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Project Necromancer

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"There are many, even within our own ranks, who would consider much of your work an abomination. But they lack the vision that we possess."
―Emperor Palpatine to Dr. Royce Hemlock[1]

Project Necromancer was a secret biological clone research program by the Galactic Empire to accomplish the enrichment of an individual's blood with midi-chlorians, identified as the individual's M-count. The project involved an M-count transfer while keeping the subject's DNA intact, thereby creating a successful M-count replication.

During the early Imperial Era, the research project was spearheaded by Chief Scientist Doctor Royce Hemlock of the Advanced Science Division in the secret base in Mount Tantiss on the planet Wayland. Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine considered Project Necromancer to be of great importance to the longevity of the Empire. Tests were performed on retired clone troopers and Force-sensitive subjects were used as part of the search for midi-chlorian rich blood donors. However, the project was canceled due to an incident caused by the rogue Clone Force 99, and its funds and remaining assets were redistributed by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin to Project Stardust instead.

Later, following the Empire's collapse, its remnants resumed work on the project, with Commandant Brendol Hux of the Shadow Council leading Project Necromancer during Grand Admiral Thrawn's return to the galaxy.

Description[]

"As you know, M-count cannot be directly replicated from the source. However, Nala Se found another way which is why she aided in Omega's escape. The young clone's blood is the only binder that's proven to be compatible with their DNA to recreate their M-count levels."
―Royce Hemlock, explaining Omega's significance to Project Necromancer[5]
Blood collection room weyland

Experiments were performed on replicating a source's M-count.

Project Necromancer was a major biological research[6] and cloning[7] program conducted by the Imperial Advanced Science Division.[6] Its main goal was to achieve the enrichment of an individual's blood with midi-chlorians[5] amid the cloning process.[7] Those midi-chlorians were sourced from an M-count rich source while retaining the subject's DNA intact. To get around the difficulties of directly replicating a source's M-count, a transfer binder was used instead.[5]

History[]

Imperial Era[]

"My work will never belong to you or the Empire. It will always be Kaminoan."
―Nala Se[7]

Through the cloning program used in the Republic Era, Project Necromancer was a major asset during the age of the Galactic Empire. Approved by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine, the secret clone project was spearheaded by Chief Scientist Doctor Royce Hemlock of the Advanced Science Division in their secret base in Mount Tantiss on Wayland. Emperor Palpatine considered Project Necromancer to be of great importance to the future of the Empire and gave Hemlock whatever was needed to accomplish its goal.[1] Kaminoan Chief Medical Scientist Doctor Nala Se was taken from Kamino following the destruction of Tipoca City[8] to use her skill in service to the Empire by Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart at the order of Palpatine's protege Governor Wilhuff Tarkin. To ensure her cooperation, Hemlock captured her medical assistant Omega to use as leverage against her.[9]

Over the course of a quarter of a year, Hemlock took blood samples from clone prisoners like he did at his first laboratory on Setron, including Omega, to test their viability to transfer midi-chlorians from their original hosts. Nala Se was secretly aware that Omega's blood would help enhance Project Necromancer and surreptitiously destroyed her samples to keep Hemlock from finding out.[10] Eventually, when Emperor Palpatine came for a surprise visit to Tantiss Base to see the progress Hemlock made on Project Necromancer, Hemlock's assistant Doctor Emerie Karr was assigned to test Omega's sample in Se's place. Knowing Omega would be in danger, Se urged her to escape. She also tried to tell Omega about Project Necromancer but was called away by Hemlock before she could disclose it.[1]

While Omega helped break Crosshair out of prison, Hemlock and Se showed Palpatine a series of specimen tanks in the vault. With Hemlock's assurances they would have a successful M-count replication with more time and additional resources, Palpatine promised his support for Project Necromancer. As he was being escorted back to his shuttle, Palpatine stressed the importance of keeping Tantiss Base secret and secure for fear that many of his enemies and those in the levels of the Empire would consider much of Hemlock's work an abomination. He then gave Hemlock assurance that his work on Necromancer would elevate him to the coveted position of scientific minister of the Imperial Science Bureau.[1]

As soon as Palpatine's shuttle departed, Hemlock learnt about Omega and Crosshair's escape and sent a squadron of V-wings to pursue their hijacked Rho-class shuttle as well as imprisoned Se for aiding in their escape. By then, Omega's blood sample tested positive for a M-count transfer with no degradation from the specimen, which Karr informed Hemlock of, forcing him to call off the squadron, allowing the two clones to jump into hyperspace. Now knowing of Omega's importance to his work, Hemlock made it his mission to recapture her.[1]

Hemlock tracked the escaped shuttle to Lau, only to learn that the clones had stolen a cargo ship. Hemlock ordered the ship tracked, which was futile, as the clones abandoned it after reuniting with Clone Force 99, and made Omega's recapture a high priority to all his clone operatives.[11]

CX-2 fortuitously found Omega with the Clone Underground on Teth while on a mission to assassinate CX-1. After reporting this development to Commander Scorch, who sent a division led by Commander Wolffe to assist him, CX-2 attempted to capture Omega but ultimately was unsuccessful, as Clone Force 99 and the leaders of the Underground managed to escape Teth.[12][13]

As a result of Se's recapture, progress in the lab stalled. Not trusting the Kaminoan anymore and seeing her ambition, Hemlock reluctantly promoted Karr to Se's former position and gave her access to the vault and showed her a chamber where he was keeping three Force-sensitive children captured by certain class one bounty hunters to use for blood sampling. As a result, Karr became increasingly disillusioned with the Empire after witnessing the cruel treatment her colleagues imposed on the children.[5]

Meanwhile, Governor Tarkin contacted Hemlock via hologram to inform him that questions had been raised regarding the financial impact Tantiss Base was having on Imperial resources and that the doctor had diverted additional funding. Hemlock informed Tarkin the additional funding was for Project Necromancer which was classified was of personal interest to the Emperor and declined his offer of personal assistance after asking the Governor for the reason of this summons. Tarkin signed off after warning Hemlock that if Project Necromancer failed to yield Emperor Palpatine's proper results, it would not be a good omen for the Imperial cloning program and himself. Faced with the growing implications for his career, Hemlock contacted CX-2, who had acquired information from Ciddarin Scaleback about a pirate Omega was associated with, and warned him not to return without Omega.[5]

Later on, CX-2 recaptured Omega after invading Pabu with the Advanced Science Division to force her surrender.[14] Omega was subsequently returned to Tantiss, where Karr had her blood re-tested. Upon its confirmation, Hemlock transferred Omega to the room of the vault where the children were.[15]

Project Necromancer was later threatened as Omega and the children managed to escape from their room in the vault through a weak point in the walls, releasing Tantiss' captive Zillo Beast in the process. Around the same time, Clone Force 99 arrived at Tantiss to rescue Omega. While Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair were forced to approach Tantiss Base on foot, Echo managed to infiltrate the facility disguised as a stormtrooper and made contact with Karr, who offered to help him rescue Omega and the children. When the pair eventually find the children, Karr helped transport them offworld while Echo and Omega remained to rescue their squad, who were captured by Hemlock's clone operatives. In the process, they freed all the other clone prisoners, including Se and Rampart. The clones then infiltrated Tantiss Base's training room only to fall into a trap set by Hemlock, resulting in multiple clones being killed by his operatives.[16]

At the same time, Se made her way to the lab to destroy the databanks and the collected blood samples, only to be confronted by Rampart, who forced her at blasterpoint to tell him everything about Project Necromancer and downloaded its data onto a datapad with the intent to use it to get his career back after Hemlock told him how vital it was and fatally shot Se, only for her drop a thermal detonator, killing Rampart and accomplishing her desire to free Omega.[16]

Commander Scorch then reported the incident to Hemlock, who dismissed the loss as inconsequential after recapturing Omega again. However, Omega managed to release Wrecker's restraints, forcing Hemlock to cuff her to himself and flee. Hunter and Crosshair thwarted his escape by shooting down the CX Dagger vessel and killing Scorch, forcing Hemlock to threaten to sacrifice themselves, knowing the clones wouldn't risk hurting her. However, Omega stabbed in the leg with a hidden tool, allowing Crosshair to shoot the binders before he and Hunter fatally shot Hemlock multiple times and sent his corpse off the platform.[16]

The surviving clones fled the planet, jumping to hyperspace before Tarkin's fleet arrived. Upon completing an assessment, Captain Bragg informed Tarkin of the heavy damage in various wings of Tantiss Base due to the escape of the Zillo Beast, the demise of Hemlock and several other troopers from the Advanced Science Division as well as the destruction of the databanks upon being asked by the Governor if any of his research was salvageable. Deciding that Hemlock's failings had cost them enough, he ordered Bragg to shutter Tantiss Base indefinitely and redistribute all funds and remaining assets to his rival Commander Orson Callan Krennic's Project Stardust.[16]

New Republic Era[]

"Grand Admiral Thrawn's return will herald in the reemergence of our military, and provide Commandant Hux enough time to deliver on Project Necromancer."
―Captain Pellaeon[2]

During the time of the New Republic, the remnants of the Empire resumed the unfinished work on the defunct Project Necromancer. Captain Gilad Pellaeon spoke of Project Necromancer being delivered as well as the herald of the reemergence of the Imperial Military upon the return of his superior Grand Admiral Thrawn in a meeting with the Shadow Council. Commandant Brendol Hux was leading Project Necromancer in place of Hemlock and discussed how its old aim of cloning will introduce new leadership to the Imperial remnants.[2]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Shadows of Tantiss"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Star Wars: The Mandalorian — "Chapter 23: The Spies"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Per the reasoning here, Season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch takes place around 18 BBY. The tally marks made by Omega in The Bad Batch Season 3's first episode, "Confined," indicate the episode must take place at least twenty-one standard days following her capture as depicted in the Season 2 episode "Plan 99." According to StarWars.com "Confined" Trivia Guide | Star Wars The Bad Batch on StarWars.com (backup link), Omega spends about 164 further days in captivity by the end of "Confined." As such, the events of Season 3 must begin around 18 BBY.
  4. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" of The Mandalorian Season One to 9 ABY. In addition, "A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 228 also dates "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" to nine years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which corresponds to 9 ABY per Timelines. "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" takes place after the conflict on Mandalore, which is the main event depicted in "Chapter 23: The Spies" and "Chapter 24: The Return," the final two episodes of The Mandalorian Season Three. Therefore, Seasons One through Three of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, the latter of which includes "Chapter 23: The Spies," must all be set in 9 ABY as well.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Identity Crisis"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Shadows of Tantiss"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "The Cavalry Has Arrived"
  8. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Kamino Lost"
  9. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Plan 99"
  10. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Confined"
  11. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "A Different Approach"
  12. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Infiltration"
  13. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Extraction"
  14. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Point of No Return"
  15. ↑ Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Juggernaut"
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "The Cavalry Has Arrived"
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