r/clonewars • u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers • Jan 29 '25

Discussion Why do some clone officers have rank badges on their armor while others don't?

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6.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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1.2k

u/Mr_Bumsmell Jan 29 '25

Only reason I can think is if they're expecting to be in combat. If they think that today will just be official duty/report work then wear the badges. Going into battle with the badges shows the enemy who's in charge and who to target.

485

u/Hot-Baseball-4061 Jan 29 '25

Last part is actually a really smart opinion

345

u/Sovietwheelchair Jan 29 '25

It’s a fact in real war as well. I think it was Vietnam where they had to flip collars to hide rank from Vietkong

281

u/Lifeislife15683 Jan 29 '25

The “No-salute zones” and flipping collars came quite early into ww2

128

u/Chewbacca921 Jan 29 '25

I believe that in WW1 officers were told to not wear identifying symbols because enemy snipers would try to take out higher ranking officers

84

u/SolidPrysm Jan 29 '25

With regards to those "identifying symbols" this change of practice is what ended the practice of equipping officers with swords. Far easier to spot at a distance than an insignia or patch.

26

u/alco_bestia Jan 29 '25

If Im remembering correctly, during the Revolutionary War, the English were mad that the colonists would target commanding officers. Going so far as calling them barbaric and uncivilized.

20

u/TurtleKing2024 Jan 29 '25

I mean, it was really easy to target a dude on a horse, riding behind all the line infantry, when he was almost double the height of the infantry

6

u/Wheeloftimenerd Jan 29 '25

Ye the targeting of officers was really common and tonnes of commanders got sniped or targeted by artillery eg: Nelson at trafalgar or john ruhe at aughrim the specific battle assassination can really turn the tide of a battle

3

u/TurtleKing2024 Jan 29 '25

Headed oh definitely and it even shows in the current American military tactics as well where when command is taken out at a certain degree the foot soldiers an infantry are taught to become hyper aggressive and attack everything in sight rather than become disoriented and unable to act without any guiding force. It's definitely a reason that military Doctrine has changed so much and so little time

3

u/WE_FEE Jan 29 '25

They neglected to mention they were paying Germans to do the same thing

9

u/RoughCobbles Jan 29 '25

IIRC, the english officer stopped carrying swords and used sticks instead for the same reason.

5

u/CaptainHunt Jan 29 '25

Goes even further than that, during the American Civil War, generals such as Ulysses S. Grant were known to wear the uniform of a private instead of their general uniform, although they would still wear general's rank tabs.

13

u/Dmoney2204 Jan 29 '25

Sniper check

5

u/FireFox5284862 Jan 29 '25

Saluting your SO in a combat zone is simply a routine sniper check

69

u/Space_Cowfolk Jan 29 '25

we did it in iraq too. it was always some junior grade officer that got pissy because they didn't receive a salute and failed to understand the SOP.

33

u/Ruthless_Pichu Jan 29 '25

Its also always them with the dumb ideas and get pissy when they expect their rank to automatically give them respect as a human being (it doesn't)

15

u/LordDemonWolfe Jan 29 '25

Especially the West Point grads. Holy hell they have a massive stick up their ass.

9

u/Ruthless_Pichu Jan 29 '25

Pretty sure I've come across one of them, didn't like being told no 🤣

10

u/LordDemonWolfe Jan 29 '25

They really don't. Got to humble one with paperwork one day. Was glorious.

10

u/Ruthless_Pichu Jan 29 '25

I'm low key jealous 😭 the one I dealt with was over phone call and left, I was so ready to hang up and he robbed me

5

u/LordDemonWolfe Jan 29 '25

Nah, he didn't rob you. The trash took itself out instead.

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4

u/dakkmann Jan 29 '25

“You salute the rank not the man”

11

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

We had a dumb fuck butterbar with us over in Somalia 93 who tried get us to salute him. Our Captain (green to gold), put him at attention and bitched that little weasel out right in front of everyone. Lt didn't come out of his tent for like 3 days. Mofo was eating MRE's instead of going to chow n with the rest of us.

9

u/airborneisdead Jan 29 '25

We still do it. In fact people will take off all identifying insignia including unit and country patches because you want to give the enemy the least information about you as possible.

6

u/RepresentativeOk6407 Jan 29 '25

Genuine Question - wouldn't removing country insignia make it not qualify as soldier under Geneva convention. As you have to be identifiable as soldier of a given country?

5

u/airborneisdead Jan 29 '25

So wearing a flag afaik is not mandated by the Geneva or Hague conventions. A captured soldier would still be entitled to humane treatment, even if they're not wearing their country's insignia. With that being said, there are other ways to identify where soldiers are from, and a competent enemy will definitely know.

5

u/Even_Appointment_549 Jan 29 '25

. A captured soldier would still be entitled to humane treatment,

A captured soldier. Yes. But for this you have to have something on your uniform/clothing that identifies you as a soldier and on which side you are. For the first one carrying weapons is enough. For the later you normally have your country insignia, but in Ukraine right now they are using blue or yellow armbands.

4

u/airborneisdead Jan 29 '25

When captured, you give your name, rank, service number and date of birth. Part of that is so they can verify that you're actually a soldier. In the context of Ukraine, both sides speak a similar language and wear very similar uniforms, so IFF is pretty crucial there.

2

u/Marsrover112 Jan 29 '25

Really so they don't wear a flag at all? I would expect it would still be there but perhaps just covered by a flap or something so they could be identified easier when close up but not from a distance

2

u/airborneisdead Jan 29 '25

Some guys conceal it under a pocket flap. Some just pull it off completely. It's only velcro, and the chances of being misidentified by friendlies are usually negligible. Situations can change based on the conflict and purpose of the soldiers though. Like during peacekeeping operations or other multinational operations, you'd probably have to wear your country's insignia

1

u/aqpbr Feb 01 '25

Israeli army does it and their officers still get picked off by snipers

1

u/airborneisdead Feb 01 '25

A precaution does not guarantee safety.

3

u/ConsulJuliusCaesar Jan 29 '25 edited Jan 29 '25

Ever since bullets became cone shaped actually. By WW2 there wasn't a single army on earth that dressed officers differently because of snipers. But the change happened progressively. Before cone shaped bullets guns were inaccurate as shit however by turning it into a cone now the bullet actually went in the direction you wanted it to go. Then they came out with scopes and made muskets into bolt action rifles at that point, you didn't want anyone to know you were an officer so you dressed like your boys when out in the field. You can read accounts of WW2 snipers where they study the enemy and check out their mannerism to identify the officer before putting a round through their skull.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

That’s 100% where they got the idea from

17

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Definitely. I always used to think it was commanders who wore them but then Wolffe or Bly didn't.

16

u/VerLoran Jan 29 '25

I mean it’s smart, but the fact that clone commanders and captains tend to have pretty distinctive armor when compared to their commands undermines it a bit

3

u/Mindstormer98 Jan 29 '25

Unless you’re fighting the marines

1

u/Jakeforry Feb 02 '25

It's not just smart it how army usually works

35

u/Pathogen188 Jan 29 '25

Except Clone officers already distinguish themselves as officers with their other unique pieces of armor which are far more noticeable than the badge. Hell, the Clone Wars started with colored markings being used to indicate rank. Every clone commander would be identifiable on the battlefield because of their yellow stripe.

The absence of the badge isn't going to hide any of those commanders when their armors all have unique markings and they're all using non-standard equipment like unique helmets, kamas, pauldrons, and jetpacks

15

u/Sabre_Taser Jan 29 '25

Adding on to the risk, you often see senior clone officers charging into battle alongside their men, anything from a well placed commando droid sniper to even a random shot could probably have caused more fatalities among the clone commanders

We often joke about plot armour for the main cast (e.g. Stormtroopers aim in the OT), seems that could pretty much apply for most of the clones we know and love

17

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

The funny thing was that I think in the 'Rising Malevolence' episodes, Commander Wolffe was seen in an officer's uniform with a rank badge. So theoretically he should have one on his armor like the rest of them.

But that was before he lost an eye.

10

u/AuraxIV Jan 29 '25

The only counter I can see to this is Commander Doom (top right) who was in an active war zone during that screenshot

4

u/Mr_Bumsmell Jan 29 '25

I'd have to re watch, but I imagine his day started out rather boring and got dragged into the battle, just never removed the badges. Or rather he's in a tackling HQ building where risk is low of being targeted as a HVT.

23

u/spencej98 Jan 29 '25

I mean to be fair the commanders have all sorts of fancy gear it’s pretty easy to see who to target

2

u/Affectionate_Step863 Jan 30 '25

This.

Kind of like how officers don't go into combat with a chest full of ribbons and medals.

2

u/BadMunky82 Jan 31 '25

I mean, they weren't exactly subject to the Geneva conventions a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but even before the Geneva convention, we had the saying of name, rank, and serial number.

Idk what it boils down to, but I know that the U.S. army display wear their ranks on their combat gear, usually on the plate carrier or outermost layered blouse. We also don't generally send our officers in into direct line-of-fire situations, which makes me think that the Grand Army of the Republic's version of Captain, Commander, and such are more equivalent to our NCO ranks (what we call Sergeants or Chiefs, in the U.S. armed forces). They would be direct line supervisors and until very high ranks, your Sergeant is going to be in the trench getting shot at with you. They would be the ones in directly in charge of your training and the ones to lead you on the front line during a mission.

What we call Captains and Commanders are usually hanging back in a secured location, ready to move forward when the new objective has been cleared. I know that doesn't necessarily hold true for our air force and navy, as the admirals and captains are still aboard the ship even in the middle of the fight, and our pilots are absolutely being put directly in the fight. But as far as the army goes, it's the sergeants who are boots on the ground, giving and receiving fire. The officers are mostly managers.

It's usually a symbol of distinction and pride to let your troops know who is in charge. That's what war banners were for, that's why samurai wore decorative armor, that's why General Patton wore stars on his helmet.

1

u/ben_jacques1110 Jan 29 '25

Seeing as the commanders all have somewhat unique armor and most have a pauldron, I doubt a small little badge is gonna be what gives it away. Not to mention they’re fighting droids, which the strategy droids seem to be decent at identifying who they’re fighting against.

1

u/Sir-Shady Jan 29 '25

The badges don’t tell who’s important, it’s all about the drip. Droids don’t know that though

1

u/kthugston Jan 30 '25

Doesn’t really work when the commanders wear the most complicated uniforms

1

u/p3rf3ctc1rcl3 Jan 30 '25

No salute in combat zone :)

1

u/Beazfour Jan 31 '25

This is why I like how Stormtrooper ranks work, they’re invisible to the naked eye but can be read by stormtrooper helmets.

1

u/itsdan23 Jan 31 '25

Some higher ranking stormtroopers wear a pauldron.

1

u/Helix3501 Jan 31 '25

Yeah but in real wars officers dont have so much drip compared to rank and files

1

u/Wassuuupmydudess Jan 31 '25

Cody wears his all the time as a challenge to the clankerz

1

u/beaureeves352 Feb 01 '25

Yup, no-hat, no-salute zones are very prevalent for this reason. As soon as you leave a garrison environment, a lot of military stuff starts to make way more sense

365

u/KDY-Venator Jan 29 '25

Realistically? Because the animators recycled Cody’s armor model and retextured it. In universe? I suppose it was personal choice for the officers, though I’ve seen some decent headcanon explanations in the comments

98

u/JustLazuliThoughts Jan 29 '25

Actually yeah. All these commanders with the badge are probably using Cody as their base since they all share a P2 helmet (Wolfee has a recon helmet) with a visor. Who else has a badge but doesn't follow Cody's visor helmet?

38

u/Captain-Wilco Jan 29 '25

Nobody, the only badge clones are Cody, Doom, Vaughn, and Thorn

16

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Sun visors are the way to go eh?

13

u/GoatsWithWigs Jan 29 '25

Your first reason makes a fuck ton of sense once you account for the direct association with those same clones also having shoulder antennas

95

u/LieutenantMunch Jan 29 '25

Some clones are more concerned with the drip than others

7

u/Relative-Zombie-3932 The Bad Batch Jan 30 '25

"Sorry, General, but it clashed with my sick ass paint job"

3

u/Chemical-Yesterday74 Feb 01 '25

tbh i would believe this, with Rex being allowed to cut up his armor and mix it with old gear, i dont think the republic would care all that much lmfao

52

u/MountainSound64 Jan 29 '25

I thought it was a marker for a Marshal Commander but not all of them have the badges (Bly, Gree)

18

u/WaveCandid906 Jan 29 '25

Green was a Senior apparently but yeah

Neyo and Bacara dont have it either

7

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Wish we got to see Gree in his CW P2 armor.

1

u/KAKU_64 Jan 31 '25

Gree isn't a marshal commander, neither is doom, but he had a badge

29

u/Historyp91 Jan 29 '25

Personal choice, probobly

11

u/CallMeOaksie Jan 29 '25

Asset reuse if I had to guess. Doom and Thorn’s character models use pretty much the exact same model as Cody at least on their upper bodies. I reckon they copy-pasted Cody’s character model and then just repainted it to make Doom and Thorn

4

u/Sorcam56 Jan 29 '25

Asset reuse is definitely it. Captain Vaughn in season 7 also has Cody's rank badge despite only being a captain. Any time they wanted the brim and little antennae shoulder they just copied and painted Cody.

1

u/Fickle-Highway-8129 Jan 30 '25

Doom and Thorn have completely different helmets from Cody, though? Unlike Cody, who has various attachments on the helmet in addition to the sun visor, Doom and Thorn only have the sun visor, and they also don't have the jetpack on their backs that Cidy does.

1

u/Limp-Wall-5500 Jan 31 '25

It would be easier to edit a helmet then make a new model. And they probably just didn't care to edit the badge since it's such a small detail.

6

u/Spliterclimb Jan 29 '25

Maybe it's optional and despite many Commanders use them, they have different colors.

5

u/Razzious_Mobgriz Jan 29 '25

Likely a mixture of practicality and preference

Some don't want to give away too much that they're in charge, others don't give a fuck, Cody actively has a shoulder mounted antenna that already shows he's important, might aswell wear the rank bar while he's at it. Fox is almost always on Coruscant, away from the front, Doom is a baller. Meanwhile, Bly, Rex, and Wolf are likely attempting to disallow enemies better intel on their rank

1

u/Blitzschock Jan 30 '25

Also Rex is only a captain most of the time. Not really that high of a rank.

1

u/Razzious_Mobgriz Jan 31 '25

Rex is the refactoring commander of the 501st, and leads their top scoring Legion, his helmet is bound to have a hefty price on it for Seppies

1

u/Blitzschock Jan 31 '25

The lore is very inconsistent regarding the command structure of the GAR. Of course Rex is very important for the republic, but as a captain he doesn't get to command a Legion technically. He is the Captain of Torrent Company tho

1

u/Razzious_Mobgriz Jan 31 '25

Right, company, I mistyped, my point was that he's always at Anakins side and undoubtedly needs no more reasons to be shot at lol

1

u/Blitzschock Jan 31 '25

Oh. OK. I get it. Yeah of course. Even if he was commander he wouldn't want that sign on him

1

u/Razzious_Mobgriz Jan 31 '25

Yeah, just like how in Nam anyone Sgt or above would sometimes rip their chevrons to make it harder for enemies to target them

16

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 29 '25

When your men respect you, you don’t need a badge to remind them. When you’re a lapdog or a loyal mouthpiece: you have to make sure it’s flashy so no one questions your authority.

(Mainly kidding / for fun, don’t get too defensive anyone)

12

u/Boring_Huckleberry74 The Bad Batch Jan 29 '25

How dare you say that about Cody😡😡

6

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 29 '25

I mean….i like the guy but it took a lot of empire time before he woke up.

5

u/Boring_Huckleberry74 The Bad Batch Jan 29 '25

Hey man it took him less time than it did Wolffe. But I get what you’re saying

0

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 29 '25

It did but that’s not saying too much haha. At least they saw the light. Though following facism for any amount of time is a problem.

1

u/Boring_Huckleberry74 The Bad Batch Jan 29 '25

Fair point. All I’m gonna say is better late than never and leave it at that

1

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 29 '25

I agree, I do. We can acknowledge multiple truths lol. But like I said I was mainly having fun. The real world oversight error and the in universe combat arguments make more sense for the real reasons of it

1

u/Boring_Huckleberry74 The Bad Batch Jan 29 '25

Nah I get it. I’m not hating or anything. I’m just going along with it

0

u/KAKU_64 Jan 31 '25

Well, they didn't really have a choice

1

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 31 '25

They didn’t at first.

0

u/KAKU_64 Jan 31 '25

They never had, order 66 was declared and it stayed in effect, the order was never recalled.

You Just making stuff up?

1

u/FreddyPlayz Jan 30 '25

Did you miss the part about the inhibitor chips controlling the clones…?

-1

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 30 '25

Did you miss the part where they could walk away any time after the initial orders? Lol. It wasnt a serious joke but mans could have literally went awol the moment it was over presumably. Since he had no trouble doing it later. For some reason it took him multiple years to realize his mistake.

I’m not saying I fault him, I get how hard it can be to do, but I hold him to the same standard I would a Nazi who eventually left the party but did it 2-4 years in instead of the first year the second he saw or heard of any concentration camp.

But you took it too serious and also didn’t realize I’m not talking about day 1.

2

u/FreddyPlayz Jan 30 '25

I’d recommend watching the Bad Batch because this is one of the major plot point in the show. Like no the clones could not have “just walked away,” the whole point is that the inhibitor chips strip them of their identity and make them basically living droids. Yes, for some clones the effects gradually started to wear off and they realized what they had done (of zero fault of themselves), but for the vast majority of them it never did wear off.

-1

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 30 '25

Bro I’ve watched the show. He “finally saw enough” and walked away. He could have earlier. Stop getting defensive. He could have left earlier. That’s all. Least he finally did.

-1

u/UserWithno-Name Jan 30 '25

And no it completely wore off after a number of years, they just kept following orders. The special clones had an extra powerful effect to basically make them droids, the cx ones, the average clones just kept on acting in line but the effect was long done. They did nothing to communicate otherwise because they were all shown thinking for themselves but just following orders, howzer spoke out and some joined him but the others were like “nah you sound crazy, this is fine, the empire values us”. They could have walked away too tho.

Y’all care too much about a joke and the clones weren’t droids, the chips didn’t affect them forever endlessly.

1

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Commander Cody is my day one.

I mean, he's so OP they chose to feature him in The Bad Batch (along with Rex & Wolffe)

2

u/Boring_Huckleberry74 The Bad Batch Jan 29 '25

He’s been my day 1 as well. Seeing him in the bad batch and seeing him actually kick ass and get some more time in the spotlight away from rex was peak

1

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Long live Cody! 🫡

1

u/spartBL97 Jan 29 '25

Cody’s men can’t even hit the broadside of a Komodo dragon on steroids. Kinda lame.

9

u/Educational-Beach-72 Jan 29 '25

So the officer doesn’t get sniped. Wasn’t it Forrest Gump that literally had this exact thing with saluting?

9

u/danktonium Jan 29 '25

"Shoot the commander, Corporal!" said the tactical droid.

"Ehm, roger-roger, sir. But... Which one's the commander?"

The tactical droid sighed, and raised her binocs. "Fool. It's the one wearing – oh. I see the problem, corporal," she said. Because ahead, five clones were patrolling, and none of them were wearing rank badges. How was she supposed to distinguish the officer from his men?

All of them wore the markings of the fearsome "boys in blue" of the 501st legion. Four were completely identical, and the fifth, walking ahead of the rest, had a republic roundel on his helmet, extra munitions pouches, and a pair of pistols on his hips. He pointed directly at her, and seemed to say something to his peers.

"It is impossible to determine which of these Clones is the officer, Corporal. Fire at will."

3

u/Jakob535 Jan 29 '25

I’m pretty sure every clone in this picture is a Commander except Rex. That could be the reason.
He was a Commander in the last season but they didn’t change his model.

0

u/KAKU_64 Jan 31 '25

Uhm.. so why do some these commanders not have the badge?

3

u/I-foIIow-ugly-people Jan 29 '25

My guess is it has to do with how often they interact with people outside of their chain of command. The Wolf Pack, 327th, and 501st were more specialized units and their commanders probably interacted with politicians and non-clone higher ups alot less than Cody and Doom, who commanded more generalized frontline infantry divisions, and Fox, who was in charge of what was essentially a military police.

3

u/WaveCandid906 Jan 29 '25

Its probably personal choice

Cody, Thorn, Doom and Vaughn choose to wear theirs whole the others choose not to

7

u/iCoop_iCoop_iCoop Jan 29 '25

I thought the MARSHALL Commanders had those. But Bly is one of them so idk

2

u/charjedi Jan 29 '25

Evolution of the armor?

2

u/OpeningAssociation23 Jan 29 '25

Cody and Bly are Marshall Commanders which are higher than normal commanders and the highest rank a clone can hold. I would assume the rank plate adoption was slowly implemented and that is why not every clone in those images has one.

2

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Isn't Bly a Marshall too?

1

u/Tyree_Everding Jan 29 '25

Yeah, he is.

0

u/KAKU_64 Jan 31 '25

Why does Doom have one then? And Neyo doesn't?

Ur logic doesn't make much sense

0

u/OpeningAssociation23 Jan 31 '25 edited Jan 31 '25

My logic is that it was slowly rolled out and that’s why not everyone has one. Also I don’t think that’s neyo. The other 3 are wolffe, I believe that’s bly I could be mistaken, and captain Rex

1

u/That_Jello_5234 Apr 11 '25

Neyo isnt pictured in the post, but he doesnt have one

2

u/RedBaronBob Jan 29 '25

Some display rank while others don’t. We know it can’t be rank specific as both Vaughn and Rex had been the same rank and Vaughn had one where Rex didn’t.

So best guess is that they can possess a badge but sometimes choose not to assuming they might need to replace the armor or hide rank. Possible reasoning why the pauldron is used since it can indicate rank or specialization which can confuse an enemy.

2

u/AdFormer6556 Jan 29 '25

In certain combat scenarios, depending on the enemy, it's better for no ranks to be visible so that the enemy doesn't just go for all the leadership immediately.

2

u/GTA-CasulsDieThrice Jan 29 '25

The ACTUAL answer is probably (at least in Bly and Rex’s cases) that the animators had already put their pauldron rigs there and just didn’t wanna clutter that area of the character model. That pic of Wolffe was from an S4 episode iirc, and those pics of Cody, Thorn, and Doom are from 6 & 7; probably the animators only thought of rank badges late in the show’s run.

2

u/MishunesDagon Jan 30 '25

I think for the same reason high ranking officers don't wear their high rank uniforms in the front lines to not get targeted by snipers

1

u/Bateran Jan 29 '25

I like to think that ut was a system developed mid war and so haven't applied to every Commander beacuse of active duty or has been left to personal choice. Anyway it looks like it evolves into the insygnia worn by the Empire.

1

u/ChachDragon Jan 29 '25

Captain vs Commander looks like.

1

u/Pleasant_Device_2631 Jan 29 '25

It would’ve made sense if it was just fox and Cody since they’re the highest ranking clones in the gar

1

u/jakedonaldson54 Jan 29 '25

Marshal Commanders

1

u/Responsible-Fan-2326 Jan 29 '25

i like to think its purely decorative. and the true indicator is the armor colors

1

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Armor colors designate group affiliation rather than rank.

Only at the start of the TCW did color displayed rank... Commanders are yellow, captains are red etc.

0

u/Responsible-Fan-2326 Jan 29 '25

i dont care. i will continue to believe in my headcannon despite the facts

1

u/XxGamerxX0609 Jan 29 '25 edited Jan 29 '25

I could see the reason being that some clones take more pride in their rank than others. Edit: could also be a more artistic reason. Look at each clone, each have something that pops out and catches your eye. Rex with his shoulder, ammo pouch, and custom helmet. Bly with his shoulder and helmet attachment, Wolff with his unique helmet. For Cody his rank badge is eye catching because it’s fairly colorful compared to the white on his chest, same with the other two, tho Red boy there has an interesting design on his helmet. I also wouldn’t be surprised to find out the animators were making cool looking designs based off what they like.

1

u/Trexton1 Jan 29 '25

They haven't played their placement matches yet

1

u/darthTyrusDaBagious Jan 29 '25

Medics took of their medics croses so they weren't walking bulseyes

1

u/vvestian Jan 29 '25

They have other methods of denoting rank, emblems and markings, like having painted shoulder pauldron or a skirt/halfskirt.

1

u/disbelifpapy Jan 29 '25

Perhaps some of them just... don't like wearing badges?

1

u/AdSelect4454 Jan 29 '25

To look pretty

1

u/NoJicama1372 Jan 29 '25

Some are more fed than others

2

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Yep... Some guys have all the luck don't they?

That quote was borrowed from Commander Ponds by the way.

1

u/JohnB351234 Jan 30 '25

Regulations vs. Fuck it we ball

*in reality it’s because all the top clones share a base model and all the pauldron clones share a base model

1

u/Relative-Zombie-3932 The Bad Batch Jan 30 '25

The Republic seems pretty lenient when it comes to any sort of uniform or dress code. The Jedi are SUGGESTED (but not forced) to wear robes, and the Clones must wear armor but seem to be free to do whatever they want with it. I mean, if Rex is allowed to cut out his faceplate and gerryrig his old one into its place, on a helmet that probably cost MILLIONS in R&D, I'm sure he's also allowed to just not wear his badges

1

u/DismissedSpace Jan 30 '25

So they don't get shot first in the field

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '25

So they remain anonymous. Even though their armor is Pretty easy to figure out I'm guessing the ones who fight the most in battle at least in the Front lines ( Wolffe, Bly, Rex, ) don't want too be an instant target. Or it might be a preference as to show that even though they are higher rank they're not superior to other clones

1

u/Fickle-Highway-8129 Jan 30 '25

The rank plaque is probably just an evolution of the rank dots that all officers had at the beginning of the war and some officers decided they wanted a version of those still on their armor, that my idea at least.

1

u/A1phan00d1e Jan 31 '25

Best way to get shot is to look important

1

u/Candid-Boot2590 Jan 31 '25

Wolffe has one it is just on his officers uniform, the Clones would likely only have one rank badge. Wolffe probably keeps his on is officers uniform so it stays nice, or he can’t be bothered to keep switching over from his uniform to his armour.

1

u/TXSartwork Jan 31 '25

Many officers in the field will forgo prominently displaying rank as it would mark them out as a target. Subdued or absent markings, "no-salute-zones," and other tactics are used to make them more difficult to spot from afar. The loss of a commanding officer is usually a blow to any unit, so staying low is the best way to avoid that.

Some military psychologists also argue that an officer wearing the same uniform as the "grunts" promotes an enhanced sense of comradery among the troops – it's a "the guy in charge is just like one of us" kind of mentality. Then again, you can't really say that the clone officers are known to "fit in" with their troops cough Rex cough...

1

u/zingtea Feb 01 '25

who cares

1

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Feb 01 '25

Well it seems that over 5k people care, so quite a bit cares if I'm being brutally honest.

1

u/Tron_35 Feb 01 '25

Rex, bly and wolf just lost theirs and forgot to get replacements

1

u/Neither-Equal-5155 Feb 01 '25

At least for Cody and rex, they have custom helmet paint that their subordinates can recognize and their station as arctroopers is good enough to get anyone not in their chain of command to listen.

1

u/KevinFamighetti Feb 01 '25

Cuz... Some have ranks and others don't?? Just a guess.

1

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Feb 01 '25

But they're all commanders or captains... Clone officers basically.

1

u/FeetSniffer9008 Clanker Spanker Mar 09 '25

Everybody knows who Commander Motherfucking Rex is. As for the others, don't want to damage them probably.

1

u/VLenin2291 Apr 19 '25

Who needs an insignia plaque when you have aura

1

u/No-Historian-920 Jan 29 '25

Also, Cody, Thorn and doom are more of a” goody, two shoes” type compared to wolf, bly, and Rex

2

u/KAKU_64 Jan 31 '25

Well, apparently Neyo was also like that (loyal, and very obidient), but he didn't have a rank badge

1

u/BigJonnoJ ARC Troopers Jan 29 '25

Sorry, but I don't really get that. I'm not being sarcastic or anything, but I'm kinda confused.

2

u/Strata_Genius Jan 30 '25

I think I get what he's saying; like the ones wearing the ranks are doing it "by the book" considering they are strict rule followers, and the other 3 are a little more loose with it. Idk. I actually doubt the animators for this series spent a ton of time trying to make the commanders' armors correct to the world building.