Greetings, Padawan

Who were the clones?

  The clones of Jango Fett (a Mandalorian bounty hunter) were a collection of over five million clone warriors created on Kamino at the order of Sith Lord, Darth Sidious (known as Chancellor Palpatine at the time of the Clone Wars). The clones formed the Grand Army of the Republic (the GAR, occassionally misread as the Galactic Army of the Republic) and were the bulk of the fighting force against the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems (the Separtists), alongside the Jedi, who were forced into the position of Generals (Jedi Knights and Masters) and Commanders (Senior and Junior Jedi Padawans).

  The clones of the GAR were modified genetically for various reasons. Firstly, their aging was doubled, allowing them to be ready for deployment in only a decade, instead of two. This aging had no cure and was not set to taper off at a pre-determind point in time.

What was Order 66?

  Order 66 is the official name given to the command that lead to the destruction of the Jedi Temple and the Jedi Order at the end of the Clone Wars. Order 66 was a command issued by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious to the GAR, which activated the control chips that were inserted into each and every clone prior to decanting on Kamino, causing the clones to loose their freedom and become totally loyal to Darth Sidious' orders. Order 66 was one of the one-hundred and fifty (150) Contingency Orders for the GAR, a series of orders that was, on paper, contingencies for various circumsstances. On paper, any clone or clones found to violate the orders would be stripped of their rank and expelled from the GAR. In reality, they would be killed.

  Order 66 dictated that "--should a Jedi officer or officers act against the interests of the Republic, and should specific orders verified as coming from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor Palpatine), the GAR is to order these officers by any force necessary, including and especially the use of lethal force, and command of the GAR will return to the Supreme Commander--". At the end of the Clone Wars, Order 66 was excuted.

Did clones join the Rebellion?

  Few clones ever got the chance to join the Rebellion, as in order to do so, their control chip had to be removed or tampered with. While any clone that had avoided the activation of Order 66, either through cyro sleep or isolation from the rest of society, these situations were rare. More commonly, the chip was removed prior to Order 66 or after Order 66 was issued. But clones who were free of Order 66, either by avoiding the activation of it or removing their chips, did join the Rebellion.

  Commander Rex, (aka. CT-7567) had his control chip removed during the execution of Order 66 by Jedi Ahsoka Tano. Rex would go on to survive the Order alongside Ahsoka, and the two would split up in order to go undetected in the aftermath of the rise of the Empire. Rex would later join the budding Rebellion and continue the fight.

  Commander Gregor, (aka. CC-5576-39) had his control chip malfunction prior to Order 66, and underwent an emergency surgical operation outside of GAR command that located and removed the chip. The chip was not identified as anything other then a malignant tumour, and Gregor would escape Order 66 and eventually join the Rebellion alongside Commander Rex.

  Commander Wolffe (aka. CC-3636) had his control chip removed by a rogue, partially malfunctioning, medical droid after Order 66 and the rise of the Empire, leading to great confusion at the change. Wolffe, a talented pilot, fled the Empire and would live on Seelos alongside Commander Rex and Commander Gregor. He would later join them in the Rebellion.

  ARC Trooper Fives (aka. CT-5555) was one of the first clones to have his chip removed, and was the first to discover the plot of the Contingency Orders for the GAR after a chip malfunctioned in his brother, Tup (aka. CT-5385) and Tup executed Order 66 prematurely. Fives had Tup's chip removed, but the extraction resulted in Tup's death. Despite this, Fives underwent the same surgery to remove his own chip, and would attempt to pass the information he learned onto then-Captain Rex (aka. CT-7567). Fives would die in the process.

  Medic Kix (aka. CT-6116) was a medical officer of the 501st clone legion. After the death of Fives, Kix, who had been friends with Fives, conducted his own investigation and had his own control chip removed. Kix intended to alert the Jedi to the conspiracy, but was captured by Separtists and preserved in cyro-cycle stasis for later interrogation. The ship he was on crashed, and Kix was later found by the Rebellion, who he joined, reuniting with his surviving brothers.

Could clones use the Force?

  Clones are part of the Living Force like any other living creature and many non-living creatures (such as rocks). Therefore, it was just as likely for a clone to be Force-sensitive as it was for any other member of the Mandalorian people. The Kamonian cloners considered Force-sensitivity to be a flaw in the cloning process like any other, and would remove any Force-sensitive clones they located, and dispose of them as failures. Despite this, many Force-sensitive clones would survive.

• Arc Trooper Fives (aka. CT-5555):
 Was a Force-sensitive clone who had the talent of precognition, able to use both foresight in battle, and farsight regularly. Fives was untrained in all techniques of the Force beyond what he observed his Generals performing, and would go unnoticed as a user of the Force until after his death. His Force-sensitivity was primarially demonstrated in his ability to predict enemy movements in fights.
• Medic Kix (aka. CT-6116):
 Was a Force-sensitive clone who was cognizant of his own Force-sensitivity and made an active effort to disguse it. This was made easier by the fact that Kix's Force-sensitivity manifested in incredibly accurate empathy, a skill that aided him as a medic and went unnoticed by those around him.

Weapons used by Clone Troopers

• DC-15A
 Also known as the DC-15 long-rifle, this weapon was one of the most common weapons used by the GAR during the Clone Wars, as a blaster rifle produced by BlasTech industries. With a gas cartridge of around 500 shots (depending on weapons settings, which could be adjusted). The rifle is standardised with an adjustable foresight and a complimentary targeting scope.
• DC-15x
 A type of sniper rifle used by the GAR during the Clone Wars, the DC-15x is a modified DC-15A, with a higher power output and less ammo storage. Included the features of the DC-15A, such as an adjustable foresight and a targeting scope.
• DC-17m
 With the full name of DC-17m Interchangeable Weapon System (the DC-17m Repeating Blaster Rifle) is a type of repeating blaster rifle related to the DC-15A, used by the GAR during the Clone wars, primarily by commandos, as it could change between a repeating blaster rifle and a grenade launcher via switching out the barrel module.
• WESTAR-M5
 This blaster rifle was used during the Clone Wars, after which its model was discontinued. With a long barrel, and a short grip, the blaster rifle is made to fight in both close quarters and mid range battles.
• DC-15S
 The DC-15S Blaster Carbine is a semi-automatic, rapid fire blaster with a stun feature and fully-foldable stalk. A counterpart to the DC-15A, the DC-15S is favoured for its lightweight, compact size, and ability to win close quarter engagements.
• RPS-6
 A rocket launcher manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions, served as an early counterpart to the PLX-1 missile launcher used during the late Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War.
• Z-6
 A rotary blaster cannon originally used by the GAR during the Clone Wars, the Z-6 was heavy and unwieldy, but could mow down enemies rapidly and without issue, and was thus favoured by tank-like troopers both during the Clone Wars and after.
• PLX-1
 A missile launcher used by the GAR near the end of the Clone Wars, the PLX-1 saw more combat during the Galactic Civil War, primarily by the Alliance to Restore the Republic (the Rebellion). The PLX-1 was notable for being able to bypass deflector shields.
• DC-15s
 A single-fire blaster pistol made to be the secondary weapon of Republic Commandos of the GAR during the Clone Wars. Few were produced during the Clone Wars, and were largely disliked by those they were issued to.
• DC-17
 Another single-fire blaster pistol, the DC-17 was a much more popular alternate to the DC-15s during the Clone Wars. Primarily used by Clone Officers, Elite Troopers and ARC Troopers, the DC-17 was originally conceived as a secondary weapon, but their accuracy, lightweight, and firing capacity made them primary weapons of many troopers.