Throughout all seven seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the shows discuss the morality of the use of Clone Troopers in the battle. While the series focused on many Clone Troopers, Captain Rex had one of the strongest character arcs. Rex begins the series with a strong code and loyalty to the Republic, but over the course of the series, he increasingly begins to question their treatment of his brothers. In fact, one of the biggest turning points in Rex’s life happened in a quieter episode earlier in the series when he met Cut Lawquane, a deserter who showed him other paths might be open to the Clones.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Cut was not Rex’s first encounter with a Clone who did not want to be part of the war. Slick, the first Clone shown questioning the Jedi’s use of Clones, betrayed the Republic in Season 1 because he believes that Clones should have a choice. He defends himself by claiming that Rex, Cody and the other Clones who fight for the Republic are traitors for “blindly following orders” without question. However, because Slick’s actions put others at risk, it’s easy for Captain Rex and the rest of the Clones to dismiss his arguments.
But as the series continued, Rex would increasingly find himself in situations in which he begins to question the Republic and his orders. “The Deserter,” the tenth episode of Season 2 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, introduces Cut Lawquane, a Clone Trooper who deserted his post to live a quiet life as a farmer with a wife, Suu, and two children, Shaeeah and Jek. Cut’s peaceful life is disrupted when the war comes to Saleucami, and Captain Rex must take refuge with him and his family after an injury. During Rex’s stay, the two debate Cut’s choice to desert the army. Cut argues that he was exercising his right to walk away, but Rex fires back that because Clones swore an oath to the Republic, they don’t get to choose.
While Rex is initially hostile toward Cut, over a family dinner, both men begin to understand where the other is coming from. Cut explains that after the first battle of Geonosis, his entire team was slaughtered by the Separatist army, and running was his only option for survival. The deaths of his team members led Cut to realize that he felt expendable and that he was fighting a war that he didn’t understand. In their conversations, Rex begins to think about things he never had before, such as the importance of having a name and feeling unique. Rex still argues that with the army, he is choosing the life that he wants because he finds a higher purpose in helping protect the Republic from the Separatists. Once Rex insists that the choice is his own, not programming, Cut accepts his answer and insists that everyone needs to choose for themselves.
Unlike Slick, Cut is shown throughout the episode to have his own code of honor. Even though he knows that Rex could turn him in, he still teaches his children that they should “never turn away those in need.” But despite their growing camaraderie, Rex still views Cut as a coward — at least until droids attack the Lawquane farmstead. Cut fights them off with Rex, proving his bravery in protecting his family. At that moment, Rex decides to keep Cut’s secret, and the Lawquane family returns to their peaceful life.
Even though Cut only appears in this one episode, he is a significant figure. While he is not the first Clone to leave the army, he is the first to leave and not be villainized for his actions. Captain Rex’s meeting with Cut and the rest of the Lawquane family helps him begin to question the rigid guidelines for Clones and his own purpose, which are actions that help save him from Order 66 and allow him to fight for the Rebellion years later. While “The Deserter” is a quieter episode, it still forms an important building block in The Clone Wars’ debate about the morality of the Republic’s use of Clone Troopers.
About The Author
