10

It is not unheard off for people that have gone through a traumatic experience to develop Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) Soldiers and those in the military are known to experience PTSD more than other professions due to the stress and trauma caused through warfare. As an example, the Wikipedia article on PTSD informs us that soldiers are at a high risk of developing the disorder:

Military service is a risk factor for developing PTSD. Around 78% of people exposed to combat do not develop PTSD; in about 25% of military personnel who develop PTSD, its appearance is delayed.

Could Clone troopers suffer from PTSD as a result of trauma on the battlefield or as a result of Killing their former Jedi commanders?

Improve this question
3
  • 1
    imgur.com/jpKrCSg
    – TerranGaming
    Commented Sep 10, 2018 at 14:56
  • 1
    I think that one of the clones in Star wars Rebels (first seen in the episode Lost Commanders) had signs of ptsd, but it's been a while since I've seen it so I could be wrong.
    – Subbies
    Commented Sep 10, 2018 at 15:28
  • I think the better answer here would be “who cares”. These are clone troopers, old dark side style disposable human beings with more to have where they came from. That’s the spirit boy, you’ll never rule a galactic empire with such thoughts on your mind.
    – Jorge Córdoba
    Commented Mar 1, 2019 at 13:28

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
11

In the Star Wars: Rebels episode “The Last Battle” some have argued that Rex shows signs of PTSD when he appears to have a flash back in which he calls Ezra, ‘Cody’ one of his former comrades.

In Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6 trooper Tup suffers an injury that causes his control chip to malfunction and execute order 66 prematurely. This is not true PTSD but certainly alludes to it.

Improve this answer
3
  • 2
    As a sufferer of PTSD I feel obliged to say that the misnomer is just cheap dramatization. The real evidence of posttraumatic stress is his friend’s comment: “I need you here now.” An actual hallmark of PTSD is functioning as if the situation you’re in greatly parallels your traumatic experience (as an evolutionary defence/learning mechanism), not thinking you’re literally there.
    – gen-ℤ ready to perish
    Commented Sep 11, 2018 at 7:20
  • @Chase Ryan Taylor firstly let me thank you for whatever service you did to put you in the postion to suffer PTSD. Your clarification is very revealing.
    – Sarriesfan
    Commented Sep 11, 2018 at 10:49
  • 1
    Ah, another myth propagated by the media. . . . The majority of people who suffer from PTSD aren’t soldiers, first responders, etc. There are many ways to be put in a traumatic experience without ‘signing up’ for a “service”—earthquakes, bank heists, drownings, abuse, car wrecks, to name a few.
    – gen-ℤ ready to perish
    Commented Sep 11, 2018 at 16:26
7

Normal clones:

Possibly, it's hard to say. I would wager that it is possible given that they are still human. They are probably highly resistant towards PTSD though since they have been indoctrinated from birth towards the very purpose of war. Coupling that with their average survival rate and I think that most would not live long enough to ever experience it. Most soldiers only get PTSD when they have returned from war, but clones even if they win and survive a battle it would be straight on to the next one until the day they died, which would also be relatively quick since they age way faster.

There is also the issue with the mind control chips that makes them do whatever they are ordered. Most clones had quite a bond with their Jedi commanders (see Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Plo Koon had quite the bond) yet the clones did not hesitate for a second to shoot them all down.

I can't conclude for certain, though I would lean towards a yes.

Commando clones:

Now these guys I would go for a definitive yes. In the game Star Wars: Republic Commando you can already hear the major amount of stress the clones have when they leave behind their brother. These clones also displayed a vastly different character and expressed themselves more as individuals compared to their normal brethren.

I also do believe there is a comic of commando clones where one gets traumatized but I am not 100% sure on that one.

Most of my answer is speculation based on given facts and displays so feel free to correct me and improve my answer with canon sources and quotes. (I'm not even certain republic commando is canon anymore.)

I'm all up for a debate :)

Edit: as Thunderforge stated, Star Wars: Republic Commando is now part of the legends continuity.

Improve this answer
3
  • 3
    You should clarify that Star Wars: Republic Commando is in Legends continuity.
    – Thunderforge
    Commented Sep 10, 2018 at 16:24
  • You know, it's answers like these that really make me question whether the Jedi were good guys
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Sep 10, 2018 at 17:43
  • @AzorAhai reddit.com/r/EmpireDidNothingWrong
    – enderland
    Commented Sep 10, 2018 at 21:35

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.