PT What was the average lifespan of a clone trooper?

We know that by the time of the original trilogy, most of the clone troopers were dead or no longer in service. How long was the average clone trooper's lifespan? I've heard numbers thrown around like they aged twice as fast as humans. Is that true? Have we been told yet by any canon sources?

 

From a couple of post-Legends Announcement interviews:

 

I think there was data on the "aging rate" in the EU (suggestive of considerable variance - with "twice as fast as normal" being only the average) - but I doubt they'll say much about it in the canon.

 

Taking a look at old EU....

How old was Boba when we last saw him? Cut that in half

 

Id say they live to be between 30 and 40 years old. Hopefully Rebels covers what happened to the clones left after we see them last, not for any stupid canon reasons, but for fans of the clones. For fans of the Clone characters from TCW, it would be nice to see where they are in their lives. Its about 16 years between TCW and Rebels so the clones would be about 36 (72) years old during Rebels. Question is what clones are left beside Cody and Rex?

 

First we must take anything the old EU said with a grain of salt. In AOTC it is stated they had growth acceleration, not age acceleration. That means they merely grow up faster but age like normal humans so they probably only live 10 to 15 years shorter than normal humans. Also in AOTC there are several generations of clones in production. The half grown clones we see would not be battle age until 3 years after ROTS. The baby clones still in jars would not reach battle age untill 7 years after ROTS. Plus there is nothing in the films to indicate clone prduction has stopped, knowing the Empire they would crank it up. Their is a 1978 Lucas Film article that states OT stormtroopers are clones, recruits is only a early EU deviation. Back during the filming of the PT, Hidalgo asked Lucas if stormtroopers are clones, and Lucas told him yes.

 

But those two "Rebels interviews" are "new canon" - so, clones age twice as fast as humans, and were (mostly) replaced by recruits, in the new canonverse.

 

They're senile grandpas by the time of ANH, which probably accounts for their marksmanship skillz

 

I say nothing's final until it happens in universe.
I do think that "Now, we can do it in half the time" is a good indicator, though.

...and I just realized that the line "We are still flying half a ship" is said just as matter-of-factly. Nice mirrorring

 

This is what I was afraid of Disney would do, use spin off material to change and retcon the films from the outside into what they want them to be instead of editing them outright. The 6 original films still trumps Hidalgo, Filoni, JJ, and who ever else Disney hires. The films still say nothing about them aging twice as fast, they also say nothing about clone production stopping, and they say nothing about using recruits. Stormtroopers being recruits was a old mistake the early legands EU made way back in the 70s. Filnoi who always shoehorn in EU stuff in TCW all the time, even when it contradicts the films. He is a huge EU fan and when the EU said Stormtroopers become recruits, that is what he wanted to happen regardless that it contradicts the films. This is only one of many times of where Filoni's canon contradicts what is presented by the live action films. Both TCW and Rebels contradict with the films over many things. If he doesn't want clones in his Rebels series, fine, but he should not be trying to override the films.

Unless the Empire is still producing clones which is likely. The films never showed, state, or even remotely imply cloning has stopped. I never will get why so many fans have this bizarre obsession that stormtroopers must be recruits and cloning must have stopped. The films really really imply Stormtroopers are still clones.

Again it merely implies they grow up twice as fast, hence they can be produced twice as fast. Nothing about aging twice as fast, again that is a idea from the old legands EU that is being carried over by FIloni in his version of canon, which doesn't mesh with the films.

 

To each their own, but I don't see how Filoni's ideas actually contradict the movies, to be honest. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing in the movies to suggest that the growth acceleration somehow slows down once the clones reach a certain age. Aging is growth, let's not forget that.

 

Take a look at "20-year old equivalent clone" in AOTC.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Clone_trooper

At the age of ten, adult clones physically resembled Jango Fett in his early twenties.

Then take a look at Cody, 3 years after AOTC:

Looks like a lot more than 3 years of aging to me.

 

I don't see the difference other than a thin band of grey. However Cody could easily just be battle ravaged as the Clone wars had intense battles that would take tolls on anyone. Even Obi-Wan looked alot older in ROTS than in AOTC despite only 3 years passing, and he is a normal born human. Unless Filoni decides to change that in a spinoff series or something. I know Cody had a little band of grey in ROTS like Obi-Wan does, it could be from stress or genetics. My mother's hair turned grey in her early 30s, yet she is in better shape and more active than most 60 year olds. Many presidents also go grey being in office because of stress. So early grey hair alone is not a sign of rapid aging, it can be a sign of bad stress though or simply a fluke. I have a feeling the clone Wars were very stressful times. Lastly the grey band may have been added to help differentiate Cody with his helmit off from other clones for the audience, just like Vader flying a different model Tie fighter in ANH, and not intended as a sign of rapid aging. The other clones in ROTS don't appear to be aging quickly from AOTC, perhaps some battle scars but Cody's men do not apper to be aging any faster.

 

They're also played by different actors, to represent the aging.

 

Growth refers to a positive change in size, often over a period of time. Aging is declining negatitve change. If the films wanted the clones to age faster, they would have stated age acceleration instead of growth acceleration. Logically it doesn't make sense to create troops that age twice as fast, however it makes perfect sense to create troops that mature twice as fast but age at a normal rate. You arre wrong, aging and groth are not the same, when something stops growing, it begins to age, they are related but still different, don't be confused by that. Most higher lifeforms are programed to age (self distruct) at a certain rate after reaching adulthood. It is likely the clonners know how to program both growth and aging rates. If they can program one, they can probably program the other.

 

But we don't know if they are 10 year old, battle age clones or still cooking 7-9 year old clones. They are a digital mix of both actors in the same scene.

 

Maybe cloning is still a "work in progress' - which is why it's Kamino, a world out beyond the Republic's borders, that's practicing it.

If their methods are still crude, they may be saddled with "everything progresses at double-speed" for clones.

 

I still don't see any age difference between the two pictures aside from Cody being the only clone with a little grey. As Dex said, Kamino are damn good cloners. They would not have such a good rep if their products didn't last very long.

 

When you mature, when you grow, you age.
Look, we can discuss this until the shaaks come home, but there's still no evidence either way - in the movies. All we have to go on are official quotes and at the moment, they state that the clones age twice as fast as non-clones.

 

Temuera Morrison was born in 1960. Bodie Taylor was born in 1976. That's a 16 year age difference. It shows.

 

Again that may be growth acceleration as the Bodie Taylor are clones that are still growing and not proof age acceleration. As I said, if the films wanted the clones to age faster they wopuld have said age acceleration. They stated growth acceleration for a reason.

Lulu, age does have many meanings, like progress through a lifecycle. However growth is a period of expanding and positive change, aging is negative change, decline, decay. Most lifeforms are programed to grow until a certain point, then begin to age. Growth is Ontogeny, the origination and development of an organism, usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to the organism's mature form. While aging is senescere, the gradual deterioration of function characteristic of most complex lifeforms, arguably found in all biological kingdoms, that on the level of the organism increases mortality after maturation. Also biological aging and chronological aging are quite distinct concepts. Lastly different parts of a lifeform can age at different rates as well. UV exposure can age skin quicker, which may explain why Obi-Wan looks alot more than 20 years older in ANH from ROTS. All we have is the word of the people who say all stormtroopers are recruits despite seeing clone stormtroopers in the OT such as Mr headbumper. Fact is the spin off stuff both legand and saga have never fully meshed 100%.

 

Bodie Taylor was in his mid to late 20s when he played those clones.

 

The real world age of an actor doesn't mean the character or characters he or she is playing are necessarily the same age. Sebastian Shaw was in his 80s when he played Anakin in ROTJ, yet the character of Vader/Anakin was not in his 80s in ROTJ. You are missing the point of what AOTC says about growth acceleration, it is simply they reach maturity more quickly.