Imperial shock trooper / Legends Shock troopers were the elite members of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps , specialized in the use of various non - standard weapons and equipment . They were also distinguishable from standard stormtroopers by their extra heavy plate armor . Some even wore different color markings on their armor similar to the markings used by Phase I clone trooper armor to denote their rank . Overview . Imperial shock troopers were trained to fulfill various battlefield support roles and carried a wide variety of equipment . Shock troopers were effective against enemy armor columns and in infantry lightfight . Some , equipped with MiniMag shoulder - launched proton torpedo launcher and thermal detonators , acted as anti - vehicle units on the battlefield . They also carried additional explosives , including Baradium - core code key thermal detonator s and KE - 6b mine s . Shock troopers also carried SE - 14r blasters as a back - up sidearm . Others , equipped with DC - 15A blaster rifle s and DC - 17 hand blasters used by clone troopers during the Clone Wars , acted as security on strategic locations throughout the Empire . Some shock troopers utilized jetpacks for additional mobility in battle , much like the Imperial jumptrooper s . Certain shock troopers wore armor similar to sandtroopers . Other shock troopers wore a different form of armor . History . Galactic Empire . Shock troopers were part of the Imperial Military since shortly after the Declaration of a New Order in 19 BBY . They saw action in a variety of battlefields , and a number were part of the 501st Legion . Many were under the command of Imperial slave driver Zarien Kheev , while others were seen guarding strategic locations throughout the Galactic Empire . During her various missions , Rebel operative Rianna Saren encountered those shock troopers on several occasions . Imperial Remnant . Long after the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War , the former Galactic Empire was reduced to a handful of backwater sectors in the Outer Rim Territories , collectively known as the Imperial Remnant . As the Galactic Alliance strengthened its control over the galaxy , the Remnant focused on organizing its few remaining territories while simultaneously keeping the Imperial Military up to date . As a result , the stormtroopers of the Imperial Remnant were superior as professional soldiers in comparison to the stormtroopers of the old Empire . The Remnant also invested a great deal of attention to the shock troopers , the elite within the elite Stormtrooper Corps . Together , the shock troopers comprised the Imperial Elite Guard , a well - trained military unit responsible for protecting the government of Bastion . By the time of the Second Galactic Civil War , the Sith Lord Darth Caedus added the Imperial Remnant to the Galactic Alliance ' s list of allies . Apart from being the legacy of his grandfather , the Remnant possessed enough ships , arms and the right kind of ideology to help the Alliance win the war . But even with all of those assets , Caedus was also very impressed with the Elite Guard ' s shock troopers and their reputation as highly skilled soldiers on the level of Darth Vader ' s 501st Legion . After Caedus successfully negotiated the Imperial Remnant ' s entry into the war , the combined naval forces of the Alliance and the Remnant rendezvoused at the planet Fondor , one of the rebellious worlds that betrayed the Alliance in order to join Corellia ' s Confederation . A contingent of shock troopers were stationed on the " Bloodfin " , the flagship of Imperial Head of State Gilad Pellaeon . In the midst of the Second Battle of Fondor , the Alliance forces became divided between its two Joint - Chiefs of State , Darth Caedus and Admiral Cha Niathal ; the majority of the Alliance fleet remained loyal to Caedus . When Tahiri Veila , Darth Caedus ' Jedi spy and enforcer , assassinated Pellaeon for siding with Niathal against her master , the Imperial Remnant ' s Moff Council quickly declared their support for Caedus . However , much of the " Bloodfin ' s " crew mutinied in retaliation for the death of Pellaeon , thus splitting up the shock troopers between the ones that remained loyal to the Moffs , and the rest that were loyal to the fallen Grand Admiral . When Jaina Solo and a team of Mandalorians infiltrated the " Bloodfin " , they became caught in the crossfire between the two Imperial sides . At the same time , the shock troopers were fighting to the best of their ability to protect the Moffs while Veila escaped after being personally rescued by Darth Caedus . In the aftermath of the battle , the " Bloodfin " was lost and the remaining shock troopers on board were forced to surrender . The Imperial Remnant ' s shock troopers continued to serve alongside Darth Caedus ' Galactic Alliance forces until the end of the Second Galactic Civil War in 41 ABY . Behind the scenes . The appearance and function of shock troopers varies in different " Star Wars " video game s . While in " " their role and armor is similar to that of regular stormtroopers , in the " Battlefront " video games , the term ' shock trooper ' is applied to what appears to simply be a standard stormtrooper armed and equipped for an anti - vehicle role ; they wear the standard armor of an Imperial sandtrooper , with an orange rank pauldron and a large equipment backpack , and they carry a missile launcher well - suited for engaging enemy armored vehicles . Meanwhile , on planets such a Hoth and Rhen Var , " " depicts shock troopers as snowtroopers armed with missile launchers . In the Dark Forces / Jedi Knight video games , they carry light repeating blasters and have armor similar to the shock troopers in Battlefront .