Everything about Imperial Stormtroopers totally explained
History
Imperial Stormtroopers originate from the
Clone Troopers who comprised the
Grand Army of the Republic during the
Clone Wars. The Clone Troopers were in turn cloned from
Jango Fett, as shown revealed in Episode II. The Phase II Clone Trooper armor sported by the clones in bears an intentionally-striking resemblance to the Imperial Stormtrooper armor they'd don soon thereafter.
There has been much debate as to whether all the Imperial Stormtroopers are clones. There are a number of indications in Episodes IV, V and VI that they're not all clones. This is understandably stemmed from the fact that Episodes II and III which revealed the origins of the Stormtroopers were written and filmed after Episodes IV, V and VI --- obviously, at the time of filming Episodes IV, V and VI, the Imperial Stormtroopers were not intended to be a force of identical clones in armor. In order to reconcile this, George Lucas himself, as cited in a question and answer article of
Star Wars Insider in 2005, stated that not all Stormtroopers are clones as a result of volunteers and conscription. He also said the clones themselves are not all clones of Jango whether out of necessity or political "rewards" for finding favor with the Emperor. So it's possible that there would be a mix of Jango clones, citizens within the Empire, and various clones of political appointees.
Stormtroopers are extremely similar to Sith troopers in the
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic video game series.
Organization
Imperial Stormtroopers are independent of the
Imperial Navy or the
Imperial Army chains of command. They have their own command structure, ranking system and support facilities. Imperial Stormtroopers are stationed on Imperial Navy craft and on Imperial Army bases to ensure the loyalty and obedience of their personnel to the Emperor.
Each stormtrooper is assigned a number for tactical purposes and to reinforce the Imperial ethic of .
TK-421 was the number of the stormtrooper whose armor
Luke Skywalker wore aboard the
Death Star, for instance.
In non-combat situations, a stormtrooper officer wears a grey officer uniform (Navy officers also wear the uniform, and similar uniforms in black are worn by shuttle pilots), insignia, and a garrison cap. All stormtrooper officers wear the characteristic white armor during action or wear a protective grey helmet over the normal officer uniform. In some situations, they wear standard Rank Insignia of the Galactic Empire (rank squares) over the stormtrooper armor so their rank is apparent to non-stormtroopers.
Equipment
The troopers' most distinctive equipment is the white battle
armor they normally wear. The complete 18-piece armor set completely encases the body and typically has no individually distinguishing marking outside of rank. In certain situations however, stormtroopers will sometimes wear
camouflage armor to help them blend in with different environments. This reform was instituted after the embarrassing defeat at the
Battle of Endor where a legion of stormtroopers was defeated by a large
Rebel-
Ewok attack force.
The reinforced helmet contains advanced breathing filters (which act as protection against
chemical and
biological attacks, as well as
toxins) and a
comlink for instant communication with other units. The comlink uses linked encoding sequences to rotate frequencies every few seconds while keeping all troopers in the unit synchronized (c.f. real world
frequency-hopping spread spectrum radios). If a trooper's helmet is removed without the trooper first hitting the comlink's control stud (most likely found on the under-rim of the helmet), the frequency coding routine is automatically deleted from that helmet.
The automatic
polarizing lenses protect the trooper against intense glare and provide them with enhanced combat vision or
holographic vision processors which allow vision through many barriers such as smoke, darkness and fire. The Multi-Frequency Targeting and Acquisition System (MFTAS) helps with the stormtroopers' perception in darkness as well as smoke and other visibility obscuring conditions.
The helmet also assists in aiming at moving targets. The Comtech Series IV helmet speaker uses three-phase sonic filtering for clear sound (for troopers, it's connected to the audio pickup). It also has a
vocoder for talking to non-stormtroopers. The backplate contains an emergency twenty minutes of
oxygen if the trooper should be so unlucky to be exposed to vacuum or be trapped underwater. It also contains a
power pack. The stomach armour contains a manual suit seal and environmental controls. The thigh armor has a reinforced alloy plate ridge, and the lower right side, near the knee, contains the suit's system power cells. The left upper side of the shin armour has a knee protector plate for use with
sniping. The utility belt has two
blast energy sinks to protect the trooper's hips. The stormtrooper's boots are not armoured, but they're treaded. The armour is equipped with
IFF circuitry for identification and command purposes for identifying each other.
It also protects the troopers from very harsh environments as well as projectiles and impact weapons. The armour might be penetrated by a direct blaster bolt, but it'll reduce damage from the bolts absorbed significantly. The armor is constructed of a hardened plastoid material with the outer surface coated in an
ablative paste to disperse the energy and heat from blaster weapons. The body glove allows for operation in warm or cold climates, however it can protect the trooper from almost any environment, from total
vacuum conditions to the very extremes in cold and heat for a very limited period of time. The Glove's material also dampens strikes from light blasters to a certain degree.
Some special features include a wrist comlink, a tiny battle
Holocam built into the helmet, a
resonator (to open secure doors) built into their armor, and an external helmet light. Power gloves help in
hand to hand combat.
Some literature indicates that stormtroopers also are issued olive green uniforms to wear when off duty.
Firearms
The
E-11 blaster rifle can be found almost anywhere. It is the standard issue weapon of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps and one of the most commonly issued
rifles in the
Galactic Empire. They are also in high demand (although heavily regulated) for civilian and corporate sales, along with a brisk trade in them on the underground market.
It has proven to be a highly versatile design, spawning a wide number of variations. To make up for the high demand for these weapons,
BlasTech Industries has authorized
SoroSuub and
Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc to manufacture them under license. These three manufacturers are found mixed indiscriminately across the
Galactic Empire in Imperial stocks. In addition to these, several specialized designs have been spawned.
The basic E-11 blaster rifle is 43.8
cm (1.43 ft) long while folded, and weighs 2.6
kilograms (5.7 lbs). The power cell housing opens on the left side of the action housing, above the trigger, giving the E11 a very low profile (useful when shooting prone or from a barricade), with a standard powercell providing 100 shots. The
blaster gas chamber contains sufficient supplies for thirty power cells. All moving and/or metal parts are fitted with a corrosion-proof, vacuum-rated, dry lubricant. The top of the receiver has a universal, quick detach sight rail, which comes from the factory mounted with a light, ring recticle, 2x
optical scope. The basic three-piece folding stock rides along the left side, under the power cell. When ordering from the factory, one may specify that they wish a fixed stock or a one-piece, right-folding stock at no extra cost.
Stormtroopers also carry a cylindrical Thermal Detonator on the back of their belts for emergency use. The buttons are unmarked to make it more difficult for non-Stormtroopers to operate them.
Stormtroopers can also have a
glow rod attached to their blaster rifle, or use a glow rod staff to provide extra light.
Stormtroopers also have a Blaster Pistol as a back up weapon in case they run out of ammunition for their Rifle. However it isn't as effective as the Blaster Rifle.
Specialized stormtroopers
Beach Troopers
Appearing only briefly in, "beach" troopers are merely silly, comical characters created for the game. They are clad in a Speedo and the trademark stormtrooper helmet. In, they're also wearing lifejackets. They also use specialized underwater blasters in case of fighting in water.
Blackhole Stormtroopers
Blackhole stormtroopers are a specialized unit of Imperial stormtroopers. For most of the
Galactic Civil War, a shadowy
Emperor's Hand codenamed Blackhole carefully sifted through countless streams of data, distilling it into useful information for
Imperial Intelligence. He had available an enormous amount of resources, including an entire
Star Destroyer and its troops and fighters. He made the Imperial stormtroopers under his command have their armor cast in black to match his own particular eccentricities. The armour modification had useful benefits as well. The stygian-triprismatic polymer afforded the stormtroopers increased sensor stealth. Blackhole disappeared completely during the
Galactic Civil War, and his troops were absorbed by other Imperial groups. After the
Battle of Endor, some of the Blackhole stormtroopers found their way into renegade Imperial guard
Carnor Jax's private army.
Coruscant Guards
Coruscant Guards are a specialized elite branch of the Imperial stormtroopers that serve as law enforcers in
Coruscant and some
Core Worlds. They wear lightweight heavily-padded crimson and black armor which provides considerable protection against physical attacks. The armor's sophisticated battle helm allows the stormtrooper to work in total darkness, as well as containing a comlink scrambler for communication with fellow personnel. A unit commander's helmet includes a voice activated heads-up display which shows the positions of all other Coruscant Guards. Under Palpatine's issue of
martial law, the Coruscant Guards were empowered to search a building or home and detain any suspected enemies. Their weapons are the
Merr-Sonn taser staves and the Merr-Sonn R-88 Suppressor riot rifle (a weapon which combined stun grenades and blaster rifles).
The predecessors of the Coruscant Guards were the
Homeworld Security Shocktroopers of the Old Republic. Coruscant Guards are seen in the videogame
Shadows of the Empire in the sewers and
Prince Xizor's palace.
Dark Troopers
The dark troopers were advanced battle droids (although some were supposedly cyborg humans/clones) that featured heavy armor that resembled that of a stormtrooper, powerful weapons, and jetpacks for increased flexibility and tactical advantage.
They came in three versions: the Phase I dark trooper, a skeletal droid armed simply with a vibro-blade and physical shield; Phase II, which featured an external armor similar to the stormtroopers Mark III Armor and a jump pack. The phase III armor could also be worn by a human soldier. The Phase III dark trooper was the final unit produced, but it was never fully developed; the only three prototypes were on board the Arc Hammer, one of which was used by General Rom Mohc, the man who the Dark Trooper project originated from. It was a more powerful variant of the Stage II model, and was intended to be worn as a battle suit. Phase II Dark Troopers appear as playable characters in and .
Hazard troopers
Hazard troopers are a specialized subsection of Imperial stormtroopers found in the
PC game . Hazard troopers wear a very heavy suit of body armor which offers complete immunity to temperature extremes, as well as being immune to
acidic damage. The armor is also a functioning space suit which can keep the wearer alive in a vacuum or underwater environment for up to three days. The armour is extremely strong and can resist
lightsaber attacks to some extent. Hazard troopers are commonly equipped with either the
Imperial Heavy Repeater or the
Stouker Concussion Rifle.
Magma troopers
Magma troopers, also known as
red troopers or "shock troopers", are a specialized division of Imperial Stormtroopers. They are responsible for quelling revolts and other actions on volcanic mining planets.
Minetroopers
Minetroopers, also known as
Underminers or
mining assault stormtroopers, attacked and policed worlds with excavation sites that had quarries with important
natural resources in them. If the
Empire wasn't receiving its tax on the mined products, these Underminers would enforce the brutal laws. Rebelling diggers could be "calmed" by the Minetroopers' blasters.
Minetroopers wore tan armour and carried
oxygen supplies for the far depths of quarries.
Radiation troopers
Radiation troopers, also known as
radtroopers or
radiation zone assault troopers, are an elite Imperial stormtrooper division. These troopers are well equipped to operate in one of the deadliest terrain types. A
lead-polymer substrate in the modified plastoid
armor gives protection needed to withstand lethal Grade 4
ionizing radiation zone for several hours. The radtrooper suits offer protection against extended operations in deadly environments. The
Galactic Empire deploys them into radiation-filled zones that contain assets the Empire wants to claim or defend. The Empire has been known to employ
neutron bombing which kills or maims a large number of the local population. Radtroopers are normally equipped with
vibroblades,
force pikes and
grenades due to the fact that standard
blaster weapons are not effective at high radiation levels. Some high powered
plasma-based weapons, similar to the
DC-15 blaster rifle used by clone troopers of the
Old Republic, are used, as plasma isn't affected by radiation.
Sandtroopers
Sandtroopers or Desert Troopers are specially trained divisions of Imperial Stormtroopers equipped with modified armor and equipment to withstand the harsh climates of
desert planets like
Tatooine. Though their armor is similar to that of a regular Stormtrooper, their suits contain advanced cooling systems, which offers better protection from the relentless heat than standard Stormtrooper armor. Their helmets contain lenses that automatically polarize to protect the trooper's eyes, as well as breathing filters. Another notable difference is the shoulder pauldron each Sandtrooper wears. These are used to denote rank, with enlisted personnel wearing black pauldrons, while officers wear white and commanders of several units of these elite soldiers wear orange pauldrons. Additionally, Sandtroopers can operate in hot, wet, tropical environments with slight modifications to their equipment. They are also protected from sand entering the armor.
The weapon loadout for Sandtroopers is much the same as Stormtroopers and includes the standard
E-11 blaster rifle or a BlasTech DLT-19 Heavy Blaster Rifle or a BlasTech T-21 Light Repeating Blaster,
blaster pistol and
Imperial Repeater. They may also carry
thermal detonators and other explosive devices.
Due to environments that may be too hostile to machinery, Sandtroopers tend to rely on local domesticated creatures, such as the
Dewback, as transport.
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Scout troopers
Imperial Scout troopers (also known as
Scout Stormtroopers or
Biker Scouts) are an elite group of stormtroopers trained to use high speed vehicles (normally
speeder bikes) to scout and
survey areas, locating enemy positions and on some occasions, infiltrate enemy lines to perform sabotage missions. Scouts operate in groups of four, called lancers and each is led by a sergeant. They often work in conjunction with other heavy reconnaissance vehicles, such as Imperial
AT-ATs. Scout troopers made an appearance in as the
Grand Army of the Republic's BARC Troopers. These soldiers were used heavily at the
Battle of Kashyyyk by the Republic near the end of the
Clone Wars fighting the Separatist invasion force of the planet. Compared to the BARC Trooper, from which they evolved, the scout trooper is more advanced.
Scout troopers were posted to the
forest moon of Endor during the construction of the Second
Death Star in orbit. The scouts were tasked with defending the surface-based
shield generators, and regularly patrolled Endor's
forests. The combined might of the
Rebel Alliance and the native of the
Ewoks was enough to overcome the Empire, and they were defeated.²
Scout troopers wear lightweight
armor that's considerably more flexible than the standard uniform worn by their infantry counterparts. Much like their counterparts though, the armor is colored white. Underneath, like all
Imperial Stormtroopers, scouts wear a black body glove, however the version worn by Imperial Scouts isn't form fitting and more like a flightsuit or jumpsuit, to aid in mobility. The undersuit also offers some protection to the unarmored sections of their bodies. Their helmets contain a macro binocular viewplate and a sensor system that allows them to see in a 180-degree arc, which is obviously of great use when traveling at high speeds on Imperial speeder bikes.
Being scouts, these stormtroopers are lightly armed. They carry the standard hold-out blaster, which they carry in a boot-holster. They also carry flares and concussion grenades. Due to their light weapon loadouts, they rarely engage in heavy combat and instead focus more on surveying areas, finding enemy positions and on some occasions, infiltrating enemy lines and performing sabotage missions. For all other duties, the scouts are ordered to retreat in the face of the enemy and alert regular stormtroopers of the intrusion. However, the Imperial Scout trooper has been known to use laser sniper rifles for long range unit disruption in the video game .
Scouts rely on the Aratech 74-Z military
speeder bikes. These bikes are armed with a single blaster cannon and equipped with com-link jamming devices. With a top speed of 310 mph (500 km/h), speeders are amongst the fastest ground vehicles in the Imperial inventory.
Shadow Stormtroopers
Shadow Stormtroopers, more commonly called Shadowtroopers, were created in the early days of the Empire. They were first introduced in the game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. In Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast, Shadowtroopers were the first Stormtrooper-Sith, and participated in the attack on the Jedi Temple.
Seatroopers
The seatroopers, also known as
aquatic assault stormtroopers, were a special branch of the Imperial stormtroopers. They were used by the
Galactic Empire to maintain a presence on the aquatic worlds under its rule. Many of the machines used by the Empire were modified for aquatic use, including
TIE Fighter Boats,
Wavewalker and
AT-AT Swimmers. The seatrooper's armor is based on the light design of the
scout trooper. It covers a two-piece environmental body glove that gives protection from uncomfortable temperature extremes or toxic water environments. Their armor is more flexible than standard stormtrooper designs. The aquatic troopers regular weapon is a blaster rifle/speargun hybrid.
Snowtroopers
Snowtroopers were an elite division of the Imperial stormtrooper infantry. They wore customized
armor well-suited to the climate extremes of ice planets like
Hoth and
Rhen Var. In addition to the hard white armor, their suit incorporated fabric overgarments that helped contain heat and terrain gripping boots for slippery conditions. The helmet contained snow goggles and breath warmer cover and breath heater.
They brandished standard
blaster rifles, blaster pistols,
thermal detonators, and
concussion grenades. Specialized teams used
E-Web
heavy blasters. In the
Battle of Hoth, snowtroopers rode
AT-ATs (All-Terrain Armored Transports)into battle, before disembarking for ground action.
The Imperial troops who invaded the Rebel base on Hoth were part of an elite stormtrooper corps, assigned to General Veers and the Imperial Death Squadron. While the fleet carried stormtroopers from all the specialized divisions, those dispatched to Hoth were designated the Blizzard Force team.
Blizzard Force stormtroopers are trained to work in tandem with AT-AT walkers. There is no stealth involved in Blizzard Force tactics. They are trained to hit a planet fast and hard, like a blizzard, crushing any opposition quickly and completely. Once walkers secure an area, snowtroopers disembark via zip-lines and then go about clearing any pockets of resistance.
The Blizzard Force stormtroopers wear the typical black, two-piece temperature control body glove worn by other stormtroopers. Over this is an 18-piece outer shell that has been altered to include more powerful heating and personal environment units, and an airtight fabric oversuit for additional protection from the cold. To facilitate breathing in extremely cold or dangerous atmospheres, a breather hood envelops the snowtrooper's faceplate and feeds into the suit liner. Each trooper is equipped with a standard utility belt containing high-tension wire, grappling hooks, ion flares, additional blaster ammo, a survival kit, and food and water packs. Snowtroopers carry blaster pistols, blaster rifles, and two concussion grenades.
Snowtroopers were most commonly seen in the assault on
Echo Base in
The Empire Strikes Back on Hoth, and in the video games
Star Wars Empire at War,,, and on the
Nintendo 64. Though they were only seen once, they're still considered a very versatile unit of the
Imperial Army.
Spacetroopers
Spacetroopers, also known as
zero-G assault troopers, are specialized Imperial stormtroopers. They are regarded as second only to the
Emperor's Royal Guard and are sometimes known as "walking tanks". Although the standard stormtrooper armor is designed to protect the trooper in the vacuum of space, it's only designed to do so over moderate periods. Thus, spacetroopers wear a larger suit of
powered armor that stands two
meters tall in addition to the standard stormtrooper armor worn underneath. Their large power suits operate as personal space craft and assault vehicles, and provide them with the equivalent firepower of a
light tank. These elite troops are trained to fight in space for extended periods. Their missions typically involve the capture of enemy vessels. They are deployed in units of forty aboard assault shuttles.
Capital ships can be easily overtaken with well organized assaults.
A spacetrooper's equipment usually consists of cutting plasma-torches and power vibro-saws for quick entry into a vessel, as well as
napalm-like flame throwers for forcing enemy shipboard troops into confined spaces for capture or containment. When a subject or person is needed alive, space troopers are issued
stun blasters as well as their normal weaponry and provided with the proper intelligence about their target.
The Imperial Storm Commando
The Imperial Storm Commandos were an elite branch of the Imperial stormtroopers. They were formed in response to the
guerrilla tactics of the
Rebel Alliance early during the
Galactic Civil War, developed by
Crix Madine. Even after he defected to the Rebel Alliance, the Storm Commando training program still continued although only the best Imperial stormtroopers received this training; they were used as elite forces by the end of the war. They are specially trained for anti-Rebel missions,
siege breaking,
raids and
sabotage, with units ranging from four to forty
commandos. Their black armor is based on the
scout trooper's light armor and is coated with an advanced polymer called
reflec which deflects light and sensor energy.
Use in popular culture
During the January 1, 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade, the largest conglomeration of Imperial Stormtroopers ever marched in step. The 2007 Grand Marshal was George Lucas. The Stormtroopers were all part of the 501st Legion international fan costuming group.
Many fandom conventions (particularly gaming conventions such as Origins Game Fair and Gen Con) have security personnel wearing Stormtrooper uniforms.
The Stormtrooper effect, a common cliché in action movies, was named after these soldiers and their poor marksmanship.Further Information
Get more info on 'Imperial Stormtroopers'.
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