ABOUT CLONES

[ALMIGHTY ALICE]

Clone Beginnings

The Grand Army of the Republic consists of millions of identical, genetically modified clones, grown and raised in the laboratories and facilities of Kamino. Each Clone Trooper is trained throughout the first ten years of their lives to become a part of one of the most efficient military forces in galactic history. They are bred for the sole purpose of combat, indoctrinated with unwavering obedience to the Galactic Republic and – more specifically – their Commander-In-Chief, the Supreme Chancellor.

They are cloned from the DNA of bounty hunter Jango Fett, and are modified to grow at twice the rate of human beings and programmed for absolute loyalty. Before the gestation process began, the Kaminoans tampered with Fett’s DNA to ensure that the clones were primarily dominated by behavioral genes that emphasized certain qualities such as loyalty, aggression, independence and discipline in order to guarantee that the army is more docile and less independent than their template.


Clone Naming

Clones are assigned numbers as their names based upon their birth, and this number is little more than randomized in this sense. however, all clones possess letters before this number which identify them by class.

Clone Trooper Commanders = CC-(number)
CRC Clone Regimental Commander = CRC-(number)
Null-class Advanced Recon Commando = N- or Null-(Number)
Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commando = A- or Alpha-(Number)
Republic Commandos = RC-(Number)
Clone trooper captains = CC-(Number)
Clone trooper lieutenants = CL-(Number)
Clone trooper sergeants = CS-(Number)
Clone Trooper = CT-(Number)


Clone Training

Jango Fett made a long-term commitment to help in the creation of the clone army, taking a hiatus from his bounty hunting career in order to monitor the growth and training of his clones. His influence over the Clone Army’s development can be seen in several areas such as the resemblance between his Mandalorian armor and the Clone’s Phase 1 armor, and the training that has molded the clones into elite soldiers.

All clone troopers receive basic training in core military skills, such as weapons handling, marksmanship and other essentials. While Jango Fett personally handled the training of the Alpha-class ARC Troopers (outlined in the Specialized Clone Thread), a specialized unit of clone commandos was commissioned as a median between the independent-minded ARC troopers and the more docile rank-and-file troopers. In order to ensure the overall success of the commandos project, Fett formed the Cuy'val Dar, a group composed of experienced Mandalorian mercenaries and even a few Journeyman Protectors. Though individual members of the group had their own unique training methods, as a whole they separated the commandos into squads of four, which in turn, created a strong sense of brotherhood amongst the commando squads. Clones that were fit to serve in leadership capacity possessed notable traits such as a greater degree of independence and creativity.
As part of their education and physical training, the clone troopers are required to adhere to the Command Code – asset of guidelines that governs a clone’s behavior and every action. Hence, every clone is obliged to obey every aspect of the code without question, doubt or hesitance.


Clone Armour

As this point in the Clone Wars, the Clone Troopers are wearing Phase 1 armour. To humans, the armour appears to be all white, with the exception of the officers whose arms and parts of their helmet are colored in the color that is representative of their rank. The only clones, who have color on their armour otherwise, are ones with specific specialized jobs. However, to the Kaminoans, the white armour has many colors as they can see in the Ultra-Violet spectrum of light.

The basic armor is composed of twenty form filling plates of lightweight plastoid-alloy composite, sealed to a black body suit and weight just under forty kilos. Due to the fact the army is comprised of physically identical clones, the armour comes in only one size. It bears a loose resemblance to Mandalorian shock trooper armour – a direct result of Jango Fett’s participation in the design. Some armour as been customized to fit in with specific roles some Clones have – such as SCUBA Troopers and Heavy Gunners. For these modifications, please see the descriptions of their roles.
As the Clones have begun to develop individuality, customizations are appearing on the armour in the form of items such as visors, rangefinders, pauldrons, kamas, enhanced communication gear and jet packs. A light source can also be attached to the helmets to illuminate dark areas. Some troopers have even gone as far as to paint unique designs on their armour and helmets according to personal tastes.

The armour as a whole is not well liked by many of the clone troopers as it is heavy and uncomfortable, often referred to as ‘body buckets’. Its inconvenience was largely due to the Kaminoan’s lack of knowledge of the human anatomy, though it does account for some human needs. It includes a coolant system to guard against overheating, and includes enhanced breathing filters inside the T-Visor. It also has the capability to take some modular attachments, like a bacta pack for a medic, or small flamethrowers for ARC Troopers. The suits are also capable of resisting vacuum environments, allowing troopers to fight outside of a spacecraft for a short time.


Weapons

A Clone Trooper’s primary weapon for ranged combat is the DC-15A blaster rifle and its more compact counterpart, the DC-15S blaster. In addition, they also carry one or more grenades of varying types such as the V-1 Thermal Detonator, LXR-6 Concussion Grenades, V-6 Haywire grenades and EMP Grenades. The pouches and compartments of a trooper’s highly functional utility belt contains a multitude of equipment including a grappling hook, spare ammunition, rations supplies and a rudimentary medical kit containing enough synthflesh and bacta to keep a wounded soldier alive until a medic can arrive.