501st Legion/Legends

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

- Anonymous 501st stormtrooper

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

The 501st later became Darth Vader's personal stormtrooper squadron after he led them during Operation: Knightfall. During the Galactic Civil War, the 501st was the last remnant of the Grand Army of the Republic fully composed of clones of Jango Fett, as opposed to the ever-growing diverse Stormtrooper Corps where the Fett clones became a minority under a pool of clones from different templates and birth-born recruits. After fighting in some of the greatest battles of the post-Ruusan Reformation, the 501st became one of the most well-known and most feared squads.

Members of the 501st constructed a journal of their thoughts during some of the most infamous battles they fought in.

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

- Anonymous 501st clone trooper



Some troopers of the not yet formed 501st fought in the Battle of Geonosis. About a year later, a group of clone troopers and Kaminoan technicians were transferred from Kamino to Coruscant. There, the an elite clone unit was commissioned by Palpatine to help end the Clone Wars sooner. These clones were given elite training by some of the clone trooper commanders to make the 501st the most feared legion in the Galaxy.

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 was 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 many famous campaigns. The troopers fought in the Battle of Felucia and the Battle of Mygeeto, just to name a few, serving under the command of many notorious Jedi. At Mygeeto the 501st was involved in Project Hammertong, a top-secret mission to acquire a power crystal for the Chancellor's superlaser. They succeeded, and crucial to the mssion, did not let their commander, Ki-Adi-Mundi, become aware of what was happening.

The 501st also fought in the Battle of Coruscant. Members of the 501st, many flying a starfighter in battle for the first time, destroyed many droid starfighters, and captial ships. Most important, they created a diversion, clearing a path for Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to infilitrate the Invisible Hand and rescue Chancellor Palpatine.

After that battle, some members of the 501st headed to Kashyyyk. When they jumped out of hyperspace, they found the planey blockaded by the Separatists. The 501st was forced to punch a hole in the Confederacy's fleet, which they accomplished along with stealing a set of attack plans for the upcoming battle. They then landed on the planet's surface, where they fought alongside the 41st Elite Legion and Yoda.

They served valiantly in that battle, and then a detachment of the 501st was transferred to Utapau. They fought with General Obi-Wan Kenobi, and helped the 212th Attack Battalion defeat the droid forces there. After that, all hell broke loose.

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



When the battle was winding down, a group of clones were taken and discreetly transferred to Coruscant. This was in preparation for Order 66. On Coruscant, they met Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, and were given their orders: destroy the Jedi. Though they appreciated the Jedi, their loyalty lay first with the Supreme Chancellor.

Vader led them into the Temple, ready for battle. Though some held quiet doubts about what they knew was soon to happen, they did not voice them, and with cold-blooded efficiency, the troopers of the 501st killed almost every Jedi in the Temple; due to their training, it was very likely they could have killed everyone in the Temple without Vader's help. Meanwhile, Palpatine was transmitting Order 66 around the Galaxay to different clone commanders. Nearly all obeyed their orders without question. Some, however, such as the members of Ion Team, did not turn on their Jedi partners. Palpatine later declated them guilty of treason, and sent Lord Vader to eliminate the members of Ion Team. Vader eventually found the squad, and decapitated the members. Thousands of Jedi were killed during Order 66, sending pangs of anguish and shock across the Galaxy. Even Masters like Ki-Adi-Mundi, Stass Allie, and Plo Koon were no match for the brutal determination and skill of the 501st. However, some, such as Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Quinlan Vos survived and went into hiding.



The 501st Legion went on to help Darth Vader take down the Jedi Conclave on Kessel during the Battle of Kessel.

The 501st then followed Vader to Kashyyyk once more, where they confronted a group of Jedi who had survived Order 66. Led by Commander Appo, they killed and enslaved ten of thousands of Wookiees in an effort to gain workers for the Emperor's new secret project, the Death Star. Some of the Jedi, including Roan Shryne, were killed. However, Shryne managed to kill Appo, after which Commander Bow assumed command. Commander Vill would later lead a detachment of the 501st in the Battle of New Plympto.

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, as well as new armor. Due to their early work with Vader, the legion became known as "Vader's Fist", and would take on the purpose of touring the Galaxy enforcing Imperial law and crushing dissidents.



Though the Clone Wars were over, pockets of Separatist resistance remained. On the planet New Plympto, regimental commander Vill lead a detachment of the 501st against Nosaurian forces still loyal to the Confederacy. The Nosaurians held out for quite some time, but Vill and his men completely annihilated the Nosaurian rebels at the Battle of Half-Axe Pass.

Another mission against CIS sympathizers took place early during 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.

Post-Galactic Civil War


Even after the fall of the Empire, the squabbling of local warlords caused the 501st Legion to be dissolved and its soldiers assigned to other units. Grand Admiral Thrawn, upon assuming command of the Imperial military, resurrected the name 501st Legion, knowing the important symbolism of the name. Thrawn assigned the unit to protect the Empire of the Hand in the Unknown Regions.

Outsiders who encountered 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 were some indications that the 501st may have been reorganized as a significantly smaller formation than previously. Unusually for an Imperial legion, this generation of the 501st now incorporated non-Humans into its ranks.

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 long gone. Under the leadership of the Empire of the Hand, even nonhumans could join the ranks of the 501st Legion. With the stormtrooper ranks depleting faster and faster following the Empire's defeat at Endor, the Imperial Army needed more troopers fast&mdash;even if these new stormtroopers were not exactly of the same caliber as the pre-Endor era troopers, much less up-to-par with the Jango Fett stock.



As reformed, the most basic unit in the 501st was a squad of four troopers, capable of acting as a fire team 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 nonhumans into the 501st intensified over the years, thus specialized armor was created for certain species. Reforms made in the Empire finally allowed females to be recruited into the legion. This new 501st Legion was still in operation as of 130 ABY, serving Emperor Roan Fel and the revived Empire. In 137 ABY, the 501st left the service of Darth Krayt when Emperor Fel called on them to retake the Empire from the Sith usurper. Their commander at the time was General Oron Jaeger.

Known members
"She made a point of seeing us off personally, calling us the bravest soldiers she had ever seen."

- Anonymous 501st clone trooper, quoting Aayla Secura




 * Bow
 * CC-1119 (Appo)
 * Choral
 * Cloud
 * CT-0000/1010 (Fox)
 * Daine Jir
 * Dropkick
 * DV-523
 * DV-692
 * Oron Jaeger
 * Jorm Whistler Mackenni (Twister)
 * NT-311
 * Shadow
 * Su-mil (Grappler)
 * Vill
 * Watchman

Battles fought
"LaRone, this isn't just some random stormtrooper unit you're talking about infiltrating. This is the Five-oh-first." "So? The Five-oh-first puts on its armor one piece at a time just like we do."

- Joak Quiller and Daric LaRone

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
 * Operation: Knightfall

Galactic Empire



 * Conclave on Kessel
 * Battle of New Plympto
 * Battle of Kashyyyk
 * Battle of Naboo
 * Battle of Mustafar
 * Battle of Kamino
 * Death Star Uprising
 * Battle of Polis Massa
 * First Battle of Tatooine
 * Battle of Yavin
 * Fourth Battle of Yavin IV
 * Fifth Battle of Yavin IV
 * Battle of Hoth
 * Battle of Endor

Empire of the Hand

 * Battle of Kariek
 * Battle of the Redoubt

Behind the scenes

 * As a tribute to the real-life loyal 501st Legion charity group, the legion of blue clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith that Darth Vader leads into Jedi Temple during the Great Jedi Purge was designated the 501st. Although not mentioned in the film itself, much of the support material and merchandising for the film make this reference, including the popular video game Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars Dark Times: The Path to Nowhere
 * A Two-Edged Sword
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Trooper
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Allegiance
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Entrenched
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Fool's Bargain
 * Survivor's Quest
 * Star Wars Legacy 3: Broken, Part 3