Dark trooper The Dark Troopers were advanced battle droids and infantry exoskeleton s that featured heavy plating that resembled the armor of a stormtrooper , powerful weapons , and jump pack s for increased flexibility and tactical advantage . Besides the Phase Zero prototypes , they came in three versions : the Phase I dark trooper was a skeletal droid armed simply with a vibroblade and physical shield , primarily a testbed for the later stages ; the Phase II dark trooper , which featured , in addition , the external elements ; and the Phase III dark trooper , which was the main unit and was never fully developed . Only three Phase III prototypes were on board " Arc Hammer " . One of these was used by the originator of the project , General Rom Mohc . It was a more powerful variant of the Phase II model and was able to be worn as a battle exosuit . History . Development . The Dark Trooper Project , building on the previous L8 - L9 and Z - X3 projects , was the brainchild of General Rom Mohc , who strongly advocated the martial virtues of close combat with one ' s enemy , and thus disagreed with the philosophy that created such superweapons as the Death Star . He operated the Dark Trooper Project from his customized starship , " Arc Hammer " . The first iteration of the project came years before the Battle of Yavin . Stationed aboard the " Empirical " research station and using most of the same technology that had been used to transform Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader , the Empire started building clone trooper veterans into gruesome cyborgs , the so - called Phase Zero dark trooper s . As the Empire started to become less dependent on its clone troopers , the Phase Zero project declined and was eventually shut down , but the efficiency of the cybernetic soldiers had become apparent to most , including the man overseeing the space station : a young Imperial officer called Rom Mohc . The Phase Zero troopers were deployed on battlefields shortly before the Battle of Yavin . Years later , the Dark Trooper Project was finally greenlit . The main goal for the Dark Trooper Project was to create the next generation of the stormtrooper . It consisted of the armor and the application of weaponry so it was intended for use with the basic stormtrooper ( clone and the like ) but looking forward to whatever internal system that might be developed . The dark troopers were first used against the Rebel Tak Base in the attack on Tak Base , in retaliation for the destruction of the first Death Star . They slaughtered all the Rebels in the base . Concerned about the potential threat of the dark troopers , Mon Mothma tasked Kyle Katarn with the program ' s destruction . Squads of the dark troopers were characteristically deployed alongside the standard Imperial stormtroopers and the Imperial Army regulars in battles to add their distinctive advantage . They used their advanced combat techniques and jetpacks to drop behind enemy lines or outflank enemy positions , contributing to the overall effectiveness of battle maneuvers by creating havoc amongst their foes . They were equipped with specialized assault cannons , which were modifications on the Imperial repeaters , rather than the standard E - 11 blaster rifle ; they were also issued additional fragmentation grenade s , thermal detonators , and concussion grenades . Dark troopers wore dark gray armor made of the nearly indestructible metal phrik , mined on the moon Gromas 16 . In addition to providing superior protection against enemy fire including energy weapons such as lightsabers , the armor was equipped with acceleration compensators to allow a soldier inside to endure the extreme maneuvers the unit was designed to perform . Katarn succeeded in destroying " Arc Hammer " after killing Mohc . With the death of Mohc and the destruction of " Arc Hammer " , all official research into the Dark Trooper Project , and all research into other battle droid programs , ended . However , it is evident that not all of the dark troopers were destroyed along with the " Arc Hammer " ; some were seen being stationed on Kessel , Felucia , Coruscant , and other worlds . Legacy . Though the dark troopers were deactivated during the mission to the " Arc Hammer " , at the Battle of Ord Sedra , a number of Imperial Remnant stormtroopers wore armor that was vaguely similar to the dark trooper designs . These stormtroopers would engage the Yuuzhan Vong during their invasion of the galaxy . Phases . Production of dark troopers began in Gromas 16 where phrikite was extracted . Phrik alloys were tested on a laboratory on Fest and they were refined in Ice Station Beta on Anteevy , where , presumably , the Phase II was produced . The weapons of the dark troopers were manufactured and supplied by Moff Rebus . Dark troopers stayed on " Arc Hammer " , whose location was always secret , and were jettisoned to their planetary targets in hyperspace pods . There were several different phases of these troopers : Phase Zero . The original dark troopers were not combat droids but cyborg clone troopers with over 70 % body parts replaced by mechanical components . They were armed with standard blaster rifles and modified stormtrooper armor , which featured jump pack s . Their cybernetic modifications included prosthetic limbs and organs and a life support system . Phase I . The Phase I dark trooper was the earliest dark trooper and was little more than a lightsaber - resistant phrik skeletal frame equipped with a vibrosword attached to its right arm , and a blast shield on its left . It served primarily as an installation sentry . The Phase I dark trooper had visible power cords and couplings , which were prime weak points . The prototype of this " super trooper " had a small jump pack for short bursts of speed to increase the velocity of its vibro blades . Phase II . The Phase II dark trooper was equipped with the suit , a jump pack , and an assault cannon capable of firing 400 plasma shells and 20 missiles without reloading . They were also armed with the deadly ARC Caster , which shot out powerful bolts of electricity . These advantages made Phase II dark troopers the most common combat units . Phase III . The last and most powerful dark trooper was the Phase III dark trooper , which dwarfed even the Phase II model , and was intended to be the armor of the next generation of stormtroopers . Equipment . Phase Zero dark trooper s were usually equipped with a blast cannon or ARC caster as their primary weapon and a commando pistol as a side arm . They also carried a supply of thermal detonators . Other dark troopers . In addition to major models produced in the three phases of the Dark Trooper Project , a small number of other variants was created to test specialized applications for the droids . One variant was the Triumphant - class dark trooper , some of which escorted Darth Vader during several operations in 1 . 5 ABY . The Inquisitorius also had their own dark trooper variant , the Inquisitorium dark trooper . The purge trooper was an earlier dark trooper model , specifically designed for combat against Jedi and other Force - wielders . Other variants include the Elite dark trooper and the Dark novatrooper , used to board Rebel ships . Zasm Katth commanded several so - called dark trooper teams ( such as dark trooper team two ) that had been empowered with the dark side of the Force . Behind the scenes . Dark troopers were first introduced in " " , serving as the game ' s most powerful enemies . The overall objective of the game was for the player , as Kyle Katarn , to destroy the project before it was fully implemented . According to Leland Chee , keeper of the Holocron continuity database , the dark troopers appearing in computer games such as " " and " " are non - canon . Appearances in such games should be mainly considered for gameplay purposes only . " The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide " , however , retcon ned the dark troopers of " Battlefront " games to be part of Dark Trooper Phase Zero project , in which the Empire transformed clone veterans into cyborgs . While it is implied that the dark troopers in " Dark Forces " are droids , the game never states this . The game " " and " " describe the dark troopers as Force wielders wearing exosuits ; however , this is probably non - canon within " Star Wars " Legends , especially since " The Essential Guide to Droids " was later the first source to explicitly establish that the dark troopers are droids . Several other " variants " of dark troopers appeared in the " Star Wars Galaxies " . Most of the dark troopers in the game are white , as opposed to the dark gray of " Dark Forces " , although a variation of the droids ( known as the dark novatroopers ) found during the Rebel corvette missions are colored black . Due to the nature of combat in the game , the dark troopers do not use their jetpacks or their assault cannons . Some non - canon appearances of dark troopers differ from the canonical Legends version . In " Star Wars : Empire at War : Forces of Corruption " , the Phase II variant seems to use a large chaingun , and the Phase III variant has two shoulder - mounted rocket launchers . However , in the " Star Wars Miniatures " game , Phase III dark troopers have small missile launchers . In " Star Wars : Galactic Battlegrounds " , they were about as powerful as an AT - PT , although this is probably game mechanics . They were produced at Imperial Fortresses at a cost of 50 units of food and 85 units of carbon , and were upgradeable . Dark troopers have been produced as toys . The Phase III dark trooper appeared as an action figure in the Kenner " Expanded Universe " series of the line , and all three phases are represented in " Star Wars Miniatures " . " The New Essential Guide to Droids " established , through retconning , the evolutionary link of the dark trooper to the L8 - L9 droid via the Z - X3 droid , drawing on the resemblance all three droids have to stormtroopers and , consequently , to each other . Some sources say three Phase III dark troopers were produced , while the " New Essential Guide to Droids " states that only one prototype was ever built , implying it to be the one worn by Mohc in the final battle of " Dark Forces " .