Please do not share the details of this article openly on social media and spoil Star Wars: Episode VIII for those that want to remain spoiler free. These are very general spoilers but lets respect everyone’s wishes and not spoil those that do not appreciate spoilers like us.

In Star Wars: Episode VIII we get a closer look at the nefarious forces of the First Order. Not only are the First Order Stormtroopers back as expected, but they have some minor alterations to them which we will get to in a moment. We will see other classic designs brought back to life for the modern incarnation of evil in the galaxy. The red “Imperial Guards” and “Imperial Gunners” have been redesigned for the First Order era. The First Order “Imperial Guards” have a strange visor on them with under-armor and cuffed sleeves and armor under the robes (much more on them later, I promise). This article is really about the new Stormtroopers in Episode VIII and one featured Stormtrooper in particular.

In the past, you may recall I have complained how hard it is for sources to describe Stormtroopers and the differences. Nothing has changed but we were able to pull out some details during the filming we can now share. The Stormtroopers in VIII are pretty much the same as the troopers we saw in The Force Awakens to the average filmgoer. However, you’re a Star Wars fan and you can tell the difference between TK armor in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. So I know the details matter to you. While the helmets are pretty much the same, one notable difference is that the mouthpiece is said to have become more like the mouth piece on the Original Trilogy Stormtrooper helmet.

I think it is safe to say FN-2199 was the breakout star Stormtrooper of The Force Awakens. In Episode VIII there is a featured Stormtrooper that is a force to be feared in the film. I’ve heard him referred to as The Executioner and other minor variations of that name. He has a matte black line that goes over half his mask on one side that sets him apart.

The Executioner’s weapon is not unlike FN-2199’s at the handle but it has three spinning blades on the end that are said to be like something out of Phantasm (think of the crazy blades that come out of the spheres in those films). We think he has a shield but we haven’t been able to confirm if he actually uses it in the film or not.

One rumor with some legs we have heard but cannot confirm is that Finn will go up against The Executioner and this time he doesn’t have Han Solo to save him like in he did last time (more on Finn’s mission very soon).

I passed the details of The Executioner onto our friend Lumberjack Nick. This is like a “police sketch” (or cartoon for that matter) of what the trooper looks like. The weapon is a little different in the film but Nick did a good job at capturing the gist of the character in case the text above leaves anything to be desired. This isn’t 1:1 accurate just to be clear; it is to give you an idea of how The Executioner is being described:

I would not be surprised to learn that the The Executioner is a working title or coded pseudonym for the character but you never know. So there you have it–some new variations on the First Order Stormtrooper design and a new featured Stormtrooper with a black matte line across his face. More to come!