Stormtrooper armor/Legends

"How about you get into this armor and try to see out of this damn helmet?"

- Alpha-956

Stormtrooper armor was a distinctive white plastoid body armor over a sealed black body glove worn by Imperial stormtroopers, and in this respect appeared similar to their Clone Wars Phase II clone trooper armor predecessors, having acquired its color from the austere tastes of its Kaminoan creators. The complete set of eighteen pieces completely encased the body and typically had no individually distinguishing marking outside of rank. In fact, the casual first-time observer sometimes mistook the Stormtroopers as a form of battle droid. Aside from the obvious physical advantages in combat, the Stormtrooper armor also acted as a form of psychological warfare: The armor was designed to be without distinctions to ensure that foes and citizens alike saw only a united and implacable force, lowering the enemy morale during combat operations.

It also protected the troopers from very harsh environments as well as projectiles and kinetic energy weapons. The armor significantly reduced damage to the wearer from a blaster bolt, but it could be completely penetrated by a more powerful cannon blast. The body glove allowed for operation in warm or cold climates, however it could 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 Imperial Army soon acquired the use of the armor in the later years of the Galactic Empire.

Rank was indicated with colored pauldrons. In certain situations, Stormtroopers sometimes wore camouflage armor to help them blend in with different environments.

Private ownership of stormtrooper armor was strictly forbidden by the Empire.

Protective measures
"Our body armor isn’t able to withstand direct blaster shots, but it is designed to survive the most extreme conditions."

- TK329



The most obvious function of the armor was protection against weapons fire and battlefield hazards. The armor, and the body glove worn beneath, were designed to disperse the energy of a blaster bolt and insulate the wearer, lessening injury. The body glove itself provided insulation and cushioning while also regulating body temperature during periods of exertion, and can also act as a compression sleeve to stem bleeding in the event that a stormtrooper was injured. It also has limited protection against radiation, as the body glove maintained cellular integrity in the event of a catastrophic reactor leak. Although standard armor lacked the durability to make the wearer immune to cannon fire, it could partially deflect or disperse energy from low, medium, and high-energy blaster bolts; though the wearer may be incapacitated, survival would allow the trooper to receive advanced medical treatment that may return him to service. The chestpiece portion of the torso section of Stormtrooper armor were also the most powerful part of the armor, offering the greatest protection from shrapnel, projectiles, flames, and various corrosives, and is sturdy enough to disperse cross the surface area of the armor's plasteel all hits from blaster and other handheld energy weapons barring close-range direct impacts. The forearm portions of the arm segments are also reinforced enough to intercept vibroblades during close-quarters combat. It also deflected stun beams, and served as excellent protection against explosions and shrapnel, thereby drastically reducing the effective casualty radius of fragmentation weapons used against troops wearing such armor. It was almost impossible to kill a stormtrooper with a slugthrower unless the bullet was abnormally large, specifically armor piercing, or if it hit the body glove or visor lenses. Although this armor provided less protection from blaster weapons than wartime Phase I and Phase II armor, it offered superior protection from the elements. In addition, the stormtrooper armor could also deflect glancing bolts and reduce damage from bolts absorbed.

Stormtrooper armor was fitted with air filters and fully sealed against chemical and biological attack; the armor could even protect the wearer against vacuum for a limited time. A back-mounted tank contained 20 minutes of emergency oxygen. The aforementioned body glove also provided limited thermal protection.

All components for stormtrooper armor and equipment is manufactured to the highest standards in the Empire. As a result, their armor lasted indefinitely, and could even be still found half-buried at decades-old battle sites.

Most stormtrooper armor was integrated with standard personal ray-shield projectors (in direct contrast of clone troopers) in order to survive open blaster fire in case cover was nonexistent or limited. It also improved hand-to-hand combat, making standard troopers capable of surviving contact with vibroblades (although did not provide any protection towards lightsabers). Nevertheless, the power consumption of shield projectors was very high and they tended to overheat and fail under sustained blaster fire or under prolonged contact with a lightsaber and unless the trooper carried a power generator (which were very bulky) the shield projector could take several minutes until it could be reactivated once it failed. These factors made personal trooper shields very rarely seen on prolonged engagements and/or where terrain had a certain degree of surrounding cover. Also lack of experience from novice cadets towards blaster and lightsaber firepower made the shield projector an underestimated and underused piece of equipment.

Other features of the armor included:


 * The gloves could be powered up during Hand-to-Hand combat to deliver stun shocks via an optional modification.
 * The stomach armor contained a Manual Suit Seal and environmental controls.
 * The thigh armor had a reinforced alloy plate ridge.
 * The lower right leg segment contained the suit's axillary power cells.
 * The left upper side of the shin armor had a knee protector plate for comfort from a kneeling firing position.
 * IFF circuitry was in the back of the suit for identification and command purposes for identifying each other.
 * A resonator to open secure doors



By 130 ABY, stormtrooper armor had reportedly been further strengthened to absorb and diffuse direct blaster hits. However, during the Battle of Borosk between the 407th and 908th stormtrooper divisions, it was observed that direct blaster hits seemed to render troopers incapacitated, although it is possible that the effect of the blast was dissipated and the trooper survived.

By this date, slight modifications had been made to stormtrooper armor in the breathing system and back plate, and the leg armor were modified with separated knee pieces, which brought a visage likeness to the clone trooper armor.

Also, in a return to the convention followed in the early years of the Clone Wars, the armor of NCOs were distinguished by different colors. For example, sergeants were identified by yellow-green stripes that ran the length of their arm, similar to the Katarn VI armor.

In the early years of the Galactic Empire stormtroopers made use of Phase II clone trooper armor.

Although not actual Stormtrooper gear, some pinup posters depicted female Stormtrooper gear as having a bare midriff and having what was compared to two gravity well projectors on her chest armor. Isila Drutch, an actual female member of the Stormtrooper Corps, noted that the depicted armor was impractical for combat, citing that no female, even if they were built like an Askajian, would require a chestplate with particular emphasis on the chest since they're going to be wearing a body glove made to survive in a vacuum underneath, and the bare midriff being unsuitable, citing her personal experience on her home planet of Parshoone for this.

Helmets
"I can't see a thing in this helmet!"

- Luke Skywalker

Stormtrooper helmets consisted of four-layer construction. The outer layer was made of plastoid composite armor, the next layer was an anti-blaster mesh, followed by magnetic shielding, and finally an inner insulator. Cellular padding helped prevent head injury. During the height of the Galactic Empire, the standard-issue helmet included a rubber guard strip that acted as the border between the face and the cranium of the helmet. In addition, the cranium "shell" portion of the helmet was made of plastisteel armor, and contained osmotic filter plates on the sides and back of the helmet. For the rear osmotic filters, they contained heat dispersion vents for dissipating heat. On the front of the helmet, the helmet contained a pair of Soldex automatic polarizing filters. In addition, the characteristic frown on the helmets acted as natural air vents. In addition, there were also heat dispersion vents located near the Soldex filters. Dymak Exhaust Filters were likewise located near the rim of the helmet. The vocoder direct speaker interface was likewise located on the "chin" of the helmet, between two Bliar induction filters. Near the back of the helmet was a 3814-7 auto-seal conduit. On the sides of the helmet were auditory sensors, which were connected to a lateral conduit housing. Inside the helmet was a ComTech Series IV speaker system within the auditory sensor, which was equipped with a three-phase Sonic motivator and was connected via power conduits to atmospheric processing units, which included a Motivator sending unit and ventral power units. In the ventral area of the helmet's interior, the edges of the hemet were lined with Reifflex cellular padding. In addition, the interior of the helmet's front area contained a Voice activator housing, and the user would speak via a ComTech sensa-mic. The same equipment also came with a dermal cross link. The equipment was also between two Atmospheric transduction nozzles, which connected the Bliar filters to the atmospheric processing units. Overall, the helmet featured the same plastoid composite as the rest of the armor, although it also incorporated an inner layer of magnetic shielding.

Various sensors, specifically those relating to threat-targeting, were also incorporated into the helmet, although these only activate when its designated owner wore the helmet, as a security measure to ensure they could not be used by either their enemies or otherwise have the uniform's value be reduced on the black market. These features include filters that screen out chemical and biological contaminants; heat dispersal vents that maintain a consistent temperature; polarized lenses that collect non-visual data for display on the helmet's holographic HUD visual as well as adjusting for various environmental conditions (ie, automatically darkening to prevent retinal damage from explosions), and auditory sensors which could record and play back sounds). However, the Rebel Alliance member Wedge Antilles implied that the visual sensors for Stormtrooper helmets are not immune to having blind spots. The helmet also contained an IFF transponder readout that allows Stormtrooper to identify his squadmates.

Over time, the helmets evolved and implemented new technology. For example, earlier models included only simple eye lenses with very few visual modes available, such as infrared view and basical targeting systems, but as technology increased, the helmets began to feature more advanced visual targeting systems including: Additionally, stormtrooper helmets contained features such as:
 * Automatic polarizing and anti-flash blinding lenses protected the trooper against intense glare and provided them with enhanced combat vision or "Holographic Vision Processors" (which allowed vision through many barriers such as smoke, darkness and fire.<ref name="
 * Multi-Frequency Targeting and Acquisition System (MFTAS) helped with the stormtroopers' perception in darkness as well as smoke and other visibility obscuring conditions.
 * Built-in comlink (see below)
 * Advanced Breathing Filters (which acted as protection against chemical and biological attacks, as well as toxins)
 * Cooling and atmosphere control systems<ref name="

By 130 ABY, stormtrooper helmets included updated sensors. The helmet's appearance was also slightly modified to appear as a cross between the Phase II clone trooper armor and the original stormtrooper helmets. A number of variations were also introduced to accommodate alien species that were newly allowed to enroll in the Stormtrooper Corps. Still, Stormtrooper helmets shared a very common difficulty. A helmet needed to be powered by using a general code provided by a central system. This was meant to prevent piracy or stealing of helmets. By doing this, if by any reason the helmet was stolen, the thief could not be able to access any of the visual modes of the helmet, making it very difficult to see through it.

Audio/visual
A comlink with frequency changing options was built into the trooper's helmet. The comlink used linked encoding sequences to rotate frequencies every few seconds while keeping all troopers in the unit synchronized. If a trooper's helmet was 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 was automatically deleted from that helmet.

The Comtech Series IV helmet speaker used three-phase sonic filtering for clear sound<ref name=" (for troopers, it was connected to the audio pickup). It also had a vocoder for talking to non-stormtroopers. Video recorders were included in some helmets.

Utility belt and backpack
Stormtroopers were also equipped with a utility belt. This would include:


 * A high-tension wire
 * Two grappling hooks
 * Four spare E-11 blaster rifle power packs
 * Three ion flares
 * Energy rations
 * A spare C1 military comlink hardwired against jamming
 * Three water packs
 * Two medpacs.
 * Two blast energy sinks
 * A Thermal detonator
 * Combat de-ionizer
 * wrist binders for capturing prisoners
 * Electronic lock scrambler/descrambler

The backplate of the standard armor contained a power pack as well as a small supply of air (see above).<ref name=" In certain deployments, stormtroopers were equipped with backpacks. These backpacks would contain:
 * An extended air supply that permits a stormtrooper to survive up to twenty minutes in vacuum
 * Additional communications gear
 * Cooling systems
 * Mortar launchers
 * A heater (contained in the snowtrooper backpack)
 * Additional rations
 * An encrypted telemetry transmitter, a small embedded disc that allows troopers to identify friend from foe amidst identical armored stormtroopers
 * Rechargeable cells that feed energy to the armor's electronic components, with a standard charge lasting 240 hours

Behind the scenes
Stormtrooper armor as portrayed in the films is highly ineffective as combat protection and is generally hindering to the wearer. It largely contributes to the now infamous stormtrooper effect and has given rise to much fan speculation and outright mockery. However, this is countered by numerous role-playing, and other such sources, wherein stormtrooper armor is, on average, the best available armor, for protection versus weight/mobility restriction, and advantages, only being limited by its illegality to purchase, thus commanding exorbitant prices on the black market.

Replica Stormtrooper armor is popular among fan groups, such as the 501st Legion, but ironically, is often produced illegally, in breach of intellectual property laws. In 2008, George Lucas sued Shepperton Design Studios over its production of unlicensed stormtrooper armor, although the decision was not binding in the UK.

In Episode IV, the mouth grill size on stormtrooper helmets is inconsistent. When a few stormtroopers go with an imprisoned Leia Organa, it is clearly seen that one on the right has a long grill, while the one on the left has a short one. This being due to the fact that two different designs were used for the helmets in the film. The first and most numerous being the stunt helmet which has a larger frown and the Hero helmet which has a smaller frown among other differences. In addition, Luke's line of "I can't see a thing in this helmet!" in the film, while disguised as a Stormtrooper, was actually an ad-lib by his actor, Mark Hamill, due to the helmet prop not including proper eyeholes, and his belief that the cameras were not active when he said it.

There are several anecdotes about the armor itself known to the film crews. The molded plastic back plate has two bars and a circular impression, comically called the "twinkies and donut" as if the backpack was an emergency food storage unit. The canister on the rear belt was originally going to be a lightsaber/laser sword due to early drafts of the artwork and film script having swordplay be fairly common, and laser swords carried by nearly every character.

The armor was also noted to be somewhat uncomfortable to wear, and actors in it would tend to prefer to sit on saw horses rather than in normal chairs.

Appearances
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 * The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
 * Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
 * Imperial Commando: 501st
 * The Last of the Jedi: Underworld
 * The Last of the Jedi: Death on Naboo
 * The Last of the Jedi: A Tangled Web
 * The Last of the Jedi: Return of the Dark Side
 * The Last of the Jedi: Secret Weapon
 * The Last of the Jedi: Against the Empire
 * The Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception
 * The Last of the Jedi: Reckoning
 * In His Image
 * {{InsiderCite|85|A Two-Edged Sword}}
 * A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker
 * {{DroidsCite|Tail of the Roon Comets}}
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
 * ''The Force Unleashed novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
 * The Force Unleashed II novel
 * Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire
 * Out of the Cradle
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * {{Hyperspace|url=hyperspace/fiction/triton20080820.html|text=Deader than a Triton Moon|int=Deader than a Triton Moon|newurl=http://star-wars.suvudu.com/2012/10/star-wars-shorts-deader-than-a-triton-moon.html|newhost=Suvudu}} {{Flash}}
 * Han Solo at Stars' End comic
 * Extinction
 * Star Wars: Empire: Betrayal
 * Pax Empirica—The Wookiee Annihilation
 * Star Wars: Dark Forces
 * Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi
 * Changing the Odds {{Mo}}
 * The Farlander Papers
 * Rebel Dawn
 * A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale
 * Strike Force: Shantipole
 * Star Wars: Empire: Darklighter
 * {{Tales|9|The Rebel Four}}
 * Star Wars: Blood Ties: Boba Fett is Dead
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron ½
 * Star Wars: Empire: Princess... Warrior
 * Star Wars: Empire: The Short, Happy Life of Roons Sewell
 * Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel {{1st}}
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novel
 * Star Wars 1
 * Star Wars 2: Six Against the Galaxy
 * Star Wars 3: Death Star!
 * Star Wars 4: In Battle with Darth Vader
 * Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?
 * {{WEGCite|book=Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (first edition)|text=Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game|story=Regina Cayli (adventure)|stext=Regina Cayli}}
 * {{Journal|1|Regina Cayli (adventure)|Regina Cayli}} {{C|Reprint}}
 * Scavenger Hunt
 * The Isis Coordinates
 * Planet of the Mists
 * The Abduction
 * Star Wars 16: The Hunter {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 17: Crucible {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 18: The Empire Strikes
 * {{WEGCite|book=Classic Adventures|text=Classic Adventures|story=The Abduction|stext=The Abduction of Crying Dawn Singer}} {{C|Reprint}}
 * {{Journal|2|You're in the Army Now!}}
 * {{Journal|2|The Way of the Yrashu}}
 * Rebel Force: Hostage {{Mo}}
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
 * When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper's Tale
 * Star Wars Missions 1: Assault on Yavin Four
 * Star Wars Missions 2: Escape from Thyferra
 * Trooper
 * {{Journal|10|Do No Harm}}
 * {{Journal|11|Spare Parts (short story)|Spare Parts}}
 * Star Wars: Empire 13: What Sin Loyalty?
 * Star Wars: Empire 14: The Savage Heart
 * Star Wars: Empire: To the Last Man
 * A Bitter Winter
 * Vader's Quest
 * Rust Never Sleeps
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Star Wars 3-D
 * Star Wars: Empire 23: The Bravery of Being Out of Range
 * Allegiance
 * Choices of One
 * Star Wars: Empire: Idiot's Array
 * Star Wars: Empire: "General" Skywalker
 * Star Wars: Empire 28: Wreckage
 * Star Wars: Empire: In the Shadows of Their Fathers
 * Star Wars: Empire 35: A Model Officer
 * Star Wars: Empire: The Wrong Side of the War
 * Boba Fett: Overkill
 * Star Wars: Rebellion 0: Crossroads
 * Star Wars: Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy
 * Star Wars: Rebellion: The Ahakista Gambit
 * Star Wars: Rebellion: Vector
 * To Fight Another Day {{Mo}}
 * {{Journal|9|Combat Moon (short story)|Combat Moon}}
 * River of Chaos
 * Dark Lord's Conscience
 * Dark Knight's Devilry
 * Tilotny Throws a Shape
 * {{Tales|21|Walking the Path That's Given}}
 * Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine
 * Splinter of the Mind's Eye
 * Splinter of the Mind's Eye comic
 * {{SWG|An Empire Divided}}
 * {{GalaxyCite|5|Double Cross on Ord Mantell}}
 * Command Decision
 * Star Wars Adventures: Princess Leia and the Royal Ransom
 * {{Journal|10|Only Droids Serve the Maker}} {{Mo}}
 * {{Journal|10|The Capture of Imperial Hazard}}
 * {{Journal|12|Idol Intentions}}
 * {{Journal|15|The Draw}}
 * Side Trip
 * {{Journal|1|Uninvited Guests}}
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back junior novel
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novel
 * {{Tales|4|Moment of Doubt}}
 * Star Wars 43: The Empire Strikes Back: Betrayal at Bespin
 * {{Tales|6|Thank the Maker}}
 * Star Wars 44: The Empire Strikes Back: Duel a Dark Lord
 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars Adventures: The Will of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars 46: The Dreams of Cody Sunn-Childe {{Flash}}
 * {{Tales|15|Lucky Stars}}
 * Star Wars 50: The Crimson Forever {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 51: Resurrection of Evil
 * Star Wars 52: To Take The Tarkin
 * Star Wars 86: The Alderaan Factor
 * Star Wars 53: The Last Gift From Alderaan!
 * Star Wars 54: Starfire Rising
 * Star Wars 56: Coffin in the Clouds
 * Star Wars 57: Hello, Bespin, Good-bye!
 * Star Wars Annual 2: Shadeshine!
 * Star Wars 60: Shira's Story
 * Star Wars 63: The Mind Spider
 * Star Wars 65: Golrath Never Forgets
 * Star Wars 66: The Water Bandits
 * Shadows of the Empire comic
 * Star Wars 68: The Search Begins
 * Star Wars 69: Death in the City of Bone
 * Star Wars 70: The Stenax Shuffle {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 71: Return to Stenos
 * Star Wars 73: Lahsbane
 * Star Wars 74: The Iskalon Effect
 * Star Wars 75: Tidal
 * Star Wars 76: Artoo-Detoo to the Rescue
 * Star Wars 77: Chanteuse of the Stars...
 * Star Wars 78: Hoth Stuff! {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 80: Ellie
 * Star Wars Annual 3: The Apprentice
 * {{Journal|8|Firepower}}
 * {{Journal|10|Desperate Measures (short story)|Desperate Measures}}
 * {{Ewoks|Battle for the Sunstar}}
 * Battle of the Bounty Hunters
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novel
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi junior novel
 * A Time to Mourn, a Time to Dance: Oola's Tale {{Flash}}
 * Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand 1
 * Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand 2
 * The Truce at Bakura
 * Star Wars 81: Jawas of Doom {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 84: Seoul Searching
 * Star Wars 87: Still Active After All These Years {{Flash}}
 * Star Wars 88: Figurehead
 * {{Journal|1|Escape from Balis-Baurgh}}
 * {{Tales|3|Three Against the Galaxy}}
 * {{Tales|23|Lucky (comic)|Lucky}} {{Flash}}
 * The Vandelhelm Mission
 * {{GalaxyCite|3|Lumiya: Dark Star of the Empire}}
 * Jedi Prince
 * Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
 * {{WEGCite|book=Twin Stars of Kira|text=Twin Stars of Kira|story=Operation: Pet Show}}
 * X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble
 * X-Wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-Wing: The Bacta War
 * X-Wing: Wraith Squadron {{Mo}}
 * X-Wing: Iron Fist
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * Dark Empire
 * Boba Fett: Agent of Doom {{Flash}}
 * The Bounty Hunters: Kenix Kil
 * Jedi Search
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Champions of the Force
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
 * Darksaber
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * The New Rebellion
 * Specter of the Past
 * Vision of the Future
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest {{Vision|Tahiri Veila}}
 * Fool's Bargain
 * Survivor's Quest
 * Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy
 * Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
 * Young Jedi Knights: Darkest Knight
 * {{Tales|21|Equals & Opposites}}
 * The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen {{Mo}}
 * Legacy of the Force: Invincible
 * Fate of the Jedi: Conviction {{Mo}}
 * Star Wars: Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Legacy 3: Broken, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Legacy 4: Noob
 * Star Wars: Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4 {{Flash}}

Non-canonical appearances
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 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Han Solo Affair
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy