Armor

Members of the Death Watch in Mandalorian armor

Armor was covering worn over the body that was designed to protect it from weapons and other hazards related to combat and warfare. It was worn by many soldiers, bounty hunters, and guards.

Description[edit | edit source]

The ancient warrior clans of Mandalore wore battle armor that was recognized and feared across the galaxy. The armor used beskar in its construction.^[1] Their helmets had a distinctive T-shaped visor. During the Clone Wars, a new faction of Mandalorians called Death Watch took up wearing the armor of the ancient Mandalorian warriors, as well as adopting their warrior culture.^[2] The Death Watch armor was blue and grey, and typically came with a jetpack which had an integrated single-shot missile launcher.^[3] Later, Mandalorian super commandos loyal to Darth Maul wore armor of red and black. Some even modified their helmets with horns in honor of their leader, Maul.^[4]

Bounty hunter Jango Fett wore Mandalorian armor that was outfitted with various equipment, such as wrist blades, a jetpack, and a wrist-mounted flamethrower.^[5] His clone and adoptive son Boba Fett inherited his armor,^[6] also modifying it with various weapons, including a flamethrower gauntlet, a whipcord launcher, and concealed rocket-dart launchers in his kneepads.^[7]

The clone troopers of the Galactic Republic wore full body armor, which was made of plastoid. Their armor was predominantly white, although colors and markings were sometimes added to denote rank or distinction.^[8] Clone trooper helmets could also have two miniature flashlights on each side of the head to provide forward-facing illumination for low-light environments.^[9] Clone commandos wore armor that was similar to the standard clone trooper armor.^[10] Some clones wore armor that was outfitted for underwater combat. These troopers were used during the civil war on Mon Calamari.^[11]

The stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire also wore full white body armor. Their armor contained a wide range of equipment enabling them to survive in almost any environment. Other stormtrooper units such as scout troopers and snowtroopers wore specialized armor suited to their environments.^[12]

In addition to soldiers and bounty hunters, armor was also worn by official guards and law enforcement. The Senate Guards and Senate Commandos, charged with protecting the Galactic Senate, wore a distinctive blue armor.^[13] The Onderon guards who protected the royal family on Onderon wore grey armor and helmets.^[14] The Mandalorian Guards, elite bodyguards charged with protecting Duchess Satine Kryze, wore body armor including a helmet and a large shield.^[15] The Coruscant underworld police wore armor made of leather and metal. Mechanical eyes protruding from their helmets caused many to wonder if they were droids, humanoids, or something in between.^[16]

One individual who wore armor as a form of life support was Darth Vader. After a fierce battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader was left severely injured and burned. He was rebuilt with cybernetic limbs and a frightening suit of black armor, which he was forced to wear for the rest of his life. The armor kept him alive with the help of mechanical lungs, which made an ominous sound whenever he breathed.^[17]

Natural armor[edit | edit source]

Some species had a naturally thick hide or scales that provided them with inherent protection. This was the case in exceptionally large beasts, such as the rancor, whose armored skin could turn aside blaster bolts.^[18] The colossal Zillo Beast had scales so tough that it was actually able to deflect a lightsaber. One such member of this rare species' attributes fascinated Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, who was very keen on examining it further.^[19] He stopped at nothing in his experiments on the creature in hopes that it would yield a new type of strong armor for his troops.^[20]

Vehicles and starships[edit | edit source]

The term "armor" could also refer to the armor plating of a vehicle or the armored hull of a starship. Generally, vehicles and starships built for combat were fortified with the heaviest armor.

The Armored Assault Tank was a heavily armored tank used by the Trade Federation and Separatist Alliance.

Heavily armored vehicles included the AAT battle tank, which was a floating armored assault tank.^[21] The Multi-Troop Transport (MTT) was a large armored vehicle that was able to transport and deploy over a hundred battle droids.^[22] The largest battle tank of the Grand Army of the Republic was the AT-TE walker, which consisted of two armored halves. Small-arms fire was not enough to penetrate its armor, requiring heavier weapons such as tanksmasher rockets.^[23] The massive All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) used by Imperial ground forces had armor plating that was impervious to blaster fire.^[24] The mobile heavy cannon walker tank used by the Umbaran soldiers had armor that was impervious to heavy weapons, including anti-armor infantry rockets.^[25] During the Battle of Umbara, the attacking clone troopers realized that the only way to destroy these massive tanks was to use advanced Umbaran weapons against them, which they did by commandeering Zenuas 33 Umbaran starfighters.^[26]

Heavily armored starships included the Republic attack cruiser, one of the Republic's largest capital ships.^[27] An unusual combat ship was the Trident-class assault ship. It had a powerful drill specifically designed to penetrate the armored hull of starships or bunkers, and then release a boarding party of troops.^[28]

Heavily armored starfighters included the HH-87 Starhopper, a fighter used by the Hutts.^[29] The BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bomber had a sturdy combination of shields and armor, enabling it to make attack runs on the Death Star.^[30]