The Lore
(from the time: material and content that has since been retconned and may likely be unknown or been forgotten by many)
A useful 2002-07 ‘Clone Wars Multi-Media Project Timeline’ (by Cloak-Trooper-051020 on r/StarWarsEU):
www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/m2anv3/clone_wars_multimedia_project_timeline
A couple of brief 5 minute overview videos also explain the lore from the Republic Commando / 2002-07 Clone Wars MMP era:
‘Clone Commando’s: Star Wars lore’ : 5 minute video from Lore Guy
‘The Republic’s Elite Clone Commandos Explained’ : 4 minute video from Red5 (at 9 mins into the video)
If you’re looking for something more in-depth, some of these 5 videos linked below should be ok for that:
‘The Complete History of Delta Squad | Manda-LORE’ : 18 minute video from Manda-LORE
‘How the Clone Commandos were FORGED into Absolute BEASTS by FORGOTTEN Mandalorian Trainers’ : 11 minute video from Geetsly’s
‘Why Regular Clones HATED Clone Commandos’ : 10 minute video from Vader’s Fortress 2
‘Every Single Known Commando Squad to Exist in the Clone Wars’ : 20 minute lore video from Geetsly’s
‘The Slave Army of the Republic - The Brutal Life of Clones (Legends)’ : 8 minute video from The Lore Master
Clone Commandos appearances in ‘The Bad Batch’ animated series:
'They Changed the Clone Commandos for the Worse : 1 minute video from Generation Tech
‘This Felt So WRONG’ : 1 minute video from Expanded Shorts
The Republic Commando series can certainly be a polarizing topic, the following ramblings below is just my take:
I really love this was the first book series that really delved into the thoughts and identities of the clones, how they were given a background and culture and had more substance than just being soldiers, something that even TCW struggled with. It’s a real shame that in TCW, the clones lost all of their Mandalorian culture and heritage, and is why I’m a little salty about TCW retconning of the Mandalorians, the Mando mercenaries hired to specifically train the Clone Commandos, and their growing bond and kinship (amongst other issues with TCW). Plus, Traviss touching upon the fraught history of the Mandalorians and Jedi was welcome to read again, given the retcons and alterations to the long established pre-PT era lore for the PT films.
Traviss was invested on developing the Mandalorian culture further, having created the language, and intending to do more series across different times focusing on them. Plus her other contributions, to Legacy of the Force for example, that built up and expanded an entire Mandalorian culture… just to wipe it clean and reduce it down to something along the lines of: “no, Jango & Boba are not really Mandalorians at all, the Mandalorians are mostly neutral pacifists, and the traditional Mandalorians with armor & warrior traditions are an outcast minority thrown off onto a neighboring moon”. It is no wonder many fans took issue with the wiping away of previously established lore, and Traviss herself felt she not continue her series given such lore changes.
TFN & reddit feature many repeated circle-jerk discussions on the topic, often from pro-George/Filoni/TCW fans, on how Karen Traviss is some sort of devil, for ‘hating on the Jedi’, for writing them in a ‘negative light’, or not as the mythical or revered heroes they usually are portrayed in SW content. And she went ‘way over the top’ in her criticisms. While there is some valid constructive criticism of the books, there is also that all-to-familiar ‘George or TPTB can do no wrong; SW must be done this way’ type of group-think prevalent in those discussions. There is also oft-used, out of context, incorrect retort that “Traviss literally said anyone who likes the Jedi are Nazis”, when it is obvious to anyone with basic reading comprehension this was not the case.
A screenshot by oojason of the ‘Is is true you hate the Jedi?’ section, from Traviss’ defunct personal website, via Archive.org:
Such ‘Jedi hate’ claims omits the fact this book series is one of the few in the vast Star Wars universe not to adhere to the usual romanticism and fawning of the Jedi, simply because they are Jedi, or that Star Wars should be told a certain way. It asks the tough questions, the moral stances, previously held beliefs, and isn’t afraid to drill down further. A number of her POV cast are Mandalorians who have a long history with the Jedi, clones trained and adopted by the Mandalorians who dislike and don’t fully trust the Jedi, with civilians and even a number of Jedi losing their faith in the Jedi as the war progresses. They’re literally a cast of outcasts with anti-Jedi stances, so of course the story will lean that way. It was purposely designed to be that way.
The other POV cast is from the clones’ point of view; and the clones are pawns in this era, they don’t matter; to the Sith, they are the tool which will ultimately bring down the Jedi. To the Jedi, they are units for their war, little more than the CIS droids they fight against, and are something the Jedi basically have been forced into using. But no matter how desolate the situation is, clones are still treated ‘less’ than other sentients in the Republic. You can explain to the clones that they’re saving the Galaxy, protecting lives, serving the Republic, and so on. But the bottom line is that they were created for servitude, slavery, and nothing can really change that. So, of course the writing is one sided, as it’s often from the clones or Mandos POV.
An optimal post by the redditor Nidstang on the subject of the ‘Jedi hate argument’ encapsulates far better than I can express:
'I legitimately don’t understand the “Jedi hate” argument. Karen Traviss wrote books from a Mandalorian and clones perspective; Mandalorians having a history of conflict with Jedi; Clones from the perspective of slave soldiers fighting a war they had no say in, with leaders who weren’t ready for it. A huge part of the entire point of the Prequel Trilogy was that the Jedi were blind and had lost their way, fighting a war for politicians that went against the Jedi code, and ultimately lead to their downfall. THAT WAS THE POINT of the entire thing. She just elaborated on it from a boots-on-ground perspective.
Not only that, but the Jedi characters present in her books are all liked, treated as heroes, accepted into the Skirata family, etc. Etain, Bardan Jusik, Scout, Kina Ha (extra for her considering Skirata’s hatred for Kaminoans). Even Arligan Zey, who Traviss spent time portraying as a semi-antagonist towards the clones has a redemption arc in which the Skirata clan accepted him into their home. Her entire series is about overcoming preconceptions, misconceptions, finding good in people where you wouldn’t expect it, and overcoming grudges. And it was gearing up to go into a very pro-Jedi story in the now cancelled Imperial Commando 2, as the Clones and Clan Skirata allied themselves with Calista Ming and Djinn Altis’s Jedi sect.
That’s not “anti-Jedi”, that’s telling a deep narrative with the themes presented by George Lucas himself in the prequel era. And in my opinion the entire Republic Commando series is the very best in Star Wars, second only to the Darth Bane Trilogy (with Order 66 and Imperial Commando being my favorites in the RC series).
Not only that, but Traviss wasn’t the only person to showcase negativity towards the Jedi or point out their hypocrisy when it came to the events of the PT. If Traviss is a “Jedi Hater”, then so are authors like Michael Reaves, Jude Watson, and Tim Siedell. Even Luke’s New Jedi Order could be seen as a staunch criticism of the old Jedi, as it looked completely different, and shed itself of the dogmatism and zealotry in an attempt to distance itself from the mistakes of the past.’
Some other Clone Wars era EU novels from the time also asked the question of if clones are considered as people, treated equally to other sentient humans & aliens in the Republic, but none necessarily addressed the absolute mind-fuck of the Jedi literally leading a slave army. The RC series explore how this feels to the slaves/clones that are largely taught (before inhibitor chips introduced into the new lore via TCW) to be the way they are. So there is heavy handed “propaganda” showcased in them.
The Jedi aren’t the bad guys here, yet they’re not good either. This take on the Jedi was refreshing and I enjoyed it for that. Even if a little overdone in places, I never really minded because it is a perspective on the Jedi that wasn’t explored in detail almost anywhere else prior in this manner. She gave the clones identities and really challenged the sense of morality many of the Jedi supposedly held. The Jedi do preach compassion for all sentient beings, and the very nature of things, the force; yet are leading an enslaved army, manufactured from childhood. They went from peace keepers dealing with tax disputes to being battlefield generals and ordering men to their deaths. That wasn’t something they had trained for, but had chosen to accept. This was one of the first series I encountered that showed the Jedi themselves actually struggling with that idea.
However, if you love the Jedi, don’t like them being portrayed in a negative light, or them being under the microscope being asked the tough, moral, or grey questions, this series may not be for you. For me, it was a fresh angle from a perspective we’d yet to experience in any depth. It challenged conventions and expanded the world while fitting neatly in the broader story. A freedom and willingness to experiment with the themes of Star Wars defined Legends in the early 2000s, leading to some of the most remarkable experiences and stories. Is there room for that among the vast number of Star Wars stories out there? I should hope so, and I’d gladly welcome more. What also stuck with me was there were clones that were heartbroken and enraged that the Jedi they fought alongside for years would betray everything they’d fought and died for by attempting a coup.
Some of the old lore in the Prequel era time that appeared in other material:
(circa 1999-2007; discarded or retconned for 2008’s The Clone Wars animated series and film)
• The 501st Journals
The 501st Journals from the 2005 Battlefront II game; an example of other old Clone lore from the era (pre 2008 TCW series):
Inhibitor chips? We didn’t need no stinkin’ inhibitor chips!
From a time when the Clones were growing increasingly disenchanted with the Jedi for some time before Order 66, had already started working in secret behind the Jedis’ backs; even undergoing secret side missions on behalf of Chancellor Palpatine.
This was obviously before the clones’ story was later retconned in 2008’s The Clone Wars film and TV series to include the inhibitor chips. A decision to retcon the clones and perhaps portray them as unwitting victims, to humanize and personalize them for the 2008 film and series, as opposed to the above original storyline and lore, maybe?
The 501st Journals highlighted some of these clone actions against the Jedi, in the then canon 2005 Battlefront II video game:
'The 501st Journal was a compiled record of journal entries written by one or more retired members of the 501st Legion.
The entries summarized their most famous battles, captured the feelings of individual troopers, and traced the 501st from its origins in the Clone Wars to its development as “Vader’s Fist” during the Galactic Civil War.
The journal was kept as secret as the missions undertaken by the 501st; only after the fall of the Galactic Empire were the journals recovered.’
and
‘Temuera Morrison provides the voice for the narrator of every journal entry. In the game’s credits, the character is identified simply as “Retired clone trooper,” implying that he survived all of the battles above mentioned.’
^ from https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/501st_Journal & https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Battlefront_II
Star Wars Battlefront II (Classic) - 501st Journal (Full) HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOq1Tg-Jdw - 18 minute video at the StereoLyrics Tracks YouTube channel.
^ This is the journal compiled together by a clone trooper from the 501st Legion in the game Star Wars Battlefront II.
The 501st Journals Told A Very Different Story About Order 66
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZOH-Bw7nAg - 17 minute video at the Generation Tech YouTube channel.
&
Star Wars Battlefront II - Kamino Cutscene Comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0KIgasl-LU - 2 minute video at the DylanRocket YouTube channel.
^ ‘To this day, I can’t understand what motivated our creators to rise up against us. Had they gone mad? Had we failed them in some way? In the end, it really didn’t matter. The Kaminoans had to be stopped and their army of treacherous gene cousins destroyed. The first few kills were the hardest. Afterall, it’s hard not to get a little spooked when the enemy screams with your voice. We shook it off and did our job. Most of the troopers never knew about Kamino. Like a lot of things in the Empire, it never really happened.’
All of the 501st Journals, in infographic format, and in chronological order:
from The Star Wars Expanded Universe Rebellion on Facebook (2017).
Click on the ‘Expand’ button below to see the infographics:
• Jedi who refused to serve or fight in the Clone Wars:
(I’ll list and organize the various reasons and details below soon. Adding some more to the lore from this Prequel Trilogy to pre-2008 TCW era; other books and authors that questioned the Jedi using using a slave Clone army or refusing to fight etc), plus more on The Right Of Denial and such events like at the Almas Academy, the Jedi and clone who had a relationship, had a child. Other clones who married and had offspring in the old lore. Also a little on the Jedi previously refusing to fight for the Republic, in the Mandalorian Wars and Pius Dea Crusades):
Zao
K’Kruhk
Bardan Jusik, later known as Bardan Skirata
Jocasta Nu (refused to fight, but remained serving the Jedi as an Librarian/Archivist)
Rahm Kota
Sian Jeisel
Lanius Qel-Bertuk
Felanil Baaks
Devan For’deschel
Kirlocca
Oden Malksch (to check)
Mill Alibeth
Barriss Offee
Sora Bulq
Every Clone Who Disobeyed Order 66 In Star Wars Canon & Legends - March 2024 article at ScreenRant
If anyone has more examples of the old lore you’d like to include, please post them in the thread below, and I’ll add them in here.