Every Stormtrooper Variant And Their Role In The Empire (Part 2)
Check Out The Beginning Of The List In Part 1
Imperial Heavy Troopers
Imperial heavy troopers do get their own spot on the list because they actually have some major differences from the other heavy trooper variants despite the fact that there is little info on them. They wear bulkier armor than other heavy troopers, and they are typically armed with electrostaffs. The bulkier armor seems to suggest that it would provide more protection and allow them to hit harder. Their melee focus also seems to suggest that they typically fight in close proximities. However, that is all speculation as there is no information that can confirm or deny this. Still, they are a unique part of the Empire.
Imperial Marine
Similar to the Imperial heavy troopers, there is not a lot of canon information on the Imperial Marines. It is mentioned in the book Dawn of Rebellion which speaks about the Imperial Army, Navy, and Marines. This would imply that Imperial Marines have a similar role to that of U.S. Marines, but the book does not go into details about individual marines.
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Imperial Shock Troopers
Imperial shock troopers were originally clone shock troopers, and they serve as Coruscant’s elite soldiers and modern peacekeepers for the planet. They would serve as bodyguards, escort prisoners, and conduct specific strike missions on certain targets. They excel in close quarters combat and riot control, which make them perfect for maintaining the peace on Coruscant. Their equipment is largely the same as normal clone troopers, and later normal stormtroopers. Shock troopers are recognizable by their iconic red and white armor. After the fall of the Republic, they transition from being just Coruscant peacekeepers and expand to become elite frontline soldiers and bodyguards to Emperor Palpatine as well.
Incinerator Troopers
Unlike the flametroopers, incinerator troopers work primarily with flamethrowers to combat all kinds of threats and not just fauna. Also unlike flametroopers, incinerator troopers receive extensive fire combat training, and their armor is altered stormtrooper armor that allows them to withstand abnormal temperatures. Their armor is distinguished by red markings and has red pauldrons on both shoulders. Along with their flamethrowers, they carry a backpack that contains more fuel for their weapons. They are some of the deadliest and most feared stormtroopers in the Empire.
Jumptroopers
At last, the original jumptroopers make their debut! They have been referenced earlier on the list, and there are not a ton of differences between them and their variants. Jumptroopers are basically just stormtroopers who are trained and equipped with jetpacks. They are used in combat to get over high walls, attack enemies directly, and conduct airdrops to gain an advantage on the battlefield. Their jetpacks also allow them to maneuver in space, but they are not designed to operate in space like the spacetrooper. However, their armor would sometimes contain breathing tubes in the helmet to help airflow at higher altitudes or limited breathing in space.
Lavatroopers
Lavatroopers are black-armored stormtroopers that are stationed at Vader’s castle on Mustafar. Presumably, they are there to guard the castle and act as a military force on the planet. They are distinctive from the death troopers because of the red lines across their helmets. Their armor is likely equipped to withstand the harsh temperatures of Mustafar, so they are similar to crimson stormtroopers in that way. Since they are also stationed at Vader’s castle, it is likely that they had higher levels of training and better equipment than normal stormtroopers, but that is purely speculation.
Patrol Troopers
As the Empire gains control of more and more planets across the galaxy, several planets’ local law systems are replaced with stormtrooper patrols. That is where the patrol troopers came from. They are mostly used to act as law enforcement on several planets to keep their citizens in check and loyal to the Empire. Patrol troopers also traveled in between cities as needed. Because of this, most patrol troopers are equipped with C-PH Patrol speeder bikes. Their armor is also modified to allow for movement, similar to scout troopers, and their helmets contain enhanced imaging electronics.
Purge Troopers
Purge troopers are trained as elite and expendable death squads. They help the Inquisitors hunt down and kill Jedi survivors. Their name likely stems from the Jedi Purge that happened after Order 66. The purge troopers are also some of the last remaining clone soldiers in the service of the Empire. Not all purge trooper squads are comprised of clones, but most squads do have a clone as their commander, which is denoted by a red pauldron on their shoulder. Their armor is also lightsaber-resistant to better help combat Jedi.
Purge Troopers (Anoat Sector)
There doesn’t appear to be many differences between purge troopers in the Anoat sector and regular purge troopers, but the fact that they are specifically operating in the Anoat Sector is a large enough difference to get them on the list. Frankly, they seem to be purge troopers that operated in the Outer Rim territories. Their armor is larger than normal purge troopers, and they use heavier weaponry. They could be more akin to the “heavies” of purge troopers. Their design also resembles a version of the dark troopers, but it is probably coincidental.
Range Troopers
Range troopers are elite stormtroopers that seem to specialize in transporting and guarding high-value material for the Empire. They are some of the toughest stormtroopers in the Empire, and they even consider other stormtroopers to be “soft amateurs.” They are equipped with magnetic gription boots which allowed them to move safely and relatively quickly atop the moving vehicles they are guarding like the conveyex seen in Solo.
Recon Stormtroopers
Recon stormtroopers are completely misleading. Their name implies that they specialize in reconnaissance. However, they are actually more closely related to heavy troopers. There is actually next to no information on them other than the fact that they utilize blasters and thermal detonators. The Empire may have run out of troopers for each of their overly specific titles by this point.
Riot Control Stormtroopers
Riot troopers are a security force that would break up riots. They would be tasked with arresting insurgents and dispersing any parties at all. They are kind of like the SWAT teams of the Empire, but these stormtroopers aren’t given any extra special training. They are only equipped with riot shields and either batons or electrostaffs.
Rocket Stormtroopers
They have rocket launchers! Not to be confused with demolition troopers, rocket troopers are simply stormtroopers trained and equipped with missile launchers. Rocket troopers also do not seem to have as wide an array of skills as the demolition troopers. However, they are extremely skilled with their launcher, and they provide invaluable support on the battlefield.
Scout Troopers
Scout troopers are specially trained stormtroopers used primarily for reconnaissance. Their armor is much lighter than normal stormtroopers to greatly improve mobility, and their helmets are rigged with electro-magnetic vision and a boosted comlink for long-range communication. The helmets also have optics in place to allow for faster reaction times when they are operating speeder bikes. Along with reconnaissance, scout troopers are occasionally used for espionage as well. Several other stormtrooper variants could also become scouts like sandtroopers and snowtroopers.
Seatroopers
Seatroopers are stormtroopers that specialize in operating in aquatic environments. They conduct operations on many of the water planets like Mon Cala. Seatroopers are specially equipped with everything needed to survive underwater for long periods of time like propulsion jets, flippers, and a breathing apparatus.
Shadow Troopers
Shadow troopers are another group of stormtrooper variants clad in black armor. Aside from being highly trained stormtroopers, shadow troopers’ armor is equipped with an experimental cloaking device. This cloaking device would render the shadow troopers completely invisible. Naturally, this made them the perfect choice for stealth missions of extreme importance. They are also extremely useful in combat. Large squads of them would activate their cloaking devices and appear around their enemies. They would attack in hordes and overwhelm their opponents. Also, they are known for being more fanatically loyal to the Empire than even the most staunch Imperial supporter.
Sith Troopers
Sith troopers bear a striking resemblance to crimson troopers because of their similar color scheme. Crimson troopers actually predate Sith troopers in creation. While the origins of Sith troopers go all the way back to the Clone War, they are not officially established until the era of the First Order and the Sith Eternal Army. They are basically the most loyal stormtroopers who excel in merciless combat. They also have all of their free will removed through flash training and loyalty conditioning. The Sith troopers are essentially the culmination of highly trained stormtroopers, Sith cultists, and Emperor Palpatine's contingency plan after the fall of the Empire. They are some of the main fighters in the Sith Eternal cult, and they even have their own special troops and variants like commanders and jet troopers.
Spacetroopers
Spacetroopers are stormtroopers equipped to operate in the Zero-G environment of outer space. They are equipped with the usual stormtrooper armor set, but the helmet contains a rebreather for extensive outer space activities. Along with the rebreather, spacetroopers also have jetpacks for mobility in space. They are equipped for combat, but they can also handle construction or repairs that are required on the outer hulls of ships.
Special Commando Advanced Recon Troopers
SCAR Troopers, as they are more commonly known, are a special set of stormtroopers. Again, their name implies that they specialize in reconnaissance, but that is not exactly the case. They are actually groups of specially trained stormtroopers that could operate with a surprising amount of autonomy. They are kind of like the Empire’s version of the A-Team if the A-Team worked for a governmental body. Obviously, the Empire has a lot of faith in the SCAR troopers, so it is likely that they are given free rein to patrol the galaxy and conduct missions they deemed essential to the Empire.
Storm Commandos
Storm commandoes are the special forces of the Stormtrooper Corps. They are highly trained stormtroopers who deal with extreme combat situations. However, this list is also made up of highly trained stormtroopers, and it isn’t clear what sets the commandoes apart. They do wear a grey version of scout trooper armor, so it is possible that they are just high-level scout troopers. Commandoes are also a part of Darth Vader’s 501st Legion.
Stormtrooper Snipers
This is another example of a variant with a self-explanatory name. Stormtrooper snipers, also known as “sniper troops,” are stormtroopers trained to use sniper rifles. They are the marksmen of the Stormtroopers Corps. Many of the sniper troops are former scout troopers. Their armor is also extremely similar to scout troopers. Obviously, a sniper troop’s job is to take out enemies from afar and provide covering fire with their sharp-shooting prowess.
Stormtrooper Grenadiers
Grenadiers are stormtroopers who excel in the use of grenade launchers, which fire Class-A thermal detonators, but they are not so heavy that they require the strength and skill of heavy troopers or demolition troopers. Grenadiers are used to supply some heavy destructive firepower on the battlefield. They could provide some explosives strikes to break up groups of enemies.
Swamptroopers
Swamptroopers are stormtroopers that specialize in amphibious warfare. While it does not specifically state that they operate in swamps, it is safe to assume they fight in their fair share of swamps. Interestingly enough, they do not appear to have any special equipment to better help them operate in swampy, wet terrain. However, it could be presumed that they utilize some combination of scout trooper, shoretrooper, and seatrooper equipment and armor to aid them in their work. They also probably use some of the gear the wet-weather troopers wear.
Wet-Weather Gear Stormtroopers
Oddly enough, the wet-weather gear stormtroopers appear to be stormtroopers that operate exclusively in rainy climates. It is even stranger because several of the wet-weather troopers are placed on Mimban, which is a mining planet with many swamps. One would think the swamptroopers would be able to handle a mining planet with several swamps, but obviously, the Empire thought they needed an entirely new variant for it. The wet-weather troops are equipped with waterproof capes that make wading through swampland much easier. That is also something that the swamptroopers could really use. It is possible the wet-weather gear stormtroopers are a just specialized set of swamptrooper, but it is neither confirmed nor likely. Regardless, it is clear they do not need any help fighting in the rain.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia