Clone shadow trooper / Legends Clone shadow troopers were an elite cadre of clone troopers , devised by Director Armand Isard of Republic Intelligence during the Clone Wars . Since the numbers of the Advanced Recon Commandos were dwindling , Isard created the shadow troopers as a reconnaissance unit , who , with the benefit of greatly modified and expensive armor , could operate covertly and undercover . Using magseals installed in their armor , shadow troopers could attach plates to themselves that could pass them off as mercenaries belonging to certain factions . With that advantage , they could infiltrate facilities and gather intelligence with ease . During the late stages of the war , the role of the shadow trooper expanded , with some performing sniper duties , while others would be used on the battlefield . Though their jamming systems would prevent them from working alongside standard troopers , shadow troopers were occasionally dispatched before large - scale invasions to install jamming devices in key cities , which would allow their comrades to infiltrate their targets with stealth and efficiency . Shadow troopers saw later use in the Galactic Empire as guards to both facilities and individuals . In particular , Inquisitor Valin Draco enlisted a group of the troopers for his expedition to the Almas Academy . The shadow troopers would later become the model on which storm commando s and shadow stormtrooper s were based . History . During the Clone Wars , Director Armand Isard of Republic Intelligence developed the shadow trooper division , which was created to serve as a reconnaissance tool . Their formation was designed to combat the dwindling numbers of Advanced Recon Commandos , but they could operate in a far more covert manner than that of the commandos . The shadow troopers were given highly modified and highly expensive armor that suited their roles better than the standard fatigues . In 19 BBY , when General Grievous of the Confederacy of Independent Systems was located on Utapau , shadow troopers were called in to infiltrate six of the planet ' s sinkhole cities and place jammer s that would allow General Obi - Wan Kenobi and the Third Systems Army to invade the planet without notice . As a result , Grievous was killed , and Utapau was placed under Galactic Republic control . In the aftermath of the Clone Wars , Palpatine , now Emperor of the galaxy following his Declaration of a New Order , established a secret storehouse on Utapau and assigned the shadow troopers to guard it . While the rest of the Stormtrooper Corps received an upgrade from the Phase II clone trooper armor to stormtrooper armor , shadow troopers retained their original appearance under the new regime , as a grim reminder of Palpatine ' s ascension . The phrase " Emperor ' s black bones " was said to have originated from someone who set eyes upon members of the cadre during Palpatine ' s reign . In 19 BBY , Palpatine sent his apprentice , Darth Vader , to the Ghost Nebula to find an Imperial Star Destroyer , under the command of Admiral Garoche Tarkin , which had gone missing . Landing on the planet Atoa , Darth Vader and his 501st Legion troopers engaged the Atoan forces . During the fighting , shadow troopers under the command of Captain Shale were able to launch a sneak attack on the Atoans allowing the Imperial forces to defeat them . Inquisitor Valin Draco enlisted the shadow troopers for his own cause , reasoning that if they were good enough to guard Palpatine ' s storehouses , they were good enough to guard him . In circa 17 BBY , he took a small detachment of the troops to the Almas Academy , where he searched for Darth Rivan ' s holocron . Within the academy , he and his guard were confronted and defeated by a group of Alderaanian Resistance agents working for the fugitive Jedi Master Denia . The success of Isard ' s shadow troopers would breed several variants in the Imperial Period , in particular the storm commando s and the shadow stormtrooper s , which were used by Imperial agent Blackhole . Equipment . Shadow trooper armor was based on standard Phase II clone trooper armor , although it featured several strategically placed magseals . The magseals allowed for the placement of cosmetic plates that could alter each individual trooper ' s appearance , with different plates giving them the appearance of a Hutt Cartel or Black Sun mercenary , or other miscellaneous factions . While the plates could disguise the wearer ' s sensor signature and project the image of something other than a Human , they were primarily for appearances only . The plates could also alter the walk of a clone trooper , disguising the " clone gait " that was familiar to some . A jaw switch was installed in the armor , in case a shadow trooper ' s identity was discovered . Activating the switch would disengage all magseals and allow the trooper to regain full use of his Phase II armor . As a further modification , the Phase II armor was covered with a sensor reflective material , which absorbed active scans . It was also protected from passive scans by thermal damper s and electro - magnetic hardening . The visor of the helmet gave off a red glow , which , in conjunction with their dark appearance , was considered intimidating by some . Some shadow troopers would wear " kamas " and pauldrons . Omni - directional jammers further enhanced the shadow trooper ' s invisibility , although with such devices in operation , they usually could not operate in close proximity with standard clone troopers , whose helmet systems would suffer the effects of the jamming . Instead of wielding the standard DC - 15S , shadow troopers were equipped with the DC - 19 " Stealth " carbine , which featured a sound suppressor , so the troopers could operate in relative silence . An optional function , which allowed the blaster to fire bolts invisible to the regular visual spectrum , was favored by shadow trooper snipers . The invisible bolts , however , were highly expensive , had to be reloaded after ten shots , and as a result of their usage , the DC - 19s had to be cooled down afterwards to prevent damage to the weapon ' s dampeners . Vibrodaggers rounded out the shadow trooper armory . In addition to their standard kit , troopers could use DC - 15A blaster rifle s and blaster pistols commonly utilized by scout troopers . Application . Used primarily for reconnaissance , shadow troopers would operate either alone or in pairs . While still in their armor , they would work undercover , posing as bounty hunters or other mercenaries , which allowed them to discreetly enter and leave locations and adequately collect valuable intelligence . They were aided in their efforts by their effectively sensor - proof suits of armor . Due to the high - tech jamming equipment built into their armor , shadow troopers , for the most part , did not operate alongside standard clones , for fear of disrupting their comrades helmet systems . Some shadow troopers operated as snipers , using the " invisible bolt " feature of the DC - 19 carbine to great effect . In some situations , such as the one on Utapau in the waning days of the Clone Wars , shadow troopers were inserted to ensure the successful entry of a much larger invasion force . During the reign of Emperor Palpatine , shadow troopers ' roles would extend to protection , and they would be assigned to guard either installations or key personnel . Behind the scenes . The shadow trooper originated as a Hasbro action figure from the 2005 " Revenge of the Sith " line . The figure was a exclusive , and was labeled " Utapau shadow trooper . " The backstory of the shadow troopers was elaborated on by Sam D . Garito , writing under the alias of " Maso Tirag , " through StarWars . com ' s feature " What ' s The Story ? " In his writings , Garito made connections between the troopers and such elements from the Expanded Universe as Armand Isard from Michael A . Stackpole ' s " " , and the Blackhole stormtroopers from Russ Manning ' s " Gambler ' s World " . The shadow troopers would later be used by Abel G . Peña and Jean - François Boivin in the role - playing adventure " Echoes of the Jedi " as non - player characters . In " Star Wars Insider 100 " , the shadow troopers were listed at number sixty - two in the " 100 Greatest Things About Star Wars . . . Ever ! " list . The article erroneously listed the " Dusty Duck " , which came in at number seventy - one , to be the only " What ' s the Story ? " entry to make the list . In 2008 , more shadow trooper figures were produced by Hasbro , and were at first exclusively sold at Jedi - Con 2008 , before being made available on StarWars . com . In the 2011 non - canon ical video game " " , a clone shadow trooper model can be built by obtaining all ten LEGO minikits in the " Blue Shadow Virus " level . When this has been done , a clone shadow trooper can be purchased and used in the Free Play mode of the game .