[Editor's note: The post-obit contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" Episode 3, "Replacements."]

Star Wars: The Bad Batch , the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise, is giving viewers a look at the early days of the Galactic Empire. The show opened with the Clone Regular army killing the Jedi during Social club 66, and subsequent episodes have been exploring the Clone Regular army's transition from fighting for the Republic to becoming the foot soldiers of the Empire. In the process, it seems to have answered one of the biggest lingering questions Star Wars fans have had about the franchise — when, how, and why did the Empire stop using clones to fill up its stormtrooper ranks?

Throughout the films, the stormtroopers have evolved from existence Jango Fett's clones fighting for the Republic, to volunteer soldiers under the Empire, to children conscripted past the Start Guild. During the prequel trilogy, and the blithe show Star Wars: The Clone Wars , the clones proved to exist far superior soldiers. They were excellent shots, loyal to a fault, and (as nosotros somewhen learned) pre-programmed to comply with Emperor Palpatine'south commands. Despite their accelerated aging, the clones remained in top fighting condition till the very end — Captain Rex lived to join the Rebellion near xx years after Order 66 in Star Wars Rebels . Then why on Earth would the Empire e'er end using clones? Star Wars: The Bad Batch gives usa the answers.

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Image via Lucasfilm

The origins of the Regal stormtroopers weren't explored in the original Star Wars trilogy; they were lilliputian more than faceless evildoers intended to evoke the image of Nazi stormtroopers. The prequel trilogy introduced the Clone Army, the first iteration of the stormtroopers, which Palpatine secretly created to instill political chaos in the galaxy. The prequels also give us our showtime hints about the imperceptible nature of the Clone Ground forces – autonomously from their accelerated crumbling, the Kaminoans reveal that they had to pay Jango Fett a "considerable" salary to essentially keep him in an apartment in the cloning facility, so his Dna is readily bachelor to brand more clones. Jango'south death at the finish of Attack of the Clones effectively destroyed the clones' genetic supply.

These aspects of the cloning program relate to Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode iii, "Replacements." In the episode, Grand Moff Tarkin is underwhelmed by the clones, especially later on the revolt of elite Clone Forcefulness 99 thank you to some faulty programming chips. Tarkin realizes that the Kaminoans' programming can't be trusted to brainwash the clones forever, and hence he set in motion a new program — headed by Vice Admiral Rampart — that would make the clones redundant. Every bit Tarkin explains in the episode, creating the clones is massively expensive. Nosotros too learn from Nala Se, the Kaminoan dr. in charge of the cloning program, that the Kaminoans are running out of genetic material for the cloning process. All these factors atomic number 82 to Tarkin devising a new plan of activity to conscript soldiers. To ensure the plan's success, Rampart deliberately selects troops who experience personally wronged by the Republic, thus ensuring greater loyalty to the Empire. By the end of the episode, Tarkin and Rampart are pleased with their kickoff foray into drafting soldiers, setting the stage for the end of the clone army.

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Image via Disney+

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is filling in the gap in the stormtrooper evolution story, just there are still some holes. For the stormtroopers to evolve from clones to regular humans, something catastrophic had to happen. The lack of genetic material is high on the listing. But Jango wasn't the only willing donor in the galaxy, and Star Wars fans are gonna exist Star Wars fans, so a number of new theories have sprung up. Post-obit the events of "Replacements," the prevailing theory is that Nala Se will endeavour to track down Boba Fett, Jango'southward unaltered clone, for more genetic fabric. Even if she succeeds, the Empire's lack of faith in the program will spell eventual doom for the clones. The Empire'due south changeover from clones to conscripted soldiers was meant to be seamless. Average citizens weren't supposed to even notice the transition, merely like they didn't notice the stop of the Democracy when Palpatine declared himself the showtime Galactic Emperor. An insidious modify like this would ensure the people's religion in the Empire remained. Obi-Wan Kenobi's wholehearted belief in the stormtroopers' perfect aim seems to support the idea that the Empire successfully phased the clones out without anyone knowing, because while the clones were pretty expert shots, the stormtroopers in the original trilogy very much aren't.

In "Replacements," we saw how cynical Tarkin is of the clones, and it's possible the rest of the season will dive further into the rift between the Empire and Kamino. In the older video games, the Kaminoans stage a clone uprising which was squashed by the Empire; those games aren't canon, only information technology isn't crazy to think that The Bad Batch might introduce a like plot point to explain the ultimate demise of the clone plan. We certainly know Tarkin isn't afraid to blow upwards entire planets, so the devastation of Kamino is another possible explanation every bit to why neither the Empire nor the First Order considered creating clones over again.

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Prototype via Lucasfilm

Instead, the Empire built entire military academies with grueling programs designed to churn out merciless soldiers. And don't fifty-fifty get me started on the First Order, who kidnapped children like Finn, Jannah, and Lando Calrissian'due south unnamed child and brainwashed them to become stormtroopers. Every iteration of the franchise's villains makes their stormtroopers ever more than stray.

The Star Wars animated shows go on to expand the mythos of the franchise, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch is no different. It'south distressing to see the aforementioned clone army, who were vivacious and full of distinct personalities during The Clones Wars, become mindless automatons in the latest series. But will the Empire simply allow the clones to die out, or is there a version of Gild 66 pending them too?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming at present on Disney+.

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