Biker Advanced Recon Commando
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The Biker Advanced Recon Commando trooper was a specialized clone trooper trained to handle the BARC speeders deployed during the Clone Wars.
BARC troopers saw action during the last years of the war, including the Battle of Kashyyyk, where the BARC troopers faced Confederacy tank droids and dwarf spider droids. A platoon of of these troopers, the 91st Reconnaissance Corps[1], under commander Neyo was out on a recon mission on Saleucami with Stass Allie when the platoon commander received Order 66. He carried out his orders without hesitation, once again proving the loyalty of the clone troopers.
The BARC trooper was one of the many specialized clone units bred on Kamino to operate new equipment introduced into the Grand Army of the Republic. They were a specialized branch of the limited ARC troopers, trained to handle vehicles. BARC troopers worked exclusively with BARC speeder bikes, and were trained to fly these vehicles at high speeds even across difficult terrain or dangerous battlefields.
Many BARC troopers, although not all of them, wore a modified variant of the regular clone trooper armor, with a blindered helmet that directs the trooper's view directly forwards, allowing him to better concentrate on his route. This armor was used by 41st Elite Corps[2] troopers during the Battle of Kashyyyk. Other BARC trooper units in different divisions of the GAR would wear different armor, such as those of the 327th Star Corps.
After the rise of the Galactic Empire, the modified helmet and armor evolved into that of the Empire's scout troopers, who also used speeder bikes. By the end of the Clone wars there were several different speeder bikes. The swamp speeder was driven by a powerful turbofan, and could sit two clones side by side with a repeating blaster socket in the back.
[edit] Appearances
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (First appearance)
- Star Wars Republic: Into the Unknown
- Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
- Star Wars Dark Times: The Path to Nowhere
- Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars Galaxies
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
[edit] Sources
- Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic
- Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
- Corellia Times Consumer Reports: Vehicles
- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
"Order 66" - Star Wars PocketModel TCG (Card: 41st Elite Corps BARC Speeders)
- "Order 66" - Star Wars PocketModel TCG (Card: 91st Recon Corps BARC Speeders)
