For other uses, see Stormtrooper (disambiguation). For other uses, see

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"You are stormtroopers. You are the keenest weapon in the Emperor's arsenal. Do not fail him. Do not fail me." ―ISB Commander Alecia Beck [src]

Stormtroopers, nicknamed "bucketheads" and—after the Battle of Endor—Remnant Stormtroopers, were the elite shock troops of the Galactic Empire. As members of the Stormtrooper Corps, an independent branch that operated under the Imperial Army, they served as frontline assault forces and formed the backbone of the Imperial Military. Indoctrinated to support the ideology of the New Order, stormtroopers were fanatically loyal to the Empire, making it impossible for them to betray the Imperial cause. With their signature white armor and the E-11 blaster rifle, stormtroopers became the face of the Empire on the countless worlds they patrolled throughout the galaxy.

In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious declared himself Emperor of the First Galactic Empire, ending the thousand-year age of the Galactic Republic and inaugurating a new era in galactic history. As a result, the clone troopers that composed the Grand Army of the Republic became the first stormtroopers during the early years of the Empire. Over time the cloning operation on Kamino was shut down; future troopers were no longer cloned but recruited from the Empire's human population, yet still trained for absolute loyalty and obedience.

Stormtroopers fought against the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic throughout the Galactic Civil War. During the conflict, they often utilized their numerical superiority, employing swarm tactics to overwhelm the enemy. After the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, the Empire deployed an army of stormtroopers—led by the Sith Lord Darth Vader—in cold weather gear to conquer the Rebel base on Hoth three years after the destruction of the first Death Star. A year later, the Emperor perished aboard the second Death Star, which was also destroyed during the Battle of Endor. Combined with the defeat of a legion of the Empire's best soldiers, the war turned in favor of the newly-formed New Republic.

As the Empire fractured into several remnant factions, a large number of stormtroopers united under the command of Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax and made a desperate last stand against the armies of the Republic on the forlorn frontier world of Jakku. Despite their efforts to turn the tide, Rax's forces were defeated and the Empire subsequently sued for peace in 5 ABY. The terms of the Galactic Concordance treaty forbade the mobilization and training of stormtroopers; Imperial academies throughout the galaxy were consequently shut down during the new era of peace.

However, some stormtroopers retained their battleworn armor and became mercenaries in the aftermath of Battle of Endor, when the Empire fell into disarray. By then, all that remained of their once pristine and uniform ranks was a ragtag army of ex-soldiers led by warlords and lawless gangsters in the outer reaches of the galaxy. Despite the terms of the Galactic Concordance, a new generation of stormtroopers would rise decades after the Battle of Jakku. The First Order, a successor to the Empire in all but name, disregarded the treaty and conscripted human children into its growing army. Modeled on both Republic clone troopers and Imperial stormtroopers, First Order stormtroopers were trained from birth and conditioned by First Order propaganda to ensure absolute loyalty. But whereas the Empire settled for numbing routine, the First Order's training simulations and live-fire drills encouraged improvisation on the battlefield, making their stormtroopers more dangerous than their Imperial precursors.

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History Edit

Soldiers of the Empire Edit

"I heard they shut down the facilities on Kamino. They'll train up the last batch of clones and that's it."

"But that's crazy. Who will protect the Empire?"

"Don't know, Kicker. But it won't be us. We get to pack up old Jedi way stations and crate everything back to Coruscant. I think our fighting days are done." ―"Ding" and "Kicker" [src]

Stormtroopers were the ultimate evolution of the clone troopers that defended the Galactic Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a prolonged and protracted conflict known as the Clone Wars.[1] Following the execution of the Separatist Council, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine became the self-appointed Galactic Emperor, and ultimately reformed the Republic into the First Galactic Empire.[13]

With the development of the new Imperial war machine,[14] the clone trooper armor was upgraded.[1] Additionally, the Emperor ordered the extermination of the Jedi Order, after the Jedi had served as leaders in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars.[13] Within the new regime, the clone troopers went on to serve as stormtroopers under the authority of cruel Imperial officers and governors, no longer taking guidance from the wisdom of the Jedi Knights.[1]

During the Imperial Era, stormtroopers were used to bring any remaining Separatist worlds into line.[15] As the clones' accelerated aging process began causing their physical skills and abilities to deteriorate, they were replaced by non-clone volunteers and conscripts.[16] Amidst a groundswell of nationalism and popular support, many signed up to become the next generation of the "Boys in White;" the mythos and appeal of the former clone troopers giving the new stormtrooper ranks a sense of grandeur and glory.[17] The Stormtrooper Corps, a sub-command under the Imperial Army, was eventually formed by a group of former clone commandos.[18] As time wore on, stormtroopers would replace Imperial Army soldiers—the main infantry force of the early Empire, often consisting of local planetary defense forces conscripted into the Imperial Military—as mainline combat troops and security forces.[19] With a lack of jobs and opportunity in the wake of the Clone Wars, posterity would later come to criticize an "aimless generation" as complicit in abetting the rapid militarization and recruitment of the Imperial war machine.[17]

Nonetheless, several clones remained in service to the Galactic Empire, with some becoming instructors in the Imperial Academy,[20] while others remained in active duty such as Sergeant "Crest" and TX-828, who was still active following the Battle of Yavin.[21] Ultimately, stormtroopers came to represent the face of the Empire, but the soldiers were opposed by a[3] growing[22] rebellion that sought to restore democratic rule to the galaxy.[3]

Galactic Civil War Edit

"Stormtroopers? Here? We're in danger. I must tell the others. Oh, no! I've been shot!" ―C-3PO [src]

The Battle of Scarif was the first major rebel victory of the Galactic Civil War, between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Following the Rebel victory at Scarif,[23] the Emperor's enforcer, Darth Vader, commanded a battalion of stormtroopers who served him loyally.[1] With those troops, Vader captured Princess Leia Organa's Alderaan cruiser Tantive IV over Tatooine shortly before the Battle of Yavin.[24] Stormtroopers were also used to arrest dissidents on numerous worlds including Akiva[25] and Zeitooine.[26] Stormtroopers also saw action against the Rebellion forces during the Battle of Hoth,[27] the Mid Rim Retreat,[18] and the Battle of Endor.[28]

After the events on Endor, the Empire went into disarray, and stormtroopers saw action on many fronts against the armed forces of the New Republic, the successor government to the Rebel Alliance. Fragments of the former regime gained footholds on distant worlds, and numerous stormtroopers were killed on worlds as far flung as Uyter, Naalol, and Akiva. By this time, stormtroopers were taken out of Academy training early. New Republic forces also took many stormtroopers prisoner with many prisoners being sent to the New Republic capital of Chandrila. On one occasion, the New Republic public relations official Olia Choko personally stopped New Republic soldiers from parading stormtrooper prisoners through the streets of Hanna City.[25] Later, stormtroopers saw action during the liberation of Kashyyyk[10] and the Battle of Jakku, the Empire's final stand.[29] Following the defeat of the Empire at Jakku, the remnants of the Empire signed the Galactic Concordance with the New Republic. The Galactic Concordance forbade the recruitment and mobilization of stormtrooper forces and forced the Empire to abandon its network of Imperial Academies.[30] However, the battle truly been part of Emperor Palpatine's Contingency. Carried out by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, the new leader of the Empire, the Sith Lord had ordered Rax to destroy the Empire if he died. While Rax's full plan was stopped by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, Rax told her to complete the rest of the Contingency by rebuilding the Empire in the Unknown Regions.[11]

Mercenaries Edit

Remnant stormtroopers Edit

"The Empire is gone, Mando. All that are left are mercenaries and warlords." ―Greef Karga, to the Mandalorian Din Djarin [src]

Remnant Stormtroopers were once soldiers of the Galactic Empire, until their defeat at the Battle of Endor[3]in 4 ABY[31] caused the Empire to crumble into disarray.[3] After the Empire capitulated to the New Republic,[11] the Stormtrooper Corps all but ceased to exist, its pristine and uniform ranks reduced to a ragtag army of mercenaries for lawless gangsters[3] and warlords.[32] They were officially banned by the treaty that brought an end to the Galactic Civil War[30] in 5 ABY,[31] but some troopers opted to retain their battle-worn stormtrooper armor while fighting for fragments of the former regime.[3] Although the Empire had fallen, its legacy endured in the mercenaries and warlords[32] who were able to establish footholds on distant worlds, clinging to what little power they had left[3] in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories where the New Republic would not interfere. Yet their survival did not alter the reality of the era they lived in; for individuals like Greef Karga and the Tribe's armorer, the Galactic Empire was gone forever.[32]

By 9 ABY, an Imperial remnant employed stormtrooper mercenaries as bodyguards for Doctor Pershing and "the Client" on Nevarro. They secretly met with the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin while under the protection of the Remnant Stormtroopers, but Pershing's lack of decorum led to a tense standoff between the Imperial mercenaries and the Mandalorian. Possessing the advantage in numbers, the four stormtroopers believed that they could defeat the lone gunfighter but ultimately backed down at the behest of their employer, who wished to hire the Mandalorian to retrieve a valuable asset.[12]

Djarin encountered the Remnant Stormtroopers once more upon returning from Arvala-7 with the asset, which was in fact a Force-sensitive infant belonging to a mysterious species. They almost immediately took custody of the Child, not caring for the Mandalorian's concern over the way they manhandled the infant, and later escorted him further into the compound following an initial analysis of the Child's condition by Doctor Pershing. When he inquired about their intentions regarding the Child, more Remnant Stormtroopers entered the room, surrounding the Mandalorian while the Client chided him for breaking the Code of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, having accepted both the commission and a considerable payment in Beskar.[32]

Though initially resolved to take a new assignment, Djarin returned to the Imperial facility, determined to rescue the Child. At the same time, the Client insisted that Pershing complete his work with the Child as soon as possible, now that he could no longer guarantee the scientist's safety. Djarin managed to infiltrate the compound, killing several unsuspecting stormtroopers before retrieving the Child, after which he relied on his entire arsenal of weaponry to defeat the remaining stormtroopers that blocked his escape route. One such trooper was burned alive by the Mandalorian's wrist mounted flamethrower, while several others were killed with whistling birds. Shortly afterward, with help from his fellow Mandalorians of the Tribe, Djarin escaped from Karga and members of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, fleeing Nevarro with the Child aboard the Razor Crest.[32] Unfortunately for the Tribe, revealing themselves to save Djarin led the Imperial remnant to attack their covert. The Imperial forces massacred the majority of the Mandalorians, though the Armorer survived and hoped others did as well. Also following Djarin's escape from Nevarro, the Imperial remnant increased its presence in Nevarro city, with Imperial scout troopers even being posted at its entrance.[33]

Liberation of Nevarro Edit

During his travels after escaping Nevarro, Djarin took a job with an old contact named Ranzar Malk, during which he worked with[34] a gang[35] of mercenaries. Upon learning that its leader, Mayfeld, had been a sniper for the Empire, Djarin joked that it did not mean much, though Mayfeld angrily clarified that he had not been a stormtrooper.[34] Karga eventually reached out to Djarin, claiming that they would work together to eliminate the the Client. While he knew killing the Client would stop the flow of bounty hunters being sent after the Child, Djarin also did not trust Karga, so the bounty hunter gathered two of his allies: the ex-rebel shock trooper Carasynthia Dune from Sorgan and the Ugnaught Kuiil from Arvala-7. Kuiil also brought the reprogrammed assassin droid IG-11 and three blurrgs. After Djarin and his allies arrived on Nevarro, Karga had initially planned on betraying the Mandalorian and taking the Child to the Client, but he found himself unable to go through with the plan after the young Force-sensitive had saved him from a creature's venom. Having Kuiil take the Child back to the Razor Crest but taking the infant's pram with them, Karga, Djarin, and Dune entered the stormtrooper-occupied city streets to meet with the Client, but Karga assured them that the Client's guard would only be made up of four troopers.[36]

After they entered the cantina the Client was in, a few more stormtroopers arrived to reinforce their commander, but the troopers and the Client himself were soon murdered by Gideon's death trooper guard. A massive force of stormtroopers then arrived to join the guard, and Gideon himself arrived in an Outland TIE fighter to tell Karga, Djarin, and Dune that they would soon take the Child. Djarin tried to contact Kuiil, but the transmission was picked up by the two scout troopers at the city entrance. Riding on their speeder bikes, these two scouts soon reached and killed Kuiil, allowing them to take the Child.[36] They rode back to the outskirts of the city, but they were instructed to stay back until they were allowed to enter. During this transmission, the scout who had contacted the city was told that Gideon's forces had killed the troopers stationed in the cantina, which confused the other scout. The two had target practice with a nearby piece of debris and discussed the infant they had taken, but they were soon confronted by IG-11. The assassin droid made short work of the two troopers and stole a speeder bike to ride into the city.[33]

Elsewhere, Djarin, Dune, and Karga planned on fleeing into the sewers to escape, though Gideon's stormtroopers finished assembling an E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon, and the Moff gave his enemies until nightfall to consider his offer for reasonable negotiations. Despite the Imperials' heavy cannon, Djarin and his allies were soon reinforced by IG-11, who rode into the city with the Child and took out a number of stormtroopers. With Dune supplying fire from inside the cantina, Djarin and Karga joined the fight outside, with the Mandalorian even taking control of the E-Web to help take out the stormtroopers. After blowing open the door, death troopers entered the cantina to kill Dune, but she managed to take them out. Soon after, however, Gideon blasted the E-Web's box, heavily injuring the Mandalorian and forcing Dune to take him inside. With Djarin, who wished to stay behind and have a warrior's death against the stormtroopers, and his allies now trapped in the cantina, Gideon ordered an incinerator trooper to burn them out of the building, but the Child used the Force to throw the flames back. While the others escaped to the sewers, IG-11 stayed behind and healed the Mandalorian, allowing them to join the others in their search for the Mandalorian covert in the sewers. They ultimately learned that the Empire had massacred the Mandalorians from the Armorer. Even though stormtroopers breached the sewers, IG-11 was able to take out an Imperial scouting party, and the Armorer elected to stay behind after giving Djarin his signet, a jetpack, and munitions. After his allies and him escaped to a lava river, a team of five troopers confronted the Armorer in her armory, but she was able to quickly take out the soldiers.[33]

On the lava river, Djarin detected a platoon's worth of stormtroopers at the end of the tunnel. Understanding that they would fail if they tried to fight, IG-11 made sure the Child would be safe with Djarin and moved to confront the stormtroopers outside. Following his manufacturer's protocol to self-destruct instead of being captured, IG-11 sacrificed himself to take out the troopers. Gideon then attacked Djarin and the others using his Outland TIE, but the Mandalorian used his jetpack and a detonator to take out the fighter. After this, Dune expressed her belief that they had removed all of the stormtrooper resistance from the city, but she decided to stay behind to make sure. Karga also felt that the Imperial remnant had been removed from Nevarro, which would let the bounty hunters return to the planet.[33]

Legacy Edit

"I lead as all great leaders do…from behind a disposable shield of patriotic idiots." ―Phasma [src]

The Imperial remnants that retreated to the Unknown Regions reorganized themselves as the First Order. Defying the Galactic Concordance, the First Order recruited and mobilized new stormtroopers. The new stormtroopers were influenced by the ideas of Brendol Hux, a former commandant at the Arkanis Academy.[30] The First Order's stormtroopers were equipped with sleeker armor and powerful weaponry.[5] Among the Order's agents was Terex, who had served as an Imperial stormtrooper.[37] The former Imperial Stormtrooper Commander Ruthford, who had served under Darth Vader during a battle with the Benathy, served as a captain in the First Order. Captain Ruthford would find himself seeing the Benathy once again, although this time he served under the grandson of Vader, Kylo Ren.[38]

Training Edit

"Cadets, you entered this facility as children. And in a few short weeks, you will leave as soldiers. By the time you complete your training, you will be prepared to serve your Emperor." ―Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko [src]

Unlike their predecessors, the majority of stormtroopers were non-clone recruits. Imperial cadets were shipped off to Imperial Academies, and subjected to rigorous training programs in order to produce highly trained shock troopers fiercely loyal to the Empire.[39] Cadets could be as young as thirteen standard years.[40] Stormtroopers were trained to disregard fallen comrades in battle, and to press on, no matter the cost, even when the odds were stacked against them.[15]

Although they were a rare sight, women were not prohibited from serving in the ranks of the stormtroopers.[41] During training, female cadets were placed in all-female units. Unit Forn was an all-female unit at the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal.[42]

Those who were selected for stormtrooper training had to undergo extra reconditioning. This has the effect of dehumanizing the cadets, who came to refer to themselves by their operating numbers rather than their names. One such cadet was Ames Bunkle, an acquaintance of Zare Leonis.[43]

Among other things, cadets would train to fire blasters, and Imperial specialist Ralsius Paldora noted that stormtroopers hit 77 percent of their targets.[29] Cadets also learned to pilot Imperial walkers and the ruthlessness it took to become a stormtrooper. Cadets who attended Imperial Academies also underwent simulated obstacle courses in the Well, which were designed to test their strength, agility, reflexes and intelligence. Such courses and tests of skill became increasingly difficult over time, and accountability for losses were harsh.[42]

While cadets attended the academy, they wore white uniforms and specialized helmets, similar to the standard stormtrooper or pilot gear. Aside from their basic training, many cadets were also assigned other non-combat duties on base. Such duties offered cadets the opportunity to gain experience over their peers, and were often presented as rewards for excellent performance during training exercises.[42]

As cadets were being evaluated, the officers in charge were often instructed to take note of performance that might denote an affinity for the Force, and report it to one of their superiors. Cadets who met this special criteria were taken by the Grand Inquisitor and forcibly inducted into Project Harvester, a top secret Imperial program based on Arkanis. Cadet Zare's older sister Dhara Leonis was one known subject of Project Harvester.[42] Another prospective subject was Jai Kell, who managed to escape due to the help of Ezra Bridger.[39]

Stormtrooper and other Imperial cadets also assisted in law enforcement operations. Following a spate of rebel activity on Lothal, Imperial cadets there were used to search homes and streets for illegal activities, detain the children of fugitives, and to raid smugglers. During these law enforcements operations, some cadets like Nazhros Oleg came to flout their new-found powers; a trait that was encouraged by some officers like Captain Piers Roddance. Some prospective officer cadets like Leonis and Oleg were also given the chance to lead adult stormtroopers in these raids. Cadets also had their backgrounds investigated for any sign of criminal connections and other subversive activities.[44]

Equipment Edit

Armor Edit

"They trained us to treat that armor like it was part of us." ―Terex [src]

Stormtroopers wore a distinctive set of white armor that was intended to instill fear in the Empire's subjects, while also providing the soldiers with an extended range of survival equipment and temperature controls. It also gave limited protection against blaster fire;[1] in certain cases, stormtroopers continued to breathe after being shot by an E-11 blaster rifle.[45] Stormtrooper armor was not without its faults, however. The plates made running harder and offered little protection against large scale pulse detonations and blunt weapons.[46]

The helmet provided cranial protection, filtered air, and contained enhanced vision, communication systems and an effective[47] HUD (heads up display)[source?] that could help locate threats, aid in navigation, and to help alert the wearer.[47]

Rank was determined by a color coded pauldron worn over the right shoulder, with orange or red representing the rank of commander, black indicating an enlisted trooper, and white representing a sergeant. Sometimes on the pauldrons they had specific symbols distinguishing who they were serving, exemplified by Grand Admiral Thrawn's troops, who had a styalised chimaera on their pauldrons.[48]

Stormtroopers also had a utility belt and a grappling hook attached to it, and primarily used the E-11 blaster rifle, though they occasionally utilized the DLT-20A blaster rifle, the T-21 light repeating blaster or the DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle, especially for long range engagements.[source?] They could also use scatter guns,[49] and MPL-57 grenade launchers.[source?]

By 28 ABY,[source?] stormtrooper helmets and armor were collected by individuals like the New Republic senator Ransolm Casterfo, who had an interest in Imperial "artifacts." Several of Casterfo's Centrist senators including Ormes Apolin and Fatil also admired and collected Imperial uniforms and armor. In addition, Imperial armor and other artifacts also sold at markets on Chrome Citadel.[50]

Dress uniform Edit

Outside of combat and security details, stormtrooper officers wore black dress tunics, caps, and boots, as well as code cylinders, rank insignia plaques, officer's disks conform to the standards of the Imperial Navy.[15]

Specialized stormtroopers Edit

In addition to the standard stormtroopers, the Empire had specialized stormtrooper forces assembled to operate in different environments or roles. Once a trooper was specialized to their role, their physiological conditioning was so strong that one would rarely want to change what division they were in.[51]

Stormtroopers in mechanized battle armor armed with heavy handheld cannon were present at the Battle of Sevarcos.[25] Thirty years after the Battle of Endor, variants of the former Galactic Empire's armed forces would exist under the auspices of a new organization known as the First Order. It utilized new stormtroopers, and variants such as the megablaster heavy assault troopers, riot control stormtroopers, snowtroopers, and flametroopers.[30]

Behind the scenes Edit

"My dad keeps telling me that the stormtroopers are the good guys. Are they really?"

"The stormtroopers are the good guys, it's just that they take orders from a very bad man." ―A Celebration III audience member and George Lucas

Stormtroopers, as depicted in the early drafts of Star Wars and envisioned by Ralph McQuarrie, were to wield lightsabers and hand-held shields. George Lucas, when composing background information for licensees in 1977, stated that females did exist in the Stormtrooper Corps, although there were few stationed on the Death Star. He suggested that they were numerous in other units.[67]

In Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, an actor playing a stormtrooper accidentally hit his head on a doorway. In the Star Wars Special Editions, a sound was added for the purpose of comedy. Over the years the accident turned into a tradition by making actors hit their heads on doors in the Star Wars films.[4]

Stormtroopers were named after Imperial German Sturmtruppen, which in English translated to Stormtroopers, special troops who were tasked in the last year of World War I with mounting fierce infantry assaults on Allied trenches in an attempt to break the stalemate on the Western Front. However, many aspects of the branch of service, such as their unwavering obedience to the Emperor, their reputation for excessive force, and their status as an independent element separate from the overall army bears some similarity to the Sturmabteilung (Lit: Assault Section) of the 1930s NSDAP party in Germany, as well as the Waffen-SS or "Armed SS" units that served as independent military formations controlled directly by the Nazi hierarchy and not the German High Command during World War II.[source?]

Appearances Edit

Non-canon appearances Edit

Sources Edit

Notes and references Edit

Stormtrooper on Wikipedia