Stormtrooper Corps (First Order)

"General, a stormtrooper's loyalty must be higher, as you know. It must be to the First Order, not to one's comrades."

- Captain Phasma, to General Armitage Hux

The Stormtrooper Corps was an independent military branch that operated under the Army of the First Order, and served as the restoration of the former military unit that operated under the Galactic Empire. The Corps was divided into legions of 8,000 stormtroopers and stationed on planets as well as Star Destroyers. The corp and it stormtroopers aided in the First Order gradual conquest and colonization of the Unknown Regions.

Origins
"This has been a dream of mine for years. I searched for officers who would understand what I proposed, and who could help me create these champions of our Empire. When I didn't find those officers, I decided to follow my own advice&mdash; I would create them. You have been chosen to begin this great work alongside me&mdash;to execute my design. Together, my cadets, we shall oversee the creation of legions that ensure the Empire lives forever."

- Brendol Hux to his Commandant's Cadets

The First Order Stormtrooper Corps origins can be traced to a secret student society of cadets that was found within the Galactic Empire's Arkanis Academy on the planet Arkanis called the Commandant's Cadets, which was led by Commandant Brendol Hux who had a vision of an Empire that will rule the galaxy forever. Hux admired the combat prowess and dedication of the Republic's clone troopers and the Jedi Order, who had been trained from youth as soldiers and warriors and conceived the idea of training stormtrooper recruits from birth who would be excellent soldiers and loyal servants of the Empire as Impeiral stormtroopers were normal human recruits, which Hux was dissatisfied with. Potential members were identified by their strong performance at the academy, but first had to pass a test to get in.

Prior to the Battle of Jakku as the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and New Republic drew to a close in 5 ABY, the Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax had recruited two dozen local Jakku orphans as child soldiers who placed them under the command of Armitage Hux, who inherited the vision and teachings from his father. Rax had planned to take these child soldiers along with Hux, his son Armitage, and several other worthy Imperial commanders into the Unknown Regions to start a new Empire but was killed by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, who took over in his place.

Following it defeat, the Empire agreed to a peace treaty called the Galactic Concordance, signed by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and Chancellor Mon Mothma. One of the terms of the treaty prohibited the mobilization and training of stormtrooper forces, and called for the Empire to abandon its network of Imperial Academies.

Resurrection
"Rescuing. Forging them into an army the likes of which this galaxy has ever seen."

- Gideon Hask

Drawing inspiration from the ideals of Brendol Hux, a former Republic officer and Imperial commandant who found the Empire's stormtroopers lacking, overseen by the First Order, and by their allies, such as Jinata Security, created Project Resurrection, a massive program of conscription and training of human children, who were indoctrinated to become a new generation of stormtroopers for the restored Stormtrooper Corps under the First Order's guidance, thousands of whom were abducted from outlying systems, raised to be absolutely loyal to the First Order. with the stormtrooper training program under the command of Captain Phasma, and its legions under General Armitage Hux, while their allegiance was to Supreme Leader Snoke himself. The stormtrooper corps was supplied by Sonn-Blas Corporation, a subsidiary of the arms manufacturers BlasTech Industries and Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc., whom manufactured most of the First Order's weaponry. The New Republic was fully aware of the newly reestablished Stormtrooper Corp existence, but believed it posed not threat and that the unit existed solely as a defense force for the fledgling state.

Conquering the Unknown Regions
"For glory! For the First Order!"

- Captain Phasma

The Stormtrooper Corp would go on to confront several threats to the First Order and it efforts lurking with the Unknown Regions, hermetic kingdoms who were confronted by the growing new power. On Snoke's instruction, the new corp undertook a major offensive against several of these kingdoms to seize their worlds and resources to fuel their rise all in secret, the Order then began to colonize the Unknown Regions.

Training
"My men are exceptionally trained, programmed from birth."

- General Armitage Hux

While most stormtroopers were taken from birth and trained, the First Order also used recruits who received the same training as the conscripted from birth soldiers. Without the academies of the Galactic Empire, the First Order resorted to training their growing army on their Star Destroyers.

First Order stormtrooper training was much more standardized than that of the Imperial stormtroopers. Because of this their training was higher quality overall. They received training in counter-insurgency, guerrilla warfare, and commando raids. Stormtroopers also received non-tactics related training like combat medicine. They conducted live-fire exercises and drill as well as rigorous training that helped to create an emphasis on improvisation on the battlefield.

Stormtrooper specializations

 * Stormtrooper: The First Order's main enforcer throughout the galaxy. Equipped with F-11D blaster rifles and specialized armor.
 * Elite stormtroopers: Black armored elite stormtroopers that utilized elite speeder bikes.
 * First Order stormtrooper executioners: Stormtroopers tasked with dispensing final justice on First Order soldiers found guilty of treason. Equipped with laser axes.
 * First Order SCUBA troopers: Stormtroopers that were specialized to operate in aquatic environments.
 * First Order stormtrooper gunners: Stormtroopers trained to fire vehicle-mounted weapons on both ground and air vehicles.
 * Flametroopers: Stormtroopers equipped with flamethrowers for rooting out entrenched enemy positions.
 * Megablaster heavy assault troopers: Stormtroopers that were trained as heavy weapons specialists and notably utilized the FWMB-10 repeating blaster.
 * Mountain troopers: Specialized stormtroopers that were deployed in rocky or mountainous environments like Batuu.
 * Riot control stormtroopers: Stormtroopers assigned to keep order on worlds within First Order territory. They were trained in riot-control tactics and given non-lethal equipment, such as lightweight composite betaplast ballistic riot shields, Z6 riot control batons, and also lethal weapons such as the F-11D blaster rifle.
 * Rocket troopers: Stormtroopers that specialized in aerial combat and were equipped with jump packs, SE-44C blaster pistols, and smart rockets.
 * Snowtroopers: Stormtroopers trained for operations in arctic environments.
 * Sith troopers: Red armored stormtroopers named after the Sith, an ancient order of Force-users devoted to the dark side of the Force.
 * Sith jet trooper: Sith troopers that specialized in aerial combat. They formed part of the 105th Battalion.

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens