# In the original "Star Wars" were Storm Troopers all the same build (like clones)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357 "2004-12-11T22:12:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/41 "2004-12-15T00:32:51Z")
My guess would be that the early stormtroopers would have all been clones, but that somewhere along the line the technology would have been lost, perhaps some dissident group on the planet where the clones were being made decided that the Empire was evil, and/or that cloning in itself was evil, and destroyed the tanks as well as any documentation that would reveal how the clones were created. Of course, then the empire would have to start recruiting. They would naturally seek out people who were physically powerfully built, reasonably intelligent, and with personalities malleable enough that they could be fairly easily be brainwashed and have the brainwashing stick. Also, IIRC, in one of the novels, there was small group of clones all made from the same original genetic material that decided they didn’t want to play with the Empire anymore and were found hiding out on some backwater planet. The idea was put forth that there were several strains of clones, and maybe a few hundred (or thousand) copies of a donor would be run off before the line was discontinued. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/42 "2004-12-15T00:38:35Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > The ONE thing that sticks in my mind about SotME was Luke readjusting the size of his light saber beam (at one point he made it really small to pick a lock or something), was that ever shown in the films? Or were the film light saber blades an unadjustable standard size? “I see your schwartz is as big as mine…” ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/43 "2004-12-15T00:53:14Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > The stormtroopers are clones of **Jenga** Fett not his son Boba. _ **Jango** _ Fett not Jenga. Incredible geek, indeed. [Cite](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121765/). [Jenga](http://www.hasbro.com/jenga/) is a party game. Please do not confuse with Sean Penn’s character’s idol in [Sweet and Lowdown](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158371/). That was _[Django Reinhardt](http://www.google.com/search?q=Django+Reinhardt)_. Also Boba wasn’t Jango’s son. Boba was Jango’s youthful clone whom he treated as a son. Now for my take on the whole clone thing. Boba had a raging hardon for Han, taking into account this thread’s cites that Han was a former Academy cadet, was that Han was one of the clones. If anyone had unmasked a stormtrooper then they would’ve been surprised by Harrison Ford’s face staring back at them. Boba didn’t want this secret to get out and made it his personal mission in life to hunt down Han Solo. Supposedly during the filming of Star Wars, Lucas had kittens when he saw a couple of stormtroopers on the set who were hanging around without their helmets. Perhaps he had it in mind, perhaps he just wanted to reinforce their faceless oppression or Lucas just wanted things _his way_. ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/44 "2004-12-15T00:58:00Z")
And should anyone question the veracity of my statement regarding Boba Fett, [cite](http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/jangofett/) and [cite](http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/bobafett/). If [starwars.com](http://starwars.com) is not definitive enough for the floundering Star Wars franchise then I’m a monkey’s uncle. And I don’t feel dirty at all. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/45 "2004-12-15T01:09:08Z")
If this was true, then why didn’t Luke make a comment about it in episode IV when Luke and Han steal the stormtrooper outfits and pretend to escort Chewie to the cellblock? You’d think Luke would have noticed when they took off the armor and noticed two clones of Han Solo lying there unconscious. ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/46 "2004-12-15T01:14:38Z")
Curses, you saw through my ruse. At least everything else is cited and unassailable. You won this round!!! SHAKING FIST ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/47 "2004-12-16T06:51:48Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Trilithium torpedoes inhibit nuclear reactions in stars so it’s a solar sytem killer, not just a planetbuster. Doesn’t have much conventional power otherwise. You say that like it’s a _bad_ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/48 "2004-12-16T14:33:59Z")
Guys, let’s rephrase the question a bit. (a) Is there any evidence in the movies that the troopers are clones? Nothing conclusive iirc. They look the same size. It’d explain why they’re happy to get shot all the time. Anything else? (b) Is there any evidence in the movies that they aren’t? Luke dresses up as one (“Don’t you look a bit too much like Mark Hamil for a stormtrooper?”). But maybe he was lucky, or didn’t realise. Anything else? © Do the books answer the question? Yeah… sort of. (d) Did Lucas intend I’d say this is the one we haven’t looked at yet. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/49 "2004-12-16T18:00:16Z")
> [@](#): > > In the original Star Wars, Stormtroopers were recruited through the Imperial Academy. While sources vary, Lucas did say about a year ago that the Storntroopers in ANH were cloned from several different genetic stocks. While stormtroopers were, according to the novels, recruited soldiers, there may simply be two classes - clones and non-clones. > [@](#): > > It’s part of the series with kyp durron and the sun crusher ship. It used to be one of my favorites back in the nerd days.) there is a line about a stormtrooper taking off his helmet for the first time since he was recruited. So I guess they always wear the armor. Oh god, not that. Its as bad as those “trilithium torpedos” crap. Oh, please… > [@](#): > > He agreed to leave the planet busters out and I agreed to not use the Q, Organians, Douwd, Prophets, et al. Well, to be fair, there are several “alternate futures” in trek and the various superbeings never bothered to help them out. > [@](#): > > Isn’t it stated somewhere in episode II that the clones age something like twice as fast as a normal person or something like that, with the exception of Boba, so they are probably all dead by the time of the original trilogy. They likely stop maturing quickly when they reach adulthood. As goos as the cloners supposedly were, they obviously had the skill to make them that way. > [@](#): > > Mandalorian Supercommando I believe he is ethnically Mandalorian. That people may have helped Darth Vader hunt down and kill the Jedi. ---
**Author:** ![iggy\_popov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@iggy\_popov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iggy_popov)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/50 "2004-12-16T18:10:44Z")
Something else just came to mind regarding the origins of Boba Fett. I remember reading in more than one star wars book that his real name was actually Jaster Mereel or something to that effect. He was a “Journeyman Protector” some place called Concord Dawn or Down. Apperantly he was some sort of law enforcement official and was exiled for killing in cold blood. It was after this supposedly he started the whole bounty hunter with the armor thing. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/51 "2004-12-16T21:03:51Z")
That was one book. The official line is that Boba has spread numerous stories about his past to confuse his enemies. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357/52 "2004-12-16T21:26:18Z")
Any strong militia will attract its fair share of recruits. I think it’s fair to assume that the Imperial Army is likely made up of mostly recruits, with the clones (if they are even still alive, at this point – remember, the original batch would be as old as Obi Wan was in ANH) “graduating” to other positions. After all, the officers were obviously not all clones of one another. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-original-star-wars-were-storm-troopers-all-the-same-build-like-clones/279357.md?page=2)