The first official key art for Star Wars: Zero Company reveals a squad composition that pulls directly from the Clone Wars’ most complex storylines. While some people lose their minds over character demographics they invented in their heads, the promotional material shows a team built around narrative tension and tactical variety.
The Squad
Luco Bronc stands far left as an Umbaran sniper. His weapon shows a long barrel and dedicated scope configuration. This is precision long-range equipment, not a versatile rifle with optics attached. His homeworld was the site of one of the most brutal Republic campaigns during the Clone Wars. The animated series depicted it as a nightmare of Republic forces fighting through perpetual darkness against superior technology, clones murdering each other through Krell’s treachery, and the moral bankruptcy of conquering a world that wanted nothing to do with Republic ‘liberation. Luco is an Umbaran now working in a mercenary company alongside a clone trooper who represents that same military force. That creates tension without requiring manufactured drama.
Tel-Rea Vokoss holds the green lightsabre as a Tognath Jedi Padawan. The breathing apparatus her species requires is clearly visible in the key art. She’s continuing a mission her dead Master left unfinished, which suggests character-driven story beyond generic Force user nonsense. Tognath appeared in Rogue One but aren’t common in Jedi lore, so Respawn is pulling from established canon while avoiding the obvious choices. Her lightsabre provides the squad’s close-quarters combat option, contrasting with Luco’s long-range precision.
Hawks occupies centre position as your fully customizable character. The player controls Hawks as squad leader, with choices shaping background, appearance, and combat class. That blue holographic projection appears to be a tactical display or command interface, not just atmospheric lighting. If Zero Company leans into tactical gameplay where squad coordination determines mission success, Hawks needs tools to manage that complexity in real time. The holo-projector could function as mission briefing system, tactical overlay for positioning squad-mates, or communication hub with whoever contracts the mercenary company. Centre placement in promotional art makes sense for the player character who presumably drives the narrative forward.
Trick is the clone trooper and one of Zero Company’s founding members. The customized armour markings indicate he’s an established character with history, not a generic trooper. Clone individuality was a major theme in The Clone Wars animated series, and having one as a founding member suggests Zero Company existed before the game’s opening. He carries what looks like standard Republic infantry weapons, likely the DC-15A or DC-15S that defined clone trooper loadouts throughout the war.
Cly Kullervo on the far right is a Mandalorian gunslinger from Clan Verminoth. Her dual blaster pistols visible in the key art suggest fast, aggressive combat rather than cover-based shooting. Gameplay footage shows her using these weapons and explosives from elevated positions. The bulky armour and shoulder equipment reads as Mandalorian tactical gear designed for mobile combat, filling a very different role from Luco’s careful long-range positioning or Tel-Rea’s lightsabre work.
The R-Series Astromech stands between Hawks and the rest of the squad. Easy to miss at first glance, but the droid’s placement in the key art is deliberate. Positioned between the squad leader and other members, it might function as a technical link between command and execution. Astromechs in Star Wars handle technical problems, interface with computer systems, and provide support functions that flesh-and-blood soldiers can’t manage efficiently. Respawn made BD-1 central to Fallen Order’s emotional core, so this astromech will likely function as more than a walking toolkit. If Zero Company involves infiltration, sabotage, or missions requiring technical expertise beyond shooting enemies, the droid becomes essential.
The Environment
The key art shows industrial architecture, metal scaffolding, atmospheric smoke, and noir-style lighting that’s more Republic Commando than Battlefront. This isn’t the bright corridors of a Republic cruiser or Coruscant’s upper levels. Zero Company operates in gritty spaces where the Clone Wars got ugly. The Umbara campaign took place in perpetual darkness with Republic forces fighting through industrial facilities and bioluminescent forests. If that visual aesthetic carries through to the game’s missions, combat happens in environments where visibility is limited and hazards complicate straightforward gunfights. The moody atmosphere suggests operations that take place in the margins of the war, not the major battles that defined the conflict in films and television.
What the Character Roster Means
This squad represents fundamentally different perspectives on the Clone Wars, not just different species or genders. An Umbaran whose planet was brutally conquered by Republic forces. A Jedi Padawan continuing her dead Master’s work. A clone trooper who somehow ended up in a mercenary company outside the Republic military. A Mandalorian from an unknown clan working as a gun for hire. A customizable player character commanding this collection of competing loyalties.
The Umbara connection is the most significant story element visible in this lineup. That animated series arc dealt with military occupation, the cost of following orders, and whether Republic expansion constituted liberation or conquest. Luco Bronc working alongside Trick – a clone trooper who represents the military force that invaded his homeworld – creates immediate ethical complications without requiring exposition dumps. His expertise helps the mercenary company, but his presence alongside a clone forces questions about what drives someone to work with people connected to his planet’s suffering.
The mercenary company structure explains how this politically complicated group ended up working together. A Jedi operating outside the Order’s command structure. A clone who left or was separated from the Republic military. An Umbaran who has reasons to avoid official Republic channels. A Mandalorian taking contracts during her people’s official neutrality. Hawks as the leader who somehow convinced this collection of problematic backgrounds to function as a unit. Mercenary work during the Clone Wars meant taking jobs from Republic, Separatist, criminal, and corporate clients. Zero Company’s composition suggests they operate in moral grey areas where official military forces can’t or won’t go.
Cly Kullervo raises questions about Mandalorian politics during the Clone Wars. Mandalore maintained official neutrality under Duchess Satine, though Death Watch and other factions actively participated in the conflict. A Mandalorian working as a mercenary gunslinger fits the warrior culture’s traditions, but Clan Verminoth isn’t a major canon name. Respawn is either creating new Mandalorian lore or pulling from Legends material. Her aggressive combat style with dual blasters and explosives suggests a warrior who operates outside traditional constraints, which makes sense for someone working in a mercenary company during a galactic war.
The mix of customizable protagonist with established characters suggests a hybrid narrative approach. Hawks functions as the player’s decision-making vehicle while commanding squad-mates with their own stories and motivations. Similar to Mass Effect’s structure where Shepard remained customizable while leading a crew with fixed backgrounds. The tactical display visible in the key art reinforces this command role, giving Hawks tools to coordinate squad members whose combat styles range from Luco’s long-range sniping to Cly’s close-range aggression to Tel-Rea’s Force-powered lightsabre combat.
The weapon variety visible in the key art indicates each character fills a specific tactical role rather than everyone being interchangeable soldiers with different skins. Luco’s dedicated sniper rifle, Cly’s dual pistols, Trick’s standard infantry weapons, and Tel-Rea’s lightsabre create a tactical spread that requires positioning and coordination. This isn’t a game where squad composition is cosmetic. If Respawn designed missions around these distinct combat roles, squad management becomes a core gameplay system rather than window dressing.
What We Don’t Know
Zero Company is confirmed as single-player with the ability to switch between characters, but key questions about execution remain. How does character switching work during missions? Can you swap freely or only at designated points? Does each character have distinct gameplay feel beyond their weapons, or is switching primarily tactical? How does character customization for Hawks interact with a story that requires established relationships within the squad? What does the R-Series droid do beyond repairs and hacking? Can it participate in combat or does it function purely as support and infiltration tool?
The atmospheric environment and specialized squad composition suggest missions that require more than straightforward combat. Infiltration, sabotage, assassination, extraction – operations that official military forces can’t handle or won’t touch. Mercenary companies during the Clone Wars took contracts from anyone willing to pay. Zero Company operates in spaces where clients need deniability or specialized expertise. That aligns with the squad’s makeup: an Umbaran who knows how his people fight and might have underworld connections, a Mandalorian with unconventional tactics and clan resources, a Jedi for Force abilities without Order oversight, a clone who understands Republic military doctrine, and a droid for technical problems.
The ability to switch between characters suggests missions designed around their distinct capabilities. You might need Luco’s sniper rifle to eliminate sentries before Cly breaches a facility with explosives. Tel-Rea’s Force powers could solve environmental puzzles or handle Force-sensitive enemies that guns can’t touch. Trick’s Republic military knowledge might unlock dialogue options or tactical approaches unavailable to other characters. The question is whether switching feels organic to missions or becomes a mechanical puzzle where you cycle through characters to use specific abilities.
The atmospheric environment and specialized squad composition suggest missions that require more than straightforward combat. Infiltration, sabotage, assassination, extraction – operations that official military forces can’t handle or won’t touch. Mercenary companies during the Clone Wars took contracts from anyone willing to pay. Zero Company operates in spaces where clients need deniability or specialized expertise. That aligns with the squad’s makeup: an Umbaran who knows how his people fight and might have underworld connections, a Mandalorian with unconventional tactics and clan resources, a Jedi for Force abilities without Order oversight, a clone who understands Republic military doctrine, and a droid for technical problems.
The mercenary angle also explains why these characters work together despite their conflicting backgrounds. They’re not ideologically aligned. They’re professionals taking contracts. Luco doesn’t need to forgive the Republic for Umbara’s conquest, he just needs to work with Trick long enough to complete the job. Tel-Rea doesn’t need to approve of mercenary work, she has a Master’s mission to complete and Zero Company provides the resources. This pragmatic structure creates different narrative possibilities than a story about idealistic heroes fighting for a cause.
The Diversity Question
The anti-diversity complaints look even more absurd now that we know who these characters are. This isn’t representation for its own sake. The squad composition directly reflects the Clone Wars’ political complexity and the mercenary company’s need for specialized capabilities. The Umbaran represents conquered worlds operating outside official channels. The Tognath Jedi demonstrates that not all Force users stayed within the Order’s structure. The Mandalorian represents warrior culture’s traditions of mercenary work. The clone represents Republic military expertise divorced from the chain of command. Hawks represents whatever you decide.
Each choice serves narrative and thematic purposes. The squad creates inherent conflict through its composition. Compare this to lazy representation where diverse characters exist but their backgrounds are functionally interchangeable. Zero Company’s roster suggests Respawn understands that representation works when characters’ identities connect to the story being told. Luco isn’t just ‘an alien sniper.,’ he’s an Umbaran whose homeworld suffered brutal Republic occupation now working alongside a clone trooper. Tel-Rea isn’t just ‘a female Jedi,’ she’s a Tognath continuing her Master’s unfinished work outside the Order’s oversight. These details mean something.
Anyone claiming an Umbaran sniper or Tognath Jedi or Mandalorian gunslinger doesn’t ‘belong’ in Clone Wars-era Star Wars is either ignorant of the lore or arguing in bad faith. Mercenary companies during the Clone Wars would look exactly like this: multi-factional, politically complicated, full of people whose loyalties can’t be assumed and whose backgrounds create friction. The Umbara campaign, Mandalore’s neutrality conflict, the Jedi’s complicated role as Republic generals, clones developing individual identities – these are central themes from The Clone Wars animated series. Zero Company’s roster pulls directly from that material and applies it to a mercenary context where these tensions become operational problems rather than abstract moral questions.
What To Watch For
Does the gameplay support these character dynamics in meaningful ways? Are the political and ethical tensions within the squad explored or just background detail? Does customizable Hawks work within a story that requires established character relationships? Can Bit Reactor handle squad-based storytelling with character depth?
Bit Reactor is a new studio founded by former XCOM developers, which explains the tactical squad-based approach visible in the key art. XCOM built its reputation on missions where individual squad members mattered and positioning determined success or failure. If Bit Reactor applies that design philosophy to Star Wars with the narrative weight the setting demands, Zero Company could deliver something gaming hasn’t seen before in this franchise. The key art suggests they understand the assignment. An Umbaran working alongside a clone trooper isn’t a simple relationship. A Jedi operating outside the Order’s structure creates questions about her mission and why official channels failed. A Mandalorian taking mercenary contracts during her people’s official neutrality suggests clan politics or personal motivations worth exploring.
The tactical variety visible in the weapons and equipment suggests missions designed around specific squad capabilities. Luco’s sniper rifle handles threats before they reach the team. Cly’s dual pistols and explosives break through defensive positions. Tel-Rea’s lightsaber and Force powers solve problems bullets can’t. Trick provides standard infantry capability and Republic military knowledge. The R-Series droid handles technical challenges. Hawks coordinates everything through the tactical interface visible in the key art. XCOM taught players to think about ability combinations and positioning. Zero Company could translate that into Star Wars where using these capabilities in combination becomes essential rather than optional.
The industrial environment and moody lighting reinforce this tactical approach. Republic Commando succeeded by making players think about positioning, sightlines, and squad coordination in close-quarters environments. Zero Company’s key art suggests similar design philosophy. Visibility is limited. Cover is essential. Environmental hazards complicate direct approaches. This forces players to use squad members’ specialized capabilities rather than charging forward with guns blazing.
The mercenary company structure opens narrative possibilities that official military stories can’t explore. Who contracts Zero Company? What jobs do they take or refuse? How do squad members with conflicting backgrounds negotiate missions that might serve clients they personally oppose? If Luco’s Umbaran connections make certain contracts possible, does Trick object when those contracts hurt Republic interests? If Tel-Rea’s Jedi mission conflicts with a paying job, does Hawks side with the Padawan or the client? These questions only work if the game takes the mercenary angle seriously rather than treating it as cosmetic flavour.
The key art and character roster promise narrative complexity and tactical variety. Whether they deliver requires seeing substantial gameplay footage and story details. The discourse would be more productive if it focused on how Bit Reactor will handle these narrative elements instead of whether they should exist in the first place. Zero Company’s squad composition isn’t ‘woke pandering,’ it’s Clone Wars storytelling that acknowledges the conflict was never simple good versus evil, Republic versus Separatists. The war was messy, politically complicated, and full of characters operating in grey areas for complicated reasons. That’s what made The Clone Wars animated series compelling, and that’s what Zero Company’s roster suggests Bit Reactor understands.