501st Legion/Legends

"Within months, the 501st gained a well deserved reputation as 'Vader's Fist.'"

- Anonymous 501st stormtrooper

The 501st Legion, also known as "Vader's Fist" during the Galactic Civil War, was a legion of elite clone troopers and later stormtroopers created by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during the Clone Wars.

Members of the 501st also constructed a journal of some of the battles they fought in.

Clone Wars
"It's been said that the 501st got the best of the war. We also got the worst."

- Anonymous 501st clone trooper



About a year after the Battle of Geonosis, a group of clone troopers were taken from Kamino and were brought to Coruscant, along with a few Kaminoan technicians. Raised and trained by clone commanders on Coruscant, these clones became the elite shock troopers and the 501st Legion.

Soon after the Battle of Jabiim, the 501st were based at the capital planet of Coruscant.

In the final days of the war, the 501st were always on the move, heading from battlefield to battlefield, often split up into special mission groups to supplement other clone missions.

Operating outside of the usual command structure, detachments of the 501st served at Mygeeto, Felucia, Utapau, and Kashyyyk, along with fighting in the defense of Coruscant. There were even some individual troopers who would be reassigned to other battalions, which they supposedly joined. In reality, all members of the 501st were kept track of, to one day return to Coruscant.

Great Jedi Purge
"What I remember about the rise of the Empire is&hellip; is how quiet it was. During the waning hours of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion was discreetly transferred back to Coruscant. It was a silent trip. We all knew what was about to happen; what we were about to do. Did we have any doubts? Any private traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but no one said a word. Not on the flight back to Coruscant, not when Order 66 came down, and not when we marched into the Jedi Temple. Not a word."

- Anonymous 501st clone trooper



At the end of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion, led by Darth Sidious's new apprentice Darth Vader&mdash;formerly Anakin Skywalker&mdash;marched to the Jedi Temple to execute Order 66&mdash;the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge. With bloodthirsty efficiency, the 501st killed many Jedi in the Temple; due to their training, it was very likely they could have killed everyone in the Temple without Vader's help.

The 501st Legion helped Darth Vader take down the Jedi Conclave on Kessel during the Battle of Kessel. Commander Appo was the commanding officer of the 501st, until his death at the hands of Roan Shryne on Kashyyyk.

Galactic Civil War
"We were establishing a new era, an era of order and peace."

- Anonymous 501st stormtrooper



After the rise of the Empire, the members of the legion left behind the name of clone trooper and took the designation stormtrooper. Due to their early work with Vader, the legion became known as "Vader's Fist". On one mission early in the Galactic Civil War, the 501st was sent to flush out the fugitive Geonosian leader Gizor Dellso from his hiding place on Mustafar and destroy his droid armies. Another mission took them to Naboo to eliminate Queen Apailana who had been harboring Jedi fugitives. This mission was the 501st's first time to bring "Imperial justice" to a planet's government, though certainly not the last. Later, a special detachment was sent to Kamino to eliminate a batch of clone troopers that were to be used against the Empire by a rogue Kaminoan group. They enlisted the help of Boba Fett, due to his knowledge of the inner workings of Tipoca City and the cloning centers. Soon, the mere mention of the "Fighting 501st" put fear into the hearts of all who defied the Empire, especially those targeted by the Emperor. As a result of the rebellion on Kamino, the Imperial Army eventually became more and more diverse as future clones from different templates and birth-born recruits began to overshadow the clones of the Jango Fett stock. Until the fall of the Empire, the 501st was the sole remaining fighting force in the Empire to be completely composed of Jango's clones. Following a brief prisoner riot on the first Death Star, the 501st completed a series of missions to try and locate the stolen plans for the battlestation, culminating in the capture of Princess Leia Organa aboard Tantive IV. The Legion was among the stormtroopers squads stationed onboard the Death Star, though many troops were transferred off to assist in the search for the missing Death Star plans. The 501st lost nearly two thirds of their original number in the station's destruction. In response, the remnants of the 501st joined the blockade of Yavin IV and stormed the Rebel base on the moon's surface. The unit would later be transferred to Vader's Death Squadron, where along with Blizzard Force they would take part in the Battle of Hoth&mdash;what they considered their finest hour. Other members of the unit also participated in the Battle of Endor, where Emperor Palpatine referred to them as "his second most favorite appendage".

Post-Galactic Civil War


Even after the fall of the Empire, the 501st survived. By 16 ABY, the legion was fighting for the Empire of the Hand, an Imperial force in the Unknown Regions still loyal to the deceased Grand Admiral Thrawn. Outsiders who encoutered them, such as Mara Jade Skywalker, assumed that Admiral Voss Parck had revived the designation and built up a new 501st from scratch, but no direct evidence is known to substantiate this, although there are some indications that the 501st may have been reorganized as a significantly smaller formation than previously.

A company was now just forty troopers strong, and apparently designated by one of the thirty-four letters of the Aurebesh. This suggests that the total strength of the legion, which had never previously been much less than 10,000, may now have been as low as 1,360 men. Also, by this time, most of the original clones were long past fighting age, and the 501st was no longer completely composed of Jango Fett clones. Thus, the last "pure" fighting force to be composed completely of the Fett clones was gone. Under the leadership of the Empire of the Hand, even non-Humans could join the ranks of the 501st Legion.

As reformed, the most basic unit in the 501st was a squad of four troopers, capable of acting as a fireteam within a larger force, but also able to serve as a self-supporting commando team on special missions. For instance, in 22 ABY, Unit Aurek-Seven from Aurek Company accompanied Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker on a mission to the remains of Outbound Flight, under the temporary command of Baron Soontir Fel's son, Chak Fel.

The inclusion of non-Humans into the 501st intensified over the years, and specialized armor was created for certain species. This new 501st Legion was still in operation as of 130 ABY, serving Emperor Roan Fel and the revived Empire.

Notable members
"You're the bravest soldiers I have ever seen."

- Aayla Secura


 * CC-1119 (Appo)
 * CT-0000/1010 (Fox)
 * Bow
 * Choral
 * Cloud
 * Dropkick
 * Grappler
 * Shadow
 * Twister
 * Watchman

Galactic Republic

 * Battle of Geonosis (Prior to formation of unit)
 * Battle of Mygeeto
 * Second Battle of Coruscant
 * Battle of Felucia
 * Battle of Kashyyyk
 * Battle of Utapau
 * Raid on the Jedi Temple

Galactic Empire

 * Conclave on Kessel
 * Battle of Kashyyyk
 * Battle of Naboo
 * Battle of Mustafar
 * Battle of Kamino
 * Death Star Uprising
 * Battle of Polis Massa
 * Attack on Tantive IV
 * Battle of Yavin
 * Skirmishes of Yavin IV
 * Battle of Massassi Temple
 * Battle of Hoth
 * Battle of Endor

Empire of the Hand

 * Battle of the Redoubt

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Fool's Bargain
 * Survivor's Quest