I'm excited to reveal both versions because I'm passionate about both of them! I've been looking forward to drawing clones again and I'm thrilled to be illustrating the boys from the 501st Legion.
You guys can use this one as a lockscreen since the picture size/layout is perfect for it.
Keep an eye out for the second one below! Thank you for suggesting this layout, @sinvulkt @vandervoiz.
HEY, Y'ALL WANNA HEAR A HEARTBREAKING PIECE OF STAR WARS DIALOGUE I THOUGHT OF (that other people probably already thought of)?
Picture this. Echo and Fives as cadets. Fives asks Echo to do something for him and Echo shakes his head fondly and goes "you'd die without me, I swear."
Extremely Hot Take (it has buildup to the main point):
I love Captain Rex to death, and I do feel he is the best Clone Character in Star Wars. He is well written with an interesting and likeable personality, is a generally great member of the main cast, is pretty damn cool, is (usually) a pretty great leader with a lot of loyalty, is a great older brother/mentor figure (to Ahsoka and some of the clones), and has a really strong, interesting character arc. Not to mention he is one of the longest living clones and fought in two wars like the badass he is. Also, he's hot and has probably the best armor. He's great. 10/10.
HOWEVER!
While I love him to no end and believe he deserves the #1 spot for Best Clone Character, I do not believe he deserves the spot for #1 Best Clone. I have noticed that people tend to rank him as #1 for both categories, but there is a clone who is always ranked second that I think deserves this particular spot a little bit more. You know him, you love him:
It's Motherkriffing Fives, babyyyyyy!!!!!
Fives may not be the coolest, he may not be the sexiest, he may not have the best character arc, he may not be the smartest or the wisest or whatever.
However, while he is not quite The Goat, he is very much the MVP.
Whenever Rex dropped the ball, Fives tended to pick it up (at least during Umbara).
Fives stood up to Krell and gave that amazing speech about how they are more than just their numbers. He is extremely loyal to the Republic, but clearly recognizes its flaws and is one of the most independent and free-thinking clones who believes they deserve to be treated as equals. He was one of the quickest to see through the injustices inflicted upon the clones and chose to do the right thing regardless of whether or not it would get him in trouble. While the clones are taught to express loyalty through obedience, Fives shows his loyalty to the Republic through his defiance.
He figured out the Inhibitor chip conspiracy pretty much all by himself and found out Palpatine was evil (though that was admittedly due to Palpatine confessing himself). One of the clones' shared biggest flaws is the fact that they were molded to not question authority, and when Fives broke through that brainwashing, he was able to rise about and fight against the authority figures who were threatening to destroy the people and values he was told to protect.
And because of this trait of his, Fives almost singlehandedly saved the entire goddamn galaxy.
Is the list of his achievements super long? No. But are two of those things some of the most impressive and admirable feats in the show? Absolutely.
I actually started out writing this post focusing on these achievements, but while doing so, I slowly realized why Fives was able to do these things and why this makes him such a great clone trooper. While the clones were technically made to destroy the Jedi, their shared mission was to protect the Republic. While many may have seen that as protecting the system and institutions that make up the Republic, Fives saw beyond that and focused on protecting the people of the Republic and the values it was meant to embody.
Fives is what a good clone trooper should be. He is not what the clones were forced to be, but what they wanted to be, even if it manifested in an unexpected way. He was able to break through the thing holding all of them down in order to fight for his brethren, but never lost that loyalty and dedication that his people valued above all. I'd honestly say he was among the Republic's greatest defenders, because he was able to see the Republic's true enemies, and he chose to fight those enemies even if it would cost him his life.
I love Rex to death and think he's great. And Fives doesn't quite have the same type of character arc with the level of change and personal growth Rex does (though Fives does grow). However, in his couple of years on the field and life, Fives managed to make his mark and made it well. And he deserves to have the #1 spot as Best Clone. I'm sure Rex would agree.
The shinies were outside Rex’s office. He could hear them, Echo and Fives, bickering about who should be the one to knock on the door and interrupt him. As if they hadn’t already done that just by being so close and so loud. He hadn’t written a word for the past five minutes, and had instead just been sipping his caf and staring at the door as he waited for the boys to actually open it. Their attempts at whispering were failing more spectacularly by the moment.
“You knock!”
“No, you knock!”
“I knocked last time!”
Rex was starting to wonder, just a little, if inviting them into the 501st might be something he would come to regret. They were good soldiers; brave on the battlefield. But if he had to listen to another one of their arguments he was going to lose it. And if he had to be the one to settle another one of those arguments–
Abandoning the report he was supposed to be writing, Rex stood, caf in hand, and walked over to the door. It slid open, interrupting Fives mid-sentence. Echo snapped into a salute, with Fives following a second later.
“Boys,” Rex greeted, leaning against the doorframe. “Can I help you?”
“Well, actually, yes,” Fives started, with Echo nodding beside him. “See, the thing is–”
He paused, sniffing the air, abandoning whatever it was they’d come to ask of their captain, and zeroed in on the mug Rex had in his hand.
“Fives,” Echo hissed, trying without much success to bring his brother back to the task at hand.
“What is that?” Fives questioned, leaning in closer to the drink. “It smells amazing.”
“Caf,” Rex answered, tipping the mug so he could see. “You want to try some?”
There was no caf on Kamino; at least, not for clones. That was a fact Rex always forgot until some shiny inevitably noticed the aroma of the drink, whether from Rex’s cup or just in the mess hall – or, one time, from a visit to the medbay when Kix was particularly slammed with patients – and asked about the stuff. A trooper’s first time drinking caf was always entertaining, regardless of the outcome, and always an event that Rex was happy to initiate.
Fives took the offered mug from Rex, ignoring Echo’s sigh. He lifted the mug to his face and breathed in the scent, then took a small sip. A surprised hum escaped him as he swallowed.
“That’s good!” Fives commented. He held the mug out in Echo’s direction. “You should try it.”
It occurred to Rex, too late as Echo accepted the mug, that he may have made a fatal mistake. These boys did not need more energy; they were already bouncing off the walls after being stuck on Coruscant for the last week. But from the reverent way Fives was eyeing the mug Echo held, the damage was done.
Echo took a tentative sip of the hot liquid and – to Rex’s slight relief – spluttered. He frowned, passing the mug back to Fives, who accepted it gratefully.
“Yeah, that’s not for me,” Echo stated.
“You can sweeten it,” Rex told him, “if that’s your thing. Sugar, cream, even hot chocolate powder.”
Fives’ eyes glowed at the possibility as he took another sip, but Echo just shook his head.
“I’ll pass. Thanks, captain.”
Rex nodded. That was probably for the best; he definitely couldn’t handle whatever chaos would ensue with both of them on a caf high.
“Thanks, cap,” Fives echoed.
The two of them wandered off, whatever problem they’d initially come with forgotten. It wasn’t until they rounded the corner out of the barracks that Rex realised Fives had taken the caf with him. He sighed, accepting the price he had to pay for a bit of peace, and retreated back into his office to make some more.
