Star Wars: 10 Costume Details You Never Noticed On Clone Troopers

The Clone Troopers in Star Wars are very specifically designed. They make reference in many ways to their future as Stormtroopers, while also demonstrating the level of construction and creativity during the Clone Wars era of the Galactic Republic.

There are many familiar elements in the Clone costumes of these troopers. Some of these details may have gone unnoticed to some but are actually a huge part of the story that is being told with each battalion and each individual trooper. Animators, costume designers, and concept artists have all worked tirelessly to make these suits of armor feel genuinely authentic and like they are continuing to evolve.

10 Aerodynamic Fin

Early into the Clone Wars, the troopers have angled helmets with small fins at the top. These fins remained consistent in many designs of the Clones, but towards the end it became an element mostly connected with some of the higher roles in the army.

The fin is likely to increase aerodynamics. Most Clone Troopers would have to jump on a vehicle at some stage and these helmets were therefore adaptable. However, they would have been more expensive and eventually became the exception for troopers that needed it.

9 Ventilation Progression

Earlier designs of the Clone armor had much poorer ventilation systems. Due to various events across the saga it became clear that some kind of filtration system need to be included that was a vast improvement over what Clones had before.

The battles were intensifying and other airborne threats like a deadly disease wasn’t being filtered by the helmets. The progression of the helmets is clear, with the shape of the masks modifying to include a better breathing system similar to that of the Stormtroopers and updated in the First Order.

8 Jedi Modifications

The Jedi also took some materials from the Clones, but these pieces of armor were the most expensive for the Republic to create. Rather than being able to mass produce them, the Jedi armor was tailored to each individual warrior.

The armor is designed to be protective where needed but also to allow for the agility and athleticism of these peace keepers. Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are perhaps most famous for this armor, with Anakin donning a dark variation, foreshadowing his time as Darth Vader.

7 Cold Assault Thermal Seals

There are a number of variations for the Clone Troopers to wear in certain conditions. One such variation is the snow design built for cold conditions, found on planets such as Hoth. The design does a very specific thing.

While the extra cloth round the helmet looks like it’s for some extra protection from the elements, it actually creates a complete seal which allows the armor to hold in both natural and man-made heat. The whole armor is completely sealed in this way.

6 ARF Weighting

Advanced Recon Force (ARF) Troopers, or yet again Scout Troopers, are completely different from most Clones. Their armor does look very different on the face of it, with their helmets clearly designed for optimal usage on the speeder bike.

More importantly, the whole suit is actually much lighter than a traditional Clone Trooper. They move a lot differently in all the scenes they are in, with the lighter design making it easier to move rapidly in tense situations.

5 All-Terrain Footwear

Whether it’s at the start of their careers or at the very end during Order 66, Clone footwear actually remained largely the same which is surprising. In fact, it appears that the same footwear is utilized by most members of the army.

The shoes are clearly designed for every terrain and clip into most of the armors available. This is an incredibly advanced design, with even specialized suits like that of the Snow armor using the same base with few modifications.

4 Heavy Plating

Clone Troopers have incredibly heavy plating around their chests, which is one of the most shot-at areas by droids thanks to their programming to aim for the torso where there’s the largest surface area.

This is a demonstration that the armor is designed to actually protect the troopers and that the Republic cares about the lives that are on the line. Stormtoopers and First Order Troopers have much less protection from blasters. Even Captain Rex survived a straight shot thanks to the plating.

3 Commando Helmets

The Republic Commando armor originally became popularized thanks to a video game series, though it was officially brought into canon when included in the Battlefront game and seen in the animated Star Wars shows.

The armor is much heavier in every way, but one of the key design choices was to have a much wider mask and heavier eye plating. Republic Commandos carry serious fire power and grenades, so the increase in surface area decreases those blasts for the Commandos, protecting them.

2 Tactical Gloves

Almost every version of the Clone Trooper has a similar set of gloves. All of them have flexible— but heat protective— material on the fingers and palms and armor on the back of the hands.

When using a weapon appropriately these gloves are perfect. They are designed so that the non-armored areas can move freely but are covered by the blaster or weapon of choice. Meanwhile, at the prominent rear of the hand remains protected.

1 Kama Additions

Kama is a kind of leathery or plastic material that was used as a further protective layer for Troopers towards the end of the Wars. Originally used by higher ups, this useful piece of clothing became much better for mass production.

Increasing the surface area for weapon and gadget attachments, it’s also an extra layer of protection from blasts— or even from the flora and fauna of a particularly dangerous region in the galaxy far, far away.

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