Clone template

Overview

The term prime clone identified the organic individual – the initial host – whose genetic code formed the foundation for creating one or more clones. Extracting cells from the prime clone marked the initial stage in cloning. These cells could be artificially altered to cultivate either an exact duplicate or a modified iteration of the original subject. When cloning was stable and unaltered, the resulting clone shared physical identity with the prime clone. However, unstable methods led to physically altered copies, often categorized as genetic failures.

A prime clone's mental characteristics could also be replicated and integrated – as memory flashes – into a clone. By examining and reproducing the original host's brain activity, a clone could essentially inherit the template's identity, although some personality aspects could be more pronounced than others. According to Ni-Ke-Vanz, an authority on Khommite cloning practices, clones exhibited psychological differences from their genetic source. Nevertheless, employing memory flashes could also trigger mental instability, spanning from confusion to insanity, potentially causing the clone to grapple with an identity dilemma. Successful assimilation of memory flashes depended on the clone's capacity to compartmentalize them, enabling differentiation between personal experiences and the template's memories.

History

During the waning years of the Republic, prime clones were engaged as templates for various limited commissioned ventures. These endeavors yielded mercenaries, servants, laborers, and employees uniquely designed to meet the specific requirements of their clients. The Order of the Sith Lords initially conceived the idea of a clone army programmed for unwavering loyalty, as a component of their agenda to avenge themselves on the Jedi Order and reinstate Sith dominance across the galaxy. In 52 BBY, Darth Plagueis, the Dark Lord of the Sith, designated the planet of Kamino as the clandestine location for this novel army, primarily due to the Kaminoans, its native species, being renowned as accomplished scientists in cloning. While Plagueis initially considered utilizing a Yinchorri host as the basis for the clone army, the Kaminoans ultimately persuaded the Dark Lord that a Human template would be simpler to replicate and modify.

Two years after, the techno-lords of the Arkanian Dominion would create a clone army during the Arkanian Revolution. The techno-lords bioengineered a mutant warrior to act as the prime clone for the ATHA (Accelerated Transgenic Heuristic Abhorers) as a reaction to the cyborg Assimilators of the Arkanian Renegade's. Following the Dominion, Republic, and Jedi victory over the Renegades, the Dominion systematically eradicated their Abhorer army. Zeta Magnus, the prime clone, was the sole survivor who sought retribution against his creators and roamed the galaxy for three decades before pledging allegiance to Darth Sidious. Magnus would later enlist Sarsius Torne, a Thyrsian Sun Guard, to function as the prime clone for his own army of clones.

After Darth Sidious killed Plagueis and took his place in 32 BBY, the new Sith Master moved forward with the Sith's clone army's creation plan. He tasked Darth Tyranus, his Sith apprentice, with giving the Kamino cloners a genetic template. Tyranus extended invitations to several of the galaxy's most dangerous mercenaries to participate in a competition; the goal was to capture or assassinate the Dark Jedi Komari Vosa in exchange for five million credits. Jango Fett, a former Mandalorian who had turned bounty hunter, won the competition and consented to serve as the clone army's template in exchange for a sizable sum of money and the stipulation that the first clone be his to keep.

For about ten years, Jango Fett resided on Kamino, acting as both the prime clone and a trusted advisor in the training of the clone troopers. Fett received an unaltered clone, who had not been modified for accelerated growth or tampered with for increased docility, and gave him the name Boba Fett. The remaining clones were genetically engineered to grow physically at twice the rate of real humans, allowing them to reach adulthood more quickly. The clones were largely created with a diminished sense of individuality to better ensure their loyalty to the Galactic Republic, making them completely vulnerable to carrying out orders without question. By 22 BBY, two hundred thousand units were prepared for battle, and millions more would follow by the Clone Wars's conclusion.

When Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, in his public persona as Darth Sidious, gave Order 66, Fett's offspring carried out the true purpose for which they had been created, which led to the clones betraying and killing their Jedi officers. The Fett template was kept as a source for clone soldiers during the era of the Galactic Empire, the successor state to the Old Republic, though new prime clones were eventually chosen, which resulted in the creation of various clones that augmented the original Fett-based clone troopers.

It was generally believed that beings who were Force-sensitive could not be cloned. Although the precise cause was unknown, experts like Ni-Ke-Vanz hypothesized that the Force somehow interfered with the cloning process, making it nearly impossible to create a stable clone from a genetic source with a high percentage of midi-chlorians. Kaminoan technology was ultimately used to create Force-sensitive clones on two separate occasions: once in the closing years of the Republic and once during the Empire. The Kaminoans carried out the first successful attempt in conjunction with the production of Jango Fett's clone troopers. Two prototypes, X1 and X2, were created using genetic samples taken from the Jedi Knight Falon Grey without his consent. In 1 BBY, the Sith Lord Darth Vader made an effort to clone a new secret apprentice following the passing of his redeemed disciple, Galen Marek.

Vader transported Marek's body to Kamino and kept it in a cold chamber at the Timira City Cloning Facility to prevent the genetic material from being destroyed by decomposition, even though Marek had passed away. Around the same period, Imperial scientists had modified Kaminoan technology to create the "accelerated cloning process," a trial procedure that allowed clone subjects to mature into adults in a matter of weeks. The process, however, was extremely flawed and produced a large number of aberrant monstrosities that were both physically deformed and mentally unstable. Eventually, more reliable versions were produced, including a renegade clone who escaped from Kamino. However, because they were unable to successfully absorb the memory flashes, they were also deemed imperfect. However, these failures ultimately led to the development of a single clone who surpassed all of the Dark Lord's expectations. Vader determined that he was the only flawless clone in the entire undertaking and permitted the clone to view the body of his template.

Grand Admiral Thrawn engineered his own clone army following the fragmentation of the Galactic Empire with the intention of reconquering the galaxy from the New Republic. The Chiss Imperial officer took genetic material from a number of templates, including Corporal Terkuss, Lieutenant Creb, Baron Soontir Fel, and perhaps General Maximilian Veers. Thrawn's clone stormtroopers were completely grown and prepared for combat in about a year after their creation because he had Spaarti technology at his disposal.

Before Darth Sidious's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Dark Lord of the Sith utilized his own genetic code as a template for a number of Spaarti-generated copies; clones intended to act as a receptacle for his spirit in the event that his original body was destroyed. Sidious possessed the ability to transfer his own essence into another living thing through the Force. His spirit, however, could not exist in the physical world without a host. Furthermore, years of excessive reliance on the dark side of the Force caused Sidious's soul to have a cancerous effect on his clones, which caused them to age far more quickly. As a result, none of the subjects were able to contain their template's dark essence for very long.

List of prime clones

For armed forces

• Bok , for the CIS Morgukai Shadow Army [23]
• Creb , for Thrawn's clone army [19]
• Sa Cuis , for the Cuis clones (terminated shortly after inception) [24]
• Soontir Fel , for Thrawn's clone army [20]
• Boba Fett , for the Stormtrooper Corps (terminated shortly after inception) [6]

• Jango Fett , for the Grand Army of the Republic , [4] and later the Stormtrooper Corps [15]
• Falon Grey , for the Grand Army of the Republic through X1 and X2 [16]
• Daine Jir , for the Stormtrooper Corps [25]
• Erv Lekauf , for the Stormtrooper Corps [24]
• Zeta Magnus , for the Accelerated Transgenic Heuristic Abhorers [12]
• Barrow Oicunn , for the Stormtrooper Corps [26]
• Nahdonnis Praji , for the Stormtrooper Corps [27]
• Terkuss , for Thrawn's clone army [19]
• Sarsius Torne , for Tark Squad and Zeta Magnus's clone army [12]
• Maximilian Veers , for Thrawn's clone army (possibly) [20]
• Death Watch Overlord , for the Stormtrooper Corps [28]

For single clones

• Xandel Carivus , for a clone impersonator [29]
• Jorus C'baoth , for Joruus C'baoth [30]
• Feena D'Asta , for a clone impersonator [29]
• Jango Fett , for Boba Fett [4]
• Ysanne Isard , for a clone doppelgänger [20]
• Kyle Katarn , for Runner [31]
• Obi-Wan Kenobi , for an imposter for Zeta Magnus [12]
• Jaden Korr , for Soldier and Iteration [31]
• Bevel Lemelisk , to test consciousness transferring for Darth Sidious no less than seven times [20]
• Lumiya , for Seer [31]
• Darth Maul [32]
• Galen Marek , for the Dark Apprentice ; [17] also resulted in numerous imperfect clones , including Starkiller [2]
• Sate Pestage , for a clone impersonator [20]
• Darth Sidious , for consciousness transferring [21]
• Anakin Skywalker , for an imposter for Zeta Magnus [12]
• Luke Skywalker , for Luuke Skywalker [30]
• Kam Solusar , for Alpha [33]
• Thrawn , for a replacement clone [34]
• Grodin Tierce , for an experimental clone [35]
• Darth Tyranus (possibly a doppelgänger) [36]
• Darth Vader , by accident [37]
• Halagad Ventor , for an imposter for Zeta Magnus [12]