It is March 2005, and earlier than Revenge of the Sith‘s launch in theaters and a number of other different main Star Wars online game launches, Republic Commando has simply hit the cabinets. It appears to be like and performs in contrast to some other Star Wars first-person shooter earlier than it, and whereas the preliminary reception is not glowing, it is destined to impression numerous future tales.
Two full many years* later, it is laborious to argue in opposition to LucasArts’ tactical FPS being one of the crucial distinctive and finest Star Wars video games ever made. From the immersive motion to its darker, boots-on-the-ground tone, it is the uncommon form of Star Wars story that introduced followers of George Lucas’ galaxy far, distant nearer to the anonymous grunts dying on the frontlines. They could have solely been pawns within the centuries-long chess match between the sunshine and darkish sides of the Drive, however away from the Jedi and the Sith, each gunfight might be the final, and even the Republic’s most interesting clone troopers have been simply people on the finish of the day.
After their explosive introduction in Assault of the Clones as personality-less replicas of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, the 2D Clone Wars animated sequence did not make a case about why clone troopers mattered greater than droids. Certain, that one squad with ARC troopers was rad, however why ought to we care about them past their cool armor? Dave Filoni and George Lucas’ 3D present, much more bold in its scope and depth, would ‘repair’ that situation years later, however we regularly neglect that Republic Commando was the primary piece of Star Wars media that handled the clones with respect.
Begun, the Clone Struggle has
The sport kicks off through the Battle of Geonosis, however not earlier than we witness a montage that particulars Delta Squad‘s creation, formative years, and coaching on Kamino. We may’ve simply been thrown proper into the warmth of battle, but director Tim Longo (who would shepherd Halo 5 a decade later), the workforce of writers, and the powers that be at LucasArts determined to hit the bottom strolling as an alternative of operating.
It is a quick however impactful sequence that juxtaposes properly in opposition to the remainder of the sport, which is noisy and totally relentless; just a few moments of quiet earlier than a galaxy-wide conflict that these troopers weren’t meant to outlive to assist set the tone.
For all its 2000s period online game trappings, the debut of the clone commandos was gritty and sobering. With out the Jedi saving the day on the final minute or John Williams’ rousing musical themes including classical surprise to the motion, the clashes between the Republic and the CIS — particularly these occurring away from the frontlines — all of the sudden felt heavier and extra harmful.
Composer Jesse Harlin was absolutely conscious Republic Commando wanted to sound completely different: “The whole purpose was to current a really darkish and army tackle the Star Wars universe,” he defined to MusicOnFilm again in 2006. “These weren’t guys who knew something about galactic politics or the Drive. These have been simply troopers with a really harmful, very thankless job to do.” For sure, each the devs and Harlin succeeded in giving the sport an id of its personal, with the monitor ‘Vode An‘ being embraced by Star Wars followers and later official works as a vital a part of the on-screen Mandalorian tradition.
The misplaced sequel
Even with out stepping into the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the competently-made first-person shooter that efficiently merged Star Wars with Rainbow Six parts, followers quickly have been obsessive about the lore surrounding the clone commandos and their position within the bigger conflict that culminated with the delivery of the Galactic Empire. The truth that its ending was left broad open additionally inspired additional chatter. Later in 2005, an Order 66-centric sequel of kinds was launched for cellphones, however… properly, it bears little or no resemblance to the console and PC shooter that preceded it.
With plans for a follow-up titled Imperial Commando binned at LucasArts even earlier than the primary recreation had launched, the one continuation of the story left for followers was Karen Traviss’ 5 notable novels: Laborious Contact, Triple Zero, True Colours, Order 66, and Imperial Commando: 501st. It is protected to say there was an viewers for extra tales starring these clones, but LucasArts was refocusing its technique round (and after) the time of Republic Commando’s launch. Common troopers have been pushed apart (this additionally included Battlefront 3’s cancellation), whereas ‘energy fantasy’ characters like Starkiller have been delivered to the forefront once more.
With George Lucas’ six-episode film saga wrapped up in 2005 and the animated present that was introduced quickly after, following the Jedi and all-new clone characters, followers needed to settle for that Delta Squad’s on-screen adventures have been ‘one and performed’ except one thing massive modified. Effectively, as everyone knows, Disney took over Lucas’ empire in late 2012, and one of many first artistic swings the ‘new Lucasfilm’ took underneath its umbrella was to explicitly declare the overwhelming majority of the novels, comics, reveals, and video video games non-canon, giving them a clear slate exterior the six unique motion pictures. However as a fantastic man as soon as stated, “Nobody’s ever actually gone.”
Reshaping the canon
Delta Squad appeared performed for after the canon reset, however the concentrate on clones had returned. It was The Clone Wars that saved a lot of its soul alive with a number of clone troopers, similar to Rex, Fives, 99, and Echo (amongst many others) getting simply as a lot display time because the Jedi generals who led them into battle.
Even through the uneven first season, the main target was usually placed on the wins and losses these troopers created, usually sacrificing their lives for the great of the Republic within the course of. All through its run, the present lined critical topics across the clones’ loyalty, freedom, and even their humanity, including a stunning quantity of maturity to a sequence that everybody, followers included, had first registered as a lighter affair.
The 4 iconic clone commandos from the sport – Boss, Scorch, Fixer, and Sev – have been recovered for the season 3 episode ‘Witches of the Mist‘ (2011) with a quick look. This allowed them to hitch the film/TV canon earlier than the aforementioned reset, which solely saved the six unique motion pictures and The Clone Wars within the contemporary new Star Wars timeline. Later, different Legends characters have been (and proceed to be) integrated into the present canon, however their ‘early’ presence within the present highlighted how a lot they meant for followers and creatives alike. ‘Lacking in Motion’ (season 5) would additionally introduce Captain Gregor, an ex-commando affected by amnesia.
2017’s Battlefront 2 (EA/DICE) would ultimately obtain a content material replace introducing clone commandos (although not Delta Squad) following fan requests, with Lucasfilm and the builders admitting they might be an excellent match for the large-scale on-line shooter. Extra importantly, The Clone Wars’ seventh and last season (2020) offered a squad of genetically enhanced clones nicknamed ‘the Unhealthy Batch’, who would later get their very own beloved present. They have been definitely extra colourful characters than Delta Squad, however the influences have been clear for individuals who have been round in 2005. Be careful for Scorch and different commandos’ many appearances because the present advances, too.
In a manner, The Unhealthy Batch turned the fruits of every part that had been constructed across the seemingly easy idea of the elite clone troopers. Away from the constraints of the Skywalker Saga, however progressing proper subsequent to it, LucasArts and Lucasfilm managed to make us really care in regards to the Republic’s cannon fodder simply as a lot as the autumn of the Jedi and the reign of the Empire. These days, non-gamer followers will attribute this complete narrative to Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm Animation’s prime creatives, however Republic Commando was the genesis of this fascinating department of Star Wars storytelling in the identical manner Darkish Forces is essential to understanding a lot of the present post-Empire chronology.
Star Wars: Republic Commando and its Aspyr-developed remaster are at present accessible to buy on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Swap.
