| “ | Lama Su: These Jedi are a curious cult. Nala Se: Too spiritual for my taste. I will terminate the clone immediately. |
„ |
| ~ Nala Se reporting the clone incident to Lama Su. |
| “ | Nala Se: By removing your chip, you are a threat. Master Jedi, we must terminate this trooper immediately. Fives: I am not a piece of hardware! I'm a living being. Nala Se: You were created in our laboratories. You are Kaminoan property! |
„ |
| ~ Nala telling Fives must be terminated, while asserting that the Clone Troopers are only the property of the Kaminoans. |
| “ | My work will never belong to you, or the Empire. It will always be Kaminoan. | „ |
| ~ Nala Se’s last words. |
Nala Se is a major antagonist in both the 2008-2020 animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its 2021 spin-off/sequel Disney+ animated streaming series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
She was a Kaminoan lead geneticist on Kamino during the Clone Wars. She played a key role in engineering the Grand Army of the Republic and worked to protect the army’s secrets.
She was voiced by Gwendoline Yeo, who also played Yuma Lau in Far Cry 4.
Personality[]
To most Kaminoans, the Republic's clone troopers were little more than a successful product. But Nala Se was different; she cares deeply about each one, seeking to heal those injured in battle and staying with them even when her own life is threatened by a Separatist assault. She cared for clones injured on the battlefield, supervising their rehabilitation even when Separatist attacks threatened her own life as well as the lives of soldiers. She was highly intelligent and well-versed in the science of cloning.
However, Nala Se had a ruthless side as well, favoring scientific results against spiritual beliefs. She insisted to Jedi General Shaak Ti that the clones were Kaminoan property and were to be disposed of as their creators saw fit. Nala Se knew of the bio-chips implanted in the clones to ensure that they obeyed protocols such as Order 66. Obeying the orders of Lord Tyranus, she sought to keep these implants secret from the Jedi. Nevertheless, Nala Se also showed a strong attachment to her assistant, Omega, who Nala's affection for led her to trying keep Omega safe through all means, including purposefully sabotaging the efforts of CT-9904 to subdue the child.
Nala Se showed concern for Omega's welfare and safety, so much that she would go against Lama Su's orders to ensure that Omega would be protected. She hired the bounty hunter Fennec Shand to retrieve Omega and return her safely, but when Lama Su declared that he wanted her to terminate the young clone, Nala Se called off Shand, believing Omega would be safe as long as Lama Su did not have her and agreed to pay the bounty hunter. Nala's care for Omega caused her to apply ruthless means to keep her out of her superior's clutches, even if it meant ordering the demises of her colleagues. In the end, though she was reluctant to work for the Empire, when Omega was threatened, Nala gave in, proving again how she cared about Omega.
Despite her indifferent stance on the sanctity of clone life, her attachment to Omega eventually made her grow appreciation for the clones beyond simple pride of scientific accomplishment; Nala Se was inspired as Omega's relationships within Clone Force 99 enabled them to achieve more than what should be possible. While originally unaffected by discarding clone lives in the thousands, she was ultimately selfless, willing to risk her own life to protect the future of natural and cloned life alike.
When cornered by former Vice Admiral Rampart, Nala Se refused to be intimidated, knowing that the lab data he demanded would enable the Empire to strengthen its grip on the galaxy; thereby she accepted her own death as it enabled her to destroy the data of Project Necromancer, thus showing her pragmatism eventually applied to herself, but also she was capable of noble actions - from her original continuation of forsaking her own safety for Omega, and ultimately her life for the galaxy. Part of her motivation was also due to anger about her people's work being stolen and twisted; so, selflessness, pragmatism, and sense of justice allowed Nala Se to die without fear.
Biography[]
Kaliida Shoals[]
Early in the war, Nala Se supervised clone rehabilitation at the Kaliida Shoals medical center where the Kaminoan and her staff were treating more than 60,000 wounded clones. The medical station, located near Naboo, took in injured clone troops injured in battle across the Outer Rim. Clones were little more than numbers in budget statements to most of the Kaminoan cloners, but Nala Se was different. She seemed to mourn each soldier in battle and wanted to heal them the best she could.
Nala Se communicates with Admiral Yularen and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Nala Se later learned that her facility had become a target for the Malevolence, a Separatist warship commanded by General Grievous. Nala Se received a message from Admiral Yularen via holoscreen warning her that the medical center was in grave danger and had to be evacuated. She stated she could not evacuate all the injured clones being healed by thick fluid within bacta tanks and was concerned that it would be impossible to move all the wounded in time before Grievous' predicted attack. The Kaliida Shoals station was saved by Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi thwarting Grievous plans and Nala Se thanked Anakin for his service.
Ord Cestus Medical Station[]
After the attempted destruction of the Kaliida Shoals facility, Nala Se was transferred to the Ord Cestus medical station. Later, a medical frigate ship was charged with delivering medical supplies to the station, but became infected with Geonosian brain worms. Ahsoka Tano contacted Kit Fisto, who was at the station, about the incident, warning him the facility could be contaminated. Ahsoka managed to save Nala Se's station by killing all the brain worms aboard the frigate.
Conspiring Against the Jedi[]
Nala Se escorting Tup with Rex and Fives.
Towards the end of the Clone Wars, a battle took place in the Ringo Vinda system where clone trooper Tup fatally shot the Jedi Knight Tiplar for no apparent reason. The results were a malfunction of some kind and the clone was taken to Kamino where Nala Se, the chief medical scientist, would discover the cause through evaluation. Nala Se received Tup and directed him to a separate chamber for examination. Nala Se administered a hyper test on Tup, who began to act violently, but the test did show results showing no signs of infection.
As Tup's examination continued, Nala Se disagreed with Jedi Knight Shaak Ti, who believed his condition was psychological while the Kaminoan thought it to be a viral infection. Nala Se declared Tup should be terminated to examine his cadaver for answers, which appalled Shaak Ti, claiming the clones were the responsibility of the Jedi Order.
Lama Su and Nala Se report to Lord Tyranus.
Nala Se coldly countered that their genetic makeup was the property of Kamino, but told her she would bring the matter to her superior, Prime Minister Lama Su. Secretly, she recognized the clone's actions and aggressive behavior as signs of a premature activation of Protocol 66.
Nala Se advised terminating the clone to allow a detailed autopsy to discover why the implanted inhibitor chip malfunctioned, alarming Lama Su, who motioned her to a private chamber and made holographic contact with Lord Tyranus. Tyranus agreed with her prognosis and ordered the Kaminoans to terminate the clone, but the inhibitor chip was to be sent to him for analysis and to protect the secrecy of the chip and its true nature.
Nala Se and Shaak Ti communicate through hologram to Palpatine.
During the midst of all the testing, ARC trooper Fives conducted his own tests on Tup, which led to the discovery of the chip. Shaak Ti and Nala Se later contacted the Supreme Chancellor, informing him of the quarantined clone's termination, and Palpatine ordered his body be brought to the Grand Republic Medical facility, which Nala Se concurred.
Covering Up Protocol 66[]
Nala Se confers with Lord Tyranus.
Nala Se later blamed ARC Trooper Fives for Tup's death and Shaak Ti stated she was out of line and ordered the samples to be packed and brought to the Jedi. The Kaminoan secretly switched the sample cases while leaving the room, which was witnessed by Fives, who later escaped custody and stole the sample. Nala Se conferred with a hologram of Darth Tyranus, informing him that the renegade clone had stolen the inhibitor chip.
Tyranus started to doubt the clone army's reliability in the event of an intentional activation of Protocol 66, although Nala Se stated to him that the preemptive execution was an anomaly. She blamed the rebelliousness of the clones on the influence of the Jedi, but assured Tyranus that the contingency of Protocol 66 would not be compromised.
Fives holds Nala Se at blaster point.
While searching the corridors for Fives, Nala Se received an alert of an intrusion in the barracks and did not inform Shaak Ti and left to confront the clone. Fives managed to discover that every clone had a bio-chip in their brains at birth, and when Nala Se entered the room, she was held at gunpoint by the ARC Trooper, demanding answers. She explained the implants were structural chips that were supposed to prevent clones from being overly aggressive.
Shaak Ti later arrived and Fives shouted out the truth of the inhibitor chips, but Nala Se said there was no proof and was shocked when Fives admitted to removing his chip. The Kaminoan demanded that he be terminated due to being a threat without his chip, but the Jedi decided Fives would go to Coruscant and explain his story to the Supreme Chancellor, which secretly angered the scientist.
Nala Se in the Grand Republic Medical Facility.
Upon the results of the revelations of the chips, ARC Trooper Fives and the bio-chips were taken to Coruscant to plead his case to Chancellor Palpatine. Fearing the Jedi would discover the truth of the inhibitor chips, Nala Se accompanied the ARC Trooper and Shaak Ti to the capital.
As the Republic shuttle approached the planet, the Kaminoan injected the clone with an unknown substance in order to make him appear unstable and his testimony unreliable. At the medical facility, Mas Amedda escorted the new arrivals inside where the Chancellor awaited flanked by his Red Guards.
Nala Se asserted that Fives was dangerous without his bio-chip and Tup's death was the result of a virus. Palpatine then asked Shaak Ti and Nala Se leave the room so he could speak privately with the clone and both departed. A scuffle occurred inside the room where it appeared Fives unsuccessfully attempted to kill Palpatine after learning of the Chancellor's involvement in the conspiracy and escaped.
Nala Se speaking with Lord Tyranus on Serenno.
Palpatine concluded that Nala Se was correct and returned the inhibitor chip samples to the Kaminoan scientist knowing that she would send them to Tyranus. Ultimately, ARC Trooper Fives was killed protecting the secrecy of Protocol 66 and Nala Se communicated with Lord Tyranus at his palace on Serenno through hologram confirming that he had received the inhibitor chip samples she had forwarded.
Imperial Era[]
At the start of the Imperial Era following Order 66, Nala Se, along with her medical aide, Omega, a young female unaltered clone, attends the speech of now Emperor Palpatine announcing the end of all Jedi and the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Later, she meets the members of Clone Force 99, warning Omega not to go anywhere. When Clone Force 99 has been declared milked by Admiral Tarkin, Nala Se secretly helps them escape, also knowing that Omega has escaped with them. She then informs Lama Su that Jango Fett's genotype is increasingly deteriorated.
In the meantime, Nala hires rookie bounty hunter Fennec Shand to retrieve Omega and later to simply ensure that the young girl does not fall into the hands of Lama Su, who wants to use the pure DNA of Jango Fett within Omega to pursue the work of the Kaminoans, but at the cost of her life. Some time later, Lama Su informs Nala Se that the Empire has canceled their previous contracts while pointing out that the Kaminoans are in danger, because unlike the Republic, the Empire was likely to destroy them rather than let them continue their operation elsewhere now they they no longer had need of their services. Nala takes charge of evacuating the essential personnel, but is discovered by Admiral Rampart. However, Rampart recognizes Nala Se's scientific talents and offers her a place in the Empire, leaving Lama Su to be executed.
Nala Se is detained by Imperial forces and brought to a secret cloning facility on Mount Tantiss, where a human scientist informs her that the Empire has “big plans” for her. To use her loyalty, the Empire captured Omega and threatened to harm her if Nala refused to work for them, forcing the Kamonian to accept in order to protect her assistant. However, whenever Omega's blood is taken to be tested for M-Count compatibility, Nala Se instead repeated destroys the samples, to protect Omega from being subjected to Project Necromancer. The purpose of the blood tests from multiple clones and subjects is discover M-Count compatibility, that is, Midi-chlorians, the microscopic receptors that displays the presence of and allow one to channel the Force.
Nala Se facilitates the escape of Omega, who also rescues Crosshair, after which both clones steal a shuttle and flee the planet. Incensed at Nala Se's "betrayal," Hemlock was no longer willing to employ her talents, albeit understanding there may be an eventuality that she will be useful again, so he has her locked up in the prison block. Yet now Hemlock knows that Omega *is* the clone that will be useful for Project Necromancer; since the ability to replicate a donor's Midi-chlorians - even from a strong Force sensitive donor - into a cloned body had been impossible, until an abnormal and accidental series of events resulted in Omega, and thus her mutated genes would unlock the secret to recreating M-Counts in a cloned body. Despite Nala Se's success in helping free Omega, Hemlock merely doubled his efforts in acquiring the clone girl again.
After being discovered again, Omega surrenders to Clone Assassins to spare further collateral damage, and is returned to Mount Tantiss, but within the Vault, the most secure sector, which holds other children that display significant M-counts, for the goals of Project Necromancer. The three remaining members of Clone Force 99 abduct former Vice Admiral Rampart from prison as to use his knowledge to track down the secret lab facility in Mount Tantiss.
After following a supply ship - on which Echo was stowing away - to the hidden planet, the Squad's shuttle is shot down, and they are pursued throughout the jungle. They are separated from Rampart, who is captured by Hemlock's troopers.
After being captured, Rampart is imprisoned in a cell next to Nala Se and is later confronted by Hemlock. The doctor boasted that unlike the former vice admiral, he and his work were indispensable to the Empire. Echo eventually located Omega and the two made their way to the holding cells to free the captive clones. When Echo rallied the clones for one final battle to rescue the other members of Clone Force 99 who had since been captured, Rampart rejected the proposal and stated that they should use the opportunity to escape. The clones ignored him and went ahead with their plan. Nala Se recovered a thermal detonator from one of the dead troopers.
Nala Se undertook her own plan, which was to destroy all the cloning data that Hemlock had collected, both to subvert the Empire's plots, but also for the pride of her people, since she was sick and weary of their work being used for destructive and oppressive ends. Rampart had stalked her to the lab, then at gunpoint forced Se to disclose everything about Project Necromancer, so he could use the knowledge to extort the Empire. Unafraid of Rampart, the Kaminoan refused to let her people's secrets fall into outsiders' hands, thereby Rampart shot her, but he failed to notice that she had activated a thermal detonator until it was too late. The explosion instantly killed the former vice admiral before he couldn't finish his bumbling disbelief, and destroyed all of Hemlock's data, severely hindering Project Necromancer.
The surviving clones and captive children fled the planet, leaving the facility in disrepair - with most damage caused by Omega freeing the Zillo Beast. A battalion of Imperial search and recovery arrived, scouring the lab, but were unable to salvage any usable data for Project Necromancer, therefore Nala Se succeeded in her goal of finally removing Kaminoan science from the Empire's hands, removing any future interest in Omega, and had atoned for her failure to understand the darkness of the forces she had allied and then been enslaved by. Unfortunately, Governor Tarkin merely abandoned Project Necromancer - revealing Hemlock's inflated sense of self-importance was as wrong as his methods - reallocating the funds to Project Stardust.
Quotes[]
| “ | Nala Se: Why are you doing this? Fives: I know what you've done! Nala Se: What is it that you think I have done? Fives: How do you explain this? Nala Se: That is a structural inhibitor chip, which is supposed to prevent you from being aggressive, like your source, Jango Fett. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas instructed us to implant them during your growth cycle. Fives: The Jedi? The Jedi had this done to us? Nala Se: It is not uncommon to have inhibitors placed in a clone. AZI-3: I have analyzed this one, and apparently it has failed. Nala Se: Up until this point, there has never been a problem. Fives: Well, you have got a big problem now. |
„ |
| ~ Nala Se to Fives about the Inhibitor Chip. |
| “ | Nala Se: There's no proof of that! This is an isolated incident. Besides, when you removed Trooper Tup's chip, he died. Fives: Well, that's not going to happen to the rest of us. Nala Se: And how do you know that? Fives: Because I removed mine! |
„ |
| ~ Nala refutes Fives' affirmations. |
| “ | Nala Se: Omega I mustn't allow my science to remain in the Empire's hands. The only way you will be free is if Hemlock is gone and the databanks are destroyed. Omega: Then let's get to the lab. Nala Se: No. Your place is with them. |
„ |
| ~ Nala Se says goodbye to Omega. |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Poor Nala Se looks at Omega (Plan 99).jpg (849 KB)")
.jpg "Nala Se (S02E16 Oh no).jpg (419 KB)")
.png "Nala Se is now dead (Ep. 47).png (136 KB)")
Trivia[]
- Nala Se's self-sacrifice ended Project Necromancer, however, at some point, it was restarted, but not until decades later, possibly during post-Empire. Moff Gideon would co-opt the project for his own agenda of conquest, albeit was thwarted by Bo-Katan Kryze and Din Djarin with a platoon of Mandalorians, thus perhaps finally destroying the project.
