Dark Trooper

Dark Troopers were experimental^[1] combat droids created as part of the Galactic Empire's dark trooper program. The program's failure contributed to the Joint Chiefs becoming disenchanted with combat droids.^[2] Accordingly, following dark trooper models were actually body suits worn by a human pilot.^[3] Phase II Dark Troopers were deployed for evaluation by the Imperial Military during the Galactic Civil War and were utilized in the Battle for Tatooine.^[1] By the time of the third-generation dark trooper used in Moff Gideon's Imperial remnant^[3] around the year 9 ABY,^[4] it was decided the human pilot was the last weakness in the dark trooper design, meaning the third generation units were^[3] a return to the dark trooper program's roots as a battle droid project.^[2]

The third generation units^[3] were deployed on Tython to retrieve Grogu after he was brought to the seeing stone. These dark troopers were equipped with jet boosters in their feet to enable in-atmospheric flight and were capable of launching directly from a cruiser, as opposed to having to be deployed in a troop transport.^[5] Later, when the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his allies attempted to rescue Grogu from Gideon's light cruiser, the Moff activated his dark trooper platoon, though the entire garrison was eliminated by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.^[3]

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Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

"Operative, I have apportioned some experimental Dark Troopers to Tatooine for evaluation. I have dispatched them to you for this operation. Do not fail the Empire."

―Kosh in Star Wars: Commander's Imperial campaign^[src]

Dark Troopers were first introduced in the Star Wars Legends continuity in the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces. The canon version seen in Star Wars: Commander, resembles the purge trooper seen in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

The DT-series sentry droid was based on the dark trooper designs.^[6]