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Advanced Recon Commando

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Advanced Recon Commando

General information

Organization type

Special forces^[1]

Location(s)

Kamino^[1]

Other information

Affiliation

Galactic Republic^[1]
- Special Operations Brigade^[2]

"Both of you showed valor out there.Real courage. You remind me ofme, actually."
"Echo, Fives. You're both officially being made ARC troopers."

―Rex and Cody, promoting Echo and Fives to ARC troopers^[1]

Advanced Recon Commandos, also known asARC troopers, were an elite variant of theclone troopers that served theGalactic Republic. Chosen from the ranks of theGrand Army of the Republic, the status of ARCtrooper was bestowed onclones who served with distinction on the battlefield, such asEcho andFives. The training ofclone cadets also served as a means for identifying particularcadets who demonstrated the potential to become future ARC troopers.

ARC troopers such asCaptain Rex were trained to serve in positions of command in the GrandArmy, and could also be sent on challenging assignments less suitable for standard clones. They were given their ownunique armor set, which differed greatly from thestandard issue kit given to the rank-and-file clonesoldiers, being equipped with more components. During the earlydays of theClone Wars, ARC trooperarmor served as an experimental version of thePhase II clone trooper armor.

Description[]

"ARC troopers were some of the finest fighters to ever pick up a blaster rifle. […] Being an Advanced Recon Commando had its perks, including better armor and equipment. But it was the respect that came along with the title that really made all the extra training worthwhile."

―Rex^[3]

Like most clone troopers,^[4] ARC troopers were 1.83meters or 6feet tall. They had ammunition cartridges on top of their chest plates. They were elite clone troopers who often led soldiers into battle as officers. Some clones were trained for ARC responsibilities while they were cadets onKamino, while others were chosen from the ranks of regular clone units after proving their bravery and ingenuity on the battlefield. ARC troopers were known for their skills in reconnaissance. They were also skilled as leaders, as well as armed and unarmed combat, military tactics, survival and infiltration.^[5]

History[]

"Gentlemen, who wants to be an ARC trooper?"
"I do, sir!"

―Bounty hunter Bric and a group of clone cadets^[6]

ARC troopers served as the Galactic Republic's frontline fighting force, often complementing standard clone troopers in battle.

An elite variant of the standardclone trooper, Advanced ReconCommandos^[7]—also known as ARCtroopers—were widely regarded as the bestsoldiers in theGrand Army of the Republic.^[8] During theClone Wars, the ARC troopers trained the first wave ofClone Commanders, such asBly,^[9] andRex.^[10] TheRancor Battalion had several ARC troopers, includingClone ARC Commanders Colt,Havoc,Blitz, andHammer. These ARC troopers were stationed atTipoca City onKamino. There they looked for clone cadets that could become ARC troopers, such as the members ofBravo Squad.^[6]

ARC trooper Echo in his Phase I ARC gear

ARC troopers served in theBattle of Muunilinst^[11] in22 BBY.^[12] ARC trooperMuzzle abandoned the GAR at some point, but, as leader of theAurodium Sword mercenaries, often continued to support the Republic by working as security for its corporate personnel.^[13] Colt and the other ARC troopers supported thedefense of TipocaCity against aSeparatist invasion led byGeneral Grievous and theForce-sensitive assassin Asajj Ventress. However, Colt waskilled by Ventress while Havoc died fighting a group ofAQ-series battle droids. Blitz, ordered twoARF troopers to destroy aTrident-class assault ship. In the aftermath of the battle,Echo andFives of the501st Legion were promoted to the status of ARC trooper in recognition of their contribution to theGalactic Republic's victory on Kamino.^[1]

ARC trooper in Phase II ARC trooper armor. — ARC trooperFives in Phase II ARC trooper armor.

Echo and Fives were later sent on amission to rescueJedi Master Even Piell from theCitadel onLola Sayu.^[14] The two fought their way through the Citadel. However, Echo was presumed to have died in an explosion while attempting to secure ashuttle.^[15] He survived the blast, but was captured and subjected to experimentation on by the Separatist-alignedTechno Union,^[16] and became a former ARC trooper.^[17] Fives, on the other hand, escaped with the surviving members of his team.^[18] TheOssus conspiracy theory concerned a supposed moment in the war where ARC troopers traveled to the planetOssus, where they recovered artifacts before ordering an airstrike. The rumor was supposedly told first by a dyingARC trooper.^[19]

Fives continued serving in the 501st, fromUmbara^[20] toRingo Vinda,^[21] until his death onCoruscant, where he tried to revealSupreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's role in thebio-chip conspiracy toJedi General Anakin Skywalker and Clone CaptainRex.^[22] After the death of Fives,Jesse—also of the 501st—was promoted to ARC trooper.^[23] He continued serving as aClone Lieutenant^[24] in the 501st during theBattle ofAnaxes^[23] and through theSiege ofMandalore as part of the332nd Division.^[25] Following his brief capture byMaul,^[26] Jesse took part in guarding the formerSith while en route to Coruscant. When theSith Lord Darth Sidious issued Order 66,^[27] Jesse took command of the 332nd and other troopers fromCommander Rex on theVenator-class Star Destroyer^[24]Tribunal.^[28] However, the Star Destroyer crashed on amoon, and Jesse was killed along with the rest of the company.^[24]

Equipment[]

ARC troopers were equipped withARC trooper armor, a variant of theclone trooper armor.^[6] ARC trooper armor includedPhase I ARC Trooper Armor^[29] andPhase II ARC Trooper Armor.^[13] Thearmor could be outfitted with a double-sidedpauldron,^[1] akama,^[6] andbreathmask survival gear.^[21] ARC troopers utilized a wide array ofblaster weapons including dualDC-17 hand blasters,^[6]DC-15A blaster rifles,DC-15A blaster carbines,^[1]DC-15x sniper rifles,ascension cables,^[30]reciprocating quad blaster cannons,^[31] andZ-6 rotary blaster cannons.^[32] They also made use ofjetpacks including theJT-12 jetpack.^[33]

TheAT-FRC Force Reconnaissance Walker was created byKuat Drive Yards towards the end of the war for ARC troopers.^[34]

Behind the scenes[]

According toGenndy Tartakovsky on the DVD commentary forStar Wars: Clone Wars Volume Two, the design of the ARC troopers came fromHasbro.^[35] They first appeared in the Legends storyRepublic 50, a comic from theStar Wars: Republic series byDark Horse Comics.^[36] In the current canon, they appeared in theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series, first seen in "Clone Cadets."^[6]

Two concept art pieces—each dated toApril 22,2020—byS. Carey for theStar Wars: The Bad Batch episode "War-Mantle" refer to clone commandos as a variant of ARC trooper.^[37]^[38] Furthermore, a promotional image asset uploaded toThe Walt Disney Company's official Getty Images page identified the clone commandos as "Clone ARC Commando Troopers."^[39] However, according toStar Wars: Battlefront II, ARC troopers and clone commandos are separate classes, as the game separates both clone types into separate Reinforcement units.^[40]Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers later reinforced this by confirming ARC Troopers and clone commandos were separate identifications.^[3]