Slick

"It's the Jedi who keep my brothers enslaved. We do your bidding. We serve at your whim. I just wanted something more."

- Slick berates the Jedi

Slick was the nickname of a clone trooper sergeant in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. He began to develop a hatred for his Jedi commanding officers, believing that he and his fellow clone brothers were acting as the Jedi's puppets. In 22 BBY, he betrayed the Galactic Republic and began to pass inside information to the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After the Confederacy invaded the planet of Christophsis, Slick accompanied a faction of Republic forces under the command of Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to liberate the planet from the Confederate oppression.

On Christophsis, Slick led his squad on a reconnaissance of a strategical location for an ambush on the Confederate battle droids, and after returning to the Republic base, Slick informed Ventress and the Confederate General Whorm Loathsom of the Republic's plan. The Confederacy was able to ambush the Republic forces, and Kenobi and Skywalker went to search for information in Confederacy-held territory while Clone Captain CC-7567 and Clone Commander CC-2224 stayed to find the possible Republic traitor. In the clones' following interrogation of Slick's men, Slick was revealed to be the Confederate spy, and after he severely damaged the Republic base's weapons depot, CC-7567 and CC-2224 engaged him in a brawl. Slick was apprehended, and when Skywalker and Kenobi returned, the traitorous clone was taken to lock-up.

Clone traitor
Slick was the nickname of a clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Promoted to the rank of Clone Sergeant, Slick was given his own squad of troopers. However, he began to develop a hatred for his Jedi commanding officers; frustrated with the clones' position in the Republic army as the Jedi's "puppets", Slick betrayed the Republic, and in 22 BBY, he began to pass secret Republic information to the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In exchange, Slick received credits, as well as what he personally believed to be freedom.

Ambush on Christophsis
"This is Sergeant Slick reporting to Generals Kenobi and Skywalker. We have a candidate for an ambush site. Gus and Jester are checking it out. Double-towered business center with clear view of a major plaza."

- Slick reports on a strategical ambush site

In 22 BBY, the Confederacy invaded the planet of Christophsis. Slick accompanied a faction of clone troopers under the command of High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker to liberate the planet. After the Republic had set up a base, Slick led his squad to reconnoiter a strategical site from which to ambush the Confederate droid forces. Discovering the North and South towers in Crystal City that overlooked a major plaza, Slick reported back to Skywalker and Kenobi on considering the towers as ambush sites.

As they returned to the Republic base, Slick and his men encountered a squad of B1 battle droids attempting to clear a major boulevard of Christophsians. When the battle droids discovered a crippled Christophsian and discussed killing the man, the clones intervened and eliminated the droids. After returning to the base, Slick secretly transmitted the Republic's plan of attack to Ventress and the Confederate General Whorm Loathsom. The clone traitor continued to send Ventress information every couple of days from a terminal in his squad's barracks.

The Republic forces stationed themselves in the two towers, preparing to ambush the battalion of battle droids approaching in the plaza below. General Kenobi, Clone Commander CC-2224 and Sergeant Slick were based in the South tower, while General Skywalker and Clone Captain CC-7567 were positioned in the parallel North tower. The approaching column of droids suddenly split, and acting on Slick's information, a squad of B1 battle droids ambushed Kenobi and his men in the South tower. Kenobi's forces were overwhelmed, and Skywalker arrived with his men to assist Kenobi. Fighting back the droids, the Republic forces were able to escape from the roof of the tower via clone pilot Hawk's LAAT/i gunship.

Before going back to his barracks, Slick returned his comlink to the base's command center, but left the device on so as to eavesdrop on CC-2224, CC-7567, and the Jedi as they debriefed on their failed plan. Slick learned that the Jedi believed that there was a traitor amongst their men; Skywalker and Kenobi planned to secretly investigate behind enemy lines for information, while CC-7567 and CC-2224 resolved to stay and search for the possible Confederate spy. After the Jedi had left, CC-2224 noticed the activated comlink, and CC-7567 spotted Slick in the hallway. Slick fled, and not recognizing the clone turncoat, the two clone officers gave pursuit. Slick escaped into the mess hall, blending in amongst the other clones; however, this tactic put CC-7567 and CC-2224 on the lead that the traitor was one of the clones themselves. Returning to his barracks, Slick reported the Jedi's mission to Ventress, and the Dark Acolyte planned to confront them at the Confederacy's base.

Turncoat revealed
CC-7567 and CC-2224 went back to the command center to continue their search for information. The two clones used the astromech droid R2-D2 to track an irregular wavelength in external communications&mdash;that Slick had caused from contacting Ventress every several days&mdash;to the terminal in the sergeant's barracks. CC-2224 and CC-7567 decided to interrogate Slick's men, believing that one of them was the traitor. When they arrived at his barracks, Slick insisted on talking with his men first, stating that their morale would be damaged, but CC-7567 and CC-2224 proceeded with the investigations. When Chopper was questioned, the trooper stated he had been in the mess hall after they had returned, but fellow troopers Punch and Sketch claimed that they had not seen him there till much later. Chopper revealed that he had been taking battle droid fingers from the battlefield&mdash;an act forbidden against war protocol&mdash;and had been stringing them together in a necklace. Slick used Chopper's discreditable situation to his own advantage, suggesting that Chopper himself was the spy.

However, while stating to Chopper his right to silence, Slick accidentally revealed that he was aware of the Jedi's secret mission. When CC-2224 noticed this, Slick's cover was blown, and the traitor attacked CC-2224 and Chopper before fleeing. Slick deduced that CC-7567 and CC-2224 would check the gunship landing platform, believing that he was trying to escape. When the two clones arrived at the gunship platform, Slick activated thermal detonators, destroying the gunships and AT-TE walkers on the landing platform as well as the weapons depot. Slick entered the command center and hid in the vents above; when CC-7567 and CC-2224 entered the room and engaged in a ruse to bait Slick out of the vents, the latter took the ammo out of his blaster and left the gun on the table, while the former seemingly left to check the south exit. Slick stole CC-2224's blaster and sneaked up behind the commander, but discovered that the blaster was empty. CC-7567 re-entered the room, and Slick was surrounded.

Exchanging derisive words with CC-7567 and CC-2224, Slick suddenly attacked CC-7567, stealing the captain's blaster and knocking him to the floor. CC-2224 was able to disarm the traitor, but lost his own blaster in the process. As Slick headed for the door, CC-2224 grabbed his legs and brought him down to the ground before engaging Slick in close combat. CC-7567 pulled the traitor off of CC-2224, but Slick was able to knock his adversary to the floor. Dislocating CC-7567's leg, Slick stated that while Ventress had offered him money for his information, she had also offered him freedom. However, CC-2224 punched Slick in the head and rendered the distracted clone traitor unconscious.

As Slick re-awoke, he was taken in handcuffs to the Jedi, who had returned from a duel with Ventress. The clone traitor verbally abused the Jedi by enforcing that he and his clone brothers were acting as their puppets. Slick also stated that he loved his brothers, but CC-2224 intervened, asserting that if Slick had loved his brothers, he would not have put them at risk. The traitor was taken to lock-up while the Jedi devised a plan to continue the fight against the Confederacy with their remaining resources.

Personality and traits
Slick's hair was the generic black of the clone troopers; he shaved it off to a trim halfway up the sides of his head, and he also dyed his eyebrows a dark red.

Slick's name fit him well; he was resourceful, taking advantage of Chopper's visibly discreditable position during interrogations. He was also able to hide his true intentions from the Jedi and his fellow clones, although his treason against the Republic was eventually revealed. Slick knew that after he was revealed to be the traitor, CC-2224 and CC-7567 would deduce that he would try to escape and search the gunship landing platform. He used this to his advantage, planting explosives to delay the clones and sabotage the Republic's weapon supplies. Slick did not escape when CC-7567 and CC-2224 believed he would; rather, he attempted to flee after he realized that he had been outsmarted when the pair were able to bait him out of the command center's vents.

Slick loved in his clone brothers, but possessed a hatred for the Jedi. He believed that the clone troopers were no more than cannon fodder for the Jedi, and because of this, he believed that fighting for the Republic was dishonorable. However, while Slick acted for his clone brothers, he put forth his own pursuits of greater deeds, unaware of the danger that he imposed to his fellow clone troopers. He became a threat to his brothers in selling information to Ventress as well as sabotaging the Republic's supplies; both actions decreased the Republic's chance of defeating the Confederacy and increased the chances of greater losses. Despite this, Slick believed that he was doing the right thing for all clones and that it was worth the sacrifice.

While Slick himself devised a plan to outmatch CC-7567 and CC-2224 that nearly succeeded, the two clones were able to outsmart him by baiting him out of the vents. Slick was capable in close combat, as evidenced by his brawl with CC-2224 and CC-7567. His ruthlessness was portrayed through his violent actions, as he did not hesitate to dislocate CC-7567's leg.

Behind the scenes


The character of Slick was introduced in "The Hidden Enemy," an episode in the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, and Shadowed, an issue of the series' weekly web comic, leading into the episode. Slick was portrayed by voice actor Dee Bradley Baker, who provided the voice for all the clones throughout the series. Slick was noted as being one of the first clone traitors introduced in the series, something considered contradictory of the clones, as they were all seemingly bred to serve the Republic and be identical in beliefs. The episode's director, Steward Lee, and the episode's writer, Drew Greenberg, both note this detraction as "an ominous sign of things to come," for if one clone can break from his brothers, there is no telling how many others would do the same.

Slick was to originally have red hair, but in the final version of the episode, the standard black hair of the clones was used. This helped him blend in with the other clones, rather than stand out from them.

Appearances

 * The Clone Wars: Shadowed

Notes and references
Slick Slick