Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 7 & 8
Obi-Wan Kenobi even more tragic than he already was. The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ show saw the Jedi Master forced out of retirement when the young Princess Leia Organa was kidnapped. Arriving on the planet Daiyu, he took a moment to interact with a clone trooper begging for spare credits, still wearing the armor of the 501st. This clone trooper would have been one of the elite, serving under Anakin Skywalker himself, and he had probably participated in the attack on the Jedi Temple at the end of the Clone Wars. Like Obi-Wan, though, he had been discarded - no longer needed by the Empire.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 7 and 8 revealed the beginning of the Imperial Stormtrooper program, with Palpatine manipulating events to ensure the Imperial Senate approved his plans to shut down the clone army. The fate of the clone troopers was already a tragic one - doomed to accelerated aging, left to live out the rest of their days in poverty - but these episodes underline the tragedy. It is little wonder Obi-Wan felt sympathy for the clone trooper on Daiyu, even though this soldier had probably gunned down Jedi he knew.
Star Wars Reveals Why The Clones Were Vulnerable To The Empire
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 revealed the Grand Army of the Republic had no official representation in the Imperial Senate, no senator giving them a voice. The Empire seem to have given a voice to the military - iral Rampart was able to sponsor a bill, advocating to replace clones after the destruction of Kamino shut down all cloning facilities. But the clones, an entire army of people who had faithfully served the Republic at great risk to their own lives, had no representation.
Some, such as Senator Chuchi, argued the clones should have incomes or pensions after they were retired. They were sidelined, however, when Palpatine blamed the clones for the destruction of Kamino, using their willingness to obey even unjust orders as a pretext for the stormtrooper program. Obi-Wan Kenobi's homeless trooper would not, therefore, have been an isolated case. In the end, the clones were abandoned, with no financial and no skills other than combat.
The Clone Troopers Wanted To Continue Fighting For The Empire
To make matters worse, Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 7 and 8 confirm many of the clones wanted to keep fighting for the Empire.They were created for war and weren't trained to think about what might come afterwards, or about the possibility the Empire could replace clones with stormtroopers. Although some clones defected, others are shown to have wanted to keep fighting for the Empire. The episodes even feature one clone who became an assassin for iral Rampart, who died describing himself as a "believer.".
The idea of being given pensions isn't something of interest to the vast majority of troopers, even if Senator Chuchi had managed to get approval from the Imperial Senate. Although there were clones such as Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Clone Force 99, and more who saw the tyranny of the Empire for what it was and went rogue, it's understandable that the average clone would want to stay, fight, and keep following orders - the only existence they had ever known.
The Clones' Obedience Became The Pretext For Palpatine's Abandoning Them
Palpatine used iral Rampart as a scapegoat, blaming him for the destruction of Kamino seen in Star Wars The Bad Batch season 1's finale. The Emperor expressed concern over the clones who "so blindly followed orders." He actually used the loyalty and obedience of the clones against them, pushing the Defense Recruitment Bill forward and bringing about the dawn of the Imperial stormtrooper as intended.
Ironically, the clones' obedience was instrumental in giving Palpatine his Empire through Order 66 and the Jedi Purge. It became the very thing he used to bring about the end of the clone army, ensuring countless clone troopers would be given nothing and would eventually fade from the Star Wars galaxy over time. The homeless veteran seen in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ show now feels almost like a symbol, representing the vast number of troopers across the galaxy who more than likely shared his fate during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch release every Wednesday on Disney+.