Dropping the Clone Helmet
In “Carnage of Krell” (The Clone Wars 4.10), the insane Jedi general Pong Krell orders his Clone Troopers to fire on another squad of Clone Troopers, falsely claiming that they are enemies who have disguised themselves in clone armor. When the clones realize they have been unwittingly killing their own brothers in arms, the distraught trooper Dogma drops his helmet on the ground.
This moment is mirrored with great exactness in "Shattered" (The Clone Wars 7.11), when Palpatine orders Clone Troopers across the galaxy to fire on the Jedi generals who have been their brothers in arms. Upon receiving Order 66, which compels him to kill Ahsoka Tano, the distraught Captain Rex drops his helmet on the ground.
Throughout The Clone Wars, Clone Troopers repeat the phrase “good soldiers follow orders” – but in both of these moments, a Clone Trooper experiences a crisis of identity because of an order he is unwilling to follow, and drops the helmet that would hide his humanity and make him a faceless soldier who unthinkingly follows orders.
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Captain Rex / Dogma
Shows: The Clone Wars
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