91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps

The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps, known simply as the 91st Reconnaissance Corps or the 91st Recon Corps, was a clone trooper corps in the Grand Army of the Republic that specialized in reconnaissance. It contained Lightning Squadron, a renowned scout squadron of Advanced Recon Force troopers, and fell under the leadership of Clone Marshal Commander Neyo, Jedi General Adi Gallia, and eventually Jedi General Stass Allie during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Having joined Oppo Rancisis' multi-unit task force on the Outer Rim Territories planet Saleucami towards the end of the war, the 91st Reconnaissance Corps participated in the Siege of Saleucami, helping secure the planet for the Republic. Following the end of the battle and the activation of contingency Order 66 by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the 91st Reconnaissance Corps' clone troopers turned on Jedi Master Stass Allie, killing her with BARC speeders during a patrol. After the rise of the Galactic Empire, the 91st Recon Corps continued to serve under the new Imperial regime, in the newly formed Imperial Army.

Description[]

Structure[]

Republic command[]

Stak helmet — Lightning Squadron (member pictured) was part of the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps.

The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps,^[13] referred to simply as the 91st Reconnaissance Corps and the 91st Recon Corps,^[5] was a reconnaissance corps of clone troopers within one of the Grand Army of the Republic's twenty Sector Armies. The corps was made up of four legions, totaling 36,864 clone troopers,^[4] counting a number of Biker Advanced Recon Commandos,^[6] plus support personnel,^[4] including the DUM-series pit droid WAC-47 prior to his transfer to D-Squad.^[7]

The 91st Recon Corps fell under the leadership of Clone Marshal Commander Neyo,^[2] Jedi General Adi Gallia^[3] prior to her death,^[14] and eventually Jedi General Stass Allie after the fall of Saleucami.^[2] While stationed on the Outer Rim Territories planet Saleucami, the 91st Recon Corps fell under the command of Jedi General Oppo Rancisis as part of his multi-unit task force, alongside the 327th Star Corps.^[1]

The 91st Recon Corps also contained Lightning Squadron, an elite scout squadron containing ten Advanced Recon Force troopers,^[5] including troopers Stak and Razor,^[15] assigned to carry out special reconnaissance missions using All Terrain Recon Transports. The squadron was led by a clone trooper lieutenant and two clone trooper sergeants.^[5]

Imperial rule[]

Under the Galactic Empire's rule, the 91st Recon Corps continued to serve as a military reconnaissance force under the new Imperial Army, retaining most of its organizational structure.^[5] Clone Commander Neyo continued to serve as the unit's commanding officer.^[16]

Equipment and vehicles[]

NeyoHS-SWE — The 91st Recon Corps' clone troopers were distinguished by the red sigils adorning their armor.

The 91st Recon Corps' clone troopers wore standard Phase II clone trooper armor with its left shoulderplate painted maroon, while the rest of the armor was adorned with four, circular red sigils,^[12] which identified the unit's troopers as members of the 91st. The corps' Biker Advanced Recon Commandos wore specialized helmets with narrow visors, similar to the helmets worn by clone assassins. Additionally, the 91st's BARC troopers wore ARC command sashes identifying them as Advanced Recon Commandos^[17] and were sometimes equipped with maroon macrobinoculars.^[18] Clone troopers in the unit also wielded DC-15S blaster carbines, DC-15A blaster rifles, and DC-17 hand blasters in combat.^[2]

The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps utilized various ground vehicles for reconnaissance, including All Terrain Recon Transport^[9] and All Terrain Attack Pod walkers adorned with 91st sigils.^[8] The corps' BARC troopers often piloted BARC speeders.^[19]

History[]

Origins[]

The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps was a military corps of clone troopers active during the Clone Wars, an inter-galactic war between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Following the completion of Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commando Alpha-17's ARC training program on the waterworld Kamino, clone trooper Neyo was promoted to the officer rank of clone marshal commander and given command of the 91st Reconnaissance Corps.^[2] The 91st eventually began serving under Jedi General Adi Gallia as well.^[12]

Ambush near Patitite Pattuna[]

"They've hit the main reactor. Prepare to evacuate."

―Adi Gallia ordering the 91st Reconnaissance Corps to evacuate her flagship.^[12]

In 21 BBY, Adi Gallia and the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps began to return to Republic space aboard Adi Gallia's flagship, a Venator-class Star Destroyer,^[20] after having assisted with relief efforts on the Mid Rim planet Aleen.^[10]

91stBattle-ND — The 91st Recon Corps engages General Grievous and his forces aboard Adi Gallia's flagship.

During the trip, the 91st's Star Destroyer was ambushed near the Mid Rim world Patitite Pattuna by General Grievous and a Confederate Navy flotilla of two Munificent-class star frigates and one Providence-class carrier/destroyer. A battle quickly broke out between the warships, with the Confederacy managing to damage the Republic cruiser's main reactor with turbolaser fire, forcing Adi Gallia to order her troopers to evacuate. While evacuation efforts were underway, with 91st personnel evacuating aboard space gunships, General Grievous boarded Adi Gallia's Jedi cruiser and engaged her in a lightsaber duel in one of the cruiser's corridors, while six 91st clone troopers fended off against B1-Series battle droids who were flanking the droid general. Four of the 91st's clone troopers were killed by blaster fire and Adi Gallia was eventually captured by General Grievous, who brought her aboard his dreadnought as a prisoner. A while later, Adi Gallia was rescued by Jedi Master Plo Koon and his Wolfpack.^[12]

A year later, in 20 BBY,^[21] the 91st's Tholothian general died during a skirmish with the Dathomirian Nightbrother and Sith Lord Savage Opress on the Outer Rim Territories planet Florrum.^[14]

WAC-47 and the D-Squad[]

"WAC-47, reporting for duty!"

―WAC-47^[11]

WAC47-SWE — WAC-47 was drafted by Colonel Meebur Gascon from the 91st Reconnaissance Corps to join D-Squad.

In the same year as Adi Gallia's death,^[22] the 91st Recon Corps' DUM-series pit droid WAC-47,^[7] a pilot droid assigned to Neyo, was drafted by Colonel Meebur Gascon to join D-Squad, a special missions squad of droids. The squad was brought together to steal a Separatist encryption module in order to decode a transmission from General Grievous that Republic Intelligence was unable to decipher. Clone Commander Neyo brought the pit droid to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for a meeting discussing the mission, but both arrived late as WAC-47 confused the Jedi Temple communication center for the Jedi storeroom. The pair were then briefed for the mission and WAC-47 was sent to meet with Doctor Gubacher, before being sent by Colonel Gascon to prepare the mission's shuttle.^[11]

Later, Commander Neyo participated in the Republic strategy conference aboard the Valor space station. While waiting for the Venator-class Star Destroyer Renown to arrive to the meeting, the ship blew up and debris began to ravage the station, as the Valor had been turned into a bomb by the Separatists, using large amounts of Rhydonium from the planet Abafar. The attack was created as a plot to destroy the space station and to kill the high ranking military officials that were attending the conference. Due to the efforts of D-Squad and the R2-series astromech droid R2-D2's preemptive detonation of the Rhydonium aboard the ship, the station and the 91st Recon Corps' commanding officer were saved from the Separatist assassination attempt.^[23]

End of the war[]

In 20 BBY,^[24] during the Outer Rim Sieges—which the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps fought numerous battles in,^[19] the Galactic Republic conducted a siege of the Separatist-controlled planet Saleucami, with Jedi General Oppo Rancisis conducting the operation. The 91st Reconnaissance Corps, alongside the 327th Star Corps and Commander Faie's forces, participated in the siege under the command of General Rancisis, as one of the units in his multi-unit task force. Having fought Separatist battle droids and the cloned Morgukai Shadow Army, the 91st and the rest of the task force were successful and the planet was eventually won by the Galactic Republic.^[1]

StassAllieDeath — Neyo and CT-3423 prepare to execute Stass Allie following the activation of Order 66.

Following the battles end, the 91st Recon Corps was assigned to Jedi General Stass Allie's command and ordered to patrol the planet's surface for any remaining Separatist holdouts and escaped Morgukai warriors. During one of these patrols in 19 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declared the Jedi Order enemies of the Republic and executed contingency Order 66, ordering the Republic's clone troopers to execute their Jedi leaders. Neyo and CT-3423,^[6] under the influence of the inhibitor chips implanted in them at birth by the Kaminoans,^[25] fired their BARC speeders at Stass Allie, destroying her speeder bike and killing her in the process.^[6]

Following Stass Allie's death, and the end of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire^[6] and the Republic Grand Army's forces were distributed amongst the newly formed Imperial Army and the Stormtrooper Corps. The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps was assigned to the Imperial Army branch of the Imperial Military^[5] and continued to serve under the command of Marshal Commander Neyo.^[16]

Behind the scenes[]

The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps first appeared, albeit unnamed, in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, a 2005 film written and directed by George Lucas.^[6] The corps was identified as the 91st Reconnaissance Corps in "Order 66: Destroy All Jedi", a 2006 reference article written by Daniel Wallace for the eighty-seventh issue of Star Wars Insider.^[16] The corps later received its full identification as the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps in the Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide, a 2014 reference book also written by Daniel Wallace.^[13]