Stormtrooper Corps

"Discover adventure and serve your Empire!"

- Imperial stormtrooper recruiting advertisement

The Stormtrooper Corps, also referred to as the Trooper Corps, was an independent military branch operating under the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire. The Corps was best known for its near limitless supply of obedient stormtroopers trained at Imperial academies across the galaxy, as well as its near fanatical devotion to Darth Vader. Regarded as the Empire's chief enforcers, the Corps would serve to remind the civilian populace of the Empire's military supremacy.

In the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War, the training of stormtroopers was prohibited by the Galactic Concordance, a formal peace treaty between the Empire and the victorious New Republic. However, a new generation of stormtroopers would come to exist under the the First Order, an Imperial-inspired military junta that recognized neither the treaty or the Republic's sovereignty.

History
Inheriting the military forces of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Stormtrooper Corps would possess a large amount of highly trained infantry to support military excursions against remaining Separatist holdouts. The Corps was ultimately founded by a group of clone commandos. Due to the military buildup during the Clone Wars, the Corps continued to rely on Republic-era clone troopers for a few years after the Proclamation of the New Order. Nonetheless, the clone stormtroopers' fighting skills ultimately deteriorated due to their accelerated aging process. In response, the Corps began accepting non-clone recruits into its ranks, with most remaining clones being disbanded four years before the Battle of Yavin.

During the Galactic Civil War, the Corps underwent an accelerated training process to provide more soldiers at a faster rate in order to suit the Empire's needs. Members of the Stormtrooper Corps would see substantial military action on multiple against the Rebel Alliance and its successor state, the New Republic. Following the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY, the defeated remnants of the Empire signed a peace treaty called the Galactic Concordance. One of the terms of the treaty prohibited the mobilization and training of stormtrooper forces.

The Imperial remnants retreated to the Unknown Regions where they reconstituted themselves as the First Order. In violation of the Galactic Concordance, the First Order rebuilt the former Imperial military including a new generation of stormtroopers. In 34 ABY, these First Order stormtroopers would see action against the New Republic and the Resistance, a paramilitary organization led by General Leia Organa.

Training and equipment
Although their ranks were numerous and possessed some of the finest weaponry and armor, with much development spearheaded by the Imperial Department of Military Research, stormtroopers were generally less respected as soldiers&mdash;at least in comparison to their clone predecessors&mdash;by the Empire's adversaries and surviving veterans of the Clone Wars. Clone Captain CT-7567 noted the inferiority of the new stormtrooper ranks, believing poor training and equipment was partly to blame for the Corps' decrease in operational effectiveness. Nevertheless, stormtroopers were trained to be fiercely loyal to Emperor Sheev Palpatine, and were reputedly incapable of betraying him. In addition to their allegiance to the Emperor, they loyally followed his apprentice and enforcer, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. According to Imperial records, the Corps never trained a trooper-turned-traitor.

Stormtrooper specializations

 * Stormtrooper&mdash;The Empire's main enforcer throughout the galaxy. Equipped with E-11 blaster rifles and specialized armor made up of over 18 plastoid, composite plates.
 * Cold weather assault stormtrooper&mdash;Better known as Imperial snowtroopers, trained for operations in arctic environments.
 * Flametrooper&mdash;Flametroopers were Imperial incendiary units equipped with flamethrowers for rooting out entrenched enemy positions.
 * Seatrooper&mdash;Imperial troopers trained for operations in aquatic environments.
 * Coastal defender stormtrooper&mdash; Also known as Shoretroopers, stationed at the top secret Imperial security complex on the tropical planet Scarif, shoretroopers patrolled the beaches and bunkers of the planetary facility.
 * Imperial shock trooper&mdash;High-class stormtroopers pulled from the elite of the Corps and equipped with distinctive armor with red markings. Primarily utilized as elite front-line units and guards for Emperor Palpatine himself.
 * Spacetrooper&mdash;Specialized stormtroopers equipped with rebreather packs for use in zero oxygen environments.
 * Stormtrooper grenadier&mdash;Specialized stormtroopers equipped with grenade launchers.
 * Imperial Heavy Trooper&mdash;Specialized stormtroopers equipped with combat armor and electrostaffs.
 * Heavy Weapons Stormtrooper&mdash;Heavy Stormtroopers, also known as Heavy Weapons Stormtroopers were equipped with Z-6 rotary blaster cannons and heavy armor.
 * Jumptrooper&mdash;Jump troopers were specially trained soldiers equipped with jetpacks and bubble shields that could be activated for short periods of time. Useful for rapid battlefield maneuvers and flanking enemy positions, Jump troopers could traverse environmental hazards that would normally tie up regular troops.
 * Magma trooper&mdash;Specialized stormtroopers capable of withstanding high temperatures in volcanic environments.
 * Sandtrooper&mdash;Specialized stormtroopers equipped for desert environments, with unique helmets featuring extra cooling features and a sand filter, along with a survival backpack stocked with extra food and water.
 * Dewback trooper&mdash;Sandtroopers that utilized dewbacks as mounts.
 * Scout trooper&mdash;Scout troopers, also known as biker scouts, were the reconnaissance units of the Corps, utilized to determine enemy positions, perform hit-and-run attacks and gather intelligence on enemy operations in a combat zone.
 * Sniper trooper&mdash;Sniper troopers, also known as Imperial sharpshooters, were specialists pulled from the ranks of the scout troopers and equipped with E-11s long-range blasters.
 * Forest trooper&mdash;Stormtroopers trained to operate in forested environments.
 * Imperial riot trooper&mdash;Soldiers equipped with electrostaffs and trained to quell insurrectionist activities.

Elite and experimental units

 * Death trooper&mdash;Elite stormtroopers equipped with modified black armor. They served under Director Orson Krennic and Imperial Intelligence.
 * Phase II dark trooper&mdash;Heavily armored experimental units of the Empire that wore pitch-black combat armor.
 * Purge Trooper&mdash;Elite stormtroopers with specialized black armor that personally served Governor Adelhard of the Anoat sector.
 * Shadow Trooper&mdash;Black-armored stormtroopers equipped with prototype cloaking devices.
 * Storm Commando&mdash;Grey-clad units trained to deal with extreme combat scenarios.
 * Special Commando Advanced Recon trooper&mdash;Elite stormtroopers deployed in the Imperial Military

Non-canon appearances

 * Angry Birds Star Wars II
 * Epic Yarns: A New Hope
 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
 * Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi