Clone troopers are returning to a live-action Star Wars property once more in Andor, but the series can do something that neither George Lucas nor The Book of Boba Fett did. Clone troopers, since their introduction in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, have been portrayed via CGI, with no official physical clone armor props in existence. With at least a brief role in the upcoming Andor, the Star Wars franchise can finally depict clone troopers with practical suits of armor.
Clone troopers were introduced in Attack of the Clones as the predecessors of the iconic (and villainous) Imperial stormtroopers, showing how much the Republic was becoming like the Empire by the start of the Clone Wars. Despite their ominous introduction and mass murder of the Jedi during Order 66, Legends and canon non-movie material made sure to emphasize the essential humanity and goodness of the clone troopers as well as explain their betrayal of the Jedi was compelled through brainwashing.
Clone troopers were depicted as CGI models in the Star Wars prequel films, and this seemed to have been the case in The Book of Boba Fett as well. Andor, however, is in the perfect position to depict clones through actors in physical suits of armor. While there would be limitations to this portrayal, as the clone troopers would need to have the same height and body type, having physical clone armor instead of CGI models would also allow for Andor to enlist members of the 501st Legion fan group just as The Mandalorian did.
A common complaint about the Star Wars prequel trilogy is their reliance on CGI effects. Although this view is subjective, the use of CGI to depict all clone troopers did have notable benefits, and the most obvious one is that the troops, who all share the same general physical features, credibly appeared this way throughout the prequels. This very reason may have been why the clones in The Book of Boba Fett were CGI as well.
Clone troopers also appear prominently in the Legends-era 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series and the canon Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, depicted via traditional animation and CGI animation, respectively. The Star Wars sequel trilogy and recent spinoffs saw a return to practical effects, props, and sets, so Andor would be breaking new ground by applying this practice to the prequel-era clone troopers. Additionally, The Mandalorian’s use of the 501st members set a new precedent for fan involvement in Star Wars productions, so having clone troopers appear physically in Andor would allow for further involvement from the fan group.
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