Clone cadet was a rank in the Grand Army of the Republic. It was assigned to clone troopers who were still training to become soldiers of the Galactic Republic. Bred on the extragalactic planet Kamino, cadets were trained in Tipoca City and other cloning facilities spread across the Kaminoan homeworld.
A juvenile clone cadet named Jax.
Utilizing the genetic code of Jango Fett, the Kaminoans engineered an army of human clones for the Galactic Republic. In addition to greater docility, the clone template was modified to allow for growth acceleration, which was an essential aspect in the clone army's design as it ensured the units would reach adulthood in only a decade's time. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi was given an inspection tour of Tipoca City, where he observed clone cadets in various stages of development. One group in particular had been created approximately five years prior to Kenobi's arrival.
Young clone cadets were given an intense, rapid education within the cloning facilities of the extragalactic planet Kamino. This form of training required the use of focus-enhancing even-class training helmets. They were also divided into separate teams as a means of encouraging teamwork and competitiveness among their ranks. At this stage in their training, cadets were supervised by Kaminoan scientists and fully-grown clone troopers who held the military rank of Clone Sergeant.
Clone cadets experienced a rapid military education during their early accelerated years.
By the time of the Clone Wars, the older cadets were overseen by hired mercenaries and Advanced Recon Commandos, who were on the lookout for clones who showed exceptional skill and potential for joining the ARC troopers' ranks. Jedi Master Shaak Ti, a member of the Jedi High Council, oversaw the clone trooper training program as the Jedi Order's liaison to the Kaminoan government led by Prime Minister Lama Su. Prior to the Jedi's involvement, cadets were threatened with disposal by their engineers if they failed to pass their training. Clones who displayed signs of divergent behavior were placed in for isolation. These practices were ended by the Jedi Generals who controlled the Grand Army of the Republic, and failed clones were reassigned to non-combat roles such as maintenance duty.
The training simulations became more rigorous as the cadets grew older and closer to becoming soldiers.
During the Clone Wars, Shaak Ti observed the difficulty that Domino Squad encountered in their efforts to complete the final test in their training. One of their trainers, the bounty hunter Bric, recommended failing the squad and reassigning them as maintenance workers. The Togruta Jedi Master considered his opinion, but ultimately gave the Domino cadets a second chance. After succeeding in their trial, CT-00-2010, CT-1409, CT-4040, CT-5555, and CT-782 graduated and became full-fledged clone troopers.
As the conflict progressed, the Clone Youth Brigade—a brigade of young clone cadets—was allowed to leave Kamino under the supervision of Sergeant "Crasher." They were sent to the Endurance, a Venator-class Star Destroyer in the Republic Navy to observe the duties of battle-ready clone troopers as part of their training. Unbeknownst to the cadets, their ranks were infiltrated by Boba Fett, an unmodified clone who sought to assassinate Jedi General Mace Windu.
After the rise of the Galactic Empire, the clone troopers and clone cadets were moved from Kamino to other locations. According to Nala Se, the training of the clone cadets would be continued elsewhere and they would still become soldiers.
However, instead the young clones were imprisoned in a laboratory on the jungle planet Setron and experimented upon by Doctor Royce Hemlock, the head of the Advanced Science Division. After using them as test subjects for Project Necromancer, the Empire abandoned the lab and the cadets, attempting to destroy the facility via orbital bombardment. Three clones named Mox, Deke, and Stak survived and remained on the planet until being discovered by members of Clone Force 99, namely Hunter and Wrecker. After helping the two commandos access a terminal within the ruins of the slither vine-infested laboratory, the boys were rescued by Hunter and Wrecker and flown off-world to the island refuge of Pabu.
Clone Cadets in training armor
In combat simulations, clone cadets utilized a type of training armor and helmets that were different from the standard-issue battle armor worn by fully-trained clone troopers. The cadets' armor included color-coded pauldrons and gauntlets, such as red for Bravo Squad or green for Domino Squad.