Star Wars Clones: Retcon, Order 66, and the Empire's Lies

The Star Wars universe is vast and full of compelling stories, and the history of the clone troopers is one that's been expanded and re-imagined several times over the years, creating both memorable moments and intense reactions.

A New Retcon For The Clone Troopers:

Recently, Star Wars canon introduced a significant retcon! That has made it a big moment for those interested in Star Wars and for all Star Wars fans.

This brings a powerful moment! One that had long been in Star Wars Legends. In essence, they introduced this element where misinformation about the clone troopers were being spread! A shocking, important event from long ago that created so many challenges.

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The Clone Wars And Order 66:

Hunter and Omega from Star Wars: The Bad Batch edited over a clock Image

The events in Star Wars: The Clone Wars has certainly done a great job of shining light onto the importance of what the Clone Troopers were, particularly around the tragedy of Order 66 and all of the inhibitor chips that manipulated their minds. In a very real and touching series, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, depicts what happens to these troops. Eventually these chips get shut off. These troops reconsider the place of the Galactic Empire in their lives and some actively decide to reject its ideology!

However, this didn't save them. There is an incredible aspect to the show and how many important details really hit home and help give this a better view!

Also Read: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Why Did It Get Hated At First?

The Empire's Misinformation Campaign

A Clone Shadow Trooper aims his blaster with lava in the background in Star Wars Legends. Image

The Empire had plenty of shocking behavior. It should come as no surprise to anyone interested in Star Wars and its galaxy!

Even with a Star Wars retcon, the events around these clones, didn't help make things clearer.

In Marc Sumerak's Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers, Captain Rex explained some incredible events and shared just how deep this misinformation really is.

What the Empire did was intentionally spread misinformation throughout the whole galaxy.
This created a very, challenging situation that caused lots of division
It forced people to look at clones with a far worse perspective.

This had a major impact and really showcases why clones had difficulty moving on and into everyday Galactic society. The Empire showed such clear malice! It’s something that fans of The Bad Batch will be able to fully grasp, as this was something many clone troopers experienced.

Also Read: Clone Troopers vs. Stormtroopers: Who Wins in a Star Wars Showdown?

The Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill:

Commander Cody holds a hologram of Emperor Palpatine, edited over other clones marching into battle Image

What sparked all this mayhem in The Bad Batch season 2, was a particular bill called the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill! Its goal? To end the utilization of clones and transition the whole galaxy to stormtroopers! For thousands upon thousands, the ones who were forced out would face nothing less than extreme hardship, suffering without much protection or resources available.

It shows just how difficult a time this was and that there's a compelling lesson about politics and society, even in the Star Wars Universe. Even with several members of this galactic government, such as Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora, and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan who tried hard to stop the "Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill." from being passed, they never succeeded.

It is truly an awesome twist from the show's producers!

The "Imperial Senate" wasn't really given an opportunity to reject "The Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill," because Palpatine came up with a new narrative!
What shocked everyone was that Palpatine took things further! He made claims, outright accusations about the clones
There is another fascinating twist! Palpatine was blaming the Clones for what the Admiral was doing which helped him push a false claim that these troops weren't trustworthy!

This led to all sorts of major problems and continued that smear campaign throughout this galaxy. Even during the show Obi-Wan Kenobi, shows that years after Order 66 had already impacted so many and damaged their images, these clone troopers were seen as something bad. They ended up being seen as villains when all they really wanted was the respect they deserve! The way that these clones were mistreated in Star Wars continues to create moments of pathos for those who watch this unique aspect.

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Clone Madness And A Star Wars Legacy:

This really ties into the early years of Star Wars Legends that are still so powerful and recognizable as some fans might not even remember!

In Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire book, the idea of "clone madness was brought up and showed a different side to this world! A really challenging idea about what happens if clones grew too quickly or their brains didn't handle all the new memories and information! This showed another perspective, that there is another reason why there would be this kind of disconnection, the idea that their mental status might decline. And there's some thought behind that theory that showed just how deeply this impacted clones that grew rapidly, there might have been issues that developed from these mental declines. A great topic for fans!

What adds to the intense reactions and that is in fact very closely linked. This series' villainization was certainly made possible as the clones turned on The Jedi. Then there's also that concept of "clone madness." Even after A New Hope. People believed the Jedi were up against clones. This showed even earlier on in "A New Hope," many already believed clones were in fact "bad."

Why The Empire Wanted To Villainize The Clones

There is certainly a great story that unfolds over many years. But even at the later periods this still kept being talked about and shown in different stories such as "The Bad Batch," it’s almost comical the Empire needed to find this common enemy and vilify a group to help cement and help solidify its power. In this way it also continued to help build that whole military culture that the Empire relied upon!

It shows that the way things evolved over Star Wars is a powerful and truly interesting way of expanding its scope, and the world continues to show a powerful series that fans are enjoying more and more. And the series has continued to impress for all the great things this storytelling does to keep fans engaged in new adaptations.