Cloning

The scientific process of generating a clone from the genetic blueprint of a living being was known as cloning. Clones were based on the DNA of the template, with the potential to range from a single genetic copy to millions of specimens sharing identical physical features, vocal characteristics, and even learned abilities derived from the original source. The template's genetic information could undergo alterations through modifications during the cloning procedure for diverse objectives, such as accelerating growth and enhancing docility. A clone would be a precise genetic equivalent of its template in the absence of genome modifications.

The human cloning procedure was not perfect. Despite the Kaminoans' efforts to improve the science, there remained the possibility of discovering sporadic genetic or physical flaws in their specimens, resulting in both intended and unintended outcomes.

A single genetic sample could produce millions of clones, but only while the sample was viable. The sample would degrade over time. As a result, cloners required regular access to the original source or donor in order to obtain replacement samples. A new host would have to be adopted to continue cloning production if this was not possible. Clones were also perceived as having greater mental capabilities than droids. Their physical fitness could be improved through technological augmentation, which, in the instance of clone troopers, enhanced their chances of survival against countless waves of battle droids.

Clone soldiers were created with the singular goal of engaging in combat; thus, they were granted minimal respite. They were also capable of cultivating genuine animosity towards their adversaries, particularly the battle droids, whom they disparagingly referred to as "clankers." Some clones developed the habit of collecting droid components as war trophies, although this action was regarded as a sign of abnormality or defective behavior.

A clone's DNA could be altered to make it impossible for the clone to disobey a specific order. This was achieved by embedding a directive within the clone's biology. Strand-Casting was a modified version of the cloning process, which resulted in the creation of a strandcast, an "artificial genetic construct" that was a hybrid of donated cells, some of which could be extracted from cloned tissue samples. This was the situation with Dathan, a strandcast whose composite genetic structure included cells from various specimens, including the cloned DNA of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. The father of Rey was, therefore, a genetically distinct clone of Sidious.

The Kaminoan government transformed its mass production of clones into a large-scale commercial enterprise, while not being the only cloning practitioners in the galaxy. An army was created for the Galactic Republic through the Kaminoan cloning process, almost ten years before the Clone Wars, at the request of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. The Kaminoans, under the direction of Prime Minister Lama Su, used their cloning expertise to create millions of genetically-engineered soldiers who would serve as the foundation of the new Republic Military. As one of its primary engineers, Doctor Nala Se, the Chief Medical Scientist of Kamino, was intimately involved in the development of the clone army.

Following the death of Sifo-Dyas, the Sith assumed control of his project and employed Jango Fett, a human bounty hunter, to act as the army's clone template. Fett's genetic code served as the foundation for millions of clone troopers who shared his appearance, voice, and fighting prowess, but they were also genetically modified to be less independent and more obedient. The first clones of the Jango Fett genotype were referred to as "generation one," and Clone Captain CT-7567 of the 501st Legion was among their ranks.

The clones of Fett were genetically modified to develop at twice the rate of the human species, enabling their deployment in a decade's period. While the process of growing clone troopers was entrusted to Kaminoan scientists, the Sith took a more proactive role in their programming, having supplied their cloners with behavioral modification biochips to be implanted in the brain of every clone at the earliest stage of their development. They were portrayed as structural inhibitor chips, which ostensibly made their hosts more docile and less aggressive than their template, but their true purpose was to force the clones to obey Order 66—a secret protocol authorizing the immediate extermination of the Jedi Order as enemies of the state.

In addition to Fett's substantial monetary fee, the Kaminoans compensated him by creating a clone—codenamed Alpha—that stood apart from the rest of his artificial progeny. Unlike the others, Alpha was an example of pure genetic replication and as such he was neither programmed for loyalty nor designed to grow at an accelerated rate. Fett took custody of the unmodified clone to raise as his son, granting him the name "Boba Fett." Boba was not the only example of pure genetic replication, however. Another unmodified clone of Jango Fett was created, possessing first generation DNA, and was codenamed Omega. Omega was a human female clone who served as Nala Se's medical assistant.

As the Separatist Crisis neared its conclusion, the clone army's development had proceeded as planned. The capital of Kamino, Tipoca City, housed tens of thousands of clones, while millions more were being developed in facilities throughout the planet of Kamino. When Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the clone army, Su praised it as one of the finest ever produced by his people. As war became imminent, with thousands of secessionist star systems joining the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Galactic Senate empowered Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, secretly Sith Lord Darth Sidious, to mobilize the clone troopers as the Grand Army of the Republic.

Clone troopers were the legal property of the Galactic Republic, although Doctor Nala Se—one of the clones' main engineers—believed that the Kaminoan government still owned them. Clones fought for the Republic on all battlefronts across the galaxy and were loyal to their Jedi Generals as well as Chancellor Palpatine. During the conflict, the Jedi oversaw the training of younger clones on Kamino. With a limited supply of genetic material from the late Jango, Lama Su was concerned that the new clones would be less effective as soldiers. He recommended the Jedi acquire a new template, but his Jedi liaison Master Shaak Ti, advocated her support for the remaining Fett clones, particularly the clone cadets of Domino Squad.

The Republic's continued war effort depended heavily on Fett's genetic record, which was regarded as a military asset of the highest importance. Knowing this, the Separatists sought to halt the production of new clones by invading Kamino, where the Fett's genetic material was kept safe within the Clone DNA room of Tipoca City. Clone trooper production would have stopped if the Confederacy had been successful in destroying the room or Fett's genetic material, which would have shifted the war in the Confederacy's favor. However, invasion commander and Kenobi’s rival, General Grievous, also expressed interest in securing the Fett DNA for the Confederacy. Even though the clone troopers served the Republic, they were emotionally attached to the Kaminoan homeworld, which they also considered their home. This shared sentiment drove the clones to do everything they could to repel the Separatist invasion, ultimately winning the Battle of Kamino through acts of bravery and sacrifice.

The Senate discussed buying more clones to increase the ranks of the Grand Army as the war went on. While Senator Padmé Amidala and other like-minded politicians advocated fiscal responsibility and a diplomatic solution to the war, others argued for increased military spending. Senator Halle Burtoni supported legislation that would deregulate the InterGalactic Banking Clan, giving the Republic access to new lines of credit so they could buy more clone troopers from Burtoni's home planet of Kamino. At the time of the Siege of Saleucami, there were rumors that the CIS was developing its own clone-soldier program in hidden laboratories on the planet Saleucami that could compete with Kaminoan production.

Sidious declared himself Galactic Emperor of the first Galactic Empire after the Clone Wars, which was reorganized from the Republic. The clone troopers who had fought for the Republic became the first generation of stormtroopers during the early years of the Imperial Era. Although the clones initially made up the majority of the army and some troopers joined the ranks of the Emperor's Royal Guard, the New Order unexpectedly ended the cloning operation on Kamino. The decision to gradually remove clones from military service was influenced by their rapid aging process as well as the influx of non-clone humans who were motivated to enlist by Imperial propaganda.

Prime Minister Su was also surprised by the decision to end the production of clone troopers because he thought the Kaminoan government would keep growing clones for the Republic after the Clone Wars were over. However, the contract between Kamino and the Republic was voided with the rise of the Empire. Following the Emperor's announcement, Admiral and Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, his protege, was dispatched to Kamino under the protection of Imperial shock troopers of the Coruscant Guard to evaluate the remaining clone units and ascertain whether there was a need to produce more clone troopers for the Empire. Su argued that the Empire needed more clones to maintain order throughout the galaxy, but Tarkin countered that recruitment soldiers could provide that service for half the cost.

Su hoped to guarantee the security of his people and their operation by persuading the Empire that clones were indispensable. To that end, he sought to create a new breed of clones superior to the previous generations. As an experimental clone who possessed the pure DNA of the clone army's template, Jango, Omega was essential to Su's contingency plan. With their remaining supply of genetic samples taken from Fett continuing to degrade, Su intended to extract a sufficient amount of genetic material from Omega before terminating her. Se secretly undermined his efforts, however, using bounty hunter Fennec Shand to prevent the clone from being returned to Kamino by one of Su's mercenaries, such as Cad Bane.

The Empire terminated its contracts with the Kaminoan government after determining that the clone trooper program was too expensive and outdated. Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart oversaw the removal of all viable clones from Kamino, along with the Kaminoans' essential personnel and resources, putting the cloning technology firmly under the Empire's control. Prime Minister Su also tried to get his staff out so he could keep running his cloning operation somewhere else, but Rampart stopped him and took Se into Imperial custody because he and Tarkin thought she would still be helpful to the Empire because of her skills as the Chief Medical Scientist. Following the shutdown of clone production on Kamino, the destruction of Tipoca City commenced when Rampart's fleet of Venator-class Star Destroyers opened fire on the decommissioned cloning facility after getting permission from Tarkin, the opening volleys causing large sections of the city to fall into the ocean.

The final batches were brought online, but the Stormtrooper Corps was henceforth comprised of birth-born human volunteers and children. Under Project War-Mantle, the first members of the new generation of stormtroopers were recruited from across the galaxy and trained by clone commandos in an Imperial base on the planet Daro. One of the recruiters, Commander CC-5576 "Gregor," noted that while the Tk stormtroopers were not as skilled as clone troopers, they pledged their allegiance to the Empire whereas the clones were the soldiers of the Republic that no longer exists.

Even though clones could be programmed for unconditional loyalty, the Empire discovered that a more uniform, malleable soldier could be produced through the fervent patriotism of the young than the genetic duplication of a single template. Boba Fett also survived the Clone Wars and became a notorious bounty hunter like his father before him. While the relationship of Jango and Boba was that of donor and clone, Boba considered Jango his father.

Sidious, secure in his position as Emperor, enlisted the aid of his Sith Eternal followers in his quest for immortality. The cultists, based on the Sith's hidden world of Exegol, began experimenting with cloning in an effort to prolong and hopefully sustain the Sith Lord's lifespan indefinitely; should Sidious die, his soul would leave his body and seek refuge in a cloned form. Kaminoan technology and Strand-Casting were used in the effort.

The Tarkin Initiative utilized the genetic template of the Hutt species to create a line of Hutt clone troopers. The Empire possessed a small supply of Hutt clones, which were frozen in stasis aboard the Hivebase-1 space station, having rejected them for mass production. Armed with supercharged carbines, the Hutt clones were activated by Commander Yewl to serve as soldiers alongside his personal guard of death troopers.

The impact of clones resonated through the ages, far surpassing the Clone Wars. Their influence persisted beyond the Empire's demise, extending into the New Republic's era. Bo-Katan Kryze, known as Lady recognized Boba Fett's origins as a clone, a consequence of her previous interactions with the Republic and its clone forces during the Clone Wars. Her understanding extended to the fact that Fett's genetic source was also responsible for the creation of countless identical soldiers. During the New Republic Era, Brendol Hux, a Commandant within the Shadow Council of the Imperial Remnants and a future figure in the First Order, held a consuming ambition to revive and finalize the abandoned cloning research of Project Necromancer. This project was part of the Imperial cloning program initiated by the late Chief Scientist Royce Hemlock, a Doctor within the Advanced Science Division of the Imperial Science Bureau. Despite Moff Gideon, a fellow member of the Shadow Council, dismissing it as an obsession, he was secretly engaged in his own cloning endeavors.

The Imperial remnant under Gideon's command enlisted the expertise of Doctor Penn Pershing, both a clone engineer and a person of high value to the New Republic. Gideon entrusted Pershing with the task of overseeing experiments on blood samples containing a significant concentration of midi-chlorians. However, Carasynthia Dune, a Marshal, captured Pershing as part of Din Djarin's, a Mandalorian warrior, mission to save the foundling Grogu. After Pershing joined the New Republic Amnesty Program, Elia Kane was instructed by Gideon to wipe his memory, preventing any potential leaks about his cloning project. Despite the loss of Pershing, Gideon successfully produced clones of himself at an Imperial base located within the ruins of Mandalore. Gideon was convinced that his work had achieved the perfection of granting the Force to cloned beings. However, Djarin ultimately destroyed all of these clones when the Mandalorians returned to attempt to reestablish their presence on the planet.

During the Cold War, Kylo Ren, a warlord within the First Order, had a disagreement with Armitage Hux, a General and the son of Brendol, concerning the latest generation of stormtroopers. Ren openly voiced his criticism of Hux's soldiers, asserting their potential for high treason due to the actions of a single defector within their ranks. He then suggested that Snoke, the Supreme Leader, should consider the implementation of a clone army.

Following a generation of Sith dominance over the galaxy, Darth Vader, Sidious' Sith apprentice and a Sith warlord, killed Darth Sidious, sacrificing himself to save his son, Luke Skywalker. Their deaths marked the end of the Sith lineage from Darth Bane to Vader. Anakin fulfilled his role as the Chosen One by restoring balance to the Force, but Sidious had discovered a method to return from death.

Darth Sidious met his demise when his physical form was destroyed in the main reactor of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. Nevertheless, his spirit found its way into a clone that had been hastily prepared on Exegol. By utilizing the knowledge he had acquired from his Master Darth Plagueis, Sidious successfully transferred his essence into his clone, although the process was rushed and imperfect. Despite sensing a trace of the light side of the Force within Vader and suspecting that his apprentice's loyalty had shifted before the rise of the Empire, he did not anticipate Vader's betrayal at Endor.

Darth Sidious' clone was considered an inadequate substitute, suffering from physical decay as a result of its powerful connection to the dark side. The Sith Eternal cult dedicated themselves to perfecting the procedure that had led to the Sith Lord's resurrection. They conducted numerous experiments on his genetic blueprint, producing various specimens through gene splicing, but none of their creations were deemed a suitable replacement for Sidious' current body. Despite the pain that wracked his clone, the Emperor sought to prolong its existence by employing technology from the Clone Wars era and an ancient Ommin harness.

The Sith Eternal continued their experimentation with Darth Sidious' genetic template, striving to create a more robust vessel to contain their master's essence, unlike the flawed clone he occupied. Among the specimens they engineered, one possessed a natural attunement to the Force; however, the Sith Lord deemed it an "unworthy" form. Nevertheless, he recognized its potential as a figurehead to influence galactic events from his sanctuary on Exegol. This being assumed the identity of Snoke, becoming the Supreme Leader of the First Order. While Snoke possessed the capacity for self-determination, his actions and objectives were guided by Sidious and the Sith Eternal. In addition to seizing control of the First Order, Snoke's creators designed him to train Ren, the grandson of Darth Vader, as an heir to the new Sith Empire that the Sith Eternal had secretly established in the Unknown Regions.

Despite their extensive experience in cloning, the Sith Eternal consistently failed to create a stable host for Sidious' spirit. Employing a cloning technique known as Strand-Casting, they engineered multiple specimens from Sidious' template, but none were considered successful. Only one of their creations survived the cloning process; this byproduct of the Sith Eternal's genetic experiments was the Emperor's "son," engineered from his cloned tissue, as well as other genetic samples, during the Imperial Era. The result was a healthy strandcast rather than an exact clone of Sidious. While Sidious acknowledged the strandcast as his son from a biological perspective, he noted with disappointment that the strandcast lacked any connection to the Force. The Emperor's son was a healthy, yet ordinary man, and as such, he rejected what he perceived as a "useless creature."

Although disappointed by his son's lack of Force-sensitivity, Sidious allowed the strandcast to live in order to perpetuate the Palpatine family through natural means, theorizing that the next generation might inherit his power. When Vader and Ochi of Bestoon traveled to Exegol, the clone seized the opportunity to escape and lived apart from his father ever since, adopting the name Dathan after a Sith slave who assisted him. Sidious' plan bore fruit when the strandcast fathered Rey, who possessed Force-sensitivity like her grandfather. While the Sith Lord did not foresee his son's relationship with Rey's mother, he remained determined to claim their child. Sidious regarded her as another heir to the new Sith Empire and the only vessel capable of housing his spirit. However, Rey's father fled into hiding with his child and her mother, disrupting the Emperor's plan for Rey.

Darth Sidious' clone was nearing death when he broadcasted his return to the galaxy during the First Order-Resistance War. His flesh was decaying; he had lost sight in both eyes; and he relied entirely on the support of his harness for survival. Supreme Leader Ren estimated that only a short time remained before Sidious' clone was completely consumed by his connection to the dark side. In addition to discovering the Sith Lord on Exegol, Ren found the genetic duplicates of Snoke, who were kept sedated in a tank of nutrient fluid.

Sidious' return perplexed Aftab Ackbar, a Colonel, Rose Tico, a Commander, and other members of the Resistance. By this point, Sidious was presumed dead. However, Beaumont Kin, a Captain and Resistance trooper, correctly speculated that Hemlock's dark cloning science was involved in the Emperor's revival, along with secrets known only to the Sith. As Darth Sidious' plot for revenge unfolded, Rey confronted her grandfather on Exegol, where she uncovered the details of his survival through cloning in a Force vision. The Sith Lord attempted to provoke Rey into surrendering to the dark side by participating in a ritual sacrifice. By killing Sidious in anger and hatred, Rey would become possessed by his spirit, freeing him from the confinement of his cloned vessel.

Rey's youth, her strength in the Force, and her lineage made her the most desirable host in the Emperor's eyes. While his plan hinged on her ending the existence of his cloned body, Sidious was content knowing that their souls would merge within her body, allowing him to rule the galaxy in spirit. However, the Sith Lord abandoned this plan upon discovering the extent of Rey's Force-bond with Solo, who had shed the dark persona of Kylo Ren. The realization that they were a dyad in the Force led Sidious to drain them of their combined power, thereby healing his body and restoring himself to full strength. Vowing to usher in the return of the Sith, Sidious moved to obliterate the Resistance but was challenged by Rey, who managed to destroy his spirit's vessel with the aid of all the Jedi who were one with the Force.