As many of us know, Captain Rex of General Anakin Skywalker’s 501st legion uses a unique
Clone Trooper helmet, which is a mix between the utility of the Phase One clone trooper
helmet, and the comfort and sleek design of a phase 2 helmet.
So why did Captain Rex create a combination between the two Clone Armour designs instead
of simply upgrading, like the rest of the Clone Troopers?
I’m going to break down exactly why Captain Rex has the most unique helmet and armor of
any Clone Trooper
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for more awesome star wars lore content.
At the beginning of the Clone Wars, not long after the Battle of Geonosis, Captain Rex
wore Phase 1 Clone trooper armour, just like every other Clone.
Being modelled directly off of Jango Fett’s Mandalorian style armour, the Phase 1 Clone
armor consisted of twenty two individual sections of plastoid-alloy plating, which were used
along with a black bodysuit, to provide full body protection for every clone trooper of
the Republic.
The phase 1 design of the armor gave temporary protection against the vacuum of space, and
protected it’s wearer from extreme cold and extreme heat.
Despite it’s amazing utility and extreme usefulness, the Phase 1 armour was incredibly
uncomfortable for many Clone Troopers to fit in, making them perform poorly on the battlefield.
The reason that the armour was so uncomfortable for the Clone Troopers was because the scientists
on Kamino were completely unfamiliar with the human body before they began production
of these Clones, and had very little knowledge on how they worked.
Because of these glaring issues with the Phase 1 Clone Armour, the Grand Army of the Republic
slowly adopted a new, Phase 2 armour, which provided extreme comfort and mobility to the
Clones who wore it.
Unlike the Phase 1 armour however, it did not contain an internal life support system,
meaning an external respirator was necessary when exposed to low oxygen environments.
This leads us straight into the reason Captain Rex’s helmet was a combination of the two
phases of armour.
Rex actually had his new phase 2 armour customised as soon as it arrived from Kamino, maintaining
some parts of the original design, while incorporating some of the comfort features from the newer
armor.
The Jedi generals of the Republic gave the Clones a lot of freedom in choosing the design
and modifications to their armour, because they wanted to promote individuality among
the Clones, making them more effective on the battlefield.
They wanted every single Clone to have his own story and identity, so that they did not
begin mistreating the members of the Grand Army of the Republic as a slave army.
Rex was aware that the Kaminoans didn’t quite understand the needs and composition
of the human body, making the Phase 1 armor very uncomfortable to wear, but extremely
durable and tough.
The new Phase 2 armour fixed all of these comfort issues, but consequently offered significantly
less protection in the chest and head areas.
For this reason, Rex decided to keep the two parts of the phase one Clone Armour that he
believed were necessary in combat.
He kept the Chest plate; for durability and strength against enemy blaster fire, and the
visor, for significantly enhanced visibility.
As for the rest of his armour, he transitioned into the newer, comfort based armour for increased
mobility and agility on the battlefield.
Most of the other members of the 501st did not believe it was necessary to make these
modifications to be at the peak of their performance on the battlefield, but recognized that Rex’s
unique helmet design distinguished him as the leader of their group.
On top of this, many of the Clones in the 501st saw Rex’s helmet as a symbol of leadership
and unity among their ranks, strengthening their resolve even further.
So that is exactly why Captain Rex has the most unique helmet and armour of Any Clone
Trooper, and Why Rex has a different helmet to the rest of his brothers.
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