Summary
- George Lucas envisioned that Jango Fett's trait of constantly bumping his head would be inherited by his clones, explaining why stormtroopers frequently bump their heads.
- Star Wars canon has ignored Lucas' idea, and now all stormtroopers are commissioned recruits rather than clones.
- The transition from clones to stormtroopers, as explored in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, creates a more compelling story that emphasizes the tragedy of the clones and the threat posed by the stormtroopers.
George Lucas' stormtrooper clone vision has been ignored by Star Wars canon. When the Grand Army of the Republic was revealed to be clones of bounty hunter Jango Fett in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, many assumed the soldiers transitioned into stormtroopers for the Empire. While this has never entirely been the case in either Star Wars continuity, canon has scrubbed the clones clean of any Imperial ties by the original trilogy.
In behind the scenes commentary for Attack of the Clones shared via Connor on YouTube, Lucas explains that Jango bumping his head was meant to be a trait inherited by his clones.
"Throughout, as we go through the movie, there's all little funny moments, like Jango bumping his head, because in Star Wars, one of the stormtroopers bumps his head on the door as they leave the control room on the Death Star. And I thought, wouldn't it be funny if that's a trait that Jango has. When he puts his helmet on and everything, he can't really see that well and he's constantly bumping his head. And that trait gets cloned into all the stormtroopers, and that's why they keep bumping their heads."
Jango bumping his head is a small gag barely noticeable in the film, but it comes with significant thought and meaning. Not only was the stormtrooper who bumped his on the Death Star a clone, but in Lucas' mind, all stormtroopers were clones who inherited Jango's silly trait.
