i will write this properly later when i have actual brain cells to do it but the long and the short of it is

-people of the empire have been cursed with an inability to reproduce without mass genetic defects, so they rely on existing gene stores to clone for workers

-workers are lobotomised, as to replicate a sentience for the purposes of labour is seen as slavery and on a larger scale, part of an internal struggle in the empire of each soul to preserve its individuality in the face of the technological means they are forced to resort to to sustain their civilisation and lifespans

-the ship and its clones are commanded by a preserved individual, kept in cryostasis and either linked with the ship's systems or in rarer cases thawed and acting in person

-if the commander is compromised in an emergency, they can transfer their consciousness into a new clone, but this is seen as a terrifying act, akin to consigning yourself to death as there is no guarantee the transfer is a continuous experience