Advanced Recon Commando Advanced Recon Commandos , also known as ARC troopers , were an elite variant of the Republic clone trooper s . Chosen from the ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic , the status of ARC trooper was bestowed on clones who served with distinction on the battlefield , such as CT - 1409 and CT - 5555 . The training of clone cadet s also served as a means for identifying particular cadet s who demonstrated the potential to become future ARC troopers . ARC troopers such as CT - 7567 were trained to serve in positions of command in the Grand Army , and could also be sent on challenging assignments less suitable for standard clones . They were given their own unique armor set , which differed greatly from the standard issue kit given to the rank - and - file clone soldier s , being equipped with more components . During the early days of the Clone Wars , ARC trooper armor served as an experimental version of the Phase II clone trooper armor . History . An elite variant of the standard clone trooper , Advanced Recon Commando s — also known as ARC trooper s — were widely regarded as the best soldier s in the Grand Army of the Republic . During the Clone Wars , the ARC troopers trained the first wave of Clone Commander s such as CC - 5052 ( " Bly " ) . The Rancor Battalion had two ARC troopers , Commander " Colt " and " Havoc , " both of whom were stationed at Tipoca City on Kamino . There they looked for clone cadet s that could become ARC troopers , such as Bravo Squad . Colt and the other ARC troopers supported the defense of Tipoca City against a Separatist invasion led by General Grievous and the Force - sensitive assassin Asajj Ventress . However , Colt was killed by Ventress while Havoc died fighting a group of aqua droid s . A surviving ARC trooper ordered two ARF troopers to destroy a Trident - class assault ship . In the aftermath of the battle , CT - 1409 ( " Echo " ) and CT - 5555 ( " Fives " ) of the 501st Legion were upgraded to the status of ARC trooper in recognition of their contribution to the Republic victory on Kamino . Echo and Fives were later sent on a mission to rescue Jedi Master Even Piell from the Citadel on Lola Sayu . The two fought their way through the Citadel . However , Echo was presumed to have died in an explosion while attempting to secure a shuttle . He survived the blast , but was captured and subjected to experimentation on by the Separatist - aligned Techno Union . Fives , on the other hand , escaped with the surviving members of his team . Fives continued serving in the 501st , from Umbara to Ringo Vinda , until his death on Coruscant where he tried to reveal Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine ' s role in the bio - chip conspiracy to Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and Clone Captain CT - 7567 ( " Rex " ) . After the death of Fives , CT - 5597 ( " Jesse " ) — also of the 501st — was promoted to the rank of ARC trooper . Behind the scenes . According to Genndy Tartakovsky on the DVD commentary for , whose story is now considered part of the continuity of " Star Wars " Legends and not canon , the design of the ARC troopers came from Hasbro . They first appeared as Advanced Recon Commandos in the Legends story " " , a comic from the " " series by Dark Horse Comics . In canon , they appeared in the " " television series , first seen in " Clone Cadets . "