Raptors The Raptors were an elite military unit formed by Warlord Zsinj after breaking away from the authority of the Galactic Empire . Intended to replace stormtroopers as the primary enforcers of Zsinj ' s rule , Raptors quickly became as feared as the Stormtrooper Corps among Zsinj ' s subjects . History . During the fragmentation of the Empire after the Battle of Endor , the population of stormtroopers , already an elite force , began to dwindle . This problem was even more serious for the growing number of warlords , as the few facilities that produced genuine stormtroopers were loyal to the Imperial Ruling Council . While many commanders chose to equip regular Imperial Army troops with stormtrooper armor , Warlord Zsinj took a totally different path . He created the Raptors , a force which was arguably more loyal to Zsinj than the stormtroopers had been to Emperor Palpatine and his legal successors . Nevertheless , a number of genuine Stormtroopers continued to serve in Zsinj ' s military . Raptors were a special forces unit , charged with enforcing Zsinj ' s will throughout his growing territory . Their primary mission was the destruction of hostile planetary defense forces , a task they performed with terrible efficiency . After conquering a world , a Raptor garrison would remain stationed there to ensure the loyalty of the planetary governor . Though Zsinj maintained the pretense of democratic government on his conquered worlds to deflect the attention of the fledgling New Republic , many planetary governments were simply Zsinj ' s puppets , with his edicts enforced by the Raptors . Raptor garrisons were found on over a thousand planets by the end of Zsinj ' s reign . On a Zsinj - controlled planet , they were the first forces to respond to an external threat . With their distinctive black armor and equipment decked out in the Raptor colors of black , red , and yellow , they were commonly considered the most recognized symbol of Zsinj ' s power . After Zsinj ' s death , most Raptor units were captured or destroyed by Imperial and New Republic forces . Bereft of their leader , the acutely devoted Raptor commandos alternately engaged in terrorism against the New Republic or joined the hardliners of Supreme Commander Ennix Devian . Attributes . Raptors were the most competent of Zsinj ' s forces , specially trained in the Imperial doctrine of rule by fear . In their role as a special operations force , they could strike silently and without warning . On average , Raptors were more intelligent than stormtroopers , with a broader range of combat skills . Each Raptor had training in demolitions and martial arts which stormtroopers generally lacked . Their loyalty was virtually unshakable , and they were immune to bribery or negotiation . It is said that Raptors were the only part of Zsinj ' s military force that he trusted implicitly . Equipment . Zsinj had two separate economies in his territory , and both his public military - industrial complex and his secret network of business holdings were used to build or buy the best possible equipment for the Raptors . Armor . Raptor armor was very similar to stormtrooper armor but was slightly lighter , providing almost the same level of personal protection with less reduction in mobility . Like stormtrooper armor , Raptor armor gave every Raptor an intimidating sort of anonymity . In contrast to the stormtroopers , however , Raptors were dressed in solid black outfits , with red faceplates , gloves , and boots , and yellow trim . Personal equipment . Raptor equipment was similar to stormtrooper gear . They carried a comlink set to Raptor encoding , and were armed with both a blaster rifle and a blaster pistol . Raptors also carried a vibroblade as standard equipment . Vehicles . For ground operations , Raptors used standard military speeder bikes painted with Raptor colors . Landing operations were carried out with Incom Y - 4 " " Raptor " " transports . These shuttles were originally developed for the Empire , but never saw widespread use . Zsinj acquired large numbers of them , and their association with the Raptors caused them to share the Raptor name . For space combat , Raptor forces used the TIE Raptor , a unique TIE Series derivative built by Zsinj ' s own engineers at Rancor Base . TIE pilot s in the Raptor forces had similar uniforms to Raptor commandos .