#tcws4e8

Sergeant Appo's name derives from the Clone Commander that accompanies Anakin Skywalker on the march on the Jedi Temple during Order 66, as seen in Episode III. This is the same character earlier in the timeline, prior to a promotion to commander. The arrow shape on his helmet is a nod to the character Appa from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a show series supervising director Dave Filoni previously worked on.

Inspiration for the pressure-suited Umbaran soldiers include the Zentraedi from Robotech and the Sardaukar from David Lynch's Dune. The helmets feed the Umbarans a potent gas mixture that keeps them amped up for combat, increasing their reflexes and aggression. From a production point of a view, such a helmet allowed a single animation model to be created for the military, while keeping the soldiers living, breathing non-droid opponents for the clones.

Umbaran MHC attack lighting concept.

Umbaran crawler tank attack lighting concept.

Explosion in the wilderness lighting concept.

Destruction of the crawler tank lighting concept.

501st clone troopers lighting concept.