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The 501st Legion are major characters in the Star Wars franchise. They are a legion of elite trained Clone Troopers during the Clone Wars, led by Anakin Skywalker, Commander Appo, and Captain Rex in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
They were originally the best known legion of troopers in the war until the evil Emperor Palpatine issued Order 66, the latter being a command for the Clones Troopers to view the Jedi as traitors to the Republic that needed to be executed, which would followed by the Troopers executing the Jedi. The command was programmed in an inhibitor chip that was instilled in every Clone, in order to forcibly compel them to obey the command without question. The 501st, along with all other clone troopers instantly betrayed the Jedi on command, executed every last one of them except for Skywalker, who became Darth Vader and the squad's permanent general, Yoda, and Obi-Wan, who both went into hiding.
After the Clone Wars the legion was renamed "Vader's Fist" and fought for the Galactic Empire in many battles. Being clone soldiers, they lacked moral thoughts and committed many war crimes. The deaths of Palpatine and Vader, the latter redeeming himself as Anakin Skywalker, led to the fragmentation of the legion until it was reformed by the Imperial Remnant.
They are the main protagonists of the original Star Wars: Battlefront II videogame.
Official Bio[]
| “ | Led by Captain Rex, the 501st Legion is a tight-knit squadron of clone troopers known for strength of character and unwavering loyalty. Upon being reunited with Ahsoka Tano, the men of the 501st show their allegiance to their former commander by altering their clone armor in an homage for her Togruta markings. | „ |
| ~ StarWars.com bio |
History[]
Made up of units like Torrent Company, the 501st fought in many battles, such as the Battle of Teth and the Battle of Coruscant, becoming one of the most well-known legions. In 19 BBY, the 501st became Darth Vader's personal unit as he led them during the siege of the Jedi Temple , in which the clones helped take down the Jedi, whom they believed to be traitors to the Republic.
During these same times some members of the 501st were reorganized into the 332nd Company, in order to catch the rogue Sith Darth Maul, who was hiding on the planet Mandalore with his own faction of Death Watch-members. The company was lead by Clone Commander CT-7567 (also known as "Rex") and was accompanied by former Jedi Padawan Ashoka Tano. The mission was successful and the company managed to capture Maul and tried to return to Coruscant on a Venator-class Star Destroyer Tribunal, during which Order 66 was issued by Palpatine, which ordered the execution of both Maul and Tano. Tano managed to free Maul, who went on a rampage through the ship, killing clone.
Rex tried to led the clones through the ship to take down both, but was captured by Tano, who managed to remove his inhibitor chip that was controlling him, and after this he decided to aide in her escape. After this the command over the 332nd Company was given to ARC Trooper CT-5597 (also known as "Jesse"), who led the remaining. Maul managed to destroy the ship’s hyperdrive which led to crashing towards a freezing moon. Jesse led the remaining troopers to stop Tano, Rex and Maul from escaping, but failed, as all three boarded smaller ships and escaped the Tribunal, killing him and all who onboard. Tano and Rex later hurried most of them and some time later Darth Vader and the remaining 501st arrived on the site, in order to confirm the death of both Tano and Maul.
Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, the 501st transitioned into a stormtrooper unit, like other clone units. Given new armor and weapons, the 501st faithfully served the Empire, operating under the direct command of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. After the Uprising of Kamino, the 501st became the last remnant of the Grand Army of the Republic fully composed of Jango Fett clones, as opposed to the ever-growing and more diverse Stormtrooper Corps, where the Fett clones became a minority, with the inclusion of a pool of clones from different templates and birth-born recruits, while others were not clones, but humans from an Imperial academy.
The legion fought in a number of battles during the Galactic Civil War in an effort to defeat the Rebel Alliance and bring peace to the galaxy, However, at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance destroyed the second Death Star with Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader onboard. The Empire, and the 501st, was in shambles.
Though the 501st was disbanded after the Battle of Endor, the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn resurrected the designation by forming a new 501st Legion. He also added more diverse recruits to the 501st, including non-Humans. The reconstituted 501st was stationed in the Unknown Regions, where they protected Thrawn's Empire of the Hand.
332nd Company[]
During the end of the Clone War some members of the 501st were reorganized into the 332nd Company, in order to catch the rogue Sith Darth Maul, who was hiding on the planet Mandalore with his own faction of Death Watch-members. The company was lead by Clone Commander CT-7567 (also known as "Rex") and was accompanied by former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.
The mission was successful and the company managed to capture Maul and tried to return to Coruscant on a Venator-class Star Destroyer Tribunal, during which Order 66 was issued by Palpatine, which ordered the execution of both Maul and Tano. Tano managed to free Maul, who went on a rampage through the ship, killing clone.
Rex tried to led the clones through the ship to take down both, but was captured by Tano, who managed to remove his inhibitor chip that was controlling him, and after this he decided to aide in her escape. After this the command over the 332nd was given to ARC Trooper CT-5597 (also known as "Jesse"), who led the remaining. Maul managed to destroy the ship’s hyperdrive which led to crashing towards a freezing moon.
Jesse led the remaining troopers to stop Tano, Rex and Maul from escaping, but failed, as all three boarded smaller ships and escaped the Tribunal, killing him and all who onboard. Tano and Rex later hurried most of them and some time later Darth Vader and the remaining 501st (now in stormtrooper-gear) arrived on the site, in order to investigate what had happened.
Legends[]
Over a century later, the legion was in the service of a new Empire, by then under the rule of Emperor Roan Fel.
When Fel was deposed by Darth Krayt shortly after the conclusion of the Sith–Imperial War, the 501st Legion fell under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith in the year 130 ABY. Seven years later, however, Fel returned from exile and joined in the war against Krayt in order to reclaim his throne. Under the leadership of General Oron Jaeger, the 501st deserted the Dark Lord's Galactic Empire in order to join the Fel faction.
Sub-divisions[]
- 332nd Division, which was created when former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano returned to assist the Republic's invasion force of Mandalore as a "tactical advisor". Upon her arrival, Captain Rex was promoted to commander and some of the troopers in the division painted their helmets orange with white markings in her likeness. After Order 66 was issued, the 332nd's Venator crash landed on the surface of an unnamed moon, killing all except Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul, who managed to escape. Before leaving, Ahsoka and Rex dug graves for the fallen soldiers as a memorial to them.
- Torrent Company, featured heavily in the Clone Wars series and led by Captain Rex until the seventh season. The company is distinguished for their engagements against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, including the Battle of Christophsis, the Battle of Teth, and the Battle of Horain. Notable members include ARC Lieutenant Jesse, Arc Troopers Fives and Echo, troopers Hardcase, Tup, and Dogma, and medic Kix. After Captain Rex's promotion to Commander, clone Captain Vaughn led the company.
Members[]
- Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Deceased)
- Pong Krell (briefly; Deceased)
- Captain Rex
- Captain Vaughn (Deceased)
- Commander Appo (Deceased)
- Fives (Deceased)
- Hardcase (Deceased)
- Kix
- Jesse (Deceased)
- Fox
- Boomer
- Denal (Deceased)
- Mixer (Deceased)
- Redeye (Deceased)
- Charger (Deceased)
- Echo (formerly)
- Dogma
- Tup (Deceased)
- Hawk
- Coric
- Kano
- Oz (Deceased)
- Sterling (Deceased)
- Ringo (Deceased)
- Koho (Deceased)
- Ridge (Deceased)
- Nax (Decomitioned)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Legion's name is based on a fan organization of the same name; their inclusion in the official continuity was based on the worldwide organization's dedication to Star Wars fandom.
- During Star Wars Celebration 2016, Dave Filoni stated that in a planned story arc for The Clone Wars, Ahsoka, who has left the Jedi Order, is given (honorary) command of part of the 501st Legion, 332nd Company, including Captain Rex; those under her command repaint their helmets orange and adorn them with Ahsoka's togruta (lekku) markings. She leads them at the siege of Mandalore, which takes place at the same time as the beginning of Revenge of the Sith (19BBY). It would later be a part of the new Season 7 episodes on Disney+.
