Unidentified 501st stormtrooper ( first casualty ) A Human male clone stormtrooper served in the Galactic Empire ' s 501st Legion . In 0 BBY , he served aboard Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader ' s flagship , the " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " , and took part in the " Devastator " attack on the Alliance to Restore the Republic ' s CR90 corvette " Tantive IV " . During the engagement , the trooper was the first to die when he was shot by the opposing Rebel troopers ' blaster fire . Biography . A Human male was a clone of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett , the prime clone of the Grand Army of the Republic . A member of the Stormtrooper Corps , the individual served as a clone stormtrooper in the 501st Legion , an elite Imperial Military unit under the direct command of Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader . By 0 BBY , the stormtrooper was stationed on the " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " , Darth Vader ' s flagship . That year , agents of the Alliance to Restore the Republic managed to steal the secret plans for the Galactic Empire ' s first Death Star battlestation , and transferred them to Senator Leia Organa ' s consular ship , the CR90 corvette " Tantive IV " . The " Devastator " pursued and overtook the " Tantive IV " in the Tatoo system , and the stormtrooper was among the first wave of troopers who entered the corridors of the corvette and engaged the Rebel troopers defending the vessel in battle . Seconds after entering the corridor , the stormtrooper was shot and killed by blaster fire — the first casualty of the battle . The skirmish ended in a victory for the 501st Legion and with Organa ' s capture . However , the Rebel droids R2 - D2 and C - 3PO managed to evacuate the ship in an escape pod , carrying the Death Star plans with them . Personality and traits . The stormtrooper stood at a height of 1 . 83 meters . He wore full stormtrooper armor , and wielded an E - 11 blaster rifle . Behind the scenes . The stormtrooper first appeared in the December 1976 of . One year later , the trooper appeared in the film itself , portrayed by an uncredited extra , whose scenes were filmed in mid - 1976 in the . " Trooper " comic . In 2001 , the tenth issue of Dark Horse Comics ' s " Star Wars Tales " series presented a story entitled " Trooper " , which featured the stormtrooper who was shot by Leia Organa later in the " A New Hope " film as its protagonist . Leland Chee , the Keeper of Lucasfilm Ltd . ' s Holocron continuity database , stated that elements of those " Tales " comics are considered S - canon until referenced by C - canon materials . However , he would later confirm on his Facebook page that this particular story was intended to be non - canon . The comic showed its protagonist as a recruit from the planet Greater Marianas , a planet which was later revealed to canonically exist in " The Essential Atlas " . However the trooper ' s origins from that comic were contradicted by the 2002 " Stormtrooper Patrol " card of Wizards of the Coast ' s " A New Hope " set of its Trading Card Game , which identified that character as a clone stormtrooper . In 2005 , the video game " " revealed all stormtroopers who boarded the " Tantive IV " in " A New Hope " were members of the 501st Legion , which was composed exclusively of Jango Fett clones . This stormtrooper made an appearance in the comic , in which he was given the military rank of Sergeant . Following the " Tantive IV " capture by the " Devastator " , he was in charge of the boarding party , and they were assembled in the Star Destroyer ' s hangars , where Darth Vader inspected them . The Sith Lord told the Sergeant to take his mission seriously , to which the frightened stormtrooper assured the Dark Lord that he and his men were . Right before the Imperial troops entered the " Tantive IV " corridors to engage the Rebel troopers , the stormtrooper ordered the comic ' s protagonist to be the first one to enter , and , upon entering right behind the protagonist , was killed by a shot to the helmet , as opposed to the chestplate as seen in the film .