Clone Wars Week: Top Ten Clone Troopers

If you follow my blog regularly, you've probably noticed at least once that I am a big, big fan of clone troopers. I know a little over a hundred by name, and I'm hoping to be able to identify 200 of them by name by the time The Clone Wars ends (whenever that will be). The boys in white are my favorite Star Wars characters by far, and many times I find myself wishing that they really existed.

My siblings say I'm obsessed with the troopers, but don't listen to them! XD

Anyways, in keeping with Clone Wars Week, here are my Top Ten most favorite troopers from The Clone Wars!

#10. CT-21-0408, Echo: Echo is a very special guy who was part of a very special trooper squadron. He was given his name because he liked to echo every single order the squad was given, which more than kind of annoyed his other brothers. He also had a strange obsession with reading over the regulation manuals and following orders to the "t." Echo's best friend was Fives (more on him later), and both men had very decorative careers in the GAR. After escaping the Rishi Moon, Echo was transferred to Anakin's 501st Legion and then was given ARC Trooper training after the heroism he displayed during the Seige of Kamino. Unfortunately Echo was killed in an explosion on Lola Sayu after helping to rescue Jedi Master Even Piel from the Separatists. His death almost made me cry, especially when I heard Fives screaming out his brother's name. *sniffle*

#9. Tup: Tup is a rookie trooper who made his CW debut in the Season 4 "Umbara" story arc. When we first meet him, he's in a transport with the rest of his brothers and hanging on to the ceiling strap with both hands for dear life. He's a very sincere, thoughtful clone who just wants to do his best for the Republic. Tup was the one who finally managed to captured General Krell and correctly assessed that the General posed more of a threat to the Republic while he was still alive. The only thing about Tup that really boggles my mind is....how in the world does he fit that top-knot hairdo under his helmet?? Either way, I hope that Tup comes back in Season 5, otherwise I will not be pleased.

#8. CT-782, Hevy: Hevy is one of those kinds of guys who loves his guns, particularly his Z-9 Rotary, and he definitely knows how to use it. Hevy is the daredevil in Domino Squad, and he's also a natural leader. His hot temper and easily bored manner sometimes got him in trouble, but when it came down to it this guy would crash through a whole battalion of Seppies if such a charge would save his brothers. Hevy was the last Domino Squad member to die on the Rishi Moon (allowing the last two, Fives and Echo, to escape) when he comitted suicide by blowing up the Republic outpost the Seppie's had overrun. His sacrifice, like Echo's, almost made me cry, too, but he managed to save so many other lives by losing his own.

#7. CC-3636, Wolffe: The first thing most people notice when they see Commander Wolffe is the scar running down the right side of his face and his cybernetic right eye but, hey, that just makes him look even more epic! Wolffe is a no-nonsense, extremely blunt sort of soldier. He's constantly rolling his eyes, particularly at a certain jabbery golden protocol droid. But even though Wolffe is all-business oriented, he is also a great inspiration to his own men. Even though he lost most of his men to General Greivous, the Commander didn't let that get him down and, instead, stirred the rest of his men to action and to remember their fallen brothers. That in and of itself makes Wolffe a hero, at least in my eyes.

#6. Hardcase: This guy reminds me so much of Hevy that it's almost touching. Like Hevy, Hardcase is hot-tempered, a daredevil, a complainer, uses a Z-9 Rotary, and their names even start with the same first letter and have two syllables. Hardcase's best scene in all of CW would probably have to be when he's trying to figure out how to drive a captured Umbaran fighter. It's absolutely hillarious how similar that scene is to the one in Episode IV when Han attempts to talk to an Imperial radio operator while Luke is finding Princess Leia. And, also like Hevy, Hardcase commited suicide to blow up a Seppie supply ship, thereby cutting off the enemy's supplies and given the Republic a better grip on the planet Umbara. His quips are memorable, but nowhere near as memorable as his sacrifice for his brothers.

#5. CT-5597, Jesse: While Hardcase reminds me of Hevy, Jesse reminds me of Echo. While Jesse doesn't repeat orders or obsessively read regulation manuals, he is a very sensible guy who was willing to do what he knew was right, despite the consequences. Along with Fives and Hardcase, he used a stolen Umbaran fighter to destroy the Seppie's main supply ship (which was ultimately destroyed by Hardcase), and he even willingly faced down a firing squad for that action. Jesse also has a very cool-looking Republic emblem tattooed onto most of his face which looks really cool, even though it probably hurt like the dickens!

#4. Waxer: You really can't make a list of favorite clone troopers without including Waxer. This soldier probably shows the most obvious compassion streak I've ever seen. Along with his brother Boil, Waxer helped a little Twi'Lek girl find her family and kept her safe from the Seppies. His expression when the girl hugged him was so touching it was priceless. What's also touching is that he had a picture of the girl (Numa) painted onto the side of his helmet. Unfortunately, like so many other troopers, Waxer was killed before he could see Numa again. And what made his death even worse was that he was accidentally shot down by fellow clone troopers. It was a terrible way to die, but I do hope that Boil manages to survive the war.

#3. CC-2224, Cody: A lot of people don't like Commander Cody because he attempted to execute Order 66 on Kenobi in Episode III but, between you and me, I don't like Kenobi all that much! But, anyways, Cody is similar to Commander Wolffe in that both men are very this-is-what-we're-supposed-to-be-doing-so-let's-knuckle-down-and-do-it types. Cody is also an awesome strategist who was very loyal to the Republic and thought of Kenobi and Captain Rex as friends. After Order 66, the Commander trained stormtrooper recruits for the Empire, but he though they were stupid and nowhere near as good as his fellow Jango Fett clones. The scar near his right eye is very cool looking, too, and his Phase II armor is probably one of the most awesome looking ones I've seen.

#2. CT-27-5555, Fives: Fives has always struck me as the kind of soldier who really deserves the ARC Trooper position he was given. Not only is he inventive, loyal, and very focused, he's also much more autonomous than other troopers. He quickly recognized that General Krell didn't care about his troops, and he was willing to disobey the General's orders to do what he knew was right. After Echo's death on Lola Sayu, Fives is the last surviving member of Domino Squad, but he doesn't let his brothers' deaths weigh him down. He was the main individual who convinced Capain Rex to break away from Krell's destructive authority, and he was also willing to take all of the punishment for directly disobeying the General's orders. Fives is a very popular CW character, so I really hope they don't end up killing him!

#1. CT-7567, Rex: There is so much to say about Captain Rex! He's independant, he's patient, a good strategist, loyal, intelligent, funny, wise, the list just goes on and on. He didn't rat on a clone deserter who had a family, he stood up to General Krell and was very prepared to execute him for his crimes, he is loyal to Anakin and Ahsoka, he has never been afraid to stand up to a superior, he has awesome fighting moves, and he always listens to opinions from his men. Rex is an amazing leader and an invaluable member of the 501st. In fact, he's so awesome that he was awared a pair of Jaig Eyes for his heroic service in the military. Rex also has strong opinions and firmly believes that the clone troopers are just as human as any other humanoid in the galaxy. One of my favorite Captain Rex lines comes from the "Carnage of Krell" episode in Season 4: "I used to believe that being a good soldier meant doing everything they told you. That's how they engineered us. But we're not droids. We're not programmed. You have to learn to make your own decisions!" If that doesn't show independence and wisdom, I don't know what does. Captain Rex is definently my most favorite Star Wars character!



Whew! When your favorite characters are clone troopers, it's hard to pick your favorites. =D Which clones are your favorites?




 - Edessa, signing off

Clone Wars Week: Top Ten Clone Wars Villains

I've had a bad Internet connection for the past two days (on for five minutes, dies for ten, on for five minutes, dies for ten again, repeat inifinitely), so I hope this post gets through!

For today's post, I'd like to list my Top Ten most favorite Clone Wars villains!

#10. Chancellor Palpatine: The mastermind behind, well, everything. I must say, though, he seems a whole lot more slimy, threatening, and cool in the live-action movies, but he's still good in CW. The Season 5 trailer gave us a sneak peek of a 'saber brawl with Savage and Maul vs. Palpatine, plus content where Palpatine Force Chokes a couple of Mandalorians, so I think the writers of CW are going to progressively make him even more evil as the series continues. Ugly though he is, I don't think there would have been much of a Star Wars story without him.

# 9. Count Dooku: I've never really been much of a Count Dooku fan, even though he was played by the amazing Christopher Lee in the Prequels. He always just seems so stuck up and proud to me, but his curved lightsaber is awesome as is his continually calm manner. Usually I imagine Sith as the always angry say-the-wrong-thing-and-I-will-crush-your-puny-little-trachea kinds of people, and while Dooku definitely does that sometimes he is also calm and collected in a very sinister sort of way. Besides his Sith name, Tyrannus, is pretty awesome, if you ask me.

#8. Pre Vizsla: This guy reminds me a lot of Dred Priest and Isabet Reau, two Death Watch members who trained clone commandos on Kamino (according to the uber awesome Republic Commando series). Those two were sadists in every sense of the word (forcing young clones to engage in fight clubs is definitely sadistic), and Vizla is a lot like them. Case in point, the Season 4 episode A Friend in Need showed Vizla tricking Lux Bonteri into trusting him and then almost completely wiped out a whole settlement of enslaved villagers. If that isn't sadistic, I don't know what is. He would definitely be closer to number one on my list if he had been a true Mandalorian instead of Death Watch. DW may have cool armor and weapons but, honestly, the real Mandos are just a gazillion times better.

#7. Savage Opress: Zabraks are one of my favorite species, so bonus points for Savage in that area. He has some awesome moves, he managed to break away from the control of both Ventress and Dooku (and managed to escape them alive), and he's like Death with a double-bladed lightsaber. Plus I feel so sorry for him because of his Nightbrother upbringing and because he was forced to kill his younger brother, Feral. The only problem is that he's very dependent on other people and doesn't take charge himself. If he's not following Mother Talzin, he's following his other brother Maul. That, and he's basically an uncontrollable, brutal monster with anger management issues. Maybe someone needs to cut down on his sugar intake.... XD

#6. Asajj Ventress: A Dathomirian who became a Jedi Padawan but then embraced the Dark Side and became Dooku's personal assassin, until he tried to have her killed and she turned bounty hunter. She's a good lightsaber combatant, her background is intriguing, and I love the quips she and Kenobi throw at each other during their deuls. However, since her turn to a bounty hunter career and the fact that she saved Kenobi from Savage and Maul in the Season 4 finale, she seems to have become more of a good guy than anything. I guess we'll see if she remains a hunter or if she goes back to the Dark Side in Season 5.

#5. Cad Bane: Bane is probably one of the coolest bounty hunters out there. This guy is inventive, hard to kill, hard to outsmart, and is always one step ahead. With help, he managed to escape from the Republic's highest security prison, broke Ziro the Hutt out of another secure Republic prison, and looks awesome while he's doing it. Plus he survived the Box, which is a feat in and of itself. And who doesn't just love his hat, his jet boots, and how he looks and acts uncannily like Clint Eastwood from A Fistful of Dollars?

#4. General Grievous: A Kaleesh warlord who became a cyborg and now leads the Separatist armed forces as the Supreme Commander. He can weild four lightsabers simultaneously, or a few lightsabers and a blaster, or basically anything else. I tend to feel sorry for him because of his breathing troubles, but it doesn't seem to faze him too much. His droid shell is also extremely awesome (and frightening), and while he does retreat quite often, he's still very cunning and knows when to run and when to fight. And Grievous has the best pet on the planet...a cybernetically enhanced roggwart named Gor.

#3. The Son: Whether this guy is human or not is beyond me, but The Son is an embodiment of the Dark Side of the Force. He is purely, completely evil and kept in constant check by his Father. In fact, he loves no one except his sister, The Daughter, even though she is an embodiment of the Light Side. The Son has an epic black costume, he can shapeshift, he briefly turned Anakin to the Dark Side by showing him his future as Darth Vader, and he also kidnapped and briefly turned Ahsoka to the Dark Side. With the death of The Daughter and the weakening of The Father, The Son grew stronger and stronger, though he was eventually killed. Plus, he's incredibly cute. *nods* =D

#2. Pong Krell: If there's one character in all of mass media that makes me really, really, REALLY mad, it's Krell. This four-armed jerk was a secret Separatist agent who briefly took over Anakin's 501st Legion on Umbara and tried to destroy all of the clones there via subtle means. He sent them on suicidal missions, he talked flippantly about them when they died, he ordered the execution of two of them (Fives and Hardcase), refused to listen to anyone but himself, sent his men to kill each other unknowingly, and then killed many himself before being executed by Dogma. This guy is just downright evil and, while he's a good villain, he makes me so mad. Everytime I see his face, I want to scream, "Execute Order 66!" And, thankfully, the 501st did (though it wasn't called Order 66). Good riddance.

#1. Darth Maul: Now I know that there are many people who think that Lucasfilm made a huge mistake by having Darth Maul continue to live even after being vivisected by Kenobi in Episode 1, I still think it was a stroke of brilliance. This guy is awesome! Not only is he a Zabrak, but he is incredibly disciplined, he knows how to make a point (like when he killed all of those village children in the Season 4 finale to get Kenobi to come and find him), and he fights like a boss! And if you put Savage with him? Well, that's enough to give every Jedi nightmares. Sam Witwer (voice of both Starkiller and The Son) also does Maul's voice, and he does an epic job at it, too! Definitely villain #1 in my book!



Who are your favorite CW villains?




 - Edessa, signing off