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Captain Rex ( designation number CT-7567) is a fictional character in the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise created by
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
. He was introduced as a main character in the animated '' The Clone Wars'' 2008 film and the related television series of the same name. Rex is an ARC
clone trooper Clone troopers are fictional characters in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. They have been featured in a number of ''Star Wars'' media, including the live-action films '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and '' Ep ...
of the Grand Army of the Republic, cloned from bounty hunter
Jango Fett Jango Fett is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. He first appeared as an antagonist in the 2002 film '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', played by Temuera Morrison. The character is a ...
, and serves the
Galactic Republic The Galactic Republic, often referred to as simply the Republic, is a fictional galactic polity depicted in the ''Star Wars'' universe, where it existed prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The Republic is most prominently por ...
under the command of
Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...
General
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
and Jedi Commander
Ahsoka Tano Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced as the Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, she is a supporting character in the animated film '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008) and the subsequent animated telev ...
. Since his introduction in ''The Clone Wars'', he has also appeared in the 2014 ''
Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animation, 3D animated science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after ''Episode ...
'' television series, the 2021 '' Star Wars: The Bad Batch'' television series, the 2022 '' Tales of the Jedi'' television series and various spin-off media. Like all clone troopers in ''The Clone Wars'', ''Rebels'' and ''The Bad Batch'', Rex is voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
. He is physically distinguished from other clone troopers by his close shaved blond hair, and he is identified by blue markings on his armor and by stylized hawk eyes painted on his helmet. Rex was also distinguished by his use of twin blaster pistols in combat. He is described as a reliable and exemplary soldier, considered by Anakin to be his "first-in-command". Rex is characterized as believing it is his duty to not only carry out orders but also to protect the men under his command; however, his belief in the Republic wavers over the course of the series. Initial development for ''The Clone Wars'' film chose Alpha-17, featured in ''Star Wars: Republic'', to be the primary clone trooper character. However, Lucas felt this created too much
alliteration Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...
with the existing principal cast, and a new character was created instead. Rex was developed as the central personality to which the troopers around him aspired and featured in story arcs exploring his character development. Rex became a favorite among fans, consistently placing in fan polls and ''Star Wars'' character ranking lists.


Creation and development

Initial development for '' The Clone Wars'' film chose Alpha-17, featured in the '' Star Wars: Republic'' comic, to be the principal
clone trooper Clone troopers are fictional characters in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. They have been featured in a number of ''Star Wars'' media, including the live-action films '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and '' Ep ...
character. However, because
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
,
Ahsoka Tano Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced as the Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, she is a supporting character in the animated film '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008) and the subsequent animated telev ...
, and
R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
(Artoo) were also principal characters, ''Star Wars'' creator
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
felt Alpha's name created too much
alliteration Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...
between the main cast, and a new character, Captain Rex, was created instead. The name "Rex" was chosen by Lucas. Previously, the name Captain Rex was used for the error-prone rookie droid pilot RX-24 of ''
Star Tours Star Tours was a motion simulator attraction at several Disney theme parks, based on the successful ''Star Wars'' film series created by George Lucas. Set in the ''Star Wars'' universe, the attraction sent guests on an excursion trip to Endor, ...
'', who replaced an earlier concept of an unpredictable and risk-taking
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to: Star Wars Film and television * ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy * ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
veteran. Voice actor
Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
voices all the clone trooper characters in ''The Clone Wars'', including Rex. To differentiate the characters, Baker considered the personality traits of every clone, choosing one or two adjectives for each, and recorded each character separately. To aid with the vocal performance, Baker and supervising director Dave Filoni developed a "clone triangle" that arranged the characters by personality. Rex, characterized as the central personality type to which the other clones aspired, was placed in the center, and the other clones, who represented an excess of certain traits relative to Rex, were placed around the edges of the triangle. Filoni wished most for the series to address the fates of Rex and Ahsoka because they do not appear in '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', which was released before ''The Clone Wars'' but is set after the series' timeline. In April 2011, he hinted that the two characters' stories were possibly connected and remarked: "A lot of people say they want to know more about hsoka and along with that goes Rex." He also voiced the production team's conscious effort to write story arcs for Rex: "I think one of the other things is we have such a great development of Rex that we really want to keep telling Rex's story and things centered around Rex."


Characterization and appearance

The official ''Star Wars'' Databank describes Rex as a "no-nonsense, by the book" and "exemplary clone trooper, brave under fire and dedicated to the men serving under him" who must adjust to his "maverick" and "headstrong" Jedi commanding officers. His training is described as having instilled a belief that a soldier's highest calling is duty, though his belief wavers over the course of the Clone Wars and he comes to question the purpose of the conflict. The entry characterized Rex as coming to admire and even imitate Anakin Skywalker's improvisation and willingness to bend rules. In "Darkness on Umbara", Anakin describes Rex as his "first-in-command" and second-to-none in loyalty or capability. Rex is distinguished by close-shaved blond hair (where most other clones have dark hair) and stylized hawk eyes adorning his helmets; like all members of the 501st, his armor bears blue markings. Later in the series, Rex's armor bears tally marks, representing kills, and Filoni felt it communicated that Rex "is becoming something of a little legend" because he is "a long term survivor of the Clone Wars". He also bears a scar on his chin in homage to actor
Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
, who played
Han Solo Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
in the
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. Rex's later helmet design, first appearing in season four, was composed of elements from both the older '' Episode II''-style and the newer ''Episode III''-style designs. The T-shaped visor of his new helmet used the old visor design as a base and retained the old proportions, requiring some elements to be lowered to fit. Filoni developed an in-universe backstory for the design and felt that Rex "trying to wear the same armor" by welding together a hybrid version was a good character trait that added to his uniqueness. Filoni also characterized this specialized helmet and "hodgepodge of old gear and new gear" as indicative of Rex's distrust in the quality of the new armor and Rex's belief that with "classic stuff, the craftsmanship is a little better". Rex continues to wear his helmet and parts of his clone trooper armor in his ''Rebels'' appearances.


Appearances


''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''

Introduced in ''The Clone Wars'' animated film and featured throughout the television series of the same name, Captain Rex, designation number CT-7567, is the
commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of Torrent Company within the 501st Legion under the command of
Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...
General
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
and Jedi Padawan Commander
Ahsoka Tano Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced as the Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, she is a supporting character in the animated film '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008) and the subsequent animated telev ...
. He fights as a soldier of the Grand Army of the Republic in numerous campaigns of the
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to: Star Wars Film and television * ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy * ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
against the Separatist
battle droid In the ''Star Wars'' space opera franchise, a droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence''.'' The term is a clipped form of " android", a word originally reserved for robots designed to look and act like a huma ...
army. As a
clone trooper Clone troopers are fictional characters in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. They have been featured in a number of ''Star Wars'' media, including the live-action films '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and '' Ep ...
, he was cloned on Kamino from bounty hunter
Jango Fett Jango Fett is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. He first appeared as an antagonist in the 2002 film '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', played by Temuera Morrison. The character is a ...
and ages at an accelerated rate, aging twenty years in ten years. As Anakin's Clone Captain, he goes on many missions with Anakin and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, sharing Anakin's quick-thinking skills and recklessness at times. In a season four story arc, the 501st Legion is temporarily led by Jedi General Pong Krell. In the face of Krell's callousness toward clone lives and refusal to treat the troopers as individuals instead of numbered units, Rex is caught between his duty to follow Krell's orders and his responsibility to protect his men. Despite growing discontent in the ranks and calls for dissent from Fives, Rex does not openly defy Krell. However, Rex supports a mission led by Fives that is expressly forbidden by Krell but saves numerous clone trooper lives. After orders causes the 501st Legion and the 212th Attack Battalion to unknowingly attack one another, Rex leads the troopers to arrest Krell, who reveals he has turned to the dark side, admits he has been deliberately sabotaging the clones, and is later executed by clone trooper Dogma. Rex is also involved in a season six story arc centering on a conspiracy regarding the clone troopers. Fives discovers that inhibitor chips are secretly implanted into the clone troopers' brains and can be used to turn them against the Jedi. He reveals this to Rex before he dies. Rex is a principal character in the ''Bad Batch'' story arc, an unfinished story arc released as completed
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; the arc was released in completed form as part of the seventh season of ''The Clone Wars'', released on
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in 2020. Shortly after Fives' death, Rex discovers a transmission from Echo, previously thought to have been killed in action, and leads a successful mission to rescue him, with help from Anakin and Clone Force 99 (aka "The Bad Batch"), a squad of clone troopers with genetic mutations. Rex also appears in the final story arc of the series, the ''Siege of
Mandalore Mandalorians are fictional people associated with the planet Mandalore in the ''Star Wars'' universe and franchise created by George Lucas. Their most distinct cultural features are their battle helmets, chest armor, wrist gauntlets, and ofte ...
'', set during ''Revenge of the Sith''. After being promoted to commander, he leads half of the 501st Legion reassigned to Ahsoka, who previously relinquished command upon leaving the Jedi Order, into an assault of Mandalore, with the intent of capturing the former Sith Lord Darth Maul. Though the assault is successful and Maul's forces are defeated, with Maul himself captured, Palpatine, who has revealed himself as Darth Sidious, issues Order 66, causing Ahsoka's clone troopers to turn on her, including Rex; however, Rex is able to resist the order long enough to warn Ahsoka. As a result, Ahsoka escapes and manages to remove Rex's chip, restoring his free will. For his treachery against the Republic, ARC Trooper
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threatens to demote commander Rex to captain and orders his execution. Rex and Ahsoka manage to escape the cruiser they are on before it crashes into the planet below. After the impact, Rex and Ahsoka bury Jesse and the dead clones in a mass grave, marking it with the helmets of the fallen clones. The pair then fake their deaths and go their separate ways.


''Star Wars Rebels''

Rex was added to the main cast of ''
Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animation, 3D animated science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after ''Episode ...
'' television series, set fifteen years after ''The Clone Wars'', in the second season. Now seemingly a much older man due to accelerated aging, Rex lives with fellow clone troopers Commander Wolffe and Captain Gregor. In the episode "The Lost Commanders", the three are sought by the ''Ghost'' crew upon instructions from Ahsoka, and they ask the troopers for help in establishing a new rebel base. Though the three have had their inhibitor chips removed, allowing them to ignore Order 66, former Padawan
Kanan Jarrus Kanan Jarrus (born Caleb Dume) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr.. He is featured as one of the main characters of the animated series ''Star Wars Rebels'' (2014–2018) and related works. His F ...
initially distrusts them. Wolffe, fearing the consequences for aiding rebels and Jedi, contacts the
Galactic Empire Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...
to protect the clones. However, Rex convinces Wolffe the rebels can be trusted and repels the Empire, in turn earning Kanan's trust. Rex leaves Wolffe and Gregor to join the Rebel Alliance and to fight alongside the ''Ghost'' crew and Ahsoka against the Empire. In the epilogue of the series finale "Family Reunion - and Farewell", it is revealed that he was promoted to commander again and fought with Hera at the
Battle of Endor ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was ...
.


''Star Wars: The Bad Batch''

Rex appears in '' The Bad Batch'' animated series, which continues the story of the eponymous clone trooper team in the immediate aftermath of ''The Clone Wars''. He is first mentioned in the episode "Cut and Run" by clone deserter
Cut Lawquane This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...
, whom Rex visited shortly after the events of Order 66. Rex told Cut about the inhibitor chips that caused regular clones to turn on the Jedi, and Cut relays this information to the Bad Batch when they visit him the following day. In the episode "Decomissioned", sisters Trace and Rafa Martez have a run-in with the Bad Batch on
Corellia The fictional universe of the ''Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney ...
while attempting to retrieve data from a tactical droid for Rex. After their mission, the sisters inform Rex that the Bad Batch have rebelled against the Empire and tell him how to find them. In the following episode, "Battle Scars", Rex tracks down and reunites with the Bad Batch, but is alarmed to learn they have not removed their chips like he did. He takes them to a crashed cruiser on Bracca to use its medical bay, but during their mission, one of the Bad Batch members, Wrecker's, chip activates and he attacks them. Rex helps the others subdue Wrecker, after which the Bad Batch have their chips removed and they part ways with Rex. He later returns in the episode "War-Mantle" as a hologram, where he asks the Bad Batch to investigate a distress signal sent by Captain Gregor from Daro.


''Tales of the Jedi''

Rex appears in '' Tales of the Jedi'' animated series. He helps Anakin train Ahsoka with his troopers in the episode ''Practice makes Perfect'' and has a non speaking cameo in ''Resolve'' having flown Ahsoka to Naboo to attend Padme Amidala's funeral.


In other media

Since his introduction in ''The Clone Wars'', Rex has also appeared in comics, novels, and video games of the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe, also known as ''Star Wars Legends''. In March 2016, Filoni supported the former fan theory of Rex being the older member of
Han Solo Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
's raiding party, previously known in ''Legends'' continuity as Nik Sant, on
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in '' Return of the Jedi''. In August 2017, writer Steven Melching shared concept art for the fourth season of ''Star Wars Rebels'', and it was reported as a confirmation of this theory. Melching later clarified that at that time he was not aware if Rex and Sant are the same character, stating that due to the progression of the series, Rex's costume would naturally come to resemble those worn by Rebel Alliance commandos in ''Return of the Jedi''. ''Rebels'' ultimately did not state whether Rex and Nik Sant are the same character, which Filoni later said was a purposeful decision to allow either possibility.


Merchandise

Rex was the featured character for the 2010 ''Star Wars'' merchandise
trade dress Trade dress is the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers. Trade dress is an aspect of trademark law, which is a form of intelle ...
created by Pilot Studio. The concept initially featured Anakin Skywalker, but discussions of other characters best suited to representing the brand led to Rex, "a strong, courageous character who is clearly one of the heroes of ''The Clone Wars''". Pilot Studio was initially reluctant to use Rex because his helmet did not allow for eye contact, an emphasized element in the initial trade dress concept. In 2020,
Hot Toys Hot Toys Limited is a Hong Kong production house for designing, developing, and manufacturing highly detailed collectible merchandise to worldwide markets. Established in 2000 in Hong Kong (with its current headquarters in Kwun Tong District), the ...
produced a sixth scale action figure of Rex, featuring a head sculpt, which is modeled after
Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor and Singer who first gained recognition for his role as Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He gained critical acclaim for his starring role as Jake "The ...
, and a second helmet.


Reception

Captain Rex became a favorite among fans. Filoni noted that while older fans were excited to see
Grand Moff Tarkin Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, introduced as the main antagonist of the original 1977 ''Star Wars'' film (played by Peter Cushing). In the film, Tarkin is depicted as a high-ranking officer of ...
and
Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
appear in the series, younger fans appeared to prefer characters like Rex. Baker was surprised Rex became well-liked because the clone troopers were not established as distinct characters in the films. Rex was ranked 36 in
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Top 100 ''Star Wars'' characters, where he was described as having a "silly name" but "bad ass". His ability to evolve and adapt as a character and as a soldier was noted, especially his change from scorn to sympathy toward a clone trooper deserter. Eric Goldman felt that the ''Rebels'' reunion between Rex and Ahsoka was a poignant moment and the emotional highlight of "Relics of the Old Republic". He also noted that Rex's reintroduction and Ahsoka's complete trust in him raised more questions about Rex in the time between ''The Clone Wars'' and ''Rebels''.


Notes


References


External links

* *
Captain Rex
on
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rex, Captain Characters created by George Lucas Fictional clones Fictional characters with accelerated ageing Fictional gunfighters Fictional revolutionaries Fictional soldiers Fictional war veterans Fictional military captains Fictional commanders Fictional sleeper agents Television characters introduced in 2008 Male characters in film Male characters in television Star Wars animated characters Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters Star Wars: The Bad Batch characters Star Wars Rebels characters Tales of the Jedi (TV series) characters Male characters in animated series