What you just heard was (arguably) one of the most famous soundtracks of all time: the Imperial March (albeit with a bit more "Rage" in it). Whenever I hear that bombastic soundtrack, I imagine Darth Vader's personal TIE Advanced x1 fighter entering the colossal Death Star. As Vader's ship gently touches the polished and sleek metallic floors, a "storm" of armored, white, troopers stand at attention with their blasters pressed firmly against their chest plates. These are stormtroopers, the Empire's feared foot soldiers. Then, if I'm feeling in the prequel mood, I visualize the sandy, arenaceous, planet of Genosis covered by white, microscopic, dots. As the fictitious camera of my mind zooms in closer, I see that those white dots are not all white; some of them have streaks of red, blue, yellow, and green plastered on the tips of their dorsal fin-like helmets. These are clonetroopers, spawned from the genetic template of the notorious bounty hunter Jango Fett. These troopers are not standing waiting for a Sith Lord to make his grand entrance; they are out on the battle field fighting along side their Jedi masters.
Regardless of whether the films are prequels or originals, the presence of clone troopers/storm troopers has always been felt throughout the Star Wars Universe. Though the show Star Wars The Clone Wars gave the select clonetroopers distinct personalities (i.e. Captain Rex, ARC Troopers Echo and Fives, Hevy, Cut Lawquane, and Clone Trooper 99), the canonical film saga has generally characterized the clones as mindless, expendable, and inept foot soldiers. In regards to clone troopers, those frosted troops serve as the Republic's response to Battle droids. Despite the fact that the clone troopers were cloned from Jango Fett (who, at the time, was the most deadly and feared bounty hunter in the world), they were treated as superfluous cannon fodder; vulnerable soldiers who would be mowed down by the dozens due to Separatist blaster fire.
Respectively, the clone troopers were very easily manipulated. As soon as Darth Sideous called for Order 66, the "loyal" clone commanders turned their DC-15 blasters on their Jedi allies (and some commanders had been working with the Jedi for several years) and murdered them. The problem with the clone troopers was that they saw "loyalty" as doing whatever they are told to do by their "master." They did not have a mind of their own and simply followed a drone mentality.
Romans 6:16 states "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (NIV). This verse shows that were we place our allegiance in this world is very important. Who we become servants to is important. It can be easy to submit to the hardships of the world, but ultimately, that leads to death. Yet if we submit ourselves to God's will and be obedient, then we can have life.
Thus, unlike the clone troopers (who became storm troopers) I must offer my body as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. I must not be a drone in the world and must not simply go through the motions. I ought to be an active worker in God's kingdom.
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| Republic Clonetrooper as seen in Attack of the Clones and with Phase II armor in Revenge of the Sith Image credit: Lucasfilms |
Regardless of whether the films are prequels or originals, the presence of clone troopers/storm troopers has always been felt throughout the Star Wars Universe. Though the show Star Wars The Clone Wars gave the select clonetroopers distinct personalities (i.e. Captain Rex, ARC Troopers Echo and Fives, Hevy, Cut Lawquane, and Clone Trooper 99), the canonical film saga has generally characterized the clones as mindless, expendable, and inept foot soldiers. In regards to clone troopers, those frosted troops serve as the Republic's response to Battle droids. Despite the fact that the clone troopers were cloned from Jango Fett (who, at the time, was the most deadly and feared bounty hunter in the world), they were treated as superfluous cannon fodder; vulnerable soldiers who would be mowed down by the dozens due to Separatist blaster fire.
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| Imperial Stormtrooper as seen in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi Image credit: Lucasfilms |
Romans 6:16 states "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (NIV). This verse shows that were we place our allegiance in this world is very important. Who we become servants to is important. It can be easy to submit to the hardships of the world, but ultimately, that leads to death. Yet if we submit ourselves to God's will and be obedient, then we can have life.
Thus, unlike the clone troopers (who became storm troopers) I must offer my body as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. I must not be a drone in the world and must not simply go through the motions. I ought to be an active worker in God's kingdom.
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| The First Order Stormtrooper as seen in the upcoming The Force Awakens Image credit: Lucasfilms |
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