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The way Star Wars portrays clones and stormtroopers shows a more subtle bit of storytelling than we ever gave George Lucas credit for

The concept of individuality in among clone troopers and the stormtroopers under the Jedi and the Empire is one of the best bits of Star Wars, in our opinion.

Star Wars The Bad Batch — Image credit: Lucasfilm

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Fri Apr 18 2025

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Of all the things George Lucas has been accused of over the years, being subtle isn’t usually one of them. This is the man who gave us “Anakin, you’re breaking my heart!” after all. However, maybe we should change the way we think of Lucas and his work with Star Wars, especially when it comes to its portrayal of clones. Turns out, the relationship between clone troopers and stormtroopers is a much deeper statement than we ever thought.

Dave Feloni, the current chief creative officer at Lucasfilm who worked with George Lucas on multiple Star Wars animated projects, from The Clone Wars up to The Bad Batch, explained that the concept of clones and their unique personalities was something that he and George Lucas had discussed at length when developing The Bad Batch.

“As far as the clones go,” Feloni explained during the Lucasfilm Animation panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025. “What George and I always talked about was that under the Jedi, the clones are all the same but they become individuals. Under the Empire, the stormtroopers are all different but they become the same. And that shows you why evil people just crush you and take away your individuality and make you just a number. So now you’re TK, you know, 126 instead of being Rex.”

“That’s what the Jedi really fight for – the space to be yourself.”

So the next time you hear someone say that George Lucas never had an eye for subtly in his writing, you can point to the way the clones are handled to explain that, actually, he could use a light touch when he needed to.

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About Star Wars Celebration 2025

Fans of all ages from all over the world will come together to celebrate the cultural phenomenon, Star Wars. Star Wars Celebration revels in the excitement of new movies, television shows, books, art, and comics while also commemorating the vast history of the Star Wars universe. Star Wars Celebration has something special for every kind of Star Wars fan!