Clone Cadets: Where Domino Squad Learned to Stop Failing
Before Fives uncovered Order 66 and Echo became a cyborg, they were just cadets who couldn’t pass basic training. This Season 3 premiere of Clone Wars takes us to Kamino’s training facilities where Domino Squad—Echo, Fives, Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup—face decommissioning if they can’t learn to work as a team. With Shaak Ti advocating for compassion, Bric sabotaging their test, and 99 offering unexpected wisdom, these misfits must prove that clone troopers are more than their numbers.
Matthew, Erin, and youngest fan Aurelia (age 11) explore why this training episode hits differently when you know where these characters end up, and how Dee Bradley Baker manages to voice an entire squad talking to themselves.
Questions We Discussed:
- Why does leaving a man behind result in automatic failure, and how does that theme echo throughout Clone Wars?
- How does Shaak Ti’s motherly compassion toward the clones contrast with her minimal role in the prequel films?
- What makes 99 such a compelling character despite his brief appearances in the series?
- Why do clone naming conventions matter so much to characters like Fives and Echo?
- What makes Dee Bradley Baker’s voice work in clone-heavy scenes so impressive when each character remains instantly identifiable?
- How does knowing Fives’ and Echo’s eventual fates change the way we watch their origin story?
