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 commissioned by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during the Clone Wars.

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.

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



Although many 501st troopers grew to appreciate the Jedi that they served under and the citizens they had sworn to protect, their overall loyalty was to the Republic and in this case, the Supreme Chancellor through his various emergency powers. It was this case alone that forced them, along with the rest of their clone brethren, to carry out Order 66.

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 cold-blooded 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. According to the 501st Journal, there is some speculation that the 501st troopers who marched on the Temple had a great deal of doubts and private second thoughts, though none of them could find the courage or the will power to voice their hesitation as to what they were about to do.

The 501st Legion went on to help 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.

However, their moment of triumph over the Rebel Alliance was short-lived. Within a year, the 501st Legion participated in the fateful Battle of Endor. Emperor Palpatine, while attempting to lure Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side of the Force with gloats about the imminent death of all his friends and their cause, referred to the 501st as "and entire legion of [his] best troops"; a remark that the 501st had certaintly earned throughout their service to the Empire.

What seemed to be one of the easiest assignments in the history of the fighting 501st, unexpectedly turned into a desperate battle for their very lives. With the aid of a primitive race known as Ewoks, a small Rebel team, led by Han Solo and Leia Organa, defeated the infamous stormtroopers, despite being vastly out-numbered and out-guned. Thus, the once proud stormtroopers of the 501st Legion, clones from the template of the legendary Jango Fett, suffered the most unanticipated and humiliating defeat that nearly cost them the entire Empire that they helped forge through betrayal and murder.

Post-Galactic Civil War


Even after the fall of the Empire, the 501st Legion survived, though not in the way the Fett clones, especially those part of the "pure" stormtrooper unit would have wanted. Although Darth Vader was seen as the ultimate symbol of treachery for destroying the Emperor, the 501st Legion was too strong as a fighting force and a symbol to simply sweep away, unlike many other Imperial officers and anything else once associated to the former Sith Lord. It is unknown if the 501st kept the name "Vader's Fist" after his treachery, though it is unlikely that the 501st were allowed to use the title in the Empire's public affairs.

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 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.

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. With the stormtrooper ranks depleting fast after the Empire's defeat at Endor, the Imperial Army needed more troopers fast, even if these new stormtroopers were not exactly of the same caliber as the pre-Endor era troopers, much less those of the Jango Fett stock. Presumably, by the year 130 ABY, part of the 501st Legion was still partially composed of Jango's clones, but heavily supplemented by non-clone recruits of different species and genders.



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. Even females were allowed 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. Their commander at the time was General Oron Jaeger.

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
 * Oron Jaeger
 * 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

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 as 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
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars Dark Times: The Path to Nowhere
 * 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
 * Star Wars Legacy: Broken