What Defines a Clone? An In-Depth Examination of Never Let Me Go and Star Wars
Never Let Me Go and Star Wars are two tales that at first seem galaxies apart. One is a mellow, thoughtful novel about nostalgia and a glum future in the United Kingdom, whereas the other is an action-packed saga filled with action, political intrigue, and, of course, war. These two stories, however, both have a heavy emphasis on clones and ask questions of how we as people should and do perceive them.
Firstly, both stories point out the perceived expendability of the clones. In Never Let Me Go, children are cloned from "probables" in order to donate their organs when they become adults. They all are educated by institutions such as Hailsham in order to help them better perform fulfill their roles when they get older, even though they may not realize it. They are in addition trained to view their sacrifice and death as an inevitability and what they are supposed to do, rather than as unfair or as an injustice. They are conflicted by their role, but almost take some sort of pride in donating their organs for their mysterious cause. Star Wars puts forth the same idea. In the prequel trilogy and the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a vast army of clones were created from the bounty hunter Jango Fett. These clone troopers were created to become the army of the Republic in order to fight the Separatist Alliance in the Galactic Civil War. These clones were educated in state-of-the-art facilities on the planet Kamino, where they received training and skills that they would require as soldiers. These clones were also prepared to sacrifice their lives in order to benefit the cause and never complained or protested this depressing arrangement. Both the children in Never Let Me Go and the Clone Army are fully aware that they are viewed as worthless and expendable to their creators and the common people, yet they take great pride in laying down their lives for the ambiguous, unknown cause that is the war effort.
Secondly, both stories emphasize a tight camaraderie between the clones. In Never Let Me Go, the Hailsham students at times have an almost familial bond (this gets complicated when you remember that they've all been having sex with each other...), a bond which holds for decades after they leave Hailsham and live alone, such as when Kathy takes Tommy and Ruth on a trip while they are donating their organs. On this trip, the three of them, and especially Tommy and Kathy, have an incredibly deep connection with each other. They have fierce loyalties to each other and are willing to help each other out no matter how hard it may be. The clone troopers of Star Wars have a similar brotherhood, though in this case, they are all literally brothers too, as they are all genetically identical. Having grown up together, been trained together, and having fought with each other, being able to read each other's thoughts and emotions is second nature. This allows them to be able to fight as a cohesive unit, much better than any human army could while maintaining creativity and adaptability, two problems that plagued the droid armies of the Separatist Alliance. Furthermore, the clones are intensely loyal to each other and protect each other with their lives. This brotherhood is exemplified best in the battle of Kamino, where cadets and veterans alike worked together to drive out the droid invasion and protect their homeworld.
Throughout both stories, there is a clear division between clones and normal people. In both stories, these clones are engineered to die so that their creators could fulfill their ambitions, whether that is extending their lives or winning a war. In both stories, they have been forced to form a close, unyielding brotherhood in order to find purpose. Clearly, despite appearing and acting human, they are still viewed as less than. These two tales force the reader to consider what defines humanity, and who counts and who does not.
Firstly, both stories point out the perceived expendability of the clones. In Never Let Me Go, children are cloned from "probables" in order to donate their organs when they become adults. They all are educated by institutions such as Hailsham in order to help them better perform fulfill their roles when they get older, even though they may not realize it. They are in addition trained to view their sacrifice and death as an inevitability and what they are supposed to do, rather than as unfair or as an injustice. They are conflicted by their role, but almost take some sort of pride in donating their organs for their mysterious cause. Star Wars puts forth the same idea. In the prequel trilogy and the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a vast army of clones were created from the bounty hunter Jango Fett. These clone troopers were created to become the army of the Republic in order to fight the Separatist Alliance in the Galactic Civil War. These clones were educated in state-of-the-art facilities on the planet Kamino, where they received training and skills that they would require as soldiers. These clones were also prepared to sacrifice their lives in order to benefit the cause and never complained or protested this depressing arrangement. Both the children in Never Let Me Go and the Clone Army are fully aware that they are viewed as worthless and expendable to their creators and the common people, yet they take great pride in laying down their lives for the ambiguous, unknown cause that is the war effort.
Secondly, both stories emphasize a tight camaraderie between the clones. In Never Let Me Go, the Hailsham students at times have an almost familial bond (this gets complicated when you remember that they've all been having sex with each other...), a bond which holds for decades after they leave Hailsham and live alone, such as when Kathy takes Tommy and Ruth on a trip while they are donating their organs. On this trip, the three of them, and especially Tommy and Kathy, have an incredibly deep connection with each other. They have fierce loyalties to each other and are willing to help each other out no matter how hard it may be. The clone troopers of Star Wars have a similar brotherhood, though in this case, they are all literally brothers too, as they are all genetically identical. Having grown up together, been trained together, and having fought with each other, being able to read each other's thoughts and emotions is second nature. This allows them to be able to fight as a cohesive unit, much better than any human army could while maintaining creativity and adaptability, two problems that plagued the droid armies of the Separatist Alliance. Furthermore, the clones are intensely loyal to each other and protect each other with their lives. This brotherhood is exemplified best in the battle of Kamino, where cadets and veterans alike worked together to drive out the droid invasion and protect their homeworld.
Throughout both stories, there is a clear division between clones and normal people. In both stories, these clones are engineered to die so that their creators could fulfill their ambitions, whether that is extending their lives or winning a war. In both stories, they have been forced to form a close, unyielding brotherhood in order to find purpose. Clearly, despite appearing and acting human, they are still viewed as less than. These two tales force the reader to consider what defines humanity, and who counts and who does not.
In both Star Wars and Never Let Me Go, the clones are fully aware that they were genetically modelled after someone else; however, only in Star Wars are the clones aware of who they were modelled after –Jango Fett. How does knowing versus not knowing who they were modelled after affect the clone's sense of identity? Which do you think gives the clones a better chance to discover a sense of individuality? Why?
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