Clone trooper Clone troopers were highly trained soldier s in the Grand Army of the Republic , the armed forces of the Galactic Republic in its final years . Bred from the genetic template of the bounty hunter Jango Fett , clone trooper s represented the latest evolution in galactic warfare at the time , largely due to their superiority over battle droid s . Their formal introduction as the Republic ' s new military force coincided with the outbreak of a galaxy - wide civil war ; various members of the Republic attempted to secede from the galactic government in order to form the breakaway state known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems . The ensuing conflict gained its name — the Clone Wars — from the clones who made their debut in the first full - scale war since the formation of the millennial Republic . For three years , clone troopers served under the leadership of the Jedi as they defended the Republic against the Separatist forces . Although the clones repeatedly demonstrated their loyalty to the Jedi and the Republic , often by sacrificing their lives in the Clone Wars , they were in fact the secret weapon of the Sith — an order of dark side practitioners that conspired to take over the galaxy . In spite of their efforts to save the Republic , the clone troopers ultimately played an integral part in the annihilation of the Jedi Order and the rise of the Sith - controlled Galactic Empire . The clone troopers who served the Republic became known as Imperial stormtroopers , enforcing the rule of Emperor Sheev Palpatine during the early years of the New Order . As a result of their accelerated aging process , the clones were ultimately decommissioned and replaced by recruits several years before the Battle of Yavin . Clone troopers were remembered — particularly by Imperial military officers — for their role in the formation of the Empire and reputation as soldiers . During the Age of the Empire , Admiral Brom Titus credited the clones for putting the Imperial regime in power . Commandant Brendol Hux , an Imperial Academy instructor who regarded stormtroopers as sub - par soldiers in comparison to clone troopers , believed that a soldier should be trained from birth in order to achieve maximum combat effectiveness . This particular aspect of the clone trooper training regimen was ultimately incorporated into the training of a new generation of stormtroopers , all of whom were trained since birth to become super - soldiers of the First Order . History . Origin . Years before the Invasion of Naboo , Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas came to believe that the galaxy would soon become engulfed by war . He therefore advocated for the creation of an army to ensure the defense of the Galactic Republic , but his views were ultimately rejected by his peers and he was cast out of the Jedi Council . Undeterred by the lack of support from the other Jedi , Sifo - Dyas secretly contacted the Kaminoan s — a species of experts in cloning , native to the planet Kamino . Acting without the authorization of the Jedi Council or the Galactic Senate , Sifo - Dyas commissioned the Kaminoans to create an army of clone soldier s for the Republic . Shortly afterward , Sifo - Dyas was killed by the Pyke Syndicate at the behest of the Sith , resulting in the Sith ' s takeover of the clone trooper project . Darth Tyranus , the apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious , recruited the bounty hunter Jango Fett to become the genetic template of the clone army . Various modifications were made to the Fett genome so that the clones would grow faster and be more susceptible to following orders . Hyper aggressive and volatile tendencies were tailored . The Kaminoans resorted to growth acceleration in order to create mature clones in half the time a normal human took to reach maturity ; Fett ' s genetic structure was further modified to make the clones less independent and more docile than their template . However , the clones were also designed to be capable of creative thinking , making them superior to battle droid s ( according to the Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su ) . Of the multitudes of clones , Fett requested besides his financial compensation an additional clone for himself . This one would remain unaltered , thus allowing the boy to grow and mature at typical pace , so that he could adopt the boy as his son . Although the Kaminoans believed that the army was meant to serve the Republic , the Sith intended to use the clone troopers as their secret weapon against the Jedi Order . The clone army ' s true purpose was to exterminate the Jedi , and to that end an organic inhibitor chip was implanted into the brain of every clone trooper at the third stage of their development , of which at least one failed in clone trooper Tup , causing him to kill a Jedi before hand . Officially , the chips were supposed make the clones less aggressive and independent than Jango Fett . The significance of the inhibitor chip was supported by the assertion that a clone would become mentally unstable and dangerous to everyone around him if his chip was damaged or surgically removed . The chips were , in fact , created to compel the clone troopers to execute Order 66 — a secret protocol that authorized the destruction of the Jedi Order . Each clone trooper had an identifying code inserted in his left wrist . During the Clone Wars , the codes were linked to the file of every individual trooper in the Republic ' s military database . The files , which could be accessed by an astromech droid via the scanning of a clone ' s identifying code , contained the clones ' designation , rank and overall service record , as well as any specialized training and the units that he was affiliated with . Within a decade after Sifo - Dyas commissioned the creation of the clone army , the first 200 , 000 units were ready with a million more under way . Around the same time , the Jedi Knight Obi - Wan Kenobi discovered the clone project on Kamino and duly informed the Jedi Council . By then , the galaxy was on the verge of a civil war between the Republic and a Secessionist Movement that ultimately formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems . Since the Jedi lacked the sufficient manpower to guard the entire Republic , the Senate resolved to grant emergency powers to the executive branch . As a result , the clone troopers were formally organized into the Grand Army of the Republic by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine — the elected leader of the Senate and public persona of Darth Sidious , Dark Lord of the Sith . Clone Wars . Clone troopers were deployed into battle for the first time on the planet Geonosis . Under the leadership of the Jedi , the Grand Army of the Republic forced the Separatist Droid Army into full retreat and consequently won the first battle of the Clone Wars . In the wake of the Republic victory on Geonosis , Count Dooku — the alter ego of Darth Tyranus — rallied a growing number of dissenting worlds to the Separatist cause , further dividing the Republic and forcing the clone troopers to fight the war on all fronts across the galaxy . Throughout the conflict , clone troopers continuously demonstrated extreme loyalty to the Galactic Republic , especially their Jedi generals and the Supreme Chancellor . Yet while the clones were conditioned to be absolutely obedient , every clone developed his own unique identity . The distinction between each clone ranged from loyal units , such as Commander CC - 2224 and Captain CT - 7567 , to a minority of clones who proved to be disloyal or uncommitted to the Republic ' s cause . A clone trooper sergeant , nicknamed " Slick , " was arrested by the Grand Army as a Separatist spy and saboteur ; disillusioned with his role in the war as a clone , he betrayed the Republic by accepting bribes from the Separatists . Another clone trooper displayed aberrant behavior by deserting the Grand Army and becoming a farmer under the name " Cut Lawquane . " For the most part , however , the clones found pride in their purpose as soldiers , and many continued to sacrifice their lives for the Republic . Later in the war , Order 66 was nearly discovered by the Jedi . CT - 5385 , a clone trooper in the 501st Legion , became mentally unstable when his inhibitor chip malfunctioned during the Battle of Ringo Vinda , causing him to kill Jedi General Tiplar . This premature execution of Order 66 resulted in an investigation by the Republic , the Jedi , and the Kaminoans . The Sith also took an interest in the matter ; Count Dooku — whom Lama Su and Nala Se knew only as " Tyranus , " their secret benefactor — instructed the Kaminoans to prevent the Jedi from discovering the true purpose of the inhibitor chips . Tyranus was also disturbed by the degree of individuality that the clones displayed in spite of their psychological conditioning ; Nala Se believed that the Jedi were responsible for encouraging greater creative thinking in the clones . Nevertheless , she was certain that , with the exception of CT - 5385 ' s damaged chip , the rest of the chips would function according to their design . During the investigation , ARC trooper CT - 5555 became increasingly convinced that the inhibitor chip was part of a conspiracy against the Republic and the Jedi . Against Nala Se ' s advice , he was allowed to plead his case to Chancellor Palpatine . However , their meeting led the ARC trooper to believe that the Chancellor was involved in the conspiracy , although he was unaware of to what extent . Jedi Master Shaak Ti witnessed CT - 5555 ' s attempt to assassinate the Chancellor and prevented him from succeeding . Soon after his escape from the Grand Republic Medical Facility , CT - 5555 was cornered by the clone shock trooper s of the Coruscant Guard and executed by Commander CC - 1010 . The investigation falsely concluded that CT - 5385 ' s chip was infected by a rare parasite native to Ringo Vinda and CT - 5555 succumbed to madness after removing his own chip on Kamino . Shortly before dying , CT - 5385 and CT - 5555 — both of whom had their chips removed — described Order 66 as a mission that they repeatedly experienced in their nightmares . With their deaths and the removal of any evidence that could alert the Jedi to the existence of Order 66 , the Chancellor convinced the Jedi Council that the clone troopers did require their inhibitor chips . The death of CT - 5555 did not completely ensure the secrecy of Order 66 , however . The Jedi Council began inquiring into the specific circumstances regarding the mysterious death of Sifo - Dyas , the founder of the clone army . Alarmed by the Jedi ' s interest in the matter , Darth Sidious tasked his apprentice with the responsibility of eliminating any remaining loose ends that could connect the Sith with the creation of the clones . Darth Tyranus journeyed to the planet Oba Diah and killed Minister Lom Pyke of the Pyke Syndicate , but not before the Pyke revealed to the Jedi that Tyranus and Dooku were one and the same . The Jedi Council was disturbed by the revelation of the Sith Order ' s involvement in the creation of the clones . Yet in spite of their suspicions regarding the reasons the Sith would provide the Jedi with an army , the Council ultimately chose to conceal their findings from the public and the government , fearing that such a discovery would undermine public confidence in the war . Moreover , Grand Master Yoda defended the clones ' integrity to his peers , believing that the Jedi could trust in their loyalty . Order 66 . After three years of constant warfare , the Separatist forces attacked Coruscant , the Republic capital world , and managed to abduct Chancellor Palpatine in the process . The clone troopers rallied to Coruscant ' s defense while the Jedi Knights Obi - Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker rescued the Chancellor . During the battle , Darth Tyranus was slain by Skywalker — an act which brought the Clone Wars closer to a successful conclusion for the Republic . The Jedi Council moved to capitalize on the momentum gained by Tyranus ' death in the hope of ending the war . The Grand Army continued to fight the war on various worlds across the galaxy , including Mygeeto , Felucia , Cato Neimoidia , and Saleucami . New fronts were opened as clone troopers were deployed to Kashyyyk and Utapau . CC - 1004 and the 41st Elite Corps fought side - by - side with the Wookiee s in the Battle of Kashyyyk , under the command of Yoda , while Kenobi and CC - 2224 oversaw the Battle of Utapau between the 212th Attack Battalion and General Grievous ' s droid army . As the Republic drew closer to achieving total victory in the Clone Wars , Chancellor Palpatine revealed his true identity as Darth Sidious to the Jedi , provoking an immediate response from the Jedi Council . The consequent confrontation between the Council and the Dark Lord ended in the deaths of several Jedi Masters , including Mace Windu , and Anakin Skywalker ' s fall to the dark side of the Force . Now anointed as the Sith Lord Darth Vader , Sidious ' s new apprentice participated in the 501st Legion ' s assault on the Jedi Temple . Under the influence of Order 66 , the 501st clone troopers stormed the Temple and exterminated the Jedi within . None of the Jedi were spared , including the youngling s . Around the same time , Darth Sidious issued Order 66 to the clone troopers throughout the galaxy — declaring every Jedi an enemy of the Republic . Order 66 triggered the hidden chips within the clones , compelling them to comply without question or hesitation with the plan to annihilate the Jedi . The clones turned on their unsuspecting allies and slaughtered them across numerous worlds . With the exception of a few survivors , the Jedi were all but extinct in the aftermath of the initial execution of Order 66 . Dark times . With the destruction of the Jedi , the galaxy fell under Sith rule once more . Darth Sidious — using his authority over the clone troopers , as well as his influence in the Senate and the courts — declared himself Emperor of the first Galactic Empire . Democracy and liberty came to an end with the fall of the Republic , resulting in the rise of the New Order of the Sith . In addition to the Republic ' s reorganization into the Empire , the clone troopers were re - designated as Imperial stormtrooper s . As stormtroopers , clones obeyed the new Emperor ' s will , enforced his laws , and destroyed the enemies of the Empire during the early years of the dark times . In time , however , the clones ' fighting skills deteriorated as a result of their accelerated aging process . Ultimately , clones were gradually replaced by birth - born human recruits who , like their predecessors , were trained for absolute loyalty and obedience . Four years before the Battle of Yavin , most clones had been decommissioned by the Imperial Army . A small number of clones remained in Imperial service , acting as training instructors for the next generation of stormtroopers . TX - 828 , nicknamed " Torrent , " was among the last clones from Kamino who still served as a stormtrooper around the time of the Battle of Yavin . At that time he was nearing the age of forty due to his accelerated growth process , with strands of gray coloring his black hair . By then the rarity of TX - 828 ' s kind was such that ISB Commander Alecia Beck was surprised to encounter a stormtrooper based on the original Kamino - produced template . Some clones , traumatized by the events of Order 66 , felt bitter and horrified by their actions , while others removed their control chip s and remained active for a time and chose to support a growing rebellion against the Galactic Empire . They were especially dismissive of their replacements — the stormtroopers . CC - 10 / 994 , dismayed by his and his comrades ' thoughtless execution of Order 66 , argued with his subordinate Captain Styles over the morality of their actions . Distraught that his protest had landed on deaf ears , he destroyed their " Gozanti " - class cruiser , which was in pursuit of Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume , the apprentice of Jedi Master Depa Billaba whom he had killed . Other clones , such as CT - 7567 " Rex " , were still alive fifteen years after the establishment of the Empire . Retired and trying to live a peaceful life , Rex lived with two other retired clones — CC - 3636 ( " Wolffe " ) and CC - 5576 - 39 ( " Gregor " ) — in an All Terrain Tactical Enforcer on the planet Seelos . They each had a scar where their control chips were located . Rex would eventually aid the growing rebellion in its fight against the First Galactic Empire . Although the extensive majority of clone troopers were loyal to the Empire , held in place by training and established organic programming , a few were able to discover how to disconnect or repeal their programming . Of those few , even fewer decided to rebel against the Empire , mostly due to their increasingly old age or situations . The clone troopers that decided to rebel and were able to join various resistance groups were great assets to their respective organizations due to their considerable combat training and experience , and were also knowledgable in Imperial strategy and military bureaucracy . Although clones active in the growing rebellion were averagely individuals , some instances saw several clones working together . Legacy . By the time of the Galactic Empire , clone troopers and the Grand Army of the Republic were virtually forgotten , becoming what some called a " lost generation , " despite their valiant service . By the war ' s end , clones had saved billions of lives across the galaxy , while their vehicles and equipment inspired new weapons such as the E - 11 blaster rifle and AT - AT . At least one Jedi survivor harbored a grudge against the clones . Kanan Jarrus was traumatized by the events of Order 66 , including the sudden execution of his master Depa Billaba by their own clone troopers , who betrayed and murdered the Jedi Master without hesitation . This experience caused him to develop a strong sense of bitterness towards the clones . Among military circles , the clones were remembered for their effectiveness . During the cold war , Kylo Ren expressed his disappointment in the stormtroopers of the First Order , telling General Armitage Hux that an army of clones would be more effective . CT - 6116 , a clone trooper of the 501st Legion , was discovered by the pirate Sidon Ithano over fifty years after the end of the Clone Wars . At the time Ithano located a downed Separatist vessel and decided to raid it , assuming he would find valuable kyber crystal s once belonging to Count Dooku . Instead he found CT - 6116 , who had been frozen in stasis since the late Clone Wars . The former clone trooper was ultimately allowed to join Ithano ' s crew due to his expertise in Clone Wars - era technology and the knowledge he possessed regarding the locations of former Galactic Republic military bases . Training . Clone troopers were subjected to intense combat training exercises in order to prepare them for war . As trainees , they held the rank of clone cadet and were organized into multiple squad s for the purpose of learning cooperation and teamwork . Cadets had several kinds of instructors ; younger clones were monitored by full - grown clone sergeants and bounty hunters were hired to supervise the older clones . By the time of the Clone Wars , Jedi Master Shaak Ti personally oversaw the training of new generations of clone troopers . ARC troopers were also assigned to inspect the progress of future troopers , especially the cadets who demonstrated the potential to join the ARC ranks . During the war Shaak Ti observed how some cadets such as Domino Squad struggled to complete their training . Lama Su , who regarded the Domino clones as sub - standard units , believed they were the result of the Kaminoans ' need to stretch their remaining supply of Jango Fett ' s DNA due to the template ' s untimely demise on Geonosis . The prime minister also opined that a new genotype would have to be selected in order to produce more clones fit for combat . Although the clones lived and trained in Tipoca City , the capital city of Kamino , throughout their time as cadet s , at least one squad was given a tour of the " Venator " - class Star Destroyer " Endurance " during the Clone Wars as part of the Clone Youth Brigade . The point of this on - site training exercise was to test the cadets ' knowledge regarding the functions and layout of a Star Destroyer . It was also meant to help prepare the cadets for their future as fully trained clone troopers . The clones who failed to complete their training were not allowed to become soldiers . Instead of military service , failed clones — such as 99 — were given janitorial duties and menial work . The cadets who succeeded in their trials were promoted to active duty . Despite technically holding the rank of clone trooper , new troopers were regarded as rookies and referred to as " shinie s " by older , more battle - experienced clones . Certain clones were deemed exceptional in comparison to the more average , rank - and - file trooper . They were given specialized training in order to become elite soldiers , such as clone commando s or ARC troopers . Equipment . Phase I clone trooper armor was the first version in the clone trooper armor series . It was issued to clone troopers on Kamino prior to the Clone Wars , and was in service until it was rendered obsolete by Phase II around the time of the Battle of Mon Cala . Both versions of clone trooper armor could be modified with an array of attachments , such as jetpack s and macrobinoculars . To better monitor ground movements and coordinate attacks , all clone troopers held a tracking device within their helmets that allowed controllers on " Acclamator " - class transgalactic military assault ships to better monitor the combat zone . At first , Phase I armor used color to distinguish clones trained for leadership roles , such as captain s and commander s , from each other and the standard troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic . As the Clone Wars progressed , color gradually became used for the purpose of armor customization and unit identification . The trend was maintained during the service of Phase II armor , but was ultimately discarded by the time of the creation of stormtrooper armor after the Clone Wars . The identifying white armor of both Phases signified an honorable symbol of defense ; however , the creation of the stormtrooper skewed this symbolism into one of a faceless icon of conformity . Clone troopers were armed with the DC - 15 blaster rifle and DC - 15A blaster for long ranged combat , as well as blaster pistol s for standard - ranged combat . They also wielded several types of grenade s , including Electro Magnetic Pulse grenade s and thermal detonator s . Specialized clone troopers . To fill the demand of the different situations that occur during wartime , various clone troopers received extra or specialized training . The battles took place in many different environments during the Clone Wars and as such , the need for specialized gear also arose . Behind the scenes . The Prequel trilogy clone troopers were created through computer - generated imagery . In , the school - aged clones were played by Daniel Logan , the young adult versions by Bodie Taylor , and the mature versions by Temuera Morrison . For , Morrison wore a blue bodysuit to play troopers Cody , Odd Ball , and Jag . The suit was later digitally replaced with computer - generated clone armor . Dee Bradley Baker voiced all of the clone troopers in " " and " Star Wars Rebels " , while Logan reprised his role as the clone cadet s in " The Clone Wars " episodes " Death Trap " and " ARC Troopers . "