If you’re up on your Star Wars lore, then you know that the trusty clone companions of the Jedi, created to battle the Separatist Droid Army, eventually murdered their Force-sensitive comrades and destroyed the Galactic Republic. But what happened to them after all the bloodshed? Here’s a brief history lesson.
With a little Sith collusion, Darth Sidious (aka Emperor Palpatine) and Count Dooku had Inhibitor chips surgically implanted into the brains of each and every clone in the Grand Army of the Republic. The chips were outwardly meant to stifle independence and ensure that the clones never became too aggressive, but the true purpose of the implants was infinitely darker.
In secret, the Inhibitor chips were used to control clones and bring down the Jedi Order with the execution of Order 66, the infamous operation that caused most troopers to turn against the Jedi Generals who fought by their side and destroy them.
After the fall of the Galactic Republic and the dismantling of the Jedi Order, the clones began to serve the newly installed Galactic Empire as Imperial Storm Troopers. Eventually, however, clones were phased out of service and replaced by an enlisted force of naturally-born recruits.
Why, then, did Palpatine stop using clone troopers to impose his harsh designs on the galaxy? After all, they were highly trained and incredibly tough, not to mention dispensable.
It was all about money ⏤ those sweet, sweet Imperial Credits. The clones cost too much. Without an intergalactic conflict to justify their creation, Palpatine was unable to foot the bill.
When Grand Moff Tarkin visits Kamino in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Tarkin explains the financial burden that more clones could put on the Empire. That, coupled with the mistrust and corruptibility of clone troopers to begin with, made getting citizens of the Empire to fight for their oppressors much easier.
Clones continued to serve the Empire for a time, but with 19 years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, they had aged out. There wasn’t any use for a bunch of scruffy old soldiers fighting past their primes.
A few clone troopers did find out about the secret of the Inhibitor chips and were able to remove them before Order 66, but it was rare. Take a look at this running list of all the clones that went against Order 66 and escaped the Great Jedi Purge.
Before long, clones faded into obscurity and legend, serving only as a reminder of the heroic “Clone Wars.” Even if the troopers had the same DNA, their humanization over the course of the Star Wars saga has proven that there’s more to the clones than meets the eye.
