The clone army is crucial in the movies of Star Wars to ensure the downfall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. But why do the clones disappear over time and are replaced by stormtroopers?
The armor of the stormtroopers is one of the iconic images from Star Wars. Yet the clones from the prequels have also achieved well-deserved fame. This raises the question: What happened to the clones after Episode 3, and why does the Emperor henceforth only use stormtroopers?
To answer this question, we first need to highlight the significant difference between the two armies: As the name suggests, clones are exact, artificial copies of each other. This makes them very reliable and loyal. They were commissioned by a Jedi who does not appear in the movies themselves.
Stormtroopers, on the other hand, are much more ambiguous. They consist in part of volunteers who are recruited from all over the galaxy. They are predominantly human, making them, at first glance, much more prone to errors than clones.
Nevertheless, there are some good reasons for the Emperor to replace his nearly perfect army.
Practical Considerations
What are the reasons? Setting aside aesthetic aspects – because yes, both armors look damn cool – there are several advantages that the stormtroopers have over the clones.
The first: Stormtroopers are much cheaper. Creating the clone army was already expensive. Exactly how expensive is not explained in Star Wars. Continuously creating new clones would ultimately cost the Empire a lot of credits. Additionally, they age faster than normal humans, which means quicker resupply would be necessary. Relying on human soldiers is much cheaper.
Recruitment itself is also simpler, as many soldiers volunteer for service. Those who are skeptical of the Empire and its ideology can be convinced to join Palpatine through manipulative tactics and indoctrination. The clones were created with the values of the Republic, which could make them susceptible to rebellious tendencies.
Another advantage: When stormtroopers are deployed in areas they already know after training, they have one more edge over the clones. In combat, they can tactically apply the knowledge they’ve amassed over decades.
Another reason is important for Palpatine: A key moment in the Emperor’s takeover is Order 66. This emergency order instructs the clones to kill all Jedi immediately as they have betrayed the Republic. Palpatine shamelessly exploits this and thus manages to almost annihilate all Jedi. Only a few survived, including a Jedi who appears in Episode 1.
However, there are still 149 other emergency orders, one of which is Order 65. This states that the clones are to remove the Supreme Chancellor from office, if necessary with violence. This also includes the possibility that the clones kill the Chancellor, for instance, if he misuses his power. Although Palpatine is technically no longer Chancellor but Emperor after Episode 3, it cannot be ruled out that Order 65 may still have been triggered in some way.
The clones would then have acted against their supreme leader and attempted to kill him. While it’s questionable whether an army would stand a chance against the overpowering Sith Lord, Palpatine likely does not want to take that risk.
Anyone more interested in this topic should give the series Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Bad Batch a chance, as this very question is also addressed there. While many Jedi met their end with Order 66, one woman managed to survive this tragic event: One Jedi has just demonstrated the foolproof method for surviving Order 66 that no one else has used in Star Wars.
