Dewback trooper/Legends

Dewback troopers, or dewback riders, were Imperial sandtroopers who rode dewbacks and was used as a light cavalry unit by the Galactic Empire.

Characteristics
Dewback troopers were stormtroopers mounted on dewbacks. Well-suited for destroying lightly defended buildings, such as Prefab shelters and power cores. However, their primary role was in attacking hostile combat vehicles such as Rebel combat speeders and Rebel attack tanks. They accomplished this task by utilizing a flamethrower as their primary weapon. Dewback troopers were vulnerable to unmounted troopers and ground vehicles. Sandtroopers commonly used the creatures for patrols.

The stormtroopers which became dewback troopers were 1.3 to 2.1 meters tall unmounted. The dewbacks themselves were typically 1.8 meters tall.

Dewback troopers were similar to the clone blurrg troopers of the Galactic Republic which preceded them or the Tauntaun Troopers used by their opposition, the Rebel Alliance. Dewback troopers were also capable of being upgraded to Heavy dewback troopers or Advanced dewback troopers. For the Empire to deploy dewback troopers they first needed an animal nursery.

History
On the planet Sathiemon, a stormtrooper contingent led by a commander used dewbacks on patrol, and they did not take care of the beasts. The commander joined in a multi-being search for the professional hunter Boba Fett. They killed him and transmitted the image across the galaxy. Shortly after, Fett, who had survived the ambush, went to Sathiemon and captured the commander to interrogate him. The commander told him he did not know who had authorized it, and Fett left him to confront his dewback.

Desert Sands, a sandtrooper unit that destroyed a Jawa sandcrawler on Tatooine in its pursuit of stolen Death Star plans, incorporated dewback troopers as part of its contingent.

Dewback troopers were among the forces deployed to destroy the Rebel Alliance presence on Yavin 4 after the destruction of the Death Star in 0 ABY.

Six months after the Battle of Yavin, two dewback troopers were on patrol near the Great Pit of Carkoon on Tatooine when the Empire ambushed the Rebel's Rogue Squadron. They were eliminated by the pilot Luke Skywalker.

During the time of the Galactic Civil War, Darth Vader ordered Imperial troop centers to recruit additional dewback troopers.

Dewback troopers also joined in the Battle of Hoth.

Behind the scenes
Stormtroopers were seen on dewbacks as early as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In the video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, released in 1998, dewback troopers were encountered by the player. They had to be destroyed to earn the mission's gold medal, and this article assumes the player did so. In the 2001 video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds and its 2002 expansion pack, dewback troopers are the Imperial mounted trooper unit, created at troop centers for a cost of 55 food units and 20 nova crystals. Dewback troopers were also re-imagined in LEGO form in 2006 for LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and its 2007 compilation re-release.

In LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters Episode 1: Bantha Shakes, a short LEGO film, dewback troopers serve as police forces. They arrest an Imperial Navy crewman piloting an Imperial-class Star Destroyer in the Boonta Eve Classic.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Star Wars: Blood Ties 6: Boba Fett is Dead, Part 2‎
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron‎
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars 31: Return to Tatooine
 * Star Wars 32: The Jawa Express

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters Episode 1: Bantha Shakes
 * LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters Episode 1: Bantha Shakes