"Victory and Death" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars - Season 7, Episode 12

Former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano once served as the Padawan learner to the Jedi Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. A respected leader and warrior attuned to the light side of the Force, Ahsoka grew into a formidable fighter before the Empire’s reign changed the course of galactic history. Although she walked away from the Jedi Order, she continued to stand up for those fighting for peace and justice in the galaxy long after the fall of the Republic.

Rex once served the Republic on the frontlines during the Clone Wars, taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano as first a captain and later a commander. He viewed military service as an honor, and his loyalty to the Republic and his Jedi Generals was absolute. But when Order 66 was executed, it was Ahsoka who helped to free Rex from the programming of his inhibitor chip. At the dawn of the Empire, Rex has escaped with his life but is considered killed-in-action in the eyes of the new regime. That allows him to operate in the shadows and help any clone brothers who remain separate from the Imperial ranks.

The clone troopers of the 501st Legion are a tight-knit bunch, loyal to their Jedi General, Anakin Skywalker. Clone Commander Jesse is a hard-fighting patriot who proudly wears the cog-shaped symbol of the Galactic Republic on his helmet, and has a large tattoo that covers his face. After the execution of Order 66, however, Jesse and the rest of the clones are blindly loyal to the Emperor, and not even his brother, the clone known as Rex, can compete with the chip's programming.

At the time of their introduction, the Republic clone troopers represented the future of galactic warfare. Far superior to battle droids, the clone troopers formed the backbone of the Republic's new military that waged war against the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. So symbolic were they of the times, the galaxy-wide conflict that saw their debut took its name from their ranks: the Clone Wars.