Stormtrooper / Legends Stormtroopers were the elite soldiers of the Galactic Empire . Like " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers and TIE fighters , stormtroopers served as ever present reminders of the absolute power of Emperor Palpatine . These faceless enforcers of the New Order were considered an extension of the Emperor ' s will , and often used efficient yet brutal tactics to keep thousands of star systems throughout the galaxy in submission to the Empire . At the height of the Empire , stormtroopers had effectively become symbols of major authority . With few exceptions , they were distinguished from all other military units by their signature white armor . The Imperial stormtroopers were the evolution of the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic . By the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY , the Galactic Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire . As a result , the Grand Army was reformed into the Stormtrooper Corps and the clones were renamed " stormtroopers " . Under the Empire , stormtroopers operated alongside Imperial Army and Navy units , and some were stationed on Naval ships where they served as marines . Although the Corps was overseen by Stormtrooper Command , a military agency that was independent from Imperial High Command , all stormtroopers ultimately answered to Emperor Palpatine with unconditional loyalty and subservience . Members of the Rebel Alliance SpecForce had several slang names for stormtroopers , including " whitehats " , " plastic soldiers " , " snowmen " , " The Boys in White " , " bucketheads " , " plastic boys " . Another term was " Stormies " , often used by Wedge Antilles and Corran Horn . Although the deaths of both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader in 4 ABY caused the collapse and fragmentation of the original Galactic Empire , stormtroopers were retained as elite soldiers under several successor states , such as the Imperial Remnant , the Second Imperium , and the Empire of the Hand . By the year 138 ABY , stormtroopers still existed in two Imperial states : the New Galactic Empire of the Sith Lord Darth Krayt , and the " Empire " of the exiled emperor Roan Fel . History . Early history . As the Clone Wars reached its end , the clone trooper veterans that defended the Old Republic emerged as the feared enforcers of the New Order . When Emperor Palpatine declared the formation of the first Galactic Empire , the clones of the late Jango Fett were rechristened as Imperial stormtroopers . Without the guidance of their Jedi officers , stormtroopers were " cut loose " to brutally enforce the new Imperial doctrine , to which they quickly built a reputation as merciless , uncompromising soldiers indoctrinated with unconditional loyalty to Emperor Palpatine . At first , the Stormtrooper Corps was composed almost entirely of clone soldiers based on the Fett template . That included the remaining clones that were engineered on Kamino , supplemented by the millions of clones created on Coruscant and Centax - 2 through Spaarti technology , and three new stormtrooper clone batches grown in the Outer Rim Territories . During this time , traces of the clones ' obsolete armor remained in the design of their new and improved armor . However , the stormtrooper ranks would cease to be dominated by Fett ' s progeny after the Battle of Kamino in 12 BBY . Among the first battles that cemented the stormtroopers ' image as elite soldiers to be feared , Kashyyyk was a planet that was twice made an example of in order to showcase Imperial brutality to anyone else who contemplated defiance against the Empire . Darth Vader participated in both the first and second invasion of Kashyyyk , personally leading a contingent of clone stormtroopers to subjugate the planet ' s Wookiee population , as well as to hunt down fugitive members of the Jedi Order . Commander Appo , the commanding officer of the 501st Legion and one of the first stormtroopers , was slain by the Jedi Roan Shryne during the Empire ' s first attack on Kashyyyk . The Galactic Civil War . By the time the Galactic Civil War began in earnest , Jango Fett ' s clones were heavily supplanted by clones based on a variety of templates around 9 BBY , followed shortly after by enlisted Humans . Thus , the Fett clones were ironically reduced to a minority status after years of virtually filling the stormtrooper ranks in its entirety . According to a stormtrooper ' s entry log in the 501st Journal , none of the Fett clones were ever truly able to come to terms with serving alongside recruits and different clones , all of whom were disdainfully dubbed as the " new guys . " Commander Cody , a first generation clone of Jango Fett and a veteran of the Clone Wars , found stormtrooper recruits to be absolutely intolerable . Due to the significant decrease in the Imperial Military ' s operational effectiveness and his own feelings of nostalgia over the Republic ' s " army of one man , " Cody viewed enlisted troopers as incompetent idiots , all of whom he would have gladly sacrificed for just one real clone trooper . Despite the influx of new troopers from various sources , the ranks remained dominated by Human males , thus reflecting the New Order ' s Human High Culture . By 0 BBY , roughly one - third of the stormtroopers were clones based on the Fett template , while recruits steadily became the majority within the Stormtrooper Corps . Service in the Stormtrooper Corps was open to both Human men and women , but female stormtroopers were an extremely rare sight under Palpatine ' s reign and on average there were never more than three female stormtroopers within a whole legion . . In spite of this disparity , some female troopers served in elite units , such as the Coruscant Guard . Female stormtroopers underwent the same hard training as their male counterparts . Only the best of the best recruits were selected for the stormtrooper corps . Once accepted into the stormtrooper corps , every trooper was treated as an equal . There were no differences between males and females . They even shared the same barracks . Wearing the exact same white stormtrooper armor , one could not distinguish between a male or female stormtrooper . For twenty - three years , the stormtroopers suffered few known large scale defeats , at least until the Empire ' s catastrophic defeat at Battle of Endor . An entire legion of stormtroopers , supported by AT - STs suffered a humiliating loss that was almost completely unforeseeable , given all of the advantages that the Empire had both in space and on Endor . Despite superior numbers , advanced weapons and superb training , the stormtroopers were utterly defeated by a small infiltration team of the Rebel Alliance , which was greatly assisted by the Ewoks , small and seemingly insignificant natives indigenous to Endor that Palpatine naturally overlooked as less than a minor threat . This was a devastating mistake which cost the Empire nothing less than its once unbreakable grip on the galaxy . The stormtroopers were caught completely by surprise ; in their arrogance , they began to break rank and divide into small groups to hunt down the Ewoks . But with no apparent way to counter the variety of guerrilla tactics employed by the Ewoks , the stormtroopers were systematically wiped out by their seemingly inferior opponents . In addition to this strategy , it was a commandeered AT - ST that helped turn the tide and bring the troopers on the defensive , not only dealing a severe blow to the shocked Empire , but also to the reputation of the stormtroopers as well . The news about the defeat of the mighty Imperial stormtroopers against a small band of Rebels and a highly primitive race on a backwater forest moon , combined with the deaths of both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader , galvanized numerous worlds to full - scale rebellion against the Empire ' s dictatorial rule . Many attempts to turn the war back in the Empire ' s favor ultimately ended with failure . The renowned Grand Admiral Thrawn recovered several Spaarti cloning cylinder s to build a new army of clone stormtroopers . Yet due to the Chiss officer ' s untimely death , the stormtroopers were unable to destroy the New Republic without Thrawn ' s guidance . Even the several rebirths of Emperor Palpatine , an accomplishment that he achieved by transferring his essence into various clone bodies of himself in turn , failed to bring the Empire to full restoration . Throughout all of that time , the stormtroopers suffered a series of catastrophic defeats that inflicted a heavy strain on their numbers . As the casualty rates increased substantially , the Stormtrooper Corps was almost all but a memory by 22 ABY as their ranks dwindled from attrition and even desertion . As the war entered its last phase , the former Galactic Empire was reduced to a small collection of Outer Rim sectors , otherwise known as the Imperial Remnant . The Remnant continued to employ stormtroopers in battle until the Bastion Accords was signed in 19 ABY , thus ending the Galactic Civil War with the Empire ' s surrender . Despite the high level of casualties sustained throughout the war , the Stormtrooper Corps ultimately survived under the Imperial Remnant and other successor states of the fallen Empire , albeit as a broken shadow of its former glory . Following the treaty , stormtroopers were reduced to guard and police functions on the few thousand worlds that remained under Imperial control . However , some stormtroopers fought as elite soldiers under the short - lived Second Imperium , an Imperial faction that sought to restore the glory of the first Galactic Empire . Post - Galactic Empire period . Although heavily reduced under the Imperial Remnant , stormtroopers retained much of their former duties under the Empire of the Hand , another successor - state to the Galactic Empire that was founded by Grand Admiral Thrawn . In addition to protecting the Hand ' s member worlds , the stormtroopers were ironically used as a liberating force to convince other planetary governments to join the Hand ' s confederation on their own volition , as opposed to utilizing the former Empire ' s common strategy of coercion and conquest . Though the Empire of the Hand failed to achieve the same kind of longevity as the Imperial Remnant , stormtroopers continued to retain their services under the Remnant , which itself had begun adopting many of the Hand ' s political and military reforms . The stormtroopers were eventually restored to their former role as an elite military force when the Imperial Remnant entered the Yuuzhan Vong War on the side of the Galactic Alliance , the successor state to the former New Republic , against the Yuuzhan Vong invaders . They served on various fronts and fought alongside their former enemies , Alliance and Jedi alike , until achieving a decisive victory on Coruscant itself . While the Imperial Remnant slowly regained its former strength , many of the ideals of Palpatine ' s New Order , such as Human supremacy and alien inferiority , began to die with him . Ultimately , it was necessity that forced the Remnant to loosen its restrictions against Non - Human species , especially since those policies had been some of the primary motivations behind the growth and success of the Rebel Alliance . Without the extensive resources and the unlimited manpower that the Galactic Empire enjoyed in its prime , and with most of the galaxy under the Galactic Alliance ' s control , the Imperial Remnant had to make do with the few resources it had left , and that entailed allowing aliens and Human females to serve as stormtroopers . As the ranks of the Stormtrooper Corps were steadily replenished with enlisted troopers from both Human and Non - Human sources alike , the Empire ' s once heavy reliance on clones diminished over time , mainly due to the loss of Kamino and other various worlds that held cloning facilities . In addition to the highly expensive operation of consistently producing clone soldiers , the practice was complicated by two other reasons — the most effective clones that were grown in the Kaminoan - fashion took too long to reach full maturity and the fast - grown Spaarti clones were of extremely poor quality . Thus , the Remnant had no choice other than to rely on the patriotism and training of recruits rather than the programmed loyalty and fighting skills of clones . The decrease in the military ' s operational efficiency was partially compensated by a brutal training regimen that emphasized the stormtroopers ' lack of individuality and total dedication to the ideals of the Galactic Empire . The gamble ultimately paid off as the stormtroopers were restored to fighting trim by 40 ABY . By the time of the Second Galactic Civil War , the Remnant ' s stormtroopers were excellent marksmen compared to the original stormtroopers of the old Empire . The shock troopers , elite soldiers within the Imperial Elite Guard , were said to be just as effective as Darth Vader ' s 501st Legion . Until the end of the war , the stormtroopers of the Imperial Remnant fought once more as the allies of the Galactic Alliance , by then under the control of the Sith Lord Darth Caedus . A divided Empire . By the year 130 ABY , stormtroopers were serving as the elite soldiers of a new Empire , formerly known as the Imperial Remnant until Jagged Fel ' s ascension as emperor . At some point after Fel claimed the long - vacant Imperial throne , the Stormtrooper Corps was absorbed into the Imperial Army , though individual stormtrooper units remained active and independent of regular soldiers . The stormtrooper ranks were still dominated by Human recruits by that time , but were also composed of even more enlisted aliens than ever before . The 501st Legion , which had been created by the Empire of the Hand after the dissolution of the original 501st , remained active and was stationed on the heavily - fortified world of Bastion . In the same year , the Empire ' s victory over the Galactic Alliance in the Sith – Imperial War saw the stormtroopers ' restoration to prominence as the greatest military force in the galaxy . In addition to fighting once more for galactic conquest , the stormtroopers found themselves in league with the Sith once again ; Emperor Roan Fel , grandson of Jagged Fel , reluctantly accepted the aid of a new Sith Order when the war first began . In the aftermath of the Alliance ' s collapse , stormtroopers fought alongside the Empire ' s Sith allies during the Massacre of Ossus where they fought against the Jedi Order in a bloody and costly battle . Although the stormtroopers and the Sith both suffered their fair share of casualties in a direct attack on the Jedi Academy , the Jedi were ultimately overwhelmed by the enemy ' s numbers ; the survivors had no choice other than to retreat and escape into hiding as a third purge of their Order began in earnest . Ironically , the Empire ' s conquest of the former Galactic Alliance and its return to galactic - wide dominance , thanks in part to the fighting prowess of the elite Imperial stormtroopers , was a short - lived return to glory . Seven years after the Sith Lord Darth Krayt usurped the Imperial throne , Emperor Roan Fel resurfaced and captured Bastion by relying solely on the devotion of Imperial loyalists . Among his strongest supporters in the military were the stormtroopers of the 501st Legion and the 908th Stormtrooper Division ; many other units continued to desert Darth Krayt ' s Galactic Empire as the Second Imperial Civil War escalated . With two Imperial sovereigns fighting each other for the throne , the galaxy was engulfed in turmoil as stormtrooper units were forced to take sides between the sitting regnant Darth Krayt and the deposed emperor Roan Fel . The second civil war had much of the same effects on the Empire as the first one ; a wasted expenditure of vital resources , mass devastation on thousands of worlds and a high cost in manpower to the stormtroopers that were forced to fight each other . By the time of the civil war ' s end , the Empire was a wasted force on both sides . Although Fel ' s faction emerged victorious over the Sith faction with the assistance of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance Remnant , Roan Fel died during the final battle . No longer in a position to rule the galaxy by the brute force of stormtroopers , the Empire was forced to consolidate its union with the Jedi and the Alliance . Hence , although they ultimately failed to restore the Galactic Empire , the stormtroopers ' sacrifices contributed to the formation of the Galactic Federation Triumvirate , an organization that was created to rule over the unified galaxy . The stormtroopers ' first regnant Empress , Marasiah Fel , represented the Empire as one of the three triumvirs alongside Admiral Gar Stazi of the Galactic Alliance and Master K ' Kruhk of the Jedi Order . Recruitment . After the failed uprising on Kamino in 12 BBY , Emperor Palpatine came to the conclusion that an army of clone soldiers was far too susceptible to corruption . Thus , he expanded the Stormtrooper Corps to include clones that were created from a variety of genetic templates , effectively marginalizing Jango Fett ' s progeny into a minority status . In addition to the massive influx of new clone sources , the Corps began recruiting real Human beings to serve in the ranks as enlisted stormtroopers . If an individual between the ages of 18 and 30 scored in the top fifth percentile , an Imperial recruiting agent would contact him and presumably arrange for the extraction of a DNA sampling for cloning . Those who did not score high enough to qualify as a genetic template were still used as regular soldiers . Also , it was preferable if enlisted troopers met a certain standard in height and weight . Princess Leia Organa was seemingly familiar with Stormtrooper Corps ' s standards by 0 BBY , perhaps as a result of her work with the Imperial Senate . Human males made up the majority of the recruits due to strictly precise requirements in physique and measurements , though females served as well . Certain Near - Human s were also eligible for recruitment in some cases . For a time , the Stormtrooper Corps remained evenly balanced between clones and recruits , at least until the onset of the Imperial Civil War , which occurred alongside the ongoing Galactic Civil War . Due to the loss of Kamino and its cloning facilities , as well as many other cloning centers throughout the galaxy , clone stormtroopers became a rare commodity that the Empire could no longer afford to sustain . As the Galactic Empire ' s unity became undermined by various splinter cell factions , a few successor states opted to vastly reform the Imperial recruiting policy . Unlike the old Empire , the Empire of the Hand recruited stormtroopers from a variety of Humanoid sources . Though the stormtrooper ranks remained consistently dominated by Human male recruits , it marked the first time that Non - Humans were allowed to serve as Imperial soldiers . The new practice of recruiting Non - Humans as stormtroopers was continued by the Imperial Remnant . Over a century after the fall of the old Empire , the Remnant eventually reformed itself into a new Empire that was protected by stormtroopers composed of Humans , Near - Human s , Humanoids and even Aliens that hardly even resembled the Human anatomy standards . Non - Human stormtroopers were not the only new additions to the Empire ' s resurgent army , however ; Human females became more common within the stormtrooper ranks by 130 ABY . At some point in the Fel - controlled Empire ' s history , the Imperial Army adopted a relatively new tradition of recruiting the sons and daughters born " in the camp . " All children born to stormtroopers , either during or after service , were encouraged to enlist in the army , making soldiering an hereditary career . Since they were not legally forced to follow in their parents ' example , an incentive was added to the unofficial policy through the Continuity of Service , which allowed new troopers to serve in the same unit as their parents . Another recruiting tool that the Empire utilized was the Imperial Mission . As part of Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel ' s strategy to alter the common view of the Empire as an oppressive , war - mongering force , the Mission was created to spread Imperial influence through peaceful methods , such as providing aid to worlds that were ravaged by the Yuuzhan Vong . However , the Mission also served as a pool of potential recruits . Whether they were grateful for Imperial assistance , or simply had nothing better to do , those who were eligible for service could become enlisted troopers through the Mission . Jes Gistang , a native of Corellia , became a stormtrooper through the Imperial Mission . As far as Gistang was concerned , the life of a soldier was better than remaining on her homeworld or any of the other alternative paths that she could have taken . By the time of the Second Imperial Civil War , well over a century since the fall of the original Empire , the vast majority of stormtroopers were composed primarily of enlisted soldiers , drawn from a recruiting pool of Humans and Non - Humans alike . No clones were known to have been in the Imperial service by such time , presumably indicating that the use of clone stormtroopers had been phased out in Darth Krayt ' s Galactic Empire and the Fel faction . Organization . Although stormtroopers often worked alongside the Imperial Army , Intelligence and Navy , the Stormtrooper Corps operated independently of all branches of the Imperial Military . Hence , the Corps possessed its own command structure , ranking system and support facilities . Together with the Imperial Royal Guard , stormtroopers answered directly to Emperor Palpatine , but were managed on a daily basis by Stormtrooper Command . The basic unit of organization was the individual trooper . Each stormtrooper was assigned a designation for tactical purposes and to reinforce the Imperial ethic of uniformity . Troopers were organized into squads , platoons , companies , battalions , regiments and legions . A company commander could give command to regular officers over any given squad or platoon . When it was first formed during the rise of the Galactic Empire , stormtrooper squads had 8 troopers , including a sergeant and a corporal , platoons had 32 troopers ( four squads ) and were led by a lieutenant and a sergeant - major , companies usually encompassed 128 troopers ( four platoons ) and were led by a captain , a battalion encompassed 512 troopers ( four companies ) and were led by a major , a regiment was composed of 2 , 048 troopers ( four battalions ) and were led by a lieutenant colonel , and a legion possessed 8 , 192 troopers ( four regiments ) led by a high colonel . At the height of the Galactic Empire , a single battalion consisted of 820 soldiers , whereas a battalion of the Republic clone troopers in comparison comprised only 576 clones . As of 130 ABY , the Stormtrooper Corps was apparently disbanded under the Fel Empire , as well as its successor state , the Galactic Empire of the Sith Lord Darth Krayt . The stormtroopers themselves were absorbed into the hierarchy of the Imperial Army . However , individual stormtrooper unit s continued to exist as elite shock forces in both Krayt ' s Empire and the Fel faction . Officers . Stormtrooper officers were traditionally non - clone graduates from the Imperial Academy , but Imperial stormtroopers who demonstrated skills in leadership could be promoted to officer status . In battle , commissioned stormtrooper officers wore standard armor with rank insignia to indicate status . Non - commissioned officers were identified in the field with shoulder pauldrons instead of the standard rank squares worn over the armor . For non - combat situations , officers wore a black dress uniform , including a cap , boots , gloves and standard rank squares . Becoming an officer in the Stormtrooper Corps was a stepping stone to joining the more prestigious ranks of the of Imperial officers ; stormtrooper officers were still hierarchically bound to obey orders from Imperial officers . The stormtrooper commanders were separate from the regular officers in the Stormtrooper Corps . Highly skilled in combat and leadership , the commanders were modeled after the ARC troopers , elite clone troopers that fought for the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars . As a result , they were widely regarded as superior soldiers to the more common Imperial stormtroopers . Because of their special status , the commanders were entrusted with command over the Empire ' s Shadow Trooper s and were given authority to utilize them at their own discretion without requiring any clearance from Imperial High Command . As an anomaly within an organization that stressed absolute uniformity , the stormtrooper commanders were easily noticeable due to the blue markings on their armor , which otherwise perfectly resembled stormtrooper armor . However , unlike the protective suits worn by normal troopers , the commanders wore a specialized variant that was equipped with a built - in shield generator which was impervious to many attacks , including certain Force offensive techniques , but was highly vulnerable to lightsaber strikes . Due to the accelerated aging process of the Kamino - bred clones and the redirecting of the Imperial cloning program , real Human beings gradually superseded clone officers as the majority within the command structure of the Stormtrooper Corps . In the year 1 BBY , almost twenty years after the formation of the Galactic Empire , there was only a small minority of clone officers that remained active ever since the conclusion of the Clone Wars ; Commander Cody was among the few clone veterans that continued to serve in the military . Due to the decline in the creation of clone soldiers and the growing preference for recruiting manpower , Cody found himself in command of a unit composed mainly of enlisted troopers , much to his dissatisfaction . By 137 ABY , the Imperial Army utilized a color - ranking system for officers in charge of stormtrooper units . This system mirrored the one that was utilized within the Grand Army of the Republic , prior to the point when color came to denote unit affiliation rather than rank . Ran Harkas ' armor was distinguished with olive green markings , thus visually confirming his rank as sergeant within the 407th Stormtrooper Division ' s Joker Squad . Ideology . In addition to their role as elite military soldiers of the Galactic Empire , the Imperial stormtroopers were the most visible symbol of Emperor Palpatine ' s rule and the unrivaled might of the Imperial war machine . They were the highly trained shock troopers that were unwaveringly dedicated to enforcing Imperial power through fear and brutality on countless worlds spread throughout the galaxy . Whether on the ground or in space , their purpose was to attack with speed , accuracy and overwhelming numbers whenever faced with an insurrection against the Empire . Loyalty , obedience and the readiness to die for Emperor Palpatine were the primary traits that were indoctrinated into all stormtroopers . In their capacity as enforcers of the Empire , stormtroopers were also trained to completely support and uphold the ideals of the New Order . Every individual trooper was fully expected to obey their superior officers without question or hesitance , regardless if they were required to unleash harm on others or even place themselves in extreme danger . As a result of their militaristic and highly disciplined nature , stormtroopers were well aware of their expendable status to the Emperor — and they were ready to lay down their lives to ensure the continuance of his reign and the Empire . As such , this ideology , training , and discipline prevented them from getting distracted by emotional responses , to the extent of even ignoring casualties within their own ranks during combat situations , the only times casualties on their end is taken notice is from a tactical standpoint . Their ideology was such that they cannot be bribed or blackmailed , and is unswerving in obedience and unflinching in dispensing Imperial justice , and even went as far to state that their armor , helmet , and number is their skin , face , and name , respectively . The extent of such conditioning was such that Leia Organa Solo even admitted that such indoctrination was terrifying especially regarding its thoroughness , and it was virtually impossible to sway stormtroopers away from their orders due to them being nearly impossible to be negotiated with . Despite their intense indoctrination , enlisted stormtroopers were still capable of living civilian lives ; they received pay , were given periods of leave time , and under some circumstances were given opportunities to retire from service . Clone stormtroopers were genetically modified to suppress their individuality with unquestioning loyalty ; enlisted stormtroopers were rigorously trained to abandon their individual identities by embracing said loyalty to the Emperor . Their allegiance to Palpatine required the stormtroopers to impose his authority on both civilians and non - stormtrooper military personnel , especially with regard to the officers of the Imperial Navy . Upon the completion of the first Death Star in 0 BBY , an army of stormtroopers was stationed on the battle station . In addition to the presence of the Emperor ' s apprentice Darth Vader , the stormtroopers were a major deterrent against ambitious officers who contemplated turning the power of the Death Star against Palpatine . The loyalty that stormtroopers possessed was so complete that they could be neither bribed , seduced or blackmailed to abandon their allegiance to the Empire or its sovereign . However , the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader at the Battle of Endor began a chain of events that nearly saw the complete destruction of the Galactic Empire and the stormtroopers that enforced its ideology . By the end of the Galactic Civil War , the former Empire had been diminished into a small state known as the Imperial Remnant ; stormtroopers became an increasingly rare sight after their numbers were vastly depleted over years of attrition and warfare . Yet even with the loss of both Sith Lords and the virtual collapse of the Galactic Empire , stormtroopers ultimately proved to be one of the few enduring legacies of Emperor Palpatine and the Order of the Sith Lords . The Imperial Remnant and the Empire of the Hand , both of which were successor states to the former Empire , both attempted to preserve the tenets of the New Order , particularly by maintaining stormtroopers in their respective military forces . Although reduced to a pale shadow of their former glory , the continued use of stormtroopers ensured that they would not follow Palpatine and Vader into oblivion . The death of Palpatine , as well as many officials who supported the New Order in its original form , allowed both the Remnant and the Hand to introduce various reforms to ensure the overall continuation of Imperial ideology . Without the many cloning facilities that supplied the Empire with half of its stormtroopers , the Remnant and the Hand became desperately reliant on recruitment to reinforce their weakened manpower . Without a vast pool of civilians to recruit , both states were forced to radically alter certain Imperial ideals in order to recruit Non - Human individuals as well as significantly more females . This was a desperate measure in response to the desperate situation . As the triumphant Rebel Alliance consolidated its rule over the galaxy , first as the New Republic and then as the Galactic Alliance , the Imperial Remnant could no longer rely on just Humans to fill the ranks of the stormtroopers . As a consequence , the system of Human High Culture was greatly reduced over time . However , although not as prevalent as males , there have been female stormtroopers within the first Galactic Empire . A particularly notable example of this was Isila Drutch of the 291st Legion Dalisor . According to Drutch in her memoirs , the reason there were few female members had very little to do with any prejudice against females , as she noted that there weren ' t any female genetic templates , and that the stormtrooper physical regimen was brutal enough that females were simply more likely to wash out more than males . Drutch also implied the possibility that the design of the Stormtrooper armor was such that it was likely assumed there were very few females among the Stormtroopers . By 130 ABY , the resurgent Empire , the successor state of the Remnant , maintained a vast army of stormtroopers recruited from both Human males and females , as well as various humanoid and alien species . Under the Fel - ruled Empire , military service as a stormtrooper was regarded by civilians and soldiers alike as a mark of pride . The Empire took great strides to promote enlistment through channels such as the Imperial Mission or enticements like the Continuity of Service . After the One Sith established their control over the new Galactic Empire , stormtroopers became enforcers of Sith rule once more and were often directed to carry out their duties by spreading fear and terror amongst the galactic populace . Though much remained the same in terms of the recruitment policy , the stormtroopers of this era were just as capable of excessive brutality and genocide as their predecessors who served under Emperor Palpatine . Even after they were forced to take sides between Darth Krayt ' s Empire and the Imperial loyalists who supported the deposed emperor Roan Fel , the stormtroopers as a whole remained as one of the most persevering symbols of Imperial ideology as envisioned by Palpatine and Sith philosophy . For nearly two centuries since the rise of the original Galactic Empire , stormtroopers were both respected and feared as the greatest military force in galactic history . Throughout their existence , stormtroopers were a testament to the might of the Galactic Empire , in all of its forms , the enduring legacy of Kamino ' s greatest creation , the Grand Army of the Republic , and ultimately a symbol of the Imperial way of providing order and peace through force of arms . Equipment . Weaponry . The BlasTech E - 11 blaster rifle was the standard issue weapon of the Stormtrooper Corps and one of the most commonly issued rifles in the Imperial Military . The E - 11 blaster rifle was largely based on the DC - 15S blaster rifle , the standard weapon of the clone troopers during the Clone Wars , right down to the folding stock . With the exception of troopers assigned to roles that involved heavy or special weapons , the rank - and - file stormtroopers carried an E - 11 along with a SE - 14r light repeating blaster . They also had access to modified blaster pistols . In addition to their standard weapons , some elite stormtroopers were armed with the deadly DLT - 19 heavy blaster rifle . Though not as common as the E - 11 , the DLT - 19 was more powerful and accurate . The stormtroopers ' additional weapons included the DLT - 20A blaster rifle s , T - 21 light repeating blasters , T - 28 repeating sniper rifle s , and Imperial Heavy Repeater s . Under the Empire Reborn , stormtrooper squad leaders were armed with Golan Arms FC - 1 flechette launchers . All stormtroopers possessed a Baradium - core code key thermal detonator attached to the back of their torso armor . The thermal detonators were specially designed to ensure that only the stormtroopers themselves could utilize them , thus ensuring that Rebel troopers could not use the Imperials ' own explosives against them . The security measures for the stormtroopers ' thermal detonators included an arming code . To further prevent the explosives from being used by enemy combatants , the buttons on the thermal detonator were unlabeled . Each thermal detonator arming code was unique , known only to the soldier to whom the device was issued . Troopers also carried up to 2 LXR - 6 concussion grenade s . By the year 130 ABY , during the era of the resurgent Empire , stormtroopers were issued a new standard weapon : the ARC - 9965 blaster rifle . Although it was more energy dependent than its distant predecessor , the ARC - 9965 model was built for superior accuracy . Although the E - 11 blaster rifle had been virtually obsolete and superseded by new designs , it was still utilized as a military weapon alongside the ARC - 9965 blaster rifle . Armor . Prior to the development and distribution of stormtrooper armor , the first Imperial stormtroopers wore Phase II battle armor during various assignments , such as the Cleansing of New Plympto and the search for Garoche Tarkin . However , by the time Naboo was subjugated by military force in 18 BBY , the old Phase II battle armor had become obsolete and replaced by a new suit of Imperial armor . Even before the creation of stormtrooper armor , the Empire ' s clone soldiers were required to remove the unit affiliation markings that adorned their Phase II armor . From then on , virtually all stormtroopers were identified by their distinctive white armor . This tradition of military uniformity carried on for over a century into Darth Krayt ' s Galactic Empire . However , stormtroopers of rank , such as non - commissioned officers , were identified as separate from the rank - and - file troopers through the color stripes on their armor . The stormtrooper armor was 18 pieces of white plastoid - composite body armor over a sealed black body glove . The complete ensemble encased the wearer ' s body . As the stormtroopers were an evolution of the clone troopers , so too was their armor inspired by its Phase II precursor from the Clone Wars . In addition to its imposing appearance , the armor provided a wide range of survival equipment and temperature controls to allow the stormtroopers to survive in almost any environment . Aside from harsh environments , the armor also protected the troopers from projectiles and impact weapons . Although it could be penetrated by a direct blaster bolt , the armor was capable of reducing the damage from the absorbed bolt . Blast energy sinks were distributed around the armor to absorb energy from a blaster bolt . The insulated body glove allowed for comfortable operations in an very wide range of climates , including — for a very short time — even total vacuum conditions , or immense extremes of cold and heat . Specialized stormtroopers , known as " armored stormtroopers , " also wore a heavier version of the stormtrooper armor . The armor in question was detailed with various lines . In some cases , Stormtrooper officers who are undergoing combat situations leading various Stormtroopers wore colored shoulder pauldrons as high - visibility rank indicators . In addition , they also sometimes wore a variation of Stormtrooper armor that possessed colored lines around the chest , arms , shoulders , and the right side of their helmet and face , to indicate their unit . By 130 ABY , many variants of stormtrooper armor were created for non - Human enlisted troopers who served in the Imperial Army . The general appearance of the armor had only minor changes , however . Other than a few cosmetic alterations , the armor was reportedly designed to better protect soldiers from blaster fire , thus reducing the risk of sustaining severe or fatal injuries . Officer ' s Uniform . When in non - combat situations , various Stormtrooper officers wear a uniform similar to various other officers in the Imperial military hierarchy , and specifically conformed to the uniform standards of the Imperial Navy branch . The uniform worn by a Stormtrooper officer was identified as being black - colored tunics and caps . Because the uniform was largely derived from similar uniform standards of the Imperial Navy , the Stormtrooper officer uniform featured several similar insignia , including officer ' s discs , rank insignia plaques , and code cylinders , the last of which allowed Stormtrooper officers access to secure areas and computer systems . Extra . Some special features include a wrist comlink , a small battle holocam built into the helmet , a proper resonator ( to open secure doors ) built into their armor , and an external helmet light . For extended operations , stormtroopers carried field backpacks that included a personal tent , five concentrated rations , fifteen water packs , eight blaster power pack s , and a glowrod . They also used DSD1 dwarf spider droids as support weapons . The utility belt on their armor included a small attachment which could be clipped onto with an E - 11 blaster rifle , thus freeing both of the trooper ' s arms . Stormtroopers wore a white - on - white ID tag on the left shoulder , invisible to the naked eye , even at close range , but could be seen by other stormtroopers through their visor ' s visual enhancements . Specialized stormtroopers . There were several subgroups in the Stormtrooper Corps with training and equipment for particular mission profiles , generally sorted by the type of environment the trooper would encounter . Recruits to the Stormtrooper Corps are selected for specialization at an early stage of training , and thus are conditioned with the appropriate knowledge and psychological training for the tasks required of them . As a result , their psychological conditioning to their particular identity once specialized is so strong that the resulting specialized stormtrooper almost never wishes to change his division . Occasionally , rank - and - file stormtroopers could serve as TIE fighter pilots , as was the case of an Alderaanian stormtrooper who shot down Princess Leia Organa on Yinchorr . Alien stormtroopers . Stormtroopers were one of the bases of the New Order during Palpatine ' s reign , and thus their ranks were exclusively reserved for Human clones and recruits . An exception to this policy were the T ' Syriél stormtroopers , Imperial soldiers recruited from among the alien T ' Syriél by General Sk ' ar . Sk ' ar himself was an alien Kaleesh , which explains why he was prepared to deviate from standard Imperial recruitment policy . Later , there was a small corps of alien stormtroopers serving under Admiral Daala in the United Warlord Fleets until her resignation . Alien stormtroopers were more common in the Empire of the Hand and Roan Fel ' s Empire some 130 years ABY . ISB Stormtroopers . The Imperial Security Bureau had its own stormtroopers that operated outside the command structure of the Stormtrooper Corps . As they were identical to regular stormtroopers in appearance , they were occasionally used to infiltrate standard units of stormtroopers to ensure that assigned tasks were properly accomplished . A good example of this practice was an attack against Rebel sympathizers on Teardrop in 0 ABY . ISB stormtroopers noticed that Daric LaRone , an enlisted trooper , was deliberately not shooting civilians . ISB stormtroopers were also more questioning of their orders than standard stormtroopers . Two ISB troopers betrayed the Emperor ' s Hand Mara Jade while she was infiltrating a pirate base on Gepparin . Aside from infiltrating regular military units , they were often attached to ISB tactical unit s . Behind the scenes . Stormtroopers , as depicted in the early drafts of " Star Wars " and envisioned by Ralph McQuarrie , were to wield lightsabers and hand - held shields . George Lucas , when composing background information for licensees in 1977 , stated that females did exist in the Stormtrooper Corps , although there were few stationed on the Death Star . He suggested that they were numerous in other units . As a result , few female stormtroopers are explicitly depicted in Expanded Universe sources . According to several Expanded Universe sources , it would appear that by the time of the Galactic Civil War , stormtroopers were no longer exclusively clones . In " " , following the Imperial assault on Jabiim , Janek Sunber checks his surviving troops . At this point he comments that none of the regular Human troops under his command survived the battle and we are given a look at a group of blue - eyed and blonde clones , obviously a newer template . Sunber also says that the clones in the army are tough and he heard that during the Clone Wars they were even tougher . So , it would seem that with the expansion of the military following the rise of the Galactic Empire , new clone templates were created and regular Humans recruited partly because the lifespan of a Jango clone was roughly half that of an ordinary Human . Thus , a steady stream of clone and non - clone replacements would be required to fill the ranks of the stormtroopers . The first source to mention that there are clones in the stormtrooper ranks was Soldiers of the Empire ! , an article that appeared in Star Wars Official Poster Monthly 4 ( January 1978 ) . Unfortunately , this article fell into deep obscurity ( most fans still have not heard of it ) . As a result , most EU authors prior to the prequel trilogy believed that all stormtroopers were recruits . Many Expanded Universe sources mentioned Imperial academies ( such as on Carida ) and normal human stormtroopers such as Davin Felth and Kyle Katarn . After the prequel trilogy was released , a retcon was necessary to shoe clones into the stormtrooper ranks to mesh these EU sources with the movies and 1978 article . In the " " , Luke Skywalker realizes that some of Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s stormtroopers are clones by feeling through the Force that they are all identical . He implies that this is unusual . " " introduced a new , non - canon stormtrooper type known as the " beach trooper " . They wore a standard helmet and swimming shorts , and could be found resting in hot tubs throughout some levels . In " " , enter TK421 as a cheat code to unlock the classic stormtrooper skin . Due to their seeming " inability " to hit the main characters in the films , and to a lesser extent , the main characters being more likely to hit their targets in desperate situations , the stormtrooper effect ( Urban Dictionary definition here ) has been named after them . However , it should be noted that in the case of at least the first two films , it was heavily implied that the stormtroopers were deliberately missing the main characters so they could lure them into a trap ( in " A New Hope " , it was to have Han Solo and Luke Skywalker lure the Death Star to their hidden Rebel base , which Leia also implied , and in " The Empire Strikes Back " , it was to lure the " Millennium Falcon " to the " Executor " ) . Stormtroopers were named after " Sturmtruppen " , which in English translated to , special troops who were tasked in the last year of with mounting fierce infantry assaults on Allied trenches in an attempt to break the stalemate on the Western Front . However , many aspects of the branch of service , such as their unwavering obedience to the Emperor , their reputation for excessive force , and their status as an independent element separate from the overall army bears some similarity to the or " Armed SS " units that served as independent military formations controlled originally only by the SS - Führungshauptamt " , " or SS Operational Command Office , but also by the OKW , or during . Contrary to popular belief , however , there ' s very little indication that the Stormtroopers in " Star Wars " bore any similarities to the units of the Nazis during the 1930s other than sharing a similar name .