Stormtrooper Corps

For other uses, see Stormtrooper (disambiguation).

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"Discover adventure and serve your Empire!"

―Imperial stormtrooper recruiting advertisement^[9]

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 Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious. Regarded as the Empire's chief enforcers, the Corps served to remind the civilian populace of the Empire's military supremacy.

The Stormtrooper Corps could trace its roots to the Grand Army of the Republic—clone troopers who fought for the Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars. Although Republic forces were absorbed by the Imperial Military, the original generation was eventually replaced by non-clone human recruits and conscripts. During the Imperial Era, the Corps suppressed Separatist holdouts, occupied worlds, and became embroiled in a galaxy-wide conflict with the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

In the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War, the training of stormtroopers was prohibited and the Corps was disbanded by the Galactic Concordance, a formal peace treaty between the Empire and the victorious New Republic. However, a new generation of stormtroopers came to exist under the First Order, an Imperial-inspired military junta that recognized neither the treaty nor the Republic's sovereignty.

History[]

"With more time and training, our forces will be unlike anything the galaxy has seen."

―Rampart, to Wilhuff Tarkin^[10]

Clone troopers constituted the ranks of the Stormtrooper Corps until they were supplanted by human recruits.

Inheriting the military forces of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Stormtrooper Corps would possess a large amount of highly trained infantry units to support military excursions against forces opposed to the new Galactic Empire, among them remaining Separatist holdouts.^[11] The corps was originally founded by clone commandos,^[12] and commandos like Captain CC-5576-39 "Gregor" and RC-1262 "Scorch" were tasked with training the first generation of stormtroopers on the planet Daro. Gregor alleged that one of the reasons clone troopers were to be phased out of the Imperial Army was because they were created to be soldiers of the disbanded Republic.^[13] The stormtrooper SP-113 was rumored to have formally been one of the founding commandos.^[12] Due to the military buildup during the Clone Wars, the Corps continued to rely on Republic-era clones for a few years after the Proclamation of the New Order.^[14]

Nonetheless, the clone stormtroopers' fighting skills ultimately deteriorated due to their accelerated aging process.^[14] In response, the Corps continued to accept non-clone recruits into its ranks, with most remaining clones being disbanded four years before the Battle of Yavin.^[15] During the earlier years of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial army also deployed Imperial Army troopers on many worlds instead of stormtroopers. As the Empire continued, however, the army upgraded as these soldiers were phased out in favor of more stormtroopers. By the time of the Mimban Campaign Imperial army soldiers had not been completely phased out and fought alongside stormtroopers, but the army's upgrade to increase stormtroopers had begun.^[16]

The dissolution of the Stormtrooper Corps followed the Galactic Empire's downfall at the Battle of Jakku.

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.^[12] Members of the Stormtrooper Corps would see substantial military action on multiple against the Alliance to Restore the Republic and its successor state, the New Republic.^[17]^[18] Following the Battle of Jakku^[6] in 5 ABY,^[4] 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.^[6]

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 saw action against the New Republic and the Resistance, a paramilitary organization led by General Leia Organa.^[6]

Training and equipment[]

"Cadets, you entered this facility as children. And in a few short weeks, you will leave as soldiers. By the time you complete your training, you will be prepared to serve your Emperor."

―Cumberlayne Aresko^[19]

Members of the Stormtrooper Corps were trained to show absolute loyalty to Imperial leadership.

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—at least in comparison to their clone predecessors—by the Empire's adversaries and surviving veterans of the Clone Wars. Captain Rex noted the inferiority of the new stormtrooper ranks, believing poor training and equipment was partly to blame for the Corps' decrease in operational effectiveness.^[20] Nevertheless, stormtroopers were trained to be fiercely loyal to Emperor Sheev Palpatine and were reputedly incapable of betraying him.^[21] In addition to their allegiance to the Emperor, they loyally followed his apprentice and enforcer, the Sith Lord Darth Vader.^[22] According to Imperial records, the Corps never trained a trooper-turned-traitor.^[3]

When they were not in armor, officers of the Stormtrooper Corps wore black dress tunics, caps, and boots. They also carried code cylinders, rank insignia plaques, and officer's disks that were conform to the standards of the Imperial Navy.^[23]

Organization and structure[]

Overview[]

Darth Vader leads a force of stormtroopers.

In the Stormtrooper Corps, one of the smallest units was a squad, which consisted of ten stormtroopers. A platoon was made up of five squads, and a company was made up of four platoons. Higher up, a battalion consisted of four companies, and a regiment had four battalions in it. A legion was made up of four regiments, giving one a total of twelve-thousand eight-hundred stormtroopers.^[24]

To outflank an enemy unit, stormtroopers could be organized in a strategy known as Sigma Four. This tactic was once used by Sergeant TX-828 against the bounty hunters of Captivator's crew.^[25]

Units[]

Stormtrooper specializations[]

Stormtrooper—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.

Shoretroopers served alongside regular stormtroopers at the Battle of Scarif.

Artillery stormtrooper—Specialized stormtroopers that specialized in mortar weaponry.^[42]
Coastal defender stormtrooper— 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.^[38]
Cold weather assault stormtrooper—Better known as Imperial snowtroopers, trained for operations in arctic environments.^[43]
Crimson Stormtrooper—Imperial stormtroopers trained to operate in the heat of volcanic areas.^[44]
Flametrooper—Flametroopers were Imperial incendiary units equipped with flamethrowers for rooting out entrenched enemy positions.^[45]
Forest trooper—Stormtroopers trained to operate in forested environments.^[46]
Heavy Weapons Stormtrooper—Heavy Stormtroopers, also known as Heavy Weapons Stormtroopers were equipped with Z-6 rotary blaster cannons, DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles and heavy armor.^[47]
- Heavy Sandtrooper^[26]
- Heavy Shoretrooper^[26]
- Heavy Snowtrooper^[26]
Imperial Heavy Trooper—Specialized stormtroopers equipped with combat armor and electrostaffs.^[48]

Imperial shock troopers comprised the Coruscant Guard.

Imperial shock trooper—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.^[49]
Incinerator trooper—Specialized stormtroopers who were equipped with a flamethrower with a backpack^[50] and among the most devastating of the Empire's specialized troops.^[51]
Jumptrooper—Jumptroopers 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, Jumptroopers could traverse environmental hazards that would normally tie up regular troops.^[52]
- Arctic Jumptrooper^[26]
- Desert Jumptrooper^[26]
- Forest Jumptrooper^[26]
Lava Trooper—Stormtroopers equipped with black armor and respiration tubes that were charged with defending Fortress Vader on Mustafar.^[53]
Magma trooper—Specialized stormtroopers capable of withstanding high temperatures in volcanic environments.^[54]
Patrol trooper— Stormtroopers that used speeders to patrol.^[16]
Range trooper— Specialized stormtroopers that wore heavy armor lined with fur.^[16]
Riot control stormtrooper—Soldiers equipped with electrostaffs and trained to quell insurrectionist activities.^[55]
Desert stormtrooper—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.^[56]
- Dewback trooper—Sandtroopers that utilized dewbacks as mounts. They utilized flamethrowers.^[26]

Scout troopers were light-armored reconnaissance units.

Scout trooper—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.^[57]
- Stormtrooper sniper—Sniper troopers, also known as Imperial sharpshooters, were specialists pulled from the ranks of the scout troopers and equipped with E-11s sniper rifles.^[26]
Seatrooper—Imperial troopers trained for operations in aquatic environments.^[58]
Shadow trooper—Specialized stormtroopers that wore black suits of experimental armor coupled with portable cloaking devices.^[59]
Spacetrooper—Specialized stormtroopers equipped with rebreather packs for use in zero oxygen environments.^[60]
Stormtrooper grenadier—Specialized stormtroopers equipped with grenade launchers.^[61]
Swamptrooper—Specialized stormtroopers trained for amphibious combat.^[1]
Wet-weather gear stormtrooper—Specialized stormtroopers that were located on Mimban.^[16]

Elite and experimental units[]

Dark Trooper—Heavily armored experimental units of the Empire that wore pitch-black combat armor.^[26]
- Phase II Dark Trooper—A model of Dark trooper used to storm enemy entrenchments or enemy defenses.^[26]
Purge Trooper—Elite stormtroopers with black armor who specialized in hunting Jedi who survived Order 66.^[62] One unit personally served Governor Ubrik Adelhard of the Anoat sector.^[28]
Storm Commando—Grey-clad units trained to deal with extreme combat scenarios.^[48]
Special Commando Advanced Recon Trooper—Elite stormtroopers deployed in the Imperial Military^[63]