Advanced Recon Commando
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Advanced Recon Commandos, also known as Advanced Recon Clone troopers or simply ARC troopers, were elite variants of clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. They were among the most skilled soldiers in the galaxy; however, they were less numerous than other clones.
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[edit] History
- "You are the best; the elite."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
During the early stages of the clone army's development, Jango Fett and his Mandalorian military advisors advocated the creation of clones capable of handling covert missions too delicate for the standard units. To achieve the desired results, the Kaminoans did not apply the standard behavior correction and enhanced the prime clone's genetic sample to increase physical prowess.
The first attempt at genetic alterations failed, resulting in the Null-class ARC troopers. Having learned their lesson, the Kaminoans succeeded in their second attempt, generating the first 100 ARC troopers, designated the Alpha-class.
After completing standard flash training and accelerated growth, these clones were placed under the direct tutelage of Jango Fett. Under Fett's strict discipline they learned to use their fierce independence, innate creativity, and physical superiority in combination with their training in advanced weapons and vehicles to become virtual one-man armies. After completing their training, the ARC troopers were locked in stasis on Kamino until they were required.
Two months after the Battle of Geonosis, a Confederacy assault on Kamino prompted their early activation. As droid detachments closed in on Tipoca City, Prime Minister Lama Su activated the Advanced Recon Commandos and authorized their deployment to hot-spots across Kamino in a last-ditch effort to save the planet's precious cloning facilities. The ARCs worked with a force of Jedi to repel the droid forces.
Following the First Battle of Kamino, the ARCs were integrated into the Grand Army of the Republic. As the ARCs took their place in the larger world, they developed distinct personalities due to their unaltered nature; some gave themselves names, others formed relationships outside the GAR. Once integrated, Advanced Recon Commandos worked as solo operatives or in small squads led by ARC captains, either performing self-contained missions or supplementing larger Grand Army of the Republic operations. It is possible that they trained ordinary clone troopers ARC techniques and commanded them in squads; due to the limited number of ARCs, it is unlikely that the teams would be comprised only of them. One notable exception was the aftermath of the Battle of Hypori, where a twenty-man ARC trooper team under the leadership of Captain Fordo engaged General Grievous in combat.
As the Clone Wars progressed, some battles were won by the Republic largely thanks to the ARC troopers, most notably the Battle of Muunilinst, where the Muunilinst 10 disabled Separatist defenses that were causing damage to Republic forces. Soon, as their reputation spread among the GAR and throughout the Galaxy, the Advanced Recon Commandos proved time and time again as to why they were they regarded as the best of the best in the Grand Army. As perfect soldiers, the ARCs and Jango were almost exactly alike; in fact, the leader of the Muunilinst 10, Fordo, had adapted the same blaster-spinning routine as Jango Fett.
However, because of their training as independent soldiers, they were more prone to questioning orders. In one unforgettable incident on Ord Cestus, ARC trooper Alpha 98 (known as Nate and later as Jangotat) disobeyed an order from his Jedi commander and sacrificed his life to destroy a local group of despots.
The Advanced Recon Commando tradition did not end with the death of Jango Fett in 22 BBY. Following his escape from Rattatak in early 20 BBY, Alpha, one of the earliest ARCs, returned to Kamino to train the second generation clone trooper commanders as Fett had trained him. These commanders, like Bacara and Cody, adopted the individualized practices of the ARCs and brought a new sense of creativity to the Grand Army of the Republic.
After the Clone Wars, all surviving ARCs were offered either retirement or the option to train their successors, the stormtroopers, passing on their combat experience. These new ARC troopers were also rumored to have undergone intensive deep core programming. Some even defected to the Alliance to Restore the Republic while others went rogue, following in Jango Fett's footsteps by becoming bounty hunters and assassins.[1][2]
Some ARC troopers, possibly a new batch, took part in the Kamino uprising by leading the secretly grown clone anti-Imperial troopers against the Imperial stormtroopers of the 501st Legion in a fight to liberate Kamino from the Empire. The anti-Imperial clones failed, however.
During the Empire's reign, specialized stormtroopers known as shock troopers bore armor similar to that used by ARC troopers. They were also armed with DC-17 hand blasters.
[edit] Rank system
- Green—Sergeant
- Blue—Lieutenant
- Red—Captain
- Yellow—Commander
[edit] Subdivisions
There were a few subdivisions of the Advanced Recon Commando:
[edit] Equipment
Created early in the war, ARC troopers wore a more advanced and versatile version of the Phase I armor, along with command pauldrons and kamas. They commonly had a periscope rangefinder attachment on the right temple of their helmets. Standard ARC troopers wore white armor, ARC Sergeants wore green-striped armor, ARC lieutenants wore blue-striped armor, ARC captains wore red-striped armor, and ARC commanders wore yellow-striped armor.
While each mission profile required a different loadout, ARC troopers were commonly armed with the WESTAR-M5 blaster rifle, DC-15 blaster rifles, DC-17 hand blasters, and frag and reverse-polarity pulse grenades. When heavier firepower was required, ARCs donned specialized armor to bear the weight of reciprocating quad blasters, PLX-1 missile launchers, or Z-6 rotary blaster cannons. Many individual ARC Troopers also had bandoliers and pouches for extra equipment, such as EMP grenades and extra ammunition.
ARCs received training that gave them access to vehicles which usually required a specialized clone trooper to operate. To enhance ground range and mobility, ARCs made use of the BARC speeder, named for the Biker Advanced Recon Commandos who used it. For small squad operations, Advanced Recon Commando pilots piloted LAAT/i gunships to drop units behind enemy lines. Advanced Recon Commando heavy gunners used heavy weapons.
[edit] Notable ARCs
- Alpha-26 "Maze"
- Alpha-30 "Sull"
- Alpha-66 "Muzzle"
- Alpha-77 "Fordo"
- Alpha-98 "Nate"
- Null-5 "Prudii"
- Null-6 "Kom'rk"
- Null-7 "Mereel"
- Null-10 "Jaing"
- Null-11 "Ordo"
- Null-12 "A'den"
- "Digger"
- "Hash"
- "Mapper"
- "Mar'ek"
- "Spade"
- "Spots"
- "Stec"
- "Tooth"
- "Wrench"
[edit] Known actions
- Battle of Jabiim
- Battle of Pengalan IV
- Battle of Muunilinst
- Battle of Hypori
- Mission to Ord Cestus
- Battle of Colla IV
- Battle of Praesitlyn
- Battle of Byblos
[edit] Behind the scenes
ARC Troopers were intended to be the clone trooper equivalent of a Navy Seal.
ARC Troopers were originally supposed to be called Clone Scouts. Dark Horse Comics, however, came up with the idea that their name should be an acronym.
According to Genndy Tartakovsky on the Clone Wars Volume II DVD commentary, the design of the ARC troopers came from Hasbro.
In Star Wars: Battlefront, the ARC troopers (named in the game) are the heavy weapons specialist.
In Star Wars: Battlefront II, the clone heavy troopers on Geonosis are given the appearance of ARC troopers. As the ARCs were in stasis at that time, were not canonically present at the battle there.
ARC Troopers are the only other group of people outside of the Mandalorians that have been referred to as Supercommandos.
[edit] Appearances
[edit] Sources
ARC trooper in the Databank
- Star Wars Miniatures: Clone Strike
- Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy
- Star Wars: Lethal Alliance
ARC Trooper on Wizards.com (article)
