Stormtrooper commander / Legends Stormtrooper commanders were military officers within the Stormtrooper Corps of the Galactic Empire . Although Imperial stormtroopers were regarded as the Empire ' s best soldiers , the commanders were trained to be far superior to the more common infantry soldier . Their exceptional reputation afforded them more than just command over regular troopers . The elite Shadow Trooper s answered to the authority of the commanders as well . The commanders were an aesthetic anomaly within the Stormtrooper Corps ; the blue markings on their armor separated them from the rest of the plain white - armored soldiers . Hence , the commanders were permitted to follow an old tradition of the Grand Army of the Republic where soldiers distinguished their respective units by color . This tradition was abandoned after the Clone Wars ended with the rise of the Empire . By the year 2 BBY , stormtrooper commanders were responsible for enforcing Imperial law and order on the most hostile worlds that hadn ' t yet been fully subjugated to the will of Emperor Palpatine . As " descendants " of the Old Republic ' s legendary ARC troopers , the commanders were treated as a special forces unit and the most elite warriors in the military . Several stormtrooper commanders were also particularly brutal in enforcing the Empire ' s will compared to the stormtrooper foot soldiers , a particularly infamous example being the stormtrooper commander Kayn Somos . Yet despite their training and advanced technology , the commanders were ultimately ineffective against powerful Force wielders such as Starkiller , the secret apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Vader . Overview . The stormtrooper commanders patrolled hostile battlefields , leading Imperial forces into fierce combat on dangerous worlds that resisted the rule of the Galactic Empire . Highly intelligent and resolved to secure victory at any cost , the commanders were among Emperor Palpatine ' s finest and most elite soldiers . Much like the ARC troopers of the Galactic Republic , the commanders were an elite within the elite ; regular stormtroopers were superior to almost every enemy soldier , yet they were ultimately inferior to the specially trained stormtrooper commanders . As soldiers of the Empire , the commanders were unquestioningly loyal to Emperor Palpatine and the ideals of his New Order , not unlike the entire Imperial Military that had sworn unconditional allegiance to the galactic sovereign . The most important aspect of the commanders was in their collective role as officers of the elite Shadow Trooper s . In this capacity , they wielded the authority to command their forces as they saw fit . Freedom from the restrictive hierarchical system of the Imperial Military enabled the commanders to call in for reinforcements or trigger ambushes without clearance from Imperial High Command . In combat , the stormtrooper commanders led by example by fighting alongside their troops on the front lines . Their strategy normally consisted of maintaining a distance between themselves and the enemy . Once they found an opening , they would quickly stun their opponents and then allow them to be overwhelmed by the stealth - concealed shadow troopers . Overall , the commanders ' commitment to the Empire was complete to the point that they were prepared to fight under any condition , even when faced with certain death . Equipment . Whereas the majority of soldiers within the Stormtrooper Corps were required to conform with Imperial uniformity by wearing stark - white battle armor , the stormtrooper commanders were aesthetically distinguished from their regular comrades by the blue markings that adorned their specialized armor . Although the commanders ' protective covering was visually identical to the standard armor issued to all stormtroopers , there were certain differences besides color that separated their gear from those of the rank - and - file trooper . The most notable feature in their armor was a built - in shield generator . The shield on the armor of the stormtrooper commanders was capable of withstanding almost any attack , including certain Force - based attacks . As befitting their station , the commanders were armed with deadly handheld blaster cannons , equipped with a powerful stun setting . This was in stark contrast to the ordinary stormtroopers that were armed with E - 11 blaster rifles . History . By the year 2 BBY , nearly two decades since the formation of the Galactic Empire , the stormtrooper commanders had established themselves as the best and most skilled soldiers in service to Emperor Palpatine . Although regular stormtroopers were regarded as the backbone of the Imperial Military , the commanders superior training and specialized equipment earned them the right to consider themselves as an elite force within the elite Stormtrooper Corps . By this time , they were stationed on a number of hostile worlds , enforcing the Emperor ' s will and projecting Imperial power throughout dangerous environments such as Felucia and Raxus Prime — both of which were former Separatist strongholds . When the Sith Lord Darth Vader faked the death of his secret apprentice after his treachery was discovered by his master , Palpatine , Starkiller ' s near - fatal injuries were steadily healed on the Imperial starship " Empirical " . During the apprentice ' s recovery , the military personnel on the science vessel , including the stormtrooper commanders , only knew of Starkiller as " Subject 1138 . " His identity and connection to Vader were a complete mystery to them . In their ignorance , they simply assumed that he was just another one of the Dark Lord ' s experiments . Their ignorance , as well as Vader ' s lack of concern for his own soldiers , led to the deaths of the commanders and their troops on the " Empirical " . After fully recovering , Starkiller was ordered by his master to create an alliance of rebels and dissidents , while also maintaining the secrecy of his clandestine mission . In order to conceal the evidence of his apprentice ' s survival , Vader ordered that the " Empirical " be destroyed and all of its occupants terminated . In the process of his escape , Starkiller annihilated every Imperial who stood in his path , including a few stormtrooper commanders that were located in the escape pod bay . Since the holodroid PROXY launched all of the pods in accordance with Vader ' s orders , the commanders and their soldiers were unable to escape as the " Empirical " was set on a course with a nearby sun . They attempted to stun Starkiller so that their shadow troopers could overwhelm and kill him , but ultimately they were no match against the apprentice ' s greater skills and his exceptional command of the Force . The remaining commanders were located on the bridge where former Captain Juno Eclipse was being held prisoner by a group of Imperial officers . After dispatching the last of the stormtrooper commanders and their comrades , Starkiller rescued Eclipse and escaped from the doomed starship on the " Rogue Shadow " . Starkiller ' s mission led him into more confrontations with the stormtrooper commanders in locations such as the fallen Jedi Temple on Coruscant , the jungle world of Felucia , the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk and the junk world known as Raxus Prime . Most were killed by Vader ' s assassin .