Dee Bradley Baker, a voice actor with an extensive resume including roles in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls, is best known to Star Wars fans as the voice of countless clone troopers across animation and video games. Baker told Polygon that while certain clones like Fives, Mayday, and Captain Rex stand out to him, he "can't really pick a favorite" and does not keep track of the total number he has voiced.
Baker admits that at conventions, fans sometimes present him with memorabilia for clones he does not recall. Despite this, he endeavors to imbue each clone with a distinct personality. "The fans do that very well," he remarked with a laugh, referring to their dedication to cataloging the characters.
In the newly released Star Wars Zero Company from Bit Reactor, Baker lends his voice to Trick, an unusual clone who survived decommissioning after an injury and joined a mercenary group. Baker described Trick as "wily and relatable and fun."
Baker's approach to voicing Trick, and indeed all his clones, involves understanding the writers' specific intentions. "The question of the individuality and uniqueness of a particular clone tracks back to the script," he explained. "Because there's usually a tone, a placement, an age, a character that they're going for, and we set that very specifically before we start out." His mission, he says, is to remain faithful to the writers' vision.
Another new character Baker voices in Zero Company is CT-4646, an Imperial science officer who conducted unethical experiments on clones. Baker found this role particularly interesting due to the character's deviation from the typical clone archetype. "He's a creepy fellow," Baker stated, noting that CT-4646 is a rare example of a clone who turns against his own brothers.
To embody the villainous clone, Baker focused on the character's motivations and his sinister perspective on his victims. "You've got to make sure that you're specific enough in the mapping of who this guy is so that it makes sense with the story that you're telling," he said.
Baker has been voicing clones for nearly two decades, and he maintains that his fundamental task as an actor remains consistent across different media. "Ultimately, your job as an actor is the same," he asserted. Whether in animation or video games, his goal is to make characters feel authentic and connect with the audience. He acknowledged that video games, with potential branching narratives and mechanics like permadeath in Zero Company, can present unique challenges compared to animation.
Despite the unique nature of CT-4646, Baker reported that the reception to Trick and Star Wars Zero Company has been "overwhelming." He believes players are drawn to experiencing and engaging with the Star Wars universe and its characters who strive for betterment.
Baker approaches his extensive work within the Star Wars franchise with a dedicated, almost military-like perspective. "I get in the drop ship, we fly off, we do our mission, they drop me off, and I'll hang out at the cantina," he said.
Star Wars Zero Company is available now on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.