The name “Kamino” evokes the Spanish “camino,” which means “the way.” Aside from signifying that Kamino is a significant “waypoint” on Obi-Wan Kenobi’s journey to unravel the mystery of the Sith Lord in Attack of the Clones, the name carries a deeper significance in relation to the role the planet plays in galactic history. Palpatine and Count Dooku use the Kaminoans’ cloning to create a Grand Army of the Republic, and Dooku’s choice of clone template is steeped in some important Star Wars history.
Dooku, using his Sith title of “Darth Tyranus,” selected the bounty hunter Jango Fett to be the template for the hundreds of millions of clones that he and Palpatine would use to systematically destroy the Jedi at the opportune moment in Revenge of the Sith. (Unbeknownst to Dooku, the timing would be centered around Palpatine’s successful manipulation of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side.) There is significance in the selection of Fett: his people, the Mandalorians, were ancient rivals of the Jedi, and prided themselves on their ability to combat their Force-wielding enemies, as explained in “Trials of the Darksaber” (Rebels 3.15). Dooku would have fought alongside the Jedi during the Mandalorian Civil Wars that Fett partook in, as explained in “The Tragedy” (The Mandalorian 2.6) – and, while also being knowledgeable in the history of the rivalry between the Jedi and the Mandalorians, Dooku would have seen firsthand their ferocity in battle and capability in taking down Jedi.
Therefore, it is with some irony that the Mandalorians – whose mantra, as introduced in The Mandalorian, is “This is the Way” (“Esta es el camino” in Spanish) – were revived en masse on a planet whose name reflects this. Kamino was “the way” to the Clone Wars, which resulted not only in the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, but also the systematic near-erasure of the Mandalorian culture. Jango’s “deal with the devil” forsook his own people, all for the greed that led to his own downfall at the hands of Jedi Master Mace Windu, leaving his son Boba Fett to carry on both his armor and legacy.
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Characters: Boba Fett / Count Dooku / Jango Fett / Palpatine
Films: Episode II: Attack of the Clones / Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Shows: Rebels / The Mandalorian
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Concepts: clones / greed / Mandalorians / names
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