How Admiral Rampart’s Decisions Forever Changed ‘Star Wars’
Image Source: StarWars.com
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE BAD BATCH SEASON 2
For years, the question of how the clone troopers from the prequel era of Star Wars were eventually replaced by stormtroopers has been left unanswered. The latest arc of The Bad Batch, however, is filling in the blanks about this mysterious shift.
Episodes 7 and 8 of The Bad Batch Season 2 take the story to Coruscant. The Imperial Senate is debating the Defense Recruitment Bill, which aims at replacing clone troopers with conscripted soldiers. This bill is posited by none other than Vice Admiral Rampart, the high-ranking Imperial official who ordered the destruction of Tipoca City back in the Season 1 finale.
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Admiral Rampart’s bill marks an incredibly important turning point for the overall storyline of the Star Wars saga: the transformation of the Republic’s clone armies into the Empire’s iconic Stormtroopers. In the first season of The Bad Batch, Rampart presented Governor Wilhuff Tarkin with an elite squad of top-notch conscripted soldiers as part of Project War-Mantle, an initiative to conscript non-clone soldiers into Imperial forces. Project War-Mantle was fueled by the assumption that these soldiers could be indoctrinated in the Empire’s ideals and would be more loyal than clones who had served under the Republic.
Project War-Mantle, and the subsequent Defense Recruitment Bill, have profound implications for both the clones and the trajectory of the Empire. Rampart’s rejection of the clones reflects the Empire’s utter lack of empathy toward them. Only Senator Chuchi raises the question of what will become of the former troops. These episodes seem to comment not only on the in-universe callousness toward the clones, but also on the very real-world issues regarding the treatment of veterans.
Image Source: StarWars.com
It is clear that The Bad Batch is setting up a tragic end for most of the former clone troopers. They were bred to reach maturity quickly, and many are beginning to show signs of aging. The Empire seems uninterested in dealing with the societal ramifications of thousands of retired veterans, and Rampart’s bill reinforces the popular belief that clones are disposable. The passage of this law will change the trajectory of Star Wars forever, cementing the fate of the clones, and allowing for the rise of stormtroopers.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia, Vulture
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