Summary

• Orphan Black features a complex story of human cloning and a standout performance by Tatiana Maslany.
• 276 Leda clones were created in total, with Maslany portraying 17 different clones in the series.
• The journey of Sarah Manning into her true origins as one of many clones is a gripping and dangerous tale.

BBC sci-fi series Orphan Black isn't just a gripping story of illegal experiments in human cloning — it also featured an acting tour de force by star Tatiana Maslany. The Canadian actress played five main characters throughout the series, and appeared in many "guest" roles as other clones that they encountered. In the Orphan Black series finale it was revealed that there were 276 Leda clones created in total, and Maslany played 17 of them on-screen. Created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, Orphan Black's story begins with petty criminal Sarah Manning arriving on a train platform and encountering a woman who looks exactly like her.

While Sarah is still in shock, the woman commits suicide by stepping in front of a train. Over the course of the next five seasons, Sarah follows the dead woman down a rabbit hole that reveals her own true origins, and puts both her and her daughter in grave danger. As the mystery of Orphan Black unravels, Sarah learns that she is one of hundreds of clones created in 1984 as part of the mysterious Project Leda. She encounters multiple copies of herself throughout the show, with Tatiana Maslany playing 17 different and distinct clones in Orphan Black.

The clones played by Tatiana Maslany are all copies of Kendall Malone, who is played in the show by Alison Stean.

Sarah Manning

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 1, "Natural Selection"

The main Project Leda clone played by Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black is Sarah Manning, who is introduced in the first episode of the show, "Natural Selection." Sarah is one of only two clones that escaped Neolution's watchful gaze. Her birth mother, Amelia, escaped before giving birth to her twins. She gave one to the church and one to the state, and Sarah was the twin who went to the state.

Sarah is the only Leda clone who was able to conceive a child naturally — a miracle, given that the clones were deliberately made sterile — and she loves her daughter Kira intensely.

She ended up in the care of Siobhan Sadler, who moved Sarah and her foster brother, Felix, to America in order to keep Sarah out of the clutches of people who were searching for her. Sarah got her love of punk rock from Siobhan, who sharply pointed out that Sarah "took all of the attitude, none of the politics" from the music. Sarah is the only Leda clone who was able to conceive a child naturally — a miracle, given that the clones were deliberately made sterile — and she loves her daughter Kira intensely.

Beth Childs

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 1, "Natural Selection"

Following Sarah, the next clone played by Tatiana Maslany audiences encounter in Orphan Black is Beth Childs, who promptly takes her own life by jumping in front of a train. Police detective Beth Childs was part of the original "Clone Club" alongside Alison Hendrix and Cosima Niehaus, and was using her skills to help piece together the mystery of the clones and the illness that was afflicting some of them. Beth's investigation led her to cross paths with the Proletheans, a group of religious extremists who consider the clones to be abominations.

This culminated in Beth killing a Prolethean called Maggie Chen, resulting in her suspension and an internal investigation into the civilian shooting. Between the trauma of the shooting and her unrequited love for her boyfriend and monitor, Paul, Beth's mental health took a downward spiral that eventually took her to the train platform.

Katja Obinger

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 1, "Natural Selection"

Once Sarah starts investigating why Beth, the woman she saw jump in front of a train, was identical to her, she soon encounters other Project Leda clones. The next copy of Sarah that Tatiana Maslany plays in Orphan Black is Katja Obinger, a clone born in , one of only a handful of clones in Europe. Commonly referred to as "The German," poor Katja Obinger's appearance in Orphan Black was short-lived. The newest addition to Clone Club, Katja flew all the way to Canada with documents and samples from clones in Europe.

Katja was suffering from the respiratory illness that afflicted many of the Leda clones, and hoped that with her sisters' help she could find a cure.

It's through Katja was suffering from the respiratory illness that afflicted many of the Leda clones, and hoped that with her sisters' help she could find a cure. She soon saw through Sarah's pretense of being Beth, but before she could find out who she was really talking to, Helena ended Katja's life with a sniper bullet to the brain.

Aryanna Giordano

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 2, "Instinct" (Photo Only)

It's through Katja that Sarah learns of many of the other Project Leda clones. Tatiana Maslany still plays all of them, though there are several that only appear as photographs, as many of them are (presumably) dead by the time the show starts, having either been killed or falling victim to the mysterious illness Katja is hoping to find a cure for. One of the Project Leda clones in Europe was Aryanna Giordano.

Among the files that Katja brings with her are the IDs of several clones around Europe who had already been assassinated by Helena. Aryanna Giordano was a Leda clone raised in Italy, and little else is known about her. Her photo was then seen once again in Orphan Black season 1, episode 8, "Entangled Bank". Cosima, one of the other Project Leda clones, has a chart documenting all the known clones. Aryanna's photo is on the chart with a red X next to it, signifying that she had indeed been killed.

Janika Zingler

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 2, "Instinct" (Photo Only)

Another of the IDs that Katja brings with her is that of Janika Angler, a clone who was born in Salzburg, Austria. Like Aryanna, Janika is dead before Orphan Black begins, having been assassinated by Helena. Her photograph is also visible on her port when Sarah collects Katja's documents from the hotel, though the briefcase also contained some of Janika's hair and blood samples.

While clones like Janika and Aryanna didn't have a significant presence in the show, the inclusion of their ports showed just how widespread the reach of Neolution and Project Leda truly was

She is also present on Cosima's chart in "Entangled Bank" and, like Aryanna, has a red X next to her name alongside the date of her death. She was assassinated by Helena in July 2012. She was the third clone that Helena killed, the first being an unnamed European clone and the second being Aryanna. While clones like Janika and Aryanna didn't have a significant presence in the show, the inclusion of their ports showed just how widespread the reach of Neolution and Project Leda truly was, and helped flesh out the immersion and lore of Orphan Black significantly.

Danielle Fournier

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 2, "Instinct" (Photo Only)

The last European clone seen only via a port photograph in the Orphan Black season 1 episode, "Instinct", was Danielle Fournier. Danielle lived in Paris, , and was the final clone killed by Helena prior to Sarah encountering Beth Childs and the events of Orphan Black beginning. It's unknown who was responsible for monitoring Danielle, which is also the case for Janika and Aryanna.

Just like Janika Zingler and Aryanna Giordano, Danielle Fournier only appears in an ID photo and not much is known about her. She had a healthy head of curly hair, which helped distinguish her somewhat from the photos of Janika and Aryanna. Her blood samples were also in Katja's briefcase, and the tube was labeled "Patient # 84-2389263."

Alison Hendrix

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 2, "Instinct"

After Catja and Beth, the next clone played by Tatiana Maslany introduced in Orphan Black is Alison Hendrix, who is also the first audiences encounter in season 1's "Instinct" who'd go on to be a regular presence on the show. Alison Hendrix is the third fellow clone that Sarah meets in the flesh, and Alison quickly removes from Saraha any belief that soccer moms aren't a force to be reckoned with.

Alison is desperate to just lead a normal life and hates being a clone

Alison is married to her monitor, Donnie, and they have two children that they adopted. Alison is part of the original Clone Club and, since she didn't have police access like Beth or science expertise like Cosima , she contributed to the sisterhood by giving Beth a $75,000 "self-defense fund." Alison is desperate to just lead a normal life and hates being a clone so much that she tries to forbid use of the word in Clone Club — though, clearly, she wasn't successful in this particular endeavour.

Cosima Niehaus

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 2, "Instinct"

One of the most significant clones played by Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black is Cosima Niehouse, who is first introduced in "Instinct". Hippie scientist Cosima leads the charge on trying to find a cure for the clones' mysterious illness, which becomes all the more urgent when she herself starts coughing up blood. Studying for her Ph.D. in Experimental Evolutionary Developmental Biology (or "Evo-Devo," as she prefers to call it), Cosima acts as a mediating force between the hot-headed Sarah and the tightly-wound Alison.

However, even Cosima lets her emotions get the better of her when she suspects that the attractive French woman trying to befriend her, Delphine, is a monitor sent by Neolution to keep an eye on her. Cosima's argument that she could learn something by getting close to Delphine and doing a bit of reverse-monitoring is motivated by something a little more primal than the scientific method.

Helena

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 3, "Variation Under Nature"

Easily the most dangerous clone played by Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black is Helena, the murderous and unmonitored Project Leda experiment who is a main antagonist in the show's first season. In Orphan Black season 1, Sarah learns from her birth mother that the psychotic clone stalking and assassinating the others is actually her twin, Helena. Sarah and Helena were separated at birth, and while Sarah was left in the loving care of Siobhan Sadler, Helena was left with a Ukrainian Convent.

Despite her early villainous behavior, however, Helena ends up becoming a core member of Clone Club and finding a real family.

After Amelia gave Helena to the church, she ended up in the hands of the Proletheans, who weaponized her against her fellow clones. At the start of the series, Helena has been brainwashed into thinking that she's the original and all the other clones are aberrations that must be eliminated. Despite her early villainous behavior, however, Helena ends up becoming a core member of Clone Club and finding a real family.

Rachel Duncan

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 9, "Unconscious Selection"

One of the most ruthless, cold, and calculating clones played by Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black is Rachel Duncan — an antagonist who, unlike Helena, doesn't have any kind of redemption arc or sympathetic qualities. Most of the Leda clones were kept oblivious to their true nature (unlike their Castor brothers, who were raised in the military and are self-aware). Rachel Duncan is the exception: a child raised by Neolution.

Rachel takes her last name from the scientists Ethan and Susan Duncan, who developed the LEDA and CASTOR cloning projects and brought her up as their own daughter in an apparently loving home. Rachel serves as an example of what the Leda clones strengths - Cosima's intelligence, Sarah's defiance, Alison's fierceness when threatened, and Helena's killer instinct - look like when they take a truly villainous form.