#EDITS: more quotes added; some things clarified that were poorly worded; and grammar corrected in most places

[izzyovercoffee]

So this has been a question that I’ve seen a few times, and a lot of fix-it fics and general speculation has come up to address it, but I wanted to take the time to answer this question with actual SW Legends canon.

Was a cure ever developed for the clone army’s accelerated aging?

Short answer: Yes there was !! Woo! And the best part? Its development was by a clone trooper, for other clone troopers.

Null ARC Trooper Lieutenant, N-7, Lt. Mereel, synthesized a “cure” after several years of research, work, and the assistance of an ex-separatist geneticist, war criminal, and freed POW Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan. 

Please note: this isn’t to prevent you from writing your own fic or developing your own headcanons. I just wanted to provide a resource post for all of you who want to pull directly from Legends canon or use as a starting point. Under the cut will be literally everything you need to know about it. 

Also note: there was a nod to the virus in question on The Clone Wars show. Depending on who you ask, this indicates the potential for a cure having been canon, if they ever do decide to pursue that route. 

Back when Legends was known as the Expanded Universe, Null ARC Trooper Lieutenant, N-7, Lt. Mereel Skirata, developed a treatment via gene therapy (by viral vector) to undo the accelerated again done by the Kaminoans through genetic engineering (which was done by non-viral methods). 

How does Dr. Uthan fit in? Well, at the start of The Clone Wars she had begun design of a viral bioweapon aimed to attack clone troopers only --- and the way the bioweapon knew how to only attack clone troopers was by isolating the genetic markers that accelerated aging. Using her pathogen and Lt. Mereel’s research, they took what was meant to kill all clone troopers and instead give them a chance at life. 

Listen, if that’s not poignant and poetic ??

First you have a clone trooper risking everything to save his brothers, and is eventually successful. He literally studied genetics and became a hotshot geneticist over the course of 4 years (or so) in order to do the impossible.

Second you have what was a PROMISE OF DEATH turned into a CHANCE AT A FULL LIFE !!

“Why didn’t I hear about this ?? Why wasn’t it distributed to the rest of the army??” You might be asking. Well, ask no more!  

Simple answer: Because the “cure” wasn’t successfully developed and tested until at least six months to one year after Order 66, and because it was developed in secret by an ex-Republic Black Ops group who went AWOL just before Order 66, distribution was (understandably) limited.

The long answer goes under the cut, and will detail the how / when / why / what of the “cure’s” development, machinations, Lt. Mereel’s contributions, and everything you need to know so you don’t have to read the series it’s from if you don’t want to / don’t have the time / etc. 

So, this “cure” arc is from the Republic Commando novel series. The virus itself was mentioned on the Clone Wars show (06x01 --- “anti-clone virus developed by the Separatists”).

Generally the RC series has way too many narrative arcs going on at once to make sense of (a common problem when you have a HUGE cast, and the cast was upwards of 20 characters at least) --- and then that series was canceled before completion (as much as I like the series, it lost coherency during the fourth book, and the fifth book is largely considered non-canon even by EU / Legends standards for a long list of legitimate reasons).

Thus, I’m going to be dividing this resource post up into sections to hopefully make it easier to follow. Ctrl+F or scroll to find.

What’s this about aging?

Who is Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan? How was she captured?

What was her bioweapon? How did it work?

How does the Kaminoan Scientist fit into this?

Who is Null ARC N-7, Lt. Mereel?

I read the series and I don’t remember Mereel getting credit?

How does the “cure” work?

What’s the entire timeline from virus to “cure”?

In Conclusion

If you are unfamiliar with the series, you can skip “I read the series and I don’t remember Mereel getting credit?” as it deals with narrative inconsistencies and author confusion through the final two books of the series. 

If you don’t have time to read the whole thing or just want the synopsis, you can skip down to “In Conclusion.”

And lastly, please understand I’m not a professional geneticist. A lot of this information has been compiled by a whole hell of a lot of research and reading. The info directly pertaining to genetics is by no means comprehensive even remotely. If there are any mistakes here, please reach out to me so I can correct them immediately. Thanks!

Okay, so! Let’s do this!!

What’s this about aging?

Growth, and aging, are governed by a huge variety of factors. There is not just one gene, or hormone, or factor, that determines aging and its speed.

To reiterate: Aging is determined by a huge list of different factors, both internal and external, and cannot be determined by any one thing.

I say this because fandom sometimes mistakenly works under the impression that there’s an “aging gene” or a “growth hormone” and that’s blatantly untrue, inaccurate, and misleading. Aging does not work that way, though many wish it did. So to say the above is to heavily oversimplify the extremely complicated systems and biological processes of a human body.

This meta is based on the canon perception of clone troopers aging to be accelerated to about / at least 2x standard growth speed.

I do want to also note that the fanon theory that aging “tapers off” when they hit their 20′s has never been supported by canon nor Legends, and has now been disproved by Star Wars Rebels. This meta will not be addressing it.

That said, let’s get started. 

“Some of the genes they use to accelerate aging are recessive, and others have to be switched on and off chemically. The [Kaminoans] tailored us at every stage, you see. If we were hybrid plants, they’d say we didn’t breed true. That’s the interesting thing about epigenetics—”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 187  

The way the Kaminoans were able to artificially trigger rapid aging was to modify genetic expression in the Jango Fett genome in order to express accelerated aging in a controlled way --- roughly 2x growth speed of the standard human. So, once a clone reaches a chronological age of 10 years, physically they should be around 20 years old.

Due to external factors, there are margins of error, but due to the clones being allowed 10 years to grow in an isolated, controlled and contained facility with absolute oversight of their diet and environment, the Kaminoans were able to encourage growth in a controlled way. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect (see: Clone Trooper Ninety-Nine) but worked for the vast majority.

While some clones may physically be 20, others might be physically 18 or younger, while still others may be physically 22 or older, and so on. Many factors can and do affect aging. Stress. Diet. Environmental exposure. How long they spend in Zero-G versus deployment on varied gravity environments. And so on.

What Lt. Mereel first suspected, later confirmed, and that the Kaminoans hid as their trade secret, is that the sequences they targeted to accelerate aging were naturally occurring ones---not artificially manufactured and implanted genes.

“But there’s excellent data from the embryologist, who’s confirmed there are no manufactured genes in the sample, just manipulated naturally occurring ones. The [Kaminoans] stuck to the basic blueprint. That’s narrowed the range to what Mereel first suspected—that they just concentrated on rapid maturation, and on making sure the genes that influenced bonding and social compliance were fully expressed—to make clones as loyal and disciplined as possible.”

“They learned their lesson with us,” Mereel said. “Maturation is the bit we’re interested in, which is, unfortunately, the most complex.”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 156

Unfortunately, narrowing down the sequences used for accelerated aging was very difficult --- sometimes referred to as impossible --- not least of all due to the fact that the Kaminoans altered more than just aging, and left no guide to undo it. Given that their entire economy relied on cloning and clone production, that wasn’t a surprise (gotta control that niche somehow).

“Can’t you just compare the trooper genome with Jango’s and see what’s different?” Etain asked.

“That only tells us which genes have been added, mutated, or removed,” said Mereel. “It doesn’t tell us what’s been turned on or off. You can even turn them down, and make them work just a little. It’s about expression—how the machine gets built from a blueprint—and that’s messy, because if you tinker with one gene, it can have an effect on another set that’s got nothing to do with the area you’re working on. And then there’s identifying what aging really is, because it’s not just one factor. Am I boring you yet?”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 244

So, while Null ARC N-7, Lt. Mereel, was able to identify various methods to alter expression, he was unable to identify the exact sequences that were modified to trigger rapid aging. He did learn that some of the genes were also recessive, and developed a method to test for rapid aging in unborn children ... meaning that any child of a clone would most likely not have accelerated aging unless they were incredibly, incredibly unlucky in the genetic lottery.

Thankfully, it turned out that Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan had identified a majority of the sequences, if not all of them.

Who is Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan?

A geneticist, top of her field, from a planet called Gibad. She worked for the Confederacy of Independent Systems in an effort to develop a bioweapon meant to “neutralize” (read: kill) clones while being relatively safe to the general public. 

She was a sharp, middle aged woman with dark hair streaked with red. A dedicated career woman, she was renowned in the field of microbiology and genetics, with a focus on virology.

The team under her employ comprised of the absolute best microbiologists and geneticists within the Confederacy’s employ, with her at the head. Even with all of their brilliance, to the Republic they were all acceptable casualties --- so long as they were able to capture Dr. Uthan alive.

Uthan indicated the warren of rooms behind her with one hand. “If this comes to a pitched battle, what about my project? What about my staff? Those five scientists represent the best microbiologists and geneticists in the CIS. In many ways, they’re more important than the biomaterial we hold. We can start again, even if the work so far is lost.”

---Republic Commando: Hard Contact, pp 133

While employed by the Separatists, she was stationed in a research lab on the planet Qiilura, in the Mid-Rim, under the control of Neimoidian merchant Lik Ankkit --- and by extension, under the control of the CIS. 

Ghez Hokan, a mandalorian hired by the CIS, was placed in charge of security and reinforcing Separatist control of the planet. 

During the SpecOps operation that would result in Dr. Uthan’s capture, her entire research team was executed, the security team including Hokan killed, and the research laboratory destroyed by orbital bombardment.

Then, towards the end of the war, Dr. Uthan was freed from Republic captivity in a high-security psychiatric institution, The Valorum Center on Coruscant, by the black ops group backing N-7 Lt. Mereel --- and with some coercion and a lot of charm, she was convinced to work with him to develop a “cure.”

How was she captured?

Once the Republic and the Jedi Order caught wind of her research “project”, they deployed a special operations team to Qiilura for a three part mission, roughly three months after the first Battle of Geonosis:

capture Dr. Uthan

capture or destroy the virus and its research

convert and train the local population to fight off the Separatists and retake the planet

The Special Operations team was comprised of 6 people in total, with one deceased by its end.

Early deployment by Jedi Master and Padawan team:

General Kast Fulier (killed in action, off-screen, by Ghez Hokan)

Commander Etain Tur-Mukan

Republic Commando team Omega Squad deployed when Master/Padawan team failed to check in:

RC-1309, Sergeant Niner

RC-3222, Atin (sniper)

RC-1136, Darman (demolitions specialist)

RC-8015, Fi (medic)

Dr. Uthan’s project was interrupted before successful completion, and so the virus and research that was captured / destroyed was not the promised pathogen --- Dr. Uthan was unable to fully identify all of the markers for genetic expression of accelerated aging, and so her bioweapon would inevitably attack all humans if released. 

Why is this important? Well ...

What was her bioweapon? How did it work?

First, a quick rundown in genetics.

“We’re having some problems isolating the parts of the virus that will attack only clones. They’re human. All human races share the majority of genes. Even you.”

---Republic Commando: Hard Contact, pp 134

Even with variety, the differences in human genetics are so minimal that it is next to impossible to design a bioweapon that only targets one subsection of the population. For all intents and purposes, developing a bioweapon that then only attacks clone troopers would be considered impossible --- as they are human and their genome does not carry all that many alterations, especially with the methods the Kaminoans used to alter genetic expression in the naturally occurring genes.

“...targeted bioweapons are a load of old osik, actually. Against humans, anyway ... Because, unless you have some way of identifying a complete genome—not just a few genes, not even ninety-nine percent of the genome—there just aren’t convenient Corellian genes or Mandalorian genes or whatever for a pathogen to hook up to. Not even if you call it a nanovirus ... You’d have to find a way for the virus to identify the whole genome, or nothing .... 

Am I right, Doctor? Either your virus has to find the intact Fett clone genome, or else it’s useless ... Or maybe it goes to the other extreme, and kills most humans indiscriminately. Because the differences between human genomes across the galaxy are so tiny and populations so mixed up that your killer cocktail can’t tell the difference.”

---Imperial Commando: 501st, pp 44

The only thing that can really isolate a clone trooper with consistency from the general human populace ... is by only targeting those individuals for which all of the accelerated aging markers are present---if you knew what they were. Even then, some non-clone humans could still be killed in collateral damage, due to the very nature of genetics and the margins of error.

The goal, for Dr. Uthan, was to get the margin of error down to an acceptably low percentage. Unfortunately she was very, very far from her goal when she was captured, her entire research team executed, and her laboratory on Qiilura destroyed.

The bioweapon was referred to as an anti-clone nanovirus in Season 6, Episode 1 of The Clone Wars, “The Unknown”. In the Republic Commando novel series, it was further identified as FG36.

“So you know all about the rapid aging sequence. Well, well.”

“I identified it. Not the same thing.”

“.... And now I know the genes have been identified, I’m really looking forward to working with you.”

Uthan loved a challenge. She was certain she could switch off the accelerated aging .... If she could understand the techniques that the Kaminoans used to engineer extended life, then she’d have most of the missing pieces of the puzzle.

--- Imperial Commando: 501st, pp 46-47

And though she wasn’t successful during her initial experiments to fully isolate and target the rapid aging sequence, she makes it clear that she had identified, at the very least, most if not all of it.

Aside from the above, it’s a standard bioweapon intended to completely wipe out its targeted population at the highest efficiency possible --- and is eventually shown to be exactly as dangerous as everyone feared, in its weaponized state ... as it was used to “clear out” an entire planet (Gibad) while keeping structures in place.

How does the Kaminoan Scientist fit into this?

Towards the beginning of The Clone Wars, following the death of Jango Fett, Kaminoan Chief Scientist Ko Sai defected from the Republic, took all of her data and fled.

Not for any altruistic reasons so much as because she was spooked by Chancellor Palpatine. How? Well ... 

Throughout the EU / Legends, Chancellor Palpatine had an obsession with achieving eternal life. This was a repeated theme across multiple media and bodies of work. Any indication that anyone was researching a way to extend life (even in this particular instance, where it’s to undo accelerated aging) caught the attention and pursuit of Palpatine.

“Your Chancellor wanted me to use my research into aging to prolong his own life indefinitely. I told him it was a massive waste of my skills to do that for such a corrupted and diseased species ... He’s a most disturbing man.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 212

Chief Scientist Ko Sai had been targeted by Palpatine and fled Kamino --- taking with her decades worth of genetics research. While on a black ops mission to Kamino, N-7 Lt. Mereel had sliced into the Tipoca mainframe and copied over the entire database of genetics research. In that mission, he realized that a huge body of genetics research was missing along with their Chief Scientist --- and took it upon himself to hunt Ko Sai down, competing against Republic (read: Palpatine’s) and Separatist interests, both.

Mereel ... pulled out full datachips and inserted new ones. “... Boy, you’ve got a lot of data in here. More than the Tipoca mainframe. You took a lot with you when you bolted.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 213

To capture and use the scientist for personal reasons (development of an aging “cure”) went explicitly against mission specifications (capture and detain in a Republic prison). 

Up until Chief Scientist Ko Sai’s capture by Lt. Mereel, the Null ARC had been heading the development of the “cure” alone, with some logistical support by his immediate group. He managed to slice into the Tipoca mainframe, pull all relevant cloning data, and hunted down and retrieved a large body of missing/stolen data by the lead Kaminoan geneticist who defected from the Republic during the war.

The one problem: Chief Scientist Ko Sai held a superiority complex and an anti-human/clone bias, to such an extreme as to be entirely uncooperative. 

[Ko Sai’s] attention was fixed on Mereel, and she was looking as worried as a Kaminoan ever could. “You’re going to corrupt that data, clone.”

��I’m not your clone,” he said, an edge in his voice. “I have a name.” 

“I spent my life collating that. It’s unique. You might destroy the most advanced body of genetic research in the galaxy. There are no copies of it.” 

Mereel burst out laughing. “Now, that’s funny. No copies of cloning data?” He looked over his shoulder at her and gave her that harmless smile again. “But that’s why we came to see you, Mama.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 212

Chief Scientist Ko Sai held a superiority complex over the clone troopers --- and regarded as well as treated them as the products they were designed to be, and not people. 

“Sergeant, you know perfectly well that I identified the relevant genes for each characteristic we wanted to introduce into the basic Fett genome, so you know I can switch genes on where there are genes that need activation. You also know that I have unique expertise that no other Kaminoan has—or you wouldn’t be one of a number pursuing me.”

It wasn’t an answer. She was going to make ... Mereel ... plow through petabytes of data to find the relevant gene clusters.

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 225 

Ko Sai exemplified this belief and behavior of superiority, and refused to cooperate even until her death.

Regardless, in addition to the above, after several years of hunting, Lt. Mereel accumulated the largest comprehensive body of advanced cloning genetics research in the known galaxy, the skill to break it down, and the sheer bull-headed tenacity to, in fact, plow through petabytes of data.

Which leads me to...

Who is Null ARC N-7, Lt. Mereel?

Quick recap: Null-class ARC Troopers are the very, very early prototype series of clones meant to test the limitations of genetic tampering. They numbered in 12, but only 6 survived to gestation, and their genetics were altered dramatically from the original Jango Fett template. The Null ARCs were the early initial designs to see if genetic engineering alone could guarantee compliance with Order 66.

“... they just concentrated on ... making sure the genes that influenced bonding and social compliance were fully expressed—to make clones as loyal and disciplined as possible.”

“They learned their lesson with us,” Mereel said.

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 156

Ultimately, after extensive testing, the Kaminoans determined that too much genetic tampering would result in radically psychologically unstable clones (unpredictable, unreliable) --- and scratched that project. 

The Null-class ARC Troopers were to be reconditioned ...

“I would still be happier if you confirmed that the first batch of units is below the acceptable standard.”

“Bring them in, then.” ....

“These units are defective, and I admit that we perhaps made an error in attempting to enhance the genetic template,” Orun Wa said ... “Chief Scientist Ko Sai apologizes, as do I ... Six units did not survive incubation, but these developed normally and appeared to meet specifications, so they have undergone some flash-instruction and trials. Unfortunately, psychological testing indicates that they are simply too unreliable and fail to meet the personality profile required.”

“Which is?” said Jango.

“That they can carry out orders.” Orun Wa blinked rapidly: he seemed embarrassed by error. “I can assure you that we will address these problems in the current Alpha production run. These units will be reconditioned, of course. Is there anything you wish to ask?”

“Yeah,” said Skirata. “What do you mean by reconditioned?”

“In this case, terminated.”

--- Republic Commando: Triple Zero, pp 13-14

...  but with interference by a sympathetic Black Ops specialist and training sergeant Kal Skirata, with Jango Fett’s backing, the six were instead transferred over to Special Operations training and command.

Note that this was before the introduction of the brain implanted bio-chips into canon. As it stands, if the two continuites were to exist in the same canon-compliant timeline, then the Null-class ARCs would likely lack the bio-chips due to the initial purpose of their production run (testing if genetic engineering alone could guarantee compliance).

Upon scrapping the project they belonged to, then, presumably that would be when the brain-implanted inhibitor bio-chips production would start as the alternative solution, and begin correcting the failures of the Null-class clone troopers in the Alpha production run.

However, most relevant was Mereel’s covert visit to Kamino, which comes up in conversation between a Jedi General, Bardan Jusik, and Null ARC Trooper Captain N-11, Cpt. Ordo.

“Is it true that your brother Mereel hijacked a transport to Kamino?”

“It’s known as hardening targets, General. Challenging security to improve it. We do that.”

It was a lie, but not entirely: the Nulls tried not to remove GAR assets from the battlefield unless it was absolutely necessary .... The Jedi command turned a blind eye to the irregularities if they detected them because the Null squad produced unparalleled results.

--- Republic Commando: Triple Zero, pp 31

N-11, Cpt. Ordo, did not directly lie to the General, here. Instead he phrased it specifically as a surprise operation to harden Tipoca --- something done after the first battle of Kamino to reinforce and test added security.

That Lt. Mereel had a secondary mission (stripping / copying the databanks of relevant cloning information without alerting any parties) isn’t relevant to the conversation at hand. Cpt. Ordo wasn't, technically, lying---and so successfully hid the secondary mission under the main objective: hardening Kamino’s defenses. 

From that first mission onward, the research and development of a “cure” was relegated to the murky hidden world of Black Ops --- as well as the data mining to accumulate all of the data into one very large working database.

“Well, I know what I’m going to be doing for the foreseeable future. Collating what we’ve got and finding another geneticist or three to advise me.” Mereel slotted a probe into the computer .... “We’re sitting on the cloning equivalent of the Sacred Scroll of Gurrisalia and we can’t read the language—not well enough, anyway.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 294

In addition to the above, however ... he also held a ... serious hatred for Chief Scientist Ko Sai, specifically.

[Mereel] looked over his shoulder at her and gave her that harmless smile again. “But that’s why we came to see you, Mama. Actually, I meant to ask you something. We’re somatic cell clones, right? So where did the original enucleated eggs come from? Did you manufacture those somehow? Or was there a prime donor? No, don’t tell me. I’d hate to think you found a way to use kaminii eggs.”

Skirata watched with fascinated horror as Mereel managed to press every button on Ko Sai’s eugenicist board. Kaminoan emotion was so subtle as to be invisible to most humans, but living among them for those years had taught Skirata plenty. She was offended.

“That is repellent,” she said. The words didn’t match that gentle voice. “We would never pollute Kaminoan tissue that way.”

“Good,” Mereel said. “Just checking.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 212

Only someone competent in genetics and having a working understanding of the research would thus be able to press every. single. button. to offend the Chief Kaminoan Scientist, who designed the genome from which Lt. Mereel was developed.

So. Not only did Mereel have a high level of competency and working knowledge of the research, he had the understanding to make the kinds of comments and quandaries that only someone with high level understanding can do.

I read the series and I don’t remember Mereel getting credit?

You're going to give us back our lives, gihaal, me and all my brothers. Mereel included the Republic commandos, the poor cannon fodder meat-cans around him, and even the Alpha ARCs, who'd been ready to kill clone kids to stop the Seps from using them. An vode. They're all my brothers. Even the Alphas.

---Republic Commando: Odds, pp 8

Here’s where this gets a little fuzzy, due to narrative inconsistencies once we hit book 4, Order 66, and onward. For those of you familiar with the series, the above is probably not exactly how you remember it. 

That is ultimately due to narrative inconsistencies in the novels that this meta will seek to clarify for you without the fluff of the other many many narrative arcs to derail or distract (a common issue with having a cast of more than 20 people to keep track of).

So. Of the six Null ARC Troopers, Null ARC N-7, Lt. Mereel, is their best chemist (and biochemist), a stubborn streak needed to handle the stress of tackling an impossible problem, the sharp intelligence, memory, and skill needed to collate petabytes of data without getting bored or discouraged, as well as the sheer ability to undertake genetics and become an expert through hard work and research.

“Leave the research to me,” Mereel said.

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 244

His entire narrative and thematic arc, throughout the Republic Commando series, revolves around four things:

find and collate cloning genetics research

find geneticists to advise him

finally synthesize a “cure”

test it on himself before distributing it to the others

We’re given what may well be a blood oath early on in the series, sent via private transmission to his brother, Null ARC N-11, Cpt. Ordo, fairly early in the second book, Triple Zero.

Yes, I know how the Kaminoans did it. They used our genes against us, the ones that make us bond with our brothers, make us loyal, make us respect and obey our fathers—that’s what they manipulated to make us more likely to obey orders. They had to remove what made Jango a selfish loner, because that makes a bad infantry soldier, and you can tell from the Alpha ARCs that the Kaminoans weren’t wrong. But there’s one thing I don’t know yet—and that’s how they controlled the aging process. That’s the key. They robbed us of a full life span. But we will not be defeated by time, ner vod.

—ARC Trooper Lieutenant N-7—Mereel—in an encrypted transmission to N-11, Ordo

---Republic Commando: Triple Zero, pp 105

Lt. Mereel, here, took full ownership of the things he knows and the things he doesn’t yet know. This was the real beginning of his narrative arc throughout the series: from here it became Lt. Mereel’s life’s purpose. It’s something that’s commented on time and time again by the others---an obsession, a goal he hunted with single-minded purpose, and devoted all of his time to.

Here, in the above quote, we can see that not only did he know the what (genes) and the how (manipulation of genetic flags to alter expression), but he also expressed what he did not know yet (the control of the aging process).

The yet is a promise. Yet is an indicator that he, himself, fully intends to learn exactly what they are and how to undo them.

But we will not be defeated by time, ner vod. That is more than just a promise. It is the kind of statement that is often expressed in blood. Lt. Mereel is, essentially, swearing on his life, and swearing on time, that he’ll find a way. Eventually, he does.

“I don’t care,” Mereel said, “as long ... [as] she hands over whatever it takes to give you and me and all our vode a full life span.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 78

Mereel wanted her to hand over the data to him, not have her be the one to develop the “cure.” It’s a small easily missed detail, but details in this series often carry an excessive amount of weight, and that’s no different here ... and then emphasized again in the short story:

You're going to give us back our lives, gihaal, me and all my brothers. Mereel included the Republic commandos, the poor cannon fodder meat-cans around him, and even the Alpha ARCs, who'd been ready to kill clone kids to stop the Seps from using them. An vode. They're all my brothers. Even the Alphas.

---Republic Commando: Odds, pp 8

Again, Mereel is emphasizing that the Kaminoans are going to give him the information to unlock the solution. 

But it didn't suit Mereel. And it didn't do the mounting numbers of clone casualties any good either. He felt no guilt whatsoever about using the taxpayers' credit to get the best outcome for himself and his brothers, both those in the field now and those to come.

---Republic Commando: Odds, pp 19

Only a small glimpse in his ends-justifies-means attitude.

Throughout all of Mereel’s POV in the entire short of Odds, there is a constant underlying repetition: 

Give me [Mereel] the answer.

I am taking what I need to get it.

I will stop at nothing to do it ...... 

or die trying.

His commitment nearly gets him captured, which would guarantee death, given the history of Null-class troopers in the GAR hierarchy.

"No heroics," said Ordo's voice. "Get out now."

Mereel looked at his HUD icon: still amber, still downloading. He was pushing it, all right. But he'd pushed his luck a lot more for the Republic, and a bunch of strangers and [the Jedi] didn't mean half as much to him as the welfare of his brothers. The amber icon flashed. More boots clattered past the end of the passage.

Come on... Come on...

---Republic Commando: Odds, pp 9

And yet he risks his life, again and again --- and with these risks, gets closer and closer to a solution.

Ordo had to admire Mereel’s ability to sift data. The risk-taking genes had expressed themselves even more in him than the rest of them, but he had a surprising patient tenacity once he’d latched on to the scent.

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 78

He goes above and beyond in striving for the “cure,” and is often described as having a vicious, unshakable drive once he catches hold. 

“We mined the lot in the last couple of years. Kamino, Arkanian Micro, GeneSculpt, TheraGene, the Republic Livestock and Agriculture Administration, Khomm Central Population Planning, Columus Institute of Health, Lur, research still in progress at the Republic’s top universities—there’s not much cloning and genome data for sentients or nonsentients left in the galaxy that we haven’t ripped off ... Even the Gibadan Academy of Life Sciences ...”

Uthan looked torn between gorging herself on the research and looking for the catch. “Nobody’s ever assembled this much in one database.”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 306

As we saw in the previous section regarding Ko Sai, Lt. Mereel had already accumulated and collated, on his own, the largest comprehensive body of advanced cloning genetics research in the known galaxy ... 

“Well, I know what I’m going to be doing for the foreseeable future. Collating what we’ve got and finding another geneticist or three to advise me.” Mereel slotted a probe into the computer .... “We’re sitting on the cloning equivalent of the Sacred Scroll of Gurrisalia and we can’t read the language—not well enough, anyway.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 294

... one that Mereel, specifically, collated himself. We also see he had every intention of being the one to develop the “cure”, (note the “to advise me” there. A person does not say “to advise me” if they then intended to hand off the project to someone else). 

“...the [Kaminoans] wouldn’t want their rivals to be able to just breed clone characteristics like that—they’d want total control over their product. But Mereel’s getting very adept at this, so he knows what to test for.”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 187

He had already begun working on a battle plan to develop the “cure,” first by learning the genetic sequences the Kaminoans isolated, and understanding the methods used to alter genetic expression (again, that is different from viral vector gene therapy) before devising a treatment that can be released through viral vectors to get the result they want ...

“...the only child of a clone that we have, and some of the aging genes aren’t present—or at least what we think are those genes ... I thought the maturation genes the Kaminoans added to the basic Jango model were recessive, for their own business reasons, but it’s never quite that simple in genetics. Add, take away, or change one gene—even move its position—and it can have a massive impact on the expression of all the others. They’re all connected somehow. It’s not a simple case of chopping bits out of gene sequences or adding them. If it was, cloning wouldn’t be such a profitable or secretive business. It’s very hard to get right.”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 62

... and exhibited the patience, as well as the expertise, to take extremely complicated information and boil it down to layman’s terms for those who aren’t as skilled or well-versed as he is. To be able to explain complicated subjects in a simplified way is the mark of an expert, by the by.

No, those weren't impossible odds. Bad, maybe; but not impossible. Mereel sat back in the co-pilot's seat, took out his datapad, and began combing through the hidden data of Kamino's clonemaster. Ko Sai had the whole galaxy in which to hide, but she was hiding from men she had personally engineered to be the very best.

The odds weren't in her favor.

---Republic Commando: Odds, pp 19

Every instance of a hiccup, a mistake, a setback, a problem ... was met by Lt. Mereel with a double-down commitment and renewed motivation, every time.

Throughout the series, up until halfway through book 4, Order 66, Mereel was referred to as the expert of clone genetics. It is only until the introduction of a combat medic and general physician (Mij Gilamar) in Order 66 that he is removed from his own narrative and thematic arc and then replaced outright by the medic in book 5, Imperial Commando. 

Issues with the physician:

his field of study and expertise are not the fields needed to develop and synthesize this kind of  “cure”

he might have some cursory understanding, but he lacks the experience Dr. Uthan would have, and lacks the sheer wealth of practical field knowledge Lt. Mereel has already accumulated by that point, and continued to do so after

Mereel is still necessary to the project as he is the one to parse, pore through, and collate the body of data under his personal reference and organizational system

It serves to note that Mij Gilamar was based on a friend of the writer, and had only been mentioned briefly, but had no serious appearance until Order 66.

“That’s narrowed the range to what Mereel first suspected...”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 156

Gilamar also verbally points at Mereel as the lead in the development. 

During the course of Republic Commando: Order 66, taking place after the death of Chief Geneticist Ko Sai, Lt. Mereel and co. were on a two part hunt:

to find the whereabouts of Dr. Uthan

to use other geneticists from many, many other universities and of varying prestige in the field to determine methodology in manipulating specific genetic sequences --- but not all of them, and not at the same time

Mij Gilamar’s role in Order 66 was, predominantly, to work as a stand-in for Lt. Mereel ... as he held enough knowledge to know and determine if the geneticists they enlisted for assistance (all separately, independent of the others, with only a small piece of an incomplete sequence) outright lied to them or failed to contribute to the project.

“Well, if he is [talking through his shebs], then at least we’ll know what his methodology is so we can rule it out,” said Gilamar. “Knowing what doesn’t work is as useful a clue as any in genetics.”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 60

Why did Lt. Mereel need a stand-in?

Because if any of the geneticists saw Mereel as the one asking the questions, they could be intelligent enough to put the pieces together --- that is: a clone trooper asking for methods to manipulate specific sequences that may be attached to aging.

Just as a reminder: the industry of cloning during this time in-universe was a highly lucrative business. And if Mereel, a clone trooper, was in any way implicated in trying to resolve an issue that served to dehumanize and keep clone troopers in their place (in the army, fighting the war, and so on) --- or worse, to extend life, which we already established Palpatine as being hungry for --- then that could spell disaster and the prevention of the eventual “cure’s” development.

Narrative inconsistencies aside, the timeline and details from halfway through Order 66 on through the entirety of Imperial Commando are so confused as to fall apart under minor examination. No one generally recommends reading the final novel, as it’s ... roughly 300 pages of no plot (I am not being facetious in this, sadly), poor characterizations inconsistent with the rest of the series, and absolutely no direction.

By that point, the writer, Karen Traviss had flipped out over The Clone Wars series retconning some of her development, and had quit the series before its completion. Narrative coherency suffered, dramatically. 

If the series were ever to be picked up again, I politely request that the series be rewritten from book 4, Order 66, and forward, as Order 66 also suffers from a lack of direction, narrative problems, and inconsistencies that render entire scenes impossible due to something that was written just a handful of pages prior to them. 

But anyway. Moving on.

How does the “cure” work?

“So you know all about the rapid aging sequence ...”

“I [Dr. Uthan] identified it.”

--- Imperial Commando: 501st, pp 46-47

Viral vector gene therapy.

As part of a virus’ replication cycle, a virus attaches to a cell and introduces their genetic material into the cell --- which carries instructions on how to create more copies of the virus. 

A virus, with the genes that cause disease removed, can be used to introduce “good genes” into a human cell. Depending on the type of virus, changes can be temporary or permanent, and different types have different cell populations they can infect more or less efficiently. 

Different viruses work by targeting different, specific, cell populations. That’s why targeting the exact aging sequences is so integral, because in order to efficiently distribute the “cure”, the virus has to be engineered to target those specific cell populations that govern rapid aging. If done incorrectly ... well.  

The thing is: genetics is not as simple as switching on or off, it’s not as simple as adding or subtracting. Like coding, affecting the genetic code in one area can completely change how a different set of code is expressed in an entirely different area.

“...I thought the maturation genes the Kaminoans added to the basic Jango model were recessive, for their own business reasons, but it’s never quite that simple in genetics. Add, take away, or change one gene—even move its position—and it can have a massive impact on the expression of all the others. They’re all connected somehow. It’s not a simple case of chopping bits out of gene sequences or adding them. If it was, cloning wouldn’t be such a profitable or secretive business. It’s very hard to get right.”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 62

And even this, of course, is an oversimplification.

Also viral vector gene therapy carries quite a few serious risks, including but not limited to:

the potential of inserting genes in the wrong location of DNA, causing harmful mutations

transferred genes can be over-expressed, which may cause an aggravated immune response

Thus, not only was it necessary to identify the exact sequences, but how their expressions had been changed by how much as well as the methods used to change expression---which also affects how treatment can be designed and then delivered.

It’s an incredibly complex issue, with a complex solution. So while a “cure” can and was synthesized, most likely its actual incarnation would have had to be delivered in varied stages engineered for specific cell groups to be modified in specific order.

That said, Dr. Uthan’s virus had already had its foundations built around identifying the specific genetic markers regarding the rapid aging sequence. Combined with Lt. Mereel’s knowledge and extensive work and research over the course of the war, and his familiarity with the Kaminoan’s methods, together they were able to remove the killing part of the bioweapon, and turn it into a vector to undo the non-viral genetic expressions by the Kaminoans.

To sum up: They used a bioweapon, took the weapon part of the equation out, and used the virus to precisely deliver treatment to the affected genes to undo rapid aging.

Also, because that’s what it sounds like to me, I just want to note that this does not mean that they de-aged. 

“Some of the genes they use to accelerate aging are recessive, and others have to be switched on and off chemically. The kaminiise tailored us at every stage, you see. If we were hybrid plants, they’d say we didn’t breed true. That’s the interesting thing about epigenetics—”

---Republic Commando: True Colors, pp 187  

What it means is that the growth rate of 2x was turned down, reduced in expression, until the clone troopers in question returned to an average growth rate of 1x compared to standard. Again, due to the complicated business of genes and genetic expression, the 1x is not exact and not without margin of error, and due to extenuating factors, the “cure” might not “take” in some rare instances.

And the reason why I constantly put quotes around “cure” is because it is not a cure, and can never actually be a cure, due to the nature of the entire situation. What it is is a treatment. It does not solve rapid aging, it turns down the expression of aging to a more acceptable rate to match current human growth standards. It also requires testing --- and monitoring of the person it is tested on.

“Sooner or later, we’re going to have to try it out. The cure, I mean.”

“Try it on me [Mereel].”

“We’ll make sure we know how to undo the effects of it before we get to that stage ... I won’t take risks with your health.”

Mereel laughed. “Lots of nice healthy firefights instead.”

---Republic Commando: Order 66, pp 61

Ultimately, it would be Lt. Mereel who tests his “cure” on himself, not allowing anyone to shoulder the risks (that I mentioned previously) as they could ultimately be life-threatening and Mereel did not come all this way to let another brother die for his experiments. Luckily, all the risks taken to that moment eventually pay off, and a successful treatment is synthesized.

Unfortunately, the “cure” never reached the majority of the clone army. 

Several reasons for this, but the main one is: the actual successful gene therapy wasn’t developed until somewhere between six months to one year after the end of the war, and still had to be tested extensively before it could be distributed. 

The development itself largely remained in obscurity, and faced limited distribution due to (hopefully obvious) reasons, including the scattering / retiring of Kaminoan clone trooper forces in exchange for the bulk production of Arkanian Micro clone troopers (accelerated rate of 10x and for which the treatment cannot work) and enlistment of the public into the Imperial Army. 

What’s the entire timeline from virus to “cure”?

[ 22BBY ] 

- 3 Months After the First Battle Geonosis

Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan is captured by Republic Special Forces

The entire research team, and the leading microbiologists and geneticists of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, is neutralized (read: executed) by Omega Squad

[ 21 BBY ]

- 460~462 Days after the first Battle of Geonosis

Lt. Mereel hijacks a transport to Kamino during a mission to harden Kamino’s defenses

slices the cloning genetics data from the Tipoca mainframe under cover

Discovers Chief Scientist Ko Sai defected and fled

- 478 Days ABG

Ko Sai located and captured

rest of advanced cloning genetics research retrieved 

laboratory and all evidence destroyed

- 545 Days ABG 

Ko Sai found dead

[ 19 BBY ] 

- 938 Days ABG

Dr. Uthan discovered to be held in high security psychiatric institution, The Valorum Center, on Coruscant

- Day 5 into the Battle of Coruscant, 1080 days ABG

Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan is liberated from The Valorum Center and evacuated from Coruscant 

Lt. Mereel and his black ops team defect from the Republic

- 3 weeks after Order 66, New Empire

Dr. Uthan still uncooperative

- Roughly 1 month into the New Empire

Gibad, Dr. Uthan’s homeworld, decimated by her incomplete bioweapon

Synthesizes vaccine to combat release of bioweapon in Mandalore space

Vaccine works as initial test to see if virulence can be reduced or removed, and is successful

- Roughly 6 months into the New Empire

first round of a synthesized treatment

ready for human testing

- 7 months to one year into the Empire

treatment to undo accelerated aging considered a success, and

ready for distribution to whoever they can reach

if they want it

In Conclusion

Null ARC N-7, Lt. Mereel, synthesized a “cure” for accelerated aging with the assistance of ex-CIS geneticist Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan. 

It took roughly 3-4 years of dedicated research, development, blood, sweat, tears, one dead Kaminoan scientist, a handful of dead mandalorians, and an entire team of unarmed CIS scientists executed. 

The “cure” is not a cure so much as a treatment. It does not solve rapid aging, it turns down the expression of aging to a more acceptable rate to match current human growth standards.

The treatment itself comes with a potentially high risk of death at worst, and can be entirely ineffective, but at best does, in fact, succeed in reducing the accelerated aging back down to a standard rate of human aging.

Because it was not completed until roughly 1 year after the end of The Clone Wars by a group of defectors who went AWOL and were hunted because they went AWOL, it never saw widespread distribution despite that being the goal.

If you’ve read through this and made it this far ... thank you. And, you know, feel free to reblog and refer to this post as a resource.