Prime clone

A prime clone was the designation of an organic subject—the original host—whose genetic code provided the basis for single or multiple clones. The first step in the process of cloning was the extraction of cells from the prime clone. The cells could then be artificially manipulated to grow either an exact or modified version of the original subject. Under a stable and unmodified cloning process, a clone was physically identical to the prime clone. Unstable procedures, however, resulted in physically deformed copies, which were generally termed as genetic failures.

A prime clone's psychological traits could also be copied and implanted—in the form of memory flashes—into a clone subject. By scanning and duplicating the original host's brain patterns, a clone could essentially inherit the identity of its template, although some personality traits could be more dominant than others. According to Ni-Ke-Vanz, an expert on Khommite cloning processes, clones were psychologically different versions of their genetic donor. However, the use of memory flashes could also produce mental instability, ranging from confusion to insanity, thus causing the clone subject to suffer from an identity crisis. A clone could only successfully absorb the memory flashes if it was able to compartmentalize them, thus allowing it to distinguish its own experiences from the genetic template's memories.

During the Republic's decline, prime clones were hired to serve as templates for various small commissioned projects. These projects produced mercenaries, servants, laborers, and workers that were specially tailored for their client's needs. The creation of a clone army, programmed for absolute loyalty, was first conceived by the Order of the Sith Lords as part of their agenda to exact vengeance on the Jedi Order and reassert Sith hegemony over the galaxy. In 52 BBY, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis chose the planet Kamino as the covert site for the new army, mainly because its native species—the Kaminoans—were regarded as expert scientists in the field of cloning. Although Plagueis originally intended to use a Yinchorri host as the basis for the clone army, the Dark Lord was ultimately convinced by the Kaminoans that a Human template was easier to duplicate and modify.

Two years later, a clone army would be created by the techno-lords of the Arkanian Dominion during the Arkanian Revoltuion. In response to the Arkanian Renegade's cyborg Assimilators, the techno-lords bioengineered a mutant warrior who would serve as the prime clone for the ATHA (Accelerated Transgenic Heuristic Abhorers). Once the Dominion, Republic, and Jedi defeated the Renegades, the Dominion systematically eliminated their Abhorer army. The only survivor was the prime clone Zeta Magnus who hunted down his creators out of revenge and wandered the galaxy for 30 years before swearing fealty to Darth Sidious. Magnus would later recruit a Thyrsian Sun Guard named Sarsius Torne to serve as the prime clone for his own army of clones.

After Plagueis was killed and succeeded by Darth Sidious in 32 BBY, the new Sith Master proceeded with the plan for the creation of the Sith's clone army. He instructed his Sith apprentice, Darth Tyranus, to provide a genetic template for the cloners on Kamino. Tyranus invited several of the galaxy's most dangerous mercenaries to join a contest; the objective to capture or kill the Dark Jedi Komari Vosa for the reward of five million credits. The victor of the contest was a former Mandalorian-turned-bounty hunter named Jango Fett, who agreed to become the clone army's template in exchange for a considerable amount of money, and under the condition that the first clone would be his to keep.

Jango Fett lived on Kamino for roughly a decade where he served as both the prime clone and a close adviser in the training of the clone troopers. Fett was given an unaltered clone—neither modified for growth acceleration or tampered with for greater docility—whom he named Boba Fett. The rest of his clones were engineered to physically grow twice as fast as real Humans, thus allowing them to reach adulthood at a faster rate. By and large, the clones were produced with a diminished sense of individuality to better ensure that they would be loyal to the Galactic Republic; completely susceptible to executing orders without question. By 22 BBY, two hundred thousand units were combat ready, followed by millions more by the near end of the Clone Wars.

Fett's progeny fulfilled the true purpose behind their creation when Darth Sidious, in his public guise as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, issued Order 66, hence causing the clones to betray and execute their Jedi officers. Under the era of the Galactic Empire the successor state of the Old Republic, the Fett template was retained as a source for clone soldiers, although new prime clones were later selected, which in turn led to the production of different clones that supplemented the original Fett-based clone troopers.

It was generally assumed that Force-sensitive beings were incapable of becoming clones. Although the exact reason was unknown, experts like Ni-Ke-Vanz believed that the Force somehow interfered with the cloning process, thus making it virtually impossible to create a stable clone from a genetic source with a significantly high percentage in midi-chlorians. The creation of Force-sensitive clones was ultimately achieved by Kaminoan technology on two occasions; first in the last years of the Republic; and then during the time of the Empire. The first successful attempt was conducted by the Kaminoans in addition to the production of Jango Fett's clone troopers. Genetic samples of the Jedi Knight Falon Grey, taken without his knowledge, were used to produce two prototypes: X1 and X2. In 1 BBY, the Sith Lord Darth Vader attempted to clone a new secret apprentice after the death of his redeemed disciple, Galen Marek.

Although Marek was dead, Vader brought the body to Kamino and preserved it within a cold chamber located in the Timira City Cloning Facility, thus preventing the genetic material from being destroyed by decomposition. Around the same time, Kaminoan technology had been modified by Imperial scientists to create the "accelerated cloning process," an experimental procedure in which clone subjects could be grown to adulthood in the span of a few weeks. However, the process was highly flawed and led to the production of numerous aberrant monstrosities, both physically deformed and mentally deranged. More stable versions were eventually produced, including a renegade clone who fled from Kamino. Yet they too were dismissed as imperfect because of their inability to successfully absorb the memory flashes. However, such failures ultimately led to the creation of a single clone who exceeded all of the Dark Lord's expectations. Vader judged him to be the only perfect clone in the entire endeavor, and thus allowed the clone to see the corpse of his template.

After the fragmentation of the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn engineered his own clone army for the purpose of reconquering the galaxy from the New Republic. The Chiss Imperial officer extracted genetic material from multiple templates, including Corporal Terkuss, Lieutenant Creb, Baron Soontir Fel, and possibly General Maximilian Veers. With Spaarti technology at his disposal, Thrawn's clone stormtroopers were fully grown and combat ready in roughly a year after their creation.

Before Darth Sidious's demise at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Dark Lord of the Sith used his own genetic code as a template for a series of Spaarti-generated copies; clones meant to serve as a vessel for his spirit in the event of his original body's destruction. Through the Force, Sidious had the ability to transfer his own essence into another living organism. Without a host, however, his spirit could not remain in the corporeal plain of existence. Furthermore, years of over-reliance on the dark side of the Force caused Sidious's soul to have a cancerous effect on his clones, effectively causing them to age at a rapidly accelerated rate. Hence, none of the subjects were able to house their template's dark essence for more than a short period of time.

• Bok, for the CISMorgukai Shadow Army
• Creb, for Thrawn'sclone army
• Sa Cuis, for the Cuis clones (terminated shortly after inception)
• Soontir Fel, for Thrawn's clone army
• Boba Fett, for the Stormtrooper Corps (terminated shortly after inception)

• Jango Fett, for the Grand Army of the Republic, and later the Stormtrooper Corps
• Falon Grey, for the Grand Army of the Republic through X1 and X2
• Daine Jir, for the Stormtrooper Corps
• Erv Lekauf, for the Stormtrooper Corps
• Zeta Magnus, for the Accelerated Transgenic Heuristic Abhorers
• Barrow Oicunn, for the Stormtrooper Corps
• Nahdonnis Praji, for the Stormtrooper Corps
• Terkuss, for Thrawn's clone army
• Sarsius Torne, for Tark Squad and Zeta Magnus's clone army
• Maximilian Veers, for Thrawn's clone army
• Death Watch Overlord, for the Stormtrooper Corps

• Xandel Carivus, for a clone impersonator
• Jorus C'baoth, for Joruus C'baoth
• Feena D'Asta, for a clone impersonator
• Jango Fett, for Boba Fett
• Ysanne Isard, for a clone doppelgänger
• Kyle Katarn, for Runner
• Obi-Wan Kenobi, for an imposter for Zeta Magnus
• Jaden Korr, for Soldier and Iteration
• Bevel Lemelisk, to test consciousness transferring for Darth Sidious no less than seven times
• Lumiya, for Seer
• Darth Maul
• Galen Marek, for the Dark Apprentice; also resulted in numerous imperfect clones, including Starkiller
• Sate Pestage, for a clone impersonator
• Darth Sidious, for consciousness transferring
• Anakin Skywalker, for an imposter for Zeta Magnus
• Luke Skywalker, for Luuke Skywalker
• Kam Solusar, for Alpha
• Thrawn, for a replacement clone
• Grodin Tierce, for an experimental clone
• Darth Tyranus
• Darth Vader, by accident
• Halagad Ventor, for an imposter for Zeta Magnus

• Dark Empire Sourcebook
• The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
• The New Essential Guide to Characters
• The New Essential Chronology
• Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• Star Wars: Force Collection
• Star Wars: Force Collection