One 20-year-old Star Wars story proves that the clones would never have turned on the Jedi.

One 20-year-old Star Wars The story shows how loyal clone troopers are to the Jedi and Galactic Republic in their right minds. The clone troopers of the Republic are famous for their bravery in the Clone Wars, fighting alongside the Jedi to defeat the Separatists – but they are also infamous for their betrayal of both when Order 66 was enacted. One comic issue of the Star Wars Legends continuity, however, includes one of many examples of clone troopers disobeying Order 66 and remaining loyal to the Jedi and Republic.

Issue 27 of Star Wars: Empire By Ron Marz and Nicola Scott explores the backstory of Able-1707, a normal clone trooper who survived a Separatist ambush but was left stranded and alone on Lubang Miner for over 20 years. After a near-fatal encounter with Imperial forces on Lubang Miner among the events of A new hope And The empire strikes backAble runs into rebel pilots Arhul Narra and Luke Skywalker. Narra – a Clone Wars veteran herself – brings the cab up to speed on what has become of the Republic, the Jedi and the Separatists.

Able’s reaction to Luke Skywalker shows how clones would always react to Jedi

Able learns that the Republic he once served “won” the Clone Wars, but became the totalitarian Galactic Empire in the process and that the Jedi were all but wiped out in the process. Luke Skywalker ignites his father’s lightsaber, revealing himself to be a “Jedi” (actually, an aspiring Jedi at the time) fighting for a rebellion to restore the Republic. With this suggestion, Can choose to join the Rebellion and fight alongside the surviving Jedi to rebuild the RepublicDemonstrating how a clone trooper would act without the influence of Order 66.

Why did the clones turn on the Jedi then?

While the life-struggle Star Wars Movies do not delve into the intricacies of Order 66, non-film materials in the original Legends timeline and the modern canon explain the nature of the directive and why almost every clone trooper followed it. Order 66 is one of 150 Imperial Contingency Orders in the Legends continuity, while it is a secret directive in the modern canon. In both timelines, clone troopers don’t follow it willinglyBut the execution of the order activates dormant brainwashing, forcing them to turn against the Jedi.

In the modern canon, the brainwashing comes from an inhibitor chip given to clones as embryos, but in the Star Wars Legends timeline, the precise method of brainwashing is never specified. Nevertheless, the clone troops of the Legends era have been forced to follow Order 66, because no clone in their right mind would turn on the democracy they are sworn to protect and the Jedi they free on the battlefield. By choosing to fight the Empire and stand alongside the surviving Jedi and Rebellion, Able’s actions reflect those of any clone trooper in their right mind.