Clone Troopers are the Star Wars franchise's unsung heroes, too often compared to Stormtroopers despite having a very different outlook.

The Galactic Republic’s Clone Troopers are among the most tragically unsung heroes of the Star Wars franchise, but a Legends-era comic demonstrates the potential for heroism in all Clones. In both Star Wars' modern canon and the defunct Legends, Clone Troopers are the secret weapons of Palpatine, created to fight alongside and gain the trust of their Jedi leaders before murdering them when Order 66 activates their dormant brainwashing. In their right minds, however, Clone Troopers are altruistic heroes who care about both the people of the Republic and the Jedi Knights (with Jedi and Clones often forming friendships in both continuities).

In the current Star Wars canon, Clone Troopers have seen a well-deserved boost in popularity, thanks to 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which often gives Clone Troopers of all ranks and types starring roles. In Legends, the minimally-altered ARC Troopers and elite Clone Commandos are occasionally given protagonist roles, but the Republic’s standard Clone Troopers and Pilots are, unfortunately, rarely more than supporting characters in Clone Wars era stories. Despite this, some Legends-era comics give standard Clone Troopers a chance to be as heroic as the Jedi themselves, even in a minor role.

One such comic is Jedi: Shaak Ti, by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, which makes an unnamed Clone Trooper invaluable to the Battle of Brentaal IV. With a perilously small team needing to sabotage a CIS fortress, Shaak Ti tasks an unnamed standard Clone Trooper with destroying the structure’s heavily-guarded shield generator, which the Clone Trooper dutifully carries out. The Clone Trooper fights bravely against the CIS forces within the fortress, but is mortally wounded by multiple blaster bolts and uses his dwindling energy to overload his blaster and destroy the generator, ensuring a Republic victory on Brentaal IV.

Shaak Ti’s unnamed Clone Trooper is not particularly talkative throughout the issue, likely out of grief, having seen his brethren killed by a frenzied wookiee with a hatred of Mandalorians (with all Clone Troopers being culturally Mandalorians in the Legends continuity). Despite this, the Clone Trooper has a dryly sarcastic response to mockery from a mercenary ally. The Clone also quietly laments his imminent death as his blaster wounds take their toll, but takes solace in the completion of his mission.

This unnamed Clone Trooper’s bravery and heroism are consistent with the few times that Legends-era Star Wars material focuses on ordinary Clone Troopers. In the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series, Clone Troopers are shown cheering when victorious and questioning orders from Jedi on occasion. In some cases, standard Clone Troopers disobey Order 66 in Legends, with Able-1707 joining the Rebellion and becoming a friend of Luke Skywalker. Shaak Ti’s Clone Trooper may have lacked a name in his single Star Wars appearance, but he demonstrated the humanity and the heroism of all Legends-era Clones.

Next: Star Wars: Luke Led A Clone in Epic Battle Against Stormtroopers