The second issue of the Darth Vader comic dove into the life of the clone trooper immediately after the Clone Wars
That seems like a good reason to talk about what happened
to the clones and the cloning facilities on Kamino after they had served their purpose
With the Jedi gone and the Clone Wars at an end
The Empire decided to make a change
The operations on Kamino were immediately shut down
The last batch of clones were allowed to complete their training, but it became clear that stormtroopers would be replacing them shortly
According to Lucasfilm, part of the reason clones were phased out was because they were surprisingly independent
The Empire realized they would have an easier time controlling training, and in some cases brainwashing their own citizens
Even so, the clones were talented soldiers and they could very rarely be seen serving the Empire as far as the time of the Battle of Yavin
Some remained stormtroopers
But the best job they could hope for, and one that would keep them serving longer, was the position of the Royal Guard
The comic shows us a few ambitious clones choked on those exact aspirations
The book, ' Lords of the Sith', also proves that at least one clone was able to wear the red armor
But for the most part it looks like the clones that survived the Clone Wars were relegated to jobs they found to be beneath them
For example, they helped Palpatine remove any reminders of the Jedi from the galaxy
They were sent to Jedi outposts to take inventory of holocrons, weapons and more to be crated up and sent back to Coruscant
Of course we also know of three clones that were branded as traitors by the empire
Rex, Gregor and Wolffe all removed their inhibitor chips and did not betray the Jedi
By the end of the Clone Wars, Rex and Gregor were both thought to be dead
We aren't sure about how Wolffe escaped
But the three clones hid themselves on the Planet's Seelos until they were discovered and Rex joined the fight against the empire
Finally, I think I need to touch on the clone, Grey, from the Kanan comics
He spent the days after Order 66 hunting the padawan Caleb Dume
But eventually came to completely doubt the Empire and kind of snap out of the spell of Order 66 and his inhibitor chip
He wound up sacrificing his own life to allow Caleb to escape, and I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to other clones
Maybe they were considered to be unstable after Order 66 and that could be another reason they were pushed out of service
Star Wars Legends handled the clones of Jango Fett a little differently
They were still transitioned into storm troopers but cloning wasn't shut down
The Empire gained complete control of Kamino so that the Kaminoans would continue providing new soldiers
A group of resentful cloners created a new batch of Jango Fett clones that were utterly loyal to Kamino
They were discovered and the operation was destroyed by the 501st Legion
This event led palpatine to believe that an army composed entirely of clones based on one genetic source was too susceptible to corruption
From that point forward new clone stormtroopers were created from various templates and human enlistment began
By the time of the Galactic Civil War, only about 1/3 of the Imperial Army was made up of clones
Some Clone Wars veterans like Commander Cody were responsible for training these new clones and recruits
The clones of Jango Fett viewed the non-Fett clones and the regular human Soldiers as an embarrassment to the legacy of the Grand Army of the Republic
Advancements in cloning continued to be made even beyond the Battle of Endor
Grand Admiral Thrawn revitalized the failing Empire by using ysalamiri to create an army of clones in a matter of weeks
A process which would have resulted in mentally unstable soldiers back during the Clone Wars
So the main difference between canon and legends here is the amount of respect shown to the clone troopers after the execution of Order 66
Which was their ultimate purpose
In canon they were shut down and almost entirely forgotten about except for a couple [of] rare circumstance
In Legends it seems that the clones were much more readily accepted by the Empire
and allowed to serve for the entirety of the government's existence.
I'm not really sure which version I prefer
Back in the 90s I really liked the idea that stormtroopers were clones which seemed to make them even more faceless and expendable
But I also liked the more tragic and emotional story of the clones in canon, which is exactly the opposite
Despite having the same face the clones are all unique and I feel for them
And I hate seeing them lose their purpose in life
So which version do you prefer? Canon or Legends or do you think both have their merits?
Let me know in the comments
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