ARC Troopers Were the Original Bad Batch in Star Wars
It’s funny how ideas cycle through franchises over time. Where for many audience members,
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is presumably their first time experiencing “defective,” independent-thinking clones, this isn’t the first time the galaxy has met rough and tumble clones who break the rules. You see, an ARC (Advanced Recon Commando) trooper wasn’t always merely a rank, but instead a special breed of clone a variant that would never have seen combat were it not for the intervention of two Mandalorian legends.
In the original Clone Wars multimedia project, the first ARCs were a test run to see if Jango Fett’s genetic material could make for effective soldiers. Six clones stepped onto the testing grounds, proving themselves capable but not very obedient, sharing too much in common with Fett. They were the first clones to be trained by old Mandalorian allies of Fett, and though deemed a failure, they were saved by one
Delta Squad forms up. (Screenshot: Lucasarts)
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There’s a paradoxical relationship between the legacy of one of
Star Wars’ best games and the animated show that became one of the most beloved pillars of the franchise at large. Arguably,
Star Wars: The C
lone Wars killed
Republic Commando at its apex but without the groundwork it laid, the animated series and its own influences would never have been the same.
The problem with Traviss’ books is that, while everything in the article is largely accurate and she does deserve a great deal of credit for fleshing out the Clone Troopers as complex, unique characters.
.look, the fact of the matter remains that Traviss’ books got. really bad after a while. One of the biggest successes of The Mandalorian show has been zigging where Traviss zagged, particularly in the portrayal of Mandalorians and Jedi. To Traviss, Jedi went from flawed people with noble enough goals but misguided methods (which is how the Jedi as a whole should be portrayed in that era) to, well, barely any better than the Sith.
Sharp Looking Sharpshooters
Good news for Gears 5 players that like to play in style. There are a bunch of Gears 5 skins on their way for both weapons and your favorite characters. It is unclear where this leak originates from, but many fans have traced it to a fan-made Gears of War Twitter account, though that’s just where it got the most eyes on it. There are skins for past characters like young Marcus, Dom, Anya, General Raam, Dizzy, and B. Carmine, as well as a bunch of characters, including different Locust variants.
There are some sets of skins like a sweet looking Chrome skin for pretty much every character, which have black and white plates and armor highlights. Other sets include Hivebuster skins and Omega Squad skins for some COG characters. There are some individual standout skins like Kait’s bright purple Vinyl outfit, which is probably not standard issue, as well as the First Minister Stroud skin for Anya, putting her in a pantsuit. Character skins are not the only