Commander Wolffe Bio: The Clone Leader With A Big Heart

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Ben is an author and writer with a love for shaping the English language He grew up watching the first six Star Wars films and from the age of 5 has been hooked by the complicated interweaving story arcs initially sculpted by George Lucas. Outside of working hours, you can find him visiting friends, working on his car, or blasting around a karting track. Of course, he also rarely passes a week without watching or playing something Star Wars-related.

Key Details Up Front

Commander Wolffe, otherwise designated as CC-3636, was a clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic. He served during the Clone Wars as the leader of the infamous Wolfpack squad in the 104th Battalion, regularly fighting alongside Jedi General Plo Koon.

Taking on the Separatists with bravery, Wolffe was one of the few clone troopers to eventually be able to remove his inhibitor chip and escape from the Empire. Along with Rex and the commando Gregor, he hid away on Seelos in an abandoned AT-TE. He distrusted the Rebel Spectres at first but eventually understood the importance of their mission and defended them and Rex as they escaped.

Wolffe’s story is ongoing and will undoubtedly be addressed in an upcoming show or film on Disney+. So far, the last thing we know of him is how he helped in the liberation of Lothal, although Gregor perished in the line of duty.

Description

The Malevolence

Like all clone troopers, Wolffe was created on Kamino, bred from the altered DNA of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett.

The first time he and his Wolfpack squad served with Jedi General Plo Koon was to search out and destroy General Grievous’s warship, the Malevolence, in the Abregado system. Unbeknownst to the Republic, the enemy flagship was fitted with a secret weapon, a colossal ion cannon. After firing it at the Triumphant, all systems were rendered useless. Koon and Wolffe quickly ordered all clones into the escape pods and jetted out into the debris field.

Plo Koon and Commander Wolffe ended up in the same pod along with two troopers, Sinker and Boost. Of the entire Wolfpack squad, they were the only three to survive. Battle droids combed the wreckage and executed any surviving clones by cutting their pods open and jettisoning them out into space.

Koon, Wolffe, and the two clones held out against the Separatists as long as they could but were almost overwhelmed. Fortunately for the small group, Anakin and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, turned up just in time to save them. Wolffe and the others had sustained severe injuries related to the pressureless vacuum of space in which they had been forced to fight but recovered soon enough.

Shortly later, Skywalker would lead an attack on the Malevolence, assisted by Plo Koon and a squadron of clone pilots. This destroyed the ion cannon and paved the way for its ultimate destruction.

His new armor markings were a testament to the rest of the Wolfpack whom he lost that fateful day.

Serving with Plo Koon

Commander Wolffe remained with the Jedi General, whom he had become quite fond of. The two worked together on many missions and developed a close, trusting friendship. The Wolfpack squad received an influx of new members, and the clone commander was soon leading them once again.

During the Battle of Khorm, assisting Anakin Skywalker, Wolffe lost the use of his right eye and received significant facial scarring after a duel with Sith Assassin Asajj Ventress. He eventually took to wearing a cybernetic eye instead. Throughout, he continued to lead his troops, despite his devastating injury.

He went almost everywhere with Plo Koon, including rescue missions on Felucia, Saleucami, Kadavo, and Vanqor. It could be said that Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Plo Koon, Eeth Koth, Adi Gallia, and Mace Windu all owe their lives to Commander Wolffe. That’s a total of five Jedi Council members. Impressive!

Wolffe was responsible for the capture of Ahsoka as she ran from the Republic. Like most, he believed she was guilty of murder, although he didn’t blame her. Eventually, he found her in the lower levels of Coruscant and, stunning her, brought her in for questioning. Ahsoka was subsequently abandoned by the Jedi and cast out to the Republic Senate for judgment. Fortunately, Anakin proved her innocence in the last moments of the trial, when it was revealed that Barriss Offee was, in fact, Dooku’s agent.

Just before the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire, Wolffe went with Koon to Oba Diah, where they found the remnants of Jedi Master Sifo Dyas’s shuttle. His lightsaber was found among the wreckage. Although he and the Jedi would come close to figuring Sidious’s dastardly plot culminating in Order 66, it was ultimately too little, too late.

Refugees and Rebels

More than a decade after Order 66 was issued, Wolffe was found on Seelos. With fellow clones Rex and Gregor, he hid in an abandoned AT-TE from the Clone Wars. They led a quiet and peaceful life, staying out of trouble and generally enjoying each other’s company – the brotherhood forged in the war was still there. Unbeknownst to the other two, Wolffe had been deliberately intercepting messages from Ahsoka.

The Spectre crew would soon come across their paths, sent to their location by Ahsoka Tano, a prominent figure organizing resistance to the Empire. They were looking for potential bases in the Outer Rim. Kanan drew his lightsaber when he realized they were speaking with clone troopers. He had always remained untrusting of them (see The Bad Batch Episode 1). Wolffe, in turn, opened fire at him. Fortunately, Rex managed to break the fight up before it escalated further.

Still wary of the Jedi and his Rebel friends, Wolffe called the Empire. In exchange for being left alone, he planned to hand the “enemy”, as he thought of them, over to ICB Agent Kallus. After this betrayal was discovered, Rex discovered it was Wolffe and convinced him that the Imperials were the true enemy. Regretting his decision, Wolffe, Rex, and Gregor prepared to attack the nearing stormtroopers.

The three former soldiers were determined to go down fighting to allow the Ghost crew to escape. However, Ezra Bridger convinced the Spectres to help by hijacking an AT-AT. They then destroyed the other two, forcing Kallus and the Imperials to flee. Wolffe and Gregor opted to remain on Seelos, while Rex left with the Spectres to join the Rebellion. The two clones took the surviving AT-AT as their new home, naming it Joopa Base.

Liberation of Lothal

Lothal was Ezra Bridger‘s homeworld. Wolffe and Gregor were asked by prominent members of the Rebellion to help with its liberation from Imperial control. The two old warriors were more than happy to agree.

Along with the other Rebels, they snuck past the Empire’s blockade and made it to the surface. He, Gregor, and Kallus (who was, in fact, a Rebel after all) helped Ezra capture and secure Governor Arihnda Pryce, the Imperial leader of Lothal.

During the fighting, Wolffe was to stay behind at the Lothal Rebel base. He was to pick up General Syndulla after their (hopefully) successful assault on the Dome. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and it seemed that Admiral Thrawn would win, defeating Ezra and all his friends. Thrawn’s personal bodyguard and assassin, Rukh, attacked him and his fellow guards (Mart Mattin and Cikatro Vizago), leaving Wolffe unconscious.

When he awoke, Mart informed him that Ezra had given him a secret mission. The three boarded the Ghost and flew into Lothal’s upper atmosphere. Here, they sent out a signal on Frequency Zero. The purrgil, space-dwelling whale-like creatures capable of hyperspace travel, could hear this frequency. When the purrgil responded to Ezra’s call, they pulled Ezra, Thrawn, and the Star Destroyer Chimaera into hyperspace, to whereabouts as yet unknown.

While Wolffe was successful in his instrumental part in ridding Lothal of its Imperial presence, his brother and friend, Gregor, sadly perished. Rex was with him in his final moments.

Key Moments

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Rising Malevolence (S1E2) – after surviving the initial blast from the ion cannon, Wolffe, Plo Koon, Sinker, and Boost try to stay alive long enough for Anakin and Ahsoka to save them.
Holocron Heist (S2E1) – Wolffe has new armor and a scar over his right eye. We never see how he gets this in the TV series, but it’s an injury he received from Asajj Ventress. You can look it up in the comics.
R2 Come Home (S2E21) – Wolffe heads to Vanqor with Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano to rescue Anakin and Mace Windu.
Mercy Mission and Nomad Droids (S4E5 and E6) – he leads a relief effort to the planet Aleen. He’s not too thrilled with C-3PO’s constant chattering.
Escape from Kadavo (S4E13) – along with Plo Koon, he liberates the Kadavo enslaved people from the Separatists, who are working through the Zygerrian Queen.
To Catch a Jedi (S5E19) – he tracks Ahsoka through Coruscant and stuns her, bringing her in for questioning.
The Lost One (S6E10) – Wolffe assists Plo Koon as they find Sifo Dyas’s crashed ship and lightsaber. What was going on?

Star Wars: Rebels

The Lost Commanders (S2E3) – the Spectres meet Wolffe, Gregor, and Rex on Seelos, where they live a nomadic life away from all the fighting. Wolffe calls the Empire to their location to give the Rebels up, trying to protect his old squaddie brothers.
Relics of the Old Republic (S2E4) – Rex and Gregor convince him that the Empire are the bad guys. They’re free now. They can’t serve the Imperials. Wolffe comes to his senses, and together the three clones face off against Agent Kallus and three AT-ATs, allowing the Ghost to escape. They would have been destroyed if Ezra hadn’t convinced the Spectres to go back and help. Rex leaves Wolffe and Gregor to join the Rebels.
A Fool’s Hope (S4E14) – Rex brings Gregor and Wolffe back into the fight some years later. They go to Lothal. Since Ezra is now a fully-fledged Jedi, he has their respect, and they’re willing to follow him into battle, capturing Imperial Governor Pryce.
Family Reunion – and Farewell (S4E15) – Wolffe is knocked out by Rukh, Admiral Thrawn’s assassin. When he comes to, he, Mart, and Vizago fly into the upper atmosphere and call the purrgils, carrying out Ezra’s triumphant master plan. The purrgils drag Ezra, Thrawn, and his ship into hyperspace. Sadly, Gregor dies in the battle.

Commander Wolffe’s Key Quotes

With Plo Koon in the escape pod:

From what I hear, Skywalker’s always ready for a fight.

To Anakin Skywalker, after being saved from the Malevolence:

General Plo said someone would come for us. We’re glad he was right.

In the Battle over Felucia:

They made it through the first wave. Concentrate all fire on the cruiser on the left.

About C-3PO and his neverending talking:

As soon as we rendezvous with Master Gallia, we’re off-loading those two.

Informing Ahsoka that she would be taken in under arrest:

Commander, we are taking you in!

When calling the Empire to their location on Seelos:

I wanted to protect you guys – protect our squad.

On Lothal, when assisted by the Loth-wolves, Gregor remarks, “You got your Wolfpack back!”

Yeah, they fight just like the boys.

FAQs

Question: Did Commander Wolffe shoot down Plo Koon?

Answer: Commander Wolffe did not shoot down Plo Koon. Note the lack of scar across the perpetrator’s face in Revenge of the Sith. When Order 66 was issued, Master Plo was engaged in an air battle in Cato Neimoidia. His clone wingmen received the mandate from Palpatine and shot his starfighter from the sky. The impact killed him.
The leader of the clone pilots was Captain Jag (CT-55/11-9009), Plo Koon’s wingman. Jag isn’t introduced anywhere in Star Wars (yet) other than in Revenge of the Sith for a brief moment when Order 66 is issued.

Question: How did Commander Wolffe get his scar?

Answer: Commander Wolffe has a scar over his right eye. You can read about the incident itself in the comics, but it’s never shown directly in Clone Wars or Rebels. During the Battle of Khorm, Asajj Ventress struck him, giving him the injury. At first, Wolffe displayed it with something between indifference and pride as a battle scar but eventually wore a cybernetic eye. The scars never went away.

Question: How old was Commander Wolffe in Rebels?

Answer: When the Ghost crew finds Wolffe, Rex, and Gregor in Rebels, they are all technically in their late twenties or early thirties. Remember, the Kaminoans used growth acceleration to quickly produce the clones, so their biological ages were more like 60 or 70.
The issue of clones dying of old age hasn’t yet been addressed in Star Wars, but it’s quite a complex emotional situation. Here, you have millions of individuals bred for war. When that war finishes, what do they do? How do they cope? Society asks similar questions of some battle-hardened soldiers today.

Conclusion

Like all the clone troopers, Wolffe’s story is one of brotherhood. His main concern is the men he’s fighting with, those under his command. He also has a solid bond with Jedi General Plo Koon.

Everything Wolffe does is about protecting his brothers – even calling Kallus to give away the Rebels’ location. Even though he realizes his mistake at this time, he’s willing to fight and die alongside Rex and Gregor to protect the crew of the Ghost. Although, yes, he makes a mistake, I find that there’s something admirable about him nevertheless.

There’s a lot we don’t yet know about Commander Wolffe. How did he remove his inhibitor chip? And when? What happened during Order 66?

These questions will no doubt be answered in good time. In the meantime, Wolffe is a fan favorite. He’s the caring clone who would do anything to protect his brothers. Perhaps we should be more like him in this way.

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