removed from her prison cell by members of Clan Skirata , who brought her to Mandalore on the condition that she finish Ko Sai ' s data on reversing clone aging , Uthan developed an antidote to FG36 . In an effort to prevent Mandalore from suffering Gibad ' s fate if the Empire ' s attention ever fell on them , Clan Skirata made sure that the antidote was distributed to everyone on Mandalore . Years later , at least three variants of FG36 were developed and refined during the Second Galactic Civil War when the Imperial Remnant obtained genetic samples from three captives : a Verpine soldier , Prince Isolder of Hapes , and Mirta Gev , the granddaughter of " Mand ' alor " Boba Fett . From these three prisoners , three different strains were created : one targeting the Verpine soldier caste , one targeting the Hapan Royal House , and the third targeting Clan Fett . This was done by taking several genetic samples from a specific individual , and then isolating specific sections of that individual ' s DNA . Once the DNA has been isolated , it is combined with the virus and is let loose on the population to target specific individuals with that DNA segment . The deployment of these specific strains led to the deaths of a lot of the Verpine soldier caste , the deaths of all the Hapan s on Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo ' s flagship " Dragon Queen " that were related to the royal house , and the atmosphere of the planet Mandalore being seeded with the Fett virus , preventing Boba Fett and his granddaughter from returning . However , due to the antidote to FG36 spread years earlier by Clan Skirata , the effectiveness of the Fett strain on those with Fett DNA living on Mandalore may have been little to none . Mutations . Transmutation . The Arkanians were considered notorious by some throughout the galaxy for their extremely reclusive scientists who , around 17 , 000 BBY , created the Quermian species from the Xexto . Though the Arkanians abandoned their clandestine experiments , fearing legal action from the Republic , the Quermians resurfaced millennium later . But for generations it was widely acknowledged that the Arkanians , because of their genetic hybrid tampering and alteration , had been involved in the creation ( transmutation ) and one - time breeding of a new species . Random mutation . Some " random " mutations , of course , also occurred when some of the genetic material passed on by parents was corrupted in some form . Random mutation can result in deformities , such as in the case of Triclops , a human who had gained a third eye . Mutations seen via cloning , where the genetic material is otherwise intact and unmodified but the clone turned out deformed or the clone gained a new ability that the original template did not possess ( such as in the case of the Khommite Jedi Dorsk 81 and his lineage ) , are also otherwise inexplicable . Other uses of DNA . There were technological " readers " that could scan DNA to identify persons . In 32 BBY , young Anakin Skywalker — in an attempt to rescue several Ghostling children from Gardulla the Hutt ' s palace — fled from a runaway slave " seeker - droid " that , the boy knew , was equipped with expensive sensors , including ' sniffers ' and DNA sequencers . Upon detection , the sequencer was set to mark Anakin as a runaway slave , and , as a probable result , his implanted slave tracking chip would explode , killing him . A piece of green skin from Anakin ' s Twi ' lek accomplice , Pala Kwi ' teksa , was discovered by their Dug and Sakiyan trackers and run through a DNA " scanner " in order to identify at least one of the Ghostling thieves . When the DNA scan revealed Pala as one of the culprits , Gardulla attempted to activate Pala ' s slave chip , intent that she be killed by the resultant explosion , as certainly would have happened , had it not been for the signal scrambler device that Anakin had constructed and gifted to his friend to protect her . Eldon Ax was able to use her DNA pattern to gain control over her mother ' s otherwise uncontrollable hex droids ; having recognized her DNA as that of their maker ' s daughter Cinzia , they obeyed her orders to kill her Sith Master Darth Chratis then destroy themselves . Tuzin Gast , the leader of Project Chubar and the creator of Voort saBinring , synthesized lots of blood plasma with saBinring ' s DNA , then committed suicide . This was done to make it appear that saBinring has died as well . Behind the scenes . In real life , the substance known as serves as natural identification between all organisms , but especially between Humans in society . It is found through various means such as saliva , blood , skin cells , or hair and is often used to establish the whereabouts of a person during a criminal investigation . DNA manifests its basic structure in humans as a double helix , a term made popular by molecular biologist and geneticist James Watson . Appearances . DNA makes an appearance in almost all Star Wars media .