So You Want To Be A Stormtrooper?

Star Wars

Dec 11

"Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise."

Obi-Wan Kenobi's assessment of the abilities of the soldiers of the Empire isn't shared by many Star Wars fans, who usually regard the white armored troopers as bumbling idiots who couldn't hit a Bantha if they were standing right in front of one. But how exactly were the lives and careers of these troopers, how could one join the forces to protect the new order, and how could you advance through the ranks once you had enlisted?

Recruiting - Becoming A Buckethead

In the immediate aftermath of the declaration of the Empire, many saw the clone soldiers as war heroes: Not only had they defeated the droid army of the Separatists, but also wiped out the treacherous Jedi, who had tried to take over the Republic.

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At first, not much changed in the life of the soldiers after they turned from clone to stormtroopers. There were still a lot of Separatist hideouts to defeat, and they still got to wear their Phase II clone trooper armor. The only exception was that the colorful markings that the clones had added to stress their individuality had to be removed, as the Empire wanted unity.

But as seen in the first season of The Bad Batch, the new regime soon abandoned the breed of new clone soldiers and even destroyed the cloning facilities on Kamino. It was simply easier and cheaper to recruit non-clones than to keep producing doppelgangers of Jango Fett. And at first, there was no shortage of volunteers eager to join the army. After more than a decade of rising tensions and a three years galaxy-wide war Palpatine's claim of peace and order for the next thousand years was like balm for the tortured souls of the galaxy's citizens.

Adding to this was that Imperial propaganda praising the new regime and the benefits of becoming a stormtrooper spread throughout the galaxy under the banner of Palpatine's mega agency COMPNOR (Commission for the Preservation of the New Order).

Image Source: Propaganda - A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy

But those who had joined the Stormtrooper Corps with pride and conviction soon found out that the Empire's concept of peace implied strict surveillance and control of innocent citizens as well as the brutal oppression of anything and anyone that could possibly endanger this order.

The expansion of the Empire's grasp further and further into the galaxy's outer reaches and the ensuing of more local skirmishes and uprisings also caused a constantly growing need for more and more soldiers. As the number of those who voluntarily joined the forces quickly dwindled, the Empire began to take away both children and adults from their families and force them into military service, which caused a constantly decreasing morale and motivation among the new recruits. But the Empire had another problem: During the early days of the new order, the regime could still rely on the know-how and experience of the clone soldiers who trained their non-clone comrades. But a few years before the Battle of Yavin these clones had been completely sorted out and replaced with instructors, who were either non-caring technocrats or war-mangling fanatics. They regarded their soldiers as nothing more than a neverending stream of cannon fodder and sent them into battle without much training.

Some high-ranking Imperials like Brendol Hux realized that this mix of lacking morale and insufficient preparation could not be sustained in the long run and so they conceptualized a new way of stormtrooper training: Based on the way the Jedi had brought their younglings into the Order, they planned to take away children from their families at a very young age and put them into a strict and cruel conditioning and training program for many years, to create soldiers that would be as capable as their clone predecessors. Years after the end of the Empire, this concept would lead to the rise of the First Order stormtroopers.

Training - You’re In The Army Now

Star Wars Rebels and the accompanying young reader series Servants of the Empire by Jason Fry gave us insight into how stormtroopers were educated and trained. After joining the vast Imperial Academy young cadets starting at the age of 13 went through a one-year junior academy. If their results were promising, they were transferred to a senior academy, where their training continued for another two years. Those who didn't meet the standards of the Empire were either washed out or retired voluntarily. Depending on their talents and performances, graduated students were selected to join one of the specialized training facilities to become elite stormtroopers, pilots, or even bureaucrats.

It was not forbidden for girls and young women to join the Imperial Academy, although their numbers were quite small. Those who enlisted voluntarily or were forced to join were put into special all-female units, like Unit Form on Lothal.

Special attention was given to cadets that showed signs of Force-sensibility. Those who did were taken by the Inquistorious to a secret academy on the planet Arkanis to be trained in the Dark Side and to prevent the Jedi from ever rising again.

Stormtrooper training relied on absolute obedience, both to their superiors and the will of the Emperor. By giving them designations (TK XYZ) instead of names, the soldiers learned to dehumanize their comrades and not care for them if they should fall in a battle - press on, no matter how desperate the circumstances were.

Organization And Ranks - How Many Stormtroopers Do You Need To Change A Lightbulb?

All stormtroopers were part of Stormtrooper Crops, a branch of the Imperial Army, which itself was just one gear of COMPNOR.

The smallest unit was a squad, consisting of 10 soldiers, five squads made up a platoon, and four platoons constituted a company (200 soldiers). Further up, four companies made up a battalion, four battalions a regiment, and four regiments a legion (like the 501st legion, Vader's "personal" group of stormtroopers), adding up to a massive 12.800 soldiers.

A pauldron worn on the right shoulder indicated the rank of stormtrooper: A black pauldron meant an enlisted trooper, white was for sergeants, and orange was for captains. But the color of the pauldron also indicated the specialization of a trooper.

Specializations - There Is More Than Wearing Just White

The Original Trilogy introduced three types of stormtroopers: the standard ones, the Cold Weather Assault Stormtrooper (aka Snowtrooper), and the scout trooper.

Video games introduced many more types of stormtroopers, like Heavy Weapons Stormtroopers, Imperial Heavy Troopers (Star Wars: Galactic Defense), Purge Troopers (Star Wars: Uprising), or Shadow Troopers (Battlefront).

But also movies or TV series created new types of stormtroopers, like the Coastal Defender stormtrooper, aka Shoretrooper (Rogue One), Jumptroopers (Star Wars Rebels), or Wet-weather Gear Stormtroopers (Solo) and of course, the Death Troopers (Rogue One), who got their name from Palpatine himself, to spread rumors that inside the black armor were revitalized corpses.

These various stormtroopers differentiated themselves from their standard comrades through enhanced armor, equipment, and weaponry. They were deployed to places where either the environment or the circumstances required special forces.

But no matter their type and tasks, they all served the greater good of the Empire.

While stormtroopers both in, and out, of the Star Wars universe have a bad reputation, one group is met with big admiration not only within the fandom but also by the general public, and this is the 501st legion fan group.

These men and women not only do an excellent job in creating screen-accurate armor and helmets, but they are also great ambassadors for Star Wars and Lucasfilm, collecting money for charity and visiting sick children around the globe. It is a kind of irony that the real-world representation of a fictional group that has caused so much terror and pain in the far, far away galaxy can do so much good here on earth.

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Sources (among others): Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know, Star Wars Stormtroopers: Beyond The Armor, Propaganda - A History of Persuasive Art In The Galaxy

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