Scout trooper / Legends Scout troopers , also known as biker scouts , were specially trained soldiers of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps . As light - armored variants of the Imperial stormtroopers , scout troopers were specifically trained for activities too complicated for regular infantry troopers . As such , they were exceptional additions to the Imperial Military as reconnaissance troops , spies and survivalists . They were especially excellent marksmen , and thus they were regarded as the finest snipers in service to the Galactic Empire . Hence , they were particularly useful as assassins . Their wide - range of skills inevitably created feelings of pride and self - importance amongst the scout troopers . As a consequence of their bravado , they developed a fierce rivalry with their infantry counterparts , as well as everyone else in the military who was of equal or lower rank . Their most infamous activity was arguably in the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY . Although they were stationed in an environment most suited to their training , the scout troopers were unable to prevent a small team of Rebel soldiers from destroying the shield generator that protected the incomplete Death Star II . An entire legion of Emperor Palpatine ' s best soldiers , including many scout troopers , were annihilated by a few Rebels , assisted by the Ewoks , an indigenous species of Endor . Overview . Scout troopers , light armored and far more mobile than regular stormtrooper units , were usually assigned to planetary garrisons where they patrolled perimeters , performed reconnaissance missions and identified enemy positions . As scouts , their mission profile often positioned them far from Imperial resupply . As a result , the scout troopers received special training in order to become efficient survivalists who were equipped with an array of equipment and supplies to aid in their military role . Their training was such that the scout troopers possessed an unusual degree of independence for other Imperial personnel , although they are nonetheless conditioned to work with partners whenever it is possible . They were also trained to advance ahead of infantry divisions or to provide rear - guard cover with their sniper rifles . Throughout the first two decades since the formation of the Galactic Empire , scout trooper became well known for their self - reliance and ability to operate alone or in small squads . Due to their capabilities in stealth and mobility , Imperial High Command recognized that the scouts were also natural snipers . As such , they were exceptionally skilled in assassination missions and long - ranged combat . When undergoing missions relating to surveillance at high - priority Imperial bases , such as the shield generator on Endor , scout troopers tended to work in units of two or four and coordinate their efforts for superior surveillance coverage . Whereas the E - 11s sniper rifle symbolized the scout troopers ' role as assassins and expert marksmen , the 74 - Z speeder bikes added to the troopers ' efficiency in reconnaissance and patrol duties . Over the course of their early service to the Empire , the speeder bikes became a signature piece of equipment utilized by the scout troopers , thus earning them the nickname " biker scouts . " In battle , the scouts typically refrained from engaging in close - combat situations , particularly due to their function as snipers and the fact that they were less protected than the more heavily armored stormtroopers . They took pride in their role as keepers of Imperial law . Their training profile also included scouting , infiltration , and sabotage missions . They rarely saw combat and were instructed to call in stormtroopers . By the year 1 BBY , nearly twenty years since Emperor Palpatine ' s rise to power was completed , the scout troopers were a notoriously disruptive factor throughout the entire Stormtrooper Corps . Various reports indicated that there was extreme difficulty in integrating scout troopers with other types of Imperial soldiers . In most cases , the cause of the friction was almost entirely on the side of the scouts , who made a sport out of being as belligerent and insufferable as possible . Although the scout troopers shared a fierce sense of camaraderie with each other , they made a habit of treating everyone else of equal or lower rank as inferiors . A platoon of scout troopers from the 439th Legion personified the infamy of their class ' s reputation throughout the military . Part of the way they entertained themselves was by riding their speeder bikes through the halls of their base on Byss in the late hours of the night , much to the fury of stormtroopers and other non - scout soldiers who were suddenly wakened by the loud roar of the speeder bikes . The enmity between the scout troopers and their " comrades " was so intense , officers were forced to segregate them from the rest of their military units , mainly out of fear for the scouts ' safety . Equipment . Unlike the infantry units of the Stormtrooper Corps , scout troopers wore light armored variants of the stormtroopers ' armor , thus making them far superior as a mobile military force than regular troopers . Though less protected and not as heavily armed as regular stormtroopers , scout trooper armor was designed to give their wearers maximum movement and flexibility in any situation , especially combat . To aid their function , the scouts were equipped with a variety of resources to give them maximum effectiveness in their field of expertise . Their most essential equipment included personal survival kits , portable power units , food supplies , micro - cords , and specialized gear designed for local terrain . Their helmets were equipped with enhanced macrobinocular viewplates for target acquisition , and had options of energy emission detection , night vision , and designated target magnification . The helmets also contained terrain - following tactical readouts . Because of their excellent marksmanship skills , scout troopers were armed with collapsible , long - range E - 11s sniper rifles equipped with powerful scopes and small targeting computers for increased accuracy . However , despite the rifle ' s deadly and extremely accurate quality , it emitted a brief laser sight beam shortly before firing . In addition to their sniper rifles , scout troopers utilized a single holdout blaster pistol as a sidearm for close - range combat . They also carried R - 4 recon droid s for battlefield intelligence as part of their field kit , along with Baradium - core code key thermal detonator s . Ironically , the Imperial code of military uniformity was a hindrance to the scout troopers and their ability to properly fulfill their function . Like almost all members of the Stormtrooper Corps , the scouts ' uniforms consisted of white armor and a black body suit . As a consequence , the scout troopers were extremely visible in forests and any terrain that consisted of a multitude of colors . Despite their lack of camouflage , scout troopers were skilled combatants in forest and jungle environments , especially when utilizing their 74 - Z speeder bikes . They were particularly well - trained and fully capable at adjusting to the speed of their vehicles ; their reaction time was efficient enough to avoid crashing into dangerous objects . While riding on their speeder bikes , the scout troopers were capable of swift and lethal hit - and - run attacks on enemy units . Overall , their field kit included rations , a reel of micro - cord with a grappling hook , a shielded comlink , a camouflaged shelter , a water purification kit , and an R - 4 recon droid . When deployed to particular environments like the frozen worlds of Hoth or Rhen Var , scout troopers were equipped with a variant of the standard snowtrooper armor , which included a slightly modified scout trooper helmet with polarized snow goggles . Further differences included extra joint armor , a special backpack that could be plugged directly into the speeder bike ' s heating systems in order to keep the armor ' s wearer warm , and the lack of a " kama " . Also , the scouts wore heat - insulated white snow pants instead of the full black body suit . As a result , the scout troopers garbed in the snowtrooper version of their armor were sometimes referred to as " snow scouts . " Tools and weapons . Typical supplies include food , micro - cords , and other gear to assist them in the silent infiltration of their objective . Each scout trooper was fitted with these items : History . Clone Wars . The Imperial scout troopers were preceded by the clone scout troopers of the Galactic Republic . Like their successors , the clone scouts were specially trained soldiers in the Grand Army of the Republic and operated under many of the same functions as the Empire ' s scout troopers during the Clone Wars . However , unlike their Imperial " descendants , " the clone scout troopers were not as strictly bound by a code of uniformity , thus allowing them to customize their Phase II variant armor with camouflage . The armor worn by clone scout troopers was , in many ways , aesthetically similar to the ones worn by the Imperial scout troopers . In terms of design , the clone scouts ' equipment made them more suited for missions that required fast movement and reconnaissance work . In the waning days of the Clone Wars , the clone troopers of the 41st Elite Corps utilized scout trooper armor after they were deployed to reinforce the Wookiees on Kashyyyk . Under the leadership of Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order and Commander Gree , the clone scout troopers fought in one of their last battles for the Republic ; the subsequent issuance of Order 66 and the rise of the Galactic Empire saw the downfall of the Republic and the near - extermination of the Jedi . After receiving Order 66 from the office of Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant , the clone scouts complied without question and betrayed the trust of their Jedi officers . Master Luminara Unduli was gunned down by a group of scout troopers and Commander Faie ' s troops nearly succeeded in murdering Master Quinlan Vos . Commander Gree personally attempted to assassinate Yoda with the aid of a nearby scout trooper , but his underestimation of the Grand Master ' s legendary abilities resulted in the swift deaths of himself and the trooper . The death of Gree placed Faie in command of the 41st ' s mission to defend Kashyyyk from a Separatist invasion , as well as to exterminate the remaining Jedi that accompanied them to the Wookiee homeworld . Thus , Faie directed the scout troopers of Bogey Squad to hunt down and kill the injured Quinlan Vos . Yet in spite of their training and preparation for the vast forest - like environment of Kashyyyk , the entire squad fell victim to a combination of the Jedi ' s guerrilla tactics and the forest ' s natural hazards . Commander Faie attempted to kill Vos , even at the risk of destroying himself and a village of innocent Wookiees , but was quickly executed by the Jedi Master . After Palpatine ' s rise to power was completed , the clone scout troopers went on to serve the newly - formed Galactic Empire . For the first decade of the emperor ' s New Order , the clones of the deceased bounty hunter Jango Fett continued to fill the ranks of the Stormtrooper Corps . The unofficial clone rebellion of Kamino , however , led to a series of reforms that resulted in the creation of clones from different genetic templates and the recruitment of normal Human beings as enlisted stormtroopers — and by proxy , scout troopers as well . Galactic Civil War . By the time of the Galactic Civil War , the Imperial scout troopers had built a reputation as invaluable assets to the military when it came to intelligence gathering , reconnaissance , spy work and assassination missions . Though naturally unsuitable for close range combat , the scouts were known for providing excellent long range fire for their stormtrooper counterparts . The scout troopers ' unique set of skills resulted in their deployment to various hostile worlds , especially former Separatist planets like Felucia and Raxus Prime . Occupied planets such as Kashyyyk and Bespin also possessed an Imperial garrison equipped with additional scout troopers . On Coruscant , a small number of scouts were stationed within the ruins of the Jedi Temple along with a military force in order to guard one of Emperor Palpatine ' s most prized conquests . After nearly twenty years of serving an Empire that was relatively unopposed , the scout troopers suffered heavy casualties against a single opponent — a mysterious Force - sensitive assassin codenamed Starkiller . Unknown to any of his victims , Starkiller was the secret apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Vader , the Empire ' s second - in - command behind Emperor Palpatine . Beginning at the Battle of the TIE Fighter Construction Facility above Nar Shaddaa , many scout troopers and their Imperial comrades were slaughtered by Vader ' s relentless apprentice . More scout troopers were killed in action by Starkiller throughout the course of his final mission from Bespin to Coruscant , Kashyyyk , Felucia , Raxus Prime and the first Death Star — all on the order of Darth Vader so that his apprentice ' s existence remained strictly confidential . Upon finding redemption through the Jedi way , Starkiller died in battle against Palpatine in order to secure the survival of the fledgling Alliance to Restore the Republic . Unknown to the scout troopers , and everyone else except for Palpatine and Vader , it was the two Sith Lords who were responsible for secretly creating the Alliance and thereby initiating a war that saw the deaths of many Imperials for decades to come . In the Six months that followed the death of the original Starkiller , Darth Vader secretly attempted to recreate his disciple through cloning . However , various imperfections in the process resulted in many unstable subjects . One particular clone managed to escape from Kamino , but not before killing dozens of Imperial troops , including several scout troopers . The deranged clone later encountered more scout troopers on Cato Neimoidia and the Rebel flagship " Salvation " ; The clone , with his genetically inherited command of the Force , defeated the troopers with ease . However , the first major defeat that the scout troopers suffered was arguably the Assault on Kamino , in which the rogue clone , accompanied by the entire Rebel fleet , invaded the Empire ' s primary location of cloning facilities . The battle ended with the deaths of many Imperial soldiers , including the scout troopers who were easily dispatched by Starkiller ' s clone , and the capture of Darth Vader as well . Scout troopers , along with different classes of soldiers from every specialized variant of the Imperial stormtrooper , were assigned to Darth Vader ' s personal Death Squadron . Their mission priority was to aid the Sith Lord in his ultimate task in hunting down and exterminating all members of the Rebel Alliance , as well as their sympathizers and secret allies . During their service to Vader and the Empire , scout troopers were deployed on the planet Teardrop where they participated in a massacre of civilians conducted by the Imperial Security Bureau . A detachment of scouts also assisted Darth Vader ' s elite 501st Legion on Shelkonwa during a search for former Imperial Senator Leia Organa . In the year 3 ABY , many scout troopers participated in the Battle of Hoth where they served mostly as snipers . Despite failing to fully eradicate the Rebellion or its leaders , the scout troopers and their fellow soldiers regarded the battle as their finest hour and were convinced that a decisive victory had finally been won for the Empire . The Galactic Empire established an advanced Scout trooper training camp in one of the more remote regions of the planet Moorja . It was selected as a political favor to an officer of the Imperial Navy that hailed from the colony . The scout base was largely kept a secret from the planet ' s inhabitants , although a small garrison was established on the planet to enforce Imperial order in the urban centers . The training facility offered refresher courses for Imperial units who were rotated out on a weekly basis . While the facility was under the command of Colonel Dyrra , a group of smugglers broke into the facility and stole a " Lambda " - class T - 4a shuttle . Fighting off the troops stationed there , and a number of training probe droids , the thieves piloted the shuttle straight into an ion storm and into orbit . In the long history of their service to the Galactic Empire , the most famous historical record of the scout troopers ' activities was ironically based on their grievous defeat in the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY . The unexpected loss resulted not only in their personal humiliation , but also in the deaths of both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader . On Endor , the scouts and their comrades were ultimately taken by surprise and annihilated by a small team of Rebel soldiers , aided by the extremely primitive Ewok race . On Endor , they worked in groups of two to four , and kept watch for signs of trouble . When the Galactic Civil War ended almost twenty years later , many scout troopers had perished along with numerous other types of Imperial soldiers . The last true remnant of the former Empire was forced to concede the victory to the New Republic , the successor state of the Rebel Alliance . As the Imperial Remnant struggled to maintain what few territories and resources it had left , the scout troopers , as well as the entire Imperial Military , was for all intents and purposes a " broken shadow " of its former glory . Behind the scenes . Scout troopers first appeared with the release of . They serve as snipers in several LucasArts video game s . Scout troopers were re - imagined in LEGO form for the 2005 video game " . "