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Imperial Army
The ground based branch of the Imperial military, it evolved out of the Grand Army of the Republic. The Imperial Army occupied thousands of worlds across the galaxy, with its fearsome Stormtrooper Corps being one of the primary signs of oppression. Mechanized vehicles like the massive AT-AT or smaller AT-ST were utilized by the Imperial Army to assault and suppress rebellious activity. Prior to the Battle of Yavin, the army also maintained its own separate TIE fighter squadrons, which were incorporated into the naval command structure during the military reorganization that followed the Death Star's destruction.Grand Generals
Grand General Tagge and Staff
Cassio Tagge
Grand General Cassio Tagge
Species: Human
Homeworld: Tepasi
Portrayed by: Don Henderson
Appearances: Tarkin | A New Hope | From a Certain Point of View | Darth Vader
"Until this battle station is fully operational, we are vulnerable. The Rebel Alliance is too well equipped; they're more dangerous than you realize."
A noble from Tepasi, Tagge was the Chief of the Imperial Army and a member of the Empire's Joint Chiefs. He briefly visited the first Death Star with his fellow Chiefs, and unlike his peers he considered the Rebel Alliance to be a possible, if unlikely, threat. Following the Death Star's destruction, Tagge was made the Emperor's chief enforcer, with even Darth Vader subservient to him.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Much like his Legends counterpart, Tagge is a critic of the Death Star and doesn't think highly of Darth Vader. However, this incarnation of Tagge is much less cautious and much more brazen in his dislike of the Dark Lord, using his superior position to belittle Vader whenever he gets the chance.
- Ambiguously Related: We know that he's a member of the Tagge family but his exact relation to the other named members is unclear. In Legends he was brother to Orman, Domina, Sylas, and Ulric, but he has not been referenced as such in canon.
- Benevolent Boss: He trusted Tolvan with commanding security at Eadu, but when that failed big-time, he had her relegated to sweeping out the abandoned rebel base on Yavin 4 for any useful scraps of information they could use against the Rebels, which is as non-harmful as a punishment from the Empire can be.
- Blue Blood: He is a member of a wealthy and very influential family who run TaggeCo, a large corporation with business interests tied into the Empire's operations.
- Boring, but Practical: He embraces this trope; making it abundantly clear that he thinks the Death Star was a stupid idea from the very beginning and that those resources should have been used to simply build more Star Destroyers. He also does this while insulting Tarkin's and Vader's love of spectacle and grandiose design. When Vader sees him at work, even the Sith Lord admits he is effective.
- Bullying a Dragon: Namely bullying his own dragon. So far in the comics he has gone out of his way to belittle Vader's importance in the grand scheme of things and seems to enjoy pulling rank on the Sith. However, whenever Vader completes a mission Tagge assigns him, he always compliments him on a job well done, showing respect for Vader's skill but not his position.
- Commander Contrarian: A rare villainous version who is completely correct in everything he says. He argues with Tarkin and Motti about the vulnerability of the Death Star. He is also highly skeptical of the Emperor's decision to dissolve the senate, wondering how he plans to maintain control without the established bureaucracy.
- Cool Starship: After the destruction of the Death Star, Tagge uses the Super Star Destroyer Annihilator as his flagship.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Vader expresses his distaste for Tagge's fixation on statistics and "graphs". After Tagge's star has fallen, he tries to defend himself to Vader by citing the percentage improvements and statistical upswing that his actions resulted in. Vader is not impressed.
- Dragon-in-Chief: Tagge becomes the Empire's main military commander after the destruction of the first Death Star; partially because he was right about the Death Star's vulnerabilities and putting all the Empire's eggs in one basket and partially because he is the sole surviving member of the Joint Chiefs. Even Vader is made subservient to him.Emperor Palpatine (to Vader): Tagge always argued against the arrogance of the Death Star as a sole weapon. He alone was properly aware of the Rebel threat. While the second Death Star is constructed his philosophy must be dominant. It was lucky he left the station before its destruction to return to his beloved fleet or I would have no one I could use. He is to assume primacy. You will act according to his will.
- Foil: He served as one to Tarkin (see Technician Versus Performer below) and is increasingly becoming one to Vader by being an emotionally detached, pragmatic and competent strategist who is able to see the big picture which in contrast tends to highlight Vader's Blood Knight and Not So Stoic tendencies. He is also of average height and slightly pudgy and doesn't really stand out in a crowd which contrasts nicely with Vader and Tarkin's more iconic looks. And to drive the point home when Vader defended Tarkin, saying that he was a man with vision, Tagge coldly, and correctly, pointed out that Tarkin was responsible of the Empire's biggest defeat so far while he has been busy salvaging the situation in the Battle of Yavin's aftermath.
- Oh, Crap!: His reaction when the Emperor removes him from supreme command of the Imperial military and replaces him with Darth Vader.
- Only Sane Man: He argues that the Rebels could pose a serious threat if they get their hands on the Death Star plans, but Motti and the rest of the officers in the conference room laugh at and dismiss his concerns.
- Punch-Clock Villain: By comparison to Vader, Tarkin and Motti. He never does or says anything evil during the meeting. He's just stating the situation like it is and questions odd decisions, like any competent military commander would. He's also visibly disturbed when Vader chokes Motti while the rest are just sitting there before Tarkin tells Vader to release him.
- Rank Up: Following his ascension to the Empire's main military commander, Tagge is promoted to Grand General.
- Spell My Name With An S: His name is spelled "Taggi" in the credits of A New Hope, and "Tagge" everywhere else.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Originally in the old Legends continuity, he was supposed to have died on-board the Death Star when it blew. But in the new Disney canon, it's revealed he had returned to his starfleet (in order to investigate the alleged Rebel secret base on Dantooine) just before the battle and shows up alive in Darth Vader... at least, until issue #25.
- Specifically, Tagge's survival came about because Pablo Hidalgo noticed his disappearance from the film after the Death Star meeting.
- The Strategist: He is so far shown to be a very capable strategist and unlike some Imperial commanders, Tagge tends to keep a realistic assessment of his forces' strengths and weaknesses while at the same time he tends to avoid underestimating the enemy's capability.
- The Stoic: He is very big on not letting emotions cloud judgement. In fact, Tagge removes Vader from the hunt for the Rebel pilot that destroyed the Death Star on the grounds Vader is too emotionally involved in the subject (he is more right about that then he realizes).
- Technician Versus Performer: The Technician to Tarkin's Performer. This fact is actually discussed between him and Vader.Tagge: I look at the state of the Empire and ask myself "How many Super Star Destroyers could we have made with the resources we threw into Tarkin's Folly?"
Vader: Tarkin had vision. You have graphs.
Tagge: I have the graphs and the command. My plans may not be as glamorous or as grand as yours or the departed Tarkin but they work. - Underestimating Badassery:
- He tends to view Vader as a simple thug and enforcer; albeit a pretty powerful one. Vader, however, is more intelligent and more cunning than Tagge gives him credit for.
- Additionally, he almost completely trusts Tulon Voidgazer, and is caught completely flatfooted when she, Cylo, and his remaining forces turn on the Empire. This almost loses them the Executor, and is the reason Palpatine demotes him.
- We Have Reserves: Sums up his strategic philosophy in a nutshell.Tagge: The Star-Fleet is a sea. It is endless and it cannot be beaten and given enough time turns even the strongest rocks into sand. Our larger plans cannot be based around any individual asset. Not a Death Star. Not you, Vader.
- You Have Failed Me: The Emperor removes him from command for his failures and replaces him with Vader, then leaves to let Vader "educate [his] subordinates about this brave new era". Vader then "educates" Tagge in his usual fashion.
Oon-ai
Lieutenant Oon-ai
Species: Human
Appearances: Darth Vader
"These are my orders. If you refuse . . . I'll have to report it to the General. Please comply."
A lieutenant aboard the Super Star Destroyer Annihilator and aide to Grand General Tagge.
- The Mole: Grand General Tagge appoints him to serve as Vader's adjutant, in order to keep a close eye on the Sith Lord. Vader frames him as a spy for the Space Pirates they're hunting to get him off his back.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Lasts all of one issue before Vader disposes of him.
- You Know Too Much: He discovers that Vader has hired Boba Fett and asks why. Vader says he's busy now but will explain after their mission is over—he makes sure Oon-ai never survives it.
Thanoth
Inspector Thanoth
Species: Human
Appearances: Darth Vader
"Lord Vader. I'm not a sycophant, traitor, or—worst of all—an incompetent like Oon-ai. I'm a professional investigator."
An Imperial military investigator who Grand General Tagge assigns as Vader's new adjutant after Oon-ai's demise.
- Affably Evil: He is always very calm and quite polite, even while in the middle of interrogating a reluctant source.
- The Cameo: Tolvan looks at a picture of him and her in Doctor Aphra.
- Deadpan Snarker: He likes to add a bit of snark to his interrogations, and really lets it fly when belittling the Astarte twins.Doowan: What are you doing back on Anthan?
Thanoth: I missed the social scene. - Face Death with Dignity: He allows himself to be killed by Darth Vader after uncovering his plan to overthrow the Emperor. He says that Palpatine has proven himself too weak and incompetent to run the Empire, and is happy to offer up anything (even his own life) to see that he is replaced with a more worthy successor.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Values results and information over making any sort of grand spectacle, and so he leaves useful sources of information alive rather than make examples of them. Thanoth is thus infuriated when the Astarte twins execute one of his best sources of information in the sector in order to establish their reputation and intimidate the rest of the local criminal underworld.
- Sherlock Scan: His Establishing Character Moment is when he determines that Vader had been to Anthan 13 simply by the ionization of surface dust that's still on Vader's armor.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Put in the context of Vader's burgeoning attempts at recapturing the Emperor's favor, Thanoth has the dubious honor of contributing instead to Vader's emerging ambition to replace the Emperor instead, together with the son he just recently discovered. Whereas Vader's attempts at establishing a power base was previously just about giving him the means to conduct his missions, the realization that he might actually have more support against the Emperor than he thought colors the rest of his actions throughout The Empire Strikes Back and even as late as Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020).
- Undying Loyalty: Thanoth is likewise loyal to the Empire. Key word being the Empire, not the Emperor. Although Thanoth eventually uncovers Vader's true schemes, he simply tells Vader where to find the missing Aphra wishes Anakin luck, and accepts that Vader is going to kill him to leave no trail. He does this because he thinks Vader makes for a much more suitable ruler than the Emperor, as Thanoth blames the failure of the Death Star on his poor vision.
- Worthy Opponent: Vader comes to respect Thanoth's skills, and instead of arranging to dispose of him like he did Oon-ai, he simply manipulates him into calling off the search for Aphra to instead crush a Rebel unit that had been harassing Imperial forces in the area. It turns out that Thanoth knew he was being manipulated and played along to let Vader's guard down.
Other Grand Generals
Kenner Loring
Grand General Kenner Loring
Species: Human
Appearances: Life Debtnote
A Grand General active after the Battle of Endor.
- Dragon Ascendant: One of several high-ranking Imperial officers vying for leadership of what remains of the Empire following Palpatine's demise.
- The Ghost: Has yet to appear, but he is frequently mentioned as leading a significant portion of the Imperial Army in a protracted battle against the New Republic on Malastare.
Generals
Jylia Shale
General Jylia Shale
Species: Human
Appearances: Aftermath | Life Debt
"Putting so much time, and money, and effort, and people into the ecosystem of that massive battle station was a fool's crusade. Palpatine was arrogant."
A legendary Imperial general and strategist, General Shale commands the Star Destroyer Ascent. A few months following the Battle of Endor, Shale is among the high-ranking Imperials who gather at the conference on Akiva.
- Determined Defeatist: Despite her belief that the Empire has probably lost the war, Shale joins the other Imperials on Akiva in order to try and find some potential solution to bring it back from the brink. However, after her capture she cooperates with the New Republic and begins giving them information in an effort to end the war quicker.
- Foil: To General Borrum: both he and Shale are considered legends by the Imperial military but were sidelined by the Empire and were considered by Fleet Admiral Rax as potentially useful for his plans. Shale failed his tests due to her negativity about the Empire's chances of bouncing back after Endor and by pointing out all of the Empire's crime, while Borrum was selected to join his Shadow Council due to his unwavering loyalty.
- Genre Savvy: She is well aware of the Empire and the Rebellion's narrative roles in the story of the galaxy.Shale: This isn't some kind of inspirational story. Some scrappy, ragtag underdog tale, some pugilistic match where we're the goodhearted gladiator who brings down the oppressive regime that put him in the arena. They get to have that narrative. We are the ones who enslaved whole worlds full of alien inhabitants. We are the ones who built something called a Death Star under the leadership of a decrepit old goblin who believed in the 'darkside' of some ancient, insane religion.
- Gilded Cage: Due to her cooperation with the New Republic after her capture Shale is allowed to live in a sparse apartment under guard with luxuries she would never get in prison.
- Heel Realization: After the Emperor's death she began to doubt the Empire and its goals. Following her capture by the New Republic she has clearly become disgusted with having been part of that regime.Shale: What we did formed a scar across this galaxy, and I'm not sure it will ever truly fade.
- Ignored Expert: She opposed the creation of the Death Stars, viewing them as excessive and costly creations that put too many high-ranking officers at risk if they were to be destroyed. Due to this, Shale was shunted aside during the last years of the Emperor's reign, even though her fears proved correct.
- Insistent Terminology: Among the Imperials who gather on Akiva, Shale is the only one who calls the Rebels the New Republic, acknowledging their victory over the Empire.
- Living Legend: She is highly respected throughout the Imperial military.
- Meaningful Name:
- "Julia" is the feminine form of the Roman family name, Julius. The name that comes to mind is usually Julius Caesar, though ironically, he led the transition of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire, while Shale was okay with having the Empire surrender to the New Republic for practicality's sake. Their names have similar sounds as well.
- A shale is a type of rock made from hardened clay/mud and can be easily be broken into pieces. This contrasts her with Commander Kyrsta Agate of the New Republic, as well as referencing the fracturing of the Empire into various Imperial remnants with differing goals.
- Only Sane Woman: Among those gathered on Akiva, Shale is the only one who acknowledges that the war might truly be lost and that there is likely little hope of even forging a peace treaty with the New Republic. She even suggests that they might be spared if they surrender to the New Republic instead.
- She Knows Too Much: Rax arranges for her assassination due to the information she is providing the New Republic in her captivity.
- Worthy Opponent: She considers Admiral Ackbar one, warning her fellow Imperials that he is a master strategist who should never be underestimated.
Hodnar Borrum
General Hodnar Borrum
Species: Human
Appearances: Life Debt | Empire's End
One of the eldest officers in the Imperial Military, Borrum served in the Grand Army of the Republic and continued serving the Empire. He is selected by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to serve on his "Shadow Council", a group of Imperial officials seeking to save and remake the Empire following the Battle of Endor.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Despite having fought both alongside and against Jedi, he has little-to-no regard for the Force.
- Foil: To General Shale: both she and Borrum are considered legends by the Imperial military but were sidelined by the Empire and were considered by Fleet Admiral Rax as potentially useful for his plans. Borrum proved useful to him as his spirit was not broken and he still believed in the Empire, while Shale became a defeatist who denounced the Empire's actions and began providing information to the New Republic after her capture.
- Living Legend: His numerous campaigns and victories, including leading a charge of clone troopers on the last fortress of the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars, have made him one of the Empire's most beloved heroes.
- Old Soldier: He was already old when he served the Republic, but Sloane notes that age has not affected his mind one bit and that his eyes shine with a keen military mind.
- Passed-Over Promotion: Many in the Empire were perplexed Kenner Loring was made Grand General instead of Borrum.
- Uncertain Doom: He is the only member of the Shadow Council whose fate is unknown after the Battle of Jakku. Borrum was last mentioned as commanding the Imperial ground forces on Jakku, which were almost completely wiped out and had no means of escape.
Hurst Romodi
General Hurst Romodi
See his entry on the Death Star Crew page.
Colonels
Bergon
Colonel Bergon
Species: Human
Appearances: Dark Lord of the Sith
An officer serving under Grand Moff Tarkin during the early years of the Empire who participated in the invasion of Mon Cala.
- Fantastic Racism: Refers to the Mon Calamari as "finners," completely dismisses their forces as a threat, and suggests bombing them from orbit.
- Underestimating Badassery:She holds no respect for Ackbar and scoffs at his impending attack. He proves himself to be a worthy opponent moments later and destroys her sky base when his small watercraft fire dozens of missiles directly at her skybase.
Gralm
Captain Gralm
Species: Human
Voiced by: Robin Atkin Downes
Appearances: Squadrons
An Imperial officer running a munitions depot in the Remitik system, who finds himself besieged by the New Republic.
- Bad Boss: Fully expects Titan Squadron to give their lives if necessary for the sake of defending a simple munitions depot.
- Leonine Contract: Forces the crew of the Overseer into this, as he has supplies they need to repair their badly damaged ship but instead pulls rank and orders them to help him battle the local New Republic forces. This leads to them simply taking the supplies they need for 'protection' in the middle of the battle while he is distracted and then abandoning him once the battle is done.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Titan Squadron shows up on his doorstep asking for munitions and repair supplies after a hasty escape from New Republic forces left their ship, the Overseer, badly damaged. Instead of simply assisting them, he instead decides that since they have showed up in his territory they are under his command and instead orders them to do battle with the local New Republic forces besieging his depot. He does this in spite of Titan Squadron operating under orders from Grand Admiral Sloane, whose command supercedes his. Kerrill bitterly calls him pretty much exactly this trope when venting to Titan-3.
- We ARE Struggling Together: He has zero interest in helping Titan Squadron when they show up asking for help, even if they are operating under the orders of one of his superiors. He's instead concerned solely with his own problem: the local New Republic forces.
Petigar
Colonel Petigar
Species: Human
Appearances: Andor
Imperial colonel and engineer who was dispatched to Aldhani for the construction of a new airbase, replacing the Alkenzi Air Base and moving it closer to the Aldhani dam.
- Affably Evil: A professional engineer and soldier. He is more concerned with the construction work and surveys he has to do.
- Consummate Professional: At the very least he is this in comparison to the Villainous Glutton Commandant Jayhold Beehaz, who clearly lives for pleasures of the senses, takes glee in his perceived superiority over the native Aldhani, and relies on oily charm to get ahead. Petigar by contrast is a fit man who seems to be all business, caring mostly about his work, and takes a very matter of fact approach to all things.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He's just as willing as Commandant Beehaz to drive out the Aldhani and steal their sacred land, but he seems genuinely upset at the rebels threatening the life of Beehaz's young son and demands the team release the boy. Notably, he doesn't try to demand that the rebels back off their raid or release everyone there, only the boy.
- Villainous Valor: Despite being surrounded by armed rebels, Petigar draws his sidearm and threatens the rebels in order to try to get them to let the younger Beehaz go.
Lieutenants
Magna Tolvan
- See her page on the Star Wars – Rebel Alliance & New Republic Intelligence character page
Nolan
Lieutenant Nolan
Species: Human
Voiced by: Crispin Freeman
Appearances: The Bad Batch
"Look here, clone, you speak to me with respect."
An Imperial Army officer sent to Barton-4 with Crosshair to retrieve a supply cache of TK armor.
- Asshole Victim: Even Dr. Hemlock doesn't hold Crosshair killing Nolan against him, and in fact praises him for it.
- Bad Boss: He cares nothing for his clone subordinates, and openly calls them "expendable." The way he orders the TK Stromtroopers to get back to work shows that he doesn't care about them either.
- The Bully: At the end of the day, Nolan is nothing more than a bully who abuses and terrorizes others just to make himself big, and metaphorically kicks a dying clone to his death. However, he can do nothing but look in terror the moment one of his own subordinates turn on him.
- Dirty Coward: Nolan would sacrifice anyone except himself for the Empire, that he’d much rather hide behind his own men, refusing to lend his own troops for assistance just for his own protection rather than the outpost’s safety. Apparently, he’s only brave enough to abuse Crosshair and Mayday when they’re vulnerable and too weak/emotionally damaged to act against him. The moment Crosshair raises his blaster and points it at him, the Lieutenant reacts with shock and fear moments before he’s killed. He's as much of a scumbag as Pong Krell was, but this makes the former Jedi look like the Clone's biggest supporter by comparison.
- Ensign Newbie: He's a lieutenant, a junior officer, and when clone veteran Commander Mayday questions him about his experience, he's caught flat-footed, and admits he has none. You’d have to wonder who chose him and if his position was honorably earned.
- Entitled Bastard: Always demands respect from everyone around him, despite doing nothing to actually earn it, or even give even basic courtesies in turn. This gets pointed out by Mayday, who pointedly asks how many battles Nolan's actually commanded in the Clone Wars, and the Lieutenant tellingly can't provide an answer.
- Evil Is Petty: While his distaste for clones also factored into it, his decision to let Mayday die is implied to also be because he thought the clone was rude to him.
- Hated by All: It’s heavily implied those above Nolan don’t think very highly of him if they put him in charge of clones and in a crappy assignment in an ice planet. The loyalty of his own soldiers is very flimsy as they hesitate every time he orders them, and it seems they only had to detain Crosshair because they’re just doing their jobs and not out of loyalty after he’s killed. Tellingly, not even high ranking officials like Dr. Hemlock consider his death worth mourning.
- Hate Sink: He's only in one episode, and is easily one of the most loathsome characters in the series. He embodies every bad trait associated with Imperial officers: incompetent, self-important, and with zero regard for the well-being of his subordinates. Him getting fragged by Crosshair is definitely well-earned for this monster of an officer.
- It's All About Me: At the end of the day, he's a selfish Imperial officer who only cares about himself and not for the needs of his own subordinates, and he constantly demands respect no matter what.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He looks a lot like Crispin Freeman, his voice actor.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Quite literally. After disrespecting the clones appointed under him and coldly allowing Mayday to die in spite of everything he'd done to fulfill his orders, he earns a blaster bolt through the chest by Crosshair, the trooper who'd given up everything to serve the Empire, only to discover through Nolan's callousness how little they actually value him. Little did Nolan realize the Empire considers him expendable too, that almost no one cares that he’s gone. Judging by the state of Barton IV afterwards, his corpse was probably left to waste away with the rest of his clone victims.
- More Despicable Minion: Barring Emperor Palpatine and Tarkin, higher ranking Imperials like Rampart are hardly sympathetic, but have some level of decency and don't actively try to antagonize even the clones. Lieutenant Nolan, on the other hand, is on the lowest end of the officer food chain, and he's such a horrible human being that not only does he treat his own soldiers like slaves, he coldly commits Murder by Inaction on a clone trooper under his command.
- Moral Myopia: Lieutenant Nolan gets outraged when he's not spoken to with respect. He can't even listen to himself being so blatantly and hypocritically disrespectful to the clones and telling them they're expendable.
- Murder by Inaction: His spiteful denial of medical aid towards Commander Mayday results in the clone's death, and it's treated as an act of cold-blooded murder.
- The Neidermeyer: A cruel bully to his subordinates? Check. An arrogant blowhard who overestimates his importance? Check. Completely incompetent in actual combat and issues insane, impossible orders? Check. For good measure, he even gets fragged by his men.
- Never My Fault: Nolan blamed Crosshair and Mayday for letting the raiders steal the cargo and he especially blamed them for failing to retrieve the cargo. However, it was his responsibility as the officer in charge to secure the cargo until it got delivered from Barton IV, thus the theft of the equipment could’ve been prevented or the equipment could’ve been recovered had he lent the assistance of his men. By refusing to do that, the theft of the cargo and the failure to recover it are both on him.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: At first he just seems like your garden variety jerkass officer who bullies his subordinates, but denying Mayday medical aid and letting him bleed out crosses into morally reprehensible territory.
- Pet the Dog: The ONLY decent thing he does is politely ask one of the labor droids where their supervisor is, though his usual jerkassery flares up again when said supervisor, Commander Mayday, is ''relieved'' that reinforcements have finally arrived. As droids are normally not treated well in the Empire, it’s rather telling that he considers droids more deserving of respect than clones.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He's the newly assigned commander of an outpost that's obviously deemed not important by the rest of the Empire, yet he acts like the entire galaxy revolves around him.
- The Sociopath: Nolan is a cruel, selfish, and sadistic Imperial officer who treats all soldiers like slaves, and treats clones with disdain and has no respect for anyone's well-being. The one act that seals him as a repugnant monster? Denying a critically wounded Mayday medical aid for not only failing the mission, but just for existing, and he goes out to threaten Crosshair with death just for speaking to him disrespectfully.
- Too Dumb to Live: Telling his men to leave him with Crosshair was a seriously careless mistake, rendering himself vulnerable to Crosshair shooting him since none of the troopers were around to protect him. Additionally, not bringing any weapons to defend himself with while insulting the still-armed soldier was essentially his death warrant.
- Unfriendly Fire: The victim of it, when Crosshair frags him for letting Mayday die.
- You Have Failed Me: His first reaction to finding Mayday and his men holed up in their depot is to yell at them for failing to protect the supplies, telling them that they will be dealt with later. He later does the same thing when Mayday and Crosshair return, wounded, without the supplies, and threatens Crosshair to not fail him again. Crosshair takes exception to this.
Imperial Special Forces
Crix Madine
Crix Madine
See his entry on the Rebel Alliance & New Republic Army
Kolar Ludd
Kolar Ludd
Appearances: Star Wars (Marvel 2015)
A member of the Imperial Special Forces and an inmate of the Rebel Alliance's Sunspot Prison. He is one of sixteen other inmates released when a team of mercenaries, who believe the prisoners should be executed rather than imprisoned, takes over Sunspot prison.
- Ambiguously Human: It's unclear if he's an alien or just a really ugly human.
- The Butcher: His nickname is "The Depopulator".
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Leia refuses to execute unarmed prisoners because she doesn't want to be like the Empire.
- Kill It with Fire: Leia and Sana herd him and several other escaped prisoners into a room, hoping to capture them alive. This doesn't matter as the mercenaries deactivate the prison's sun shields and burn them all alive.
- Prison Riot: He, along with sixteen other inmates, is released by an unknown party hoping to get Princess Leia to kill him.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: His job. The Empire would send him into an enemy village and he'd leave everyone dead and the buildings burning.
Stormtrooper Corps
Stormtroopers
Imperial Stormtroopers
Modern Imperial Stormtroopers
TK Stormtroopers
- "Stop that ship! Blast them!"
Following the establishment of the Empire, the Clone Legions of the Republic were reorganized into the elite Stormtrooper Corps, serving as the Empire's most prestigious unit - and its most brutally efficient. As time went on, however, the Corps underwent massive expansion, with the aging Clones phased out in favor of cheaply-trained conscripts and volunteers, eventually becoming little more than a specialized infantry force.
- Airborne Mooks: Jumptroopers are Stormtroopers wearing jetpacks.
- Aquatic Mook: Seatroopers are underwater Stormtroopers.
- Armor Is Useless: The Stormtrooper armor is not very resilient to punishment, seemingly built more for cheap mass production than any proper protection. Whenever a Stormtrooper is hit with a blaster bolt, they are typically removed from the fight with a single shot. On the other hand, elite Stormtroopers such as Death Troopers, Purge Troopers, and Shock Troopers wear armor based on Phase II Clone trooper armor, which is proven to be more effective and protective.
- Awesome, but Impractical: The Stormtroopers wear their shiny white armor even in environments where camouflage would be better for them, even on the heavily wooded Endor moon.
- Badass Biker: Scout Troopers, a variant of Stormtroopers, can ride 74-Z speeder bikes.
- Bribe Backfire: As shown in the Rebels short "Entanglement", it is not a good idea to try to bribe a Stormtrooper.
- Butt-Monkey: Can't shoot straight, beat up by everyone, and even if Vader wanted to facilitate the escape this
is ridiculous. After the fall of the Empire, their infamous lack of accuracy has become a punchline against former Imperial soldiers. The Mandalorian isn't impressed when he hears that the bounty hunter Mayfeld is a former Imperial marksman, leading the latter to defensively claim he wasn't a Stormtrooper. - Costume Evolution: Chronologically, the first Stormtroopers, TK Stormtroopers, are encountered by the Bad Batch had a sort of hybrid between the Phase II clone armor and modern Stormtrooper gear.
- Clothes Make the Legend: You wouldn't have a Star Wars convention, or for that matter, any major sci-fi convention, without some guys showing up in Stormtrooper armour surrounding a guy dressed as Darth Vader.
- Depending on the Writer: The effectiveness and menace of Imperial stormtroopers largely depends on the tone of the work they're currently appearing in and can thus vary wildly — more lighthearted or kid-friendly works will portray them as Ineffectual Sympathetic Villains and the least effective arm of the Imperial military, while more serious works will play into their status as Elite Mooks. Lore and
Word of God handwaves this as the result of wildly varied recruitment and training standards across the Empire's territories. - Elite Mooks: While rarely demonstrated or even brought up, Stormtroopers are on paper the Empire's elite forces, a step above the rarely-seen Army Troopers in terms of training and equipment. Backstory and Word of God attempts to reconcile this as a result of the Stormtrooper Corps being recklessly expanded by incompetent military leaders, resulting in a badly strained budget and wildly varied standards for equipment, training, and recruitment.
- Enemy Chatter: They're occasionally talking with each other when their superiors aren't looking. Most prominently, the two by the tractor beam controls.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Downplayed. While the Empire is generally prejudiced against non-humans, there are women in the stormtrooper corps as revealed in A New Dawn.
- Faceless Goons: Very few of them are seen without their helmets.
- Fake Ultimate Mook: They are supposed to be the Empire's elite, yet are terrible shots and get defeated by Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. However, in the old EU they were portrayed as much more of a threat, and The Empire Strikes Back shows what they can do when they're not fighting people with Plot Armor.
- Pablo Hidalgo in Rebels Recon #1.09 explains that trooper quality can vary quite dramatically. Elite units like the 501st make short work of rebels like they did on the Tantive IV, while more generic troopers like those on the Death Star did things like fail to hit Luke and Leia while they were in a precarious situation, walk into a partially closed door, and flee from Han when he charged at them while screaming like a lunatic, only turning around when they got a large number of reinforcements. To give them some credit, they were under orders to allow them to escape.
- On the other hand, elite variants such as Death Troopers and Purge Troopers are genuinely badass soldiers.
- Pablo Hidalgo in Rebels Recon #1.09
- Fallen Hero: A few Stormtroopers are veteran Clone Troopers who have been reduced from Republic heroes of the Clone Wars into Imperial tools of oppression.
- Flanderization: Downplayed — while some darker and more serious works try to maintain their original menace, their
memetic reputation for incompetence in battle has led to them frequently being portrayed as laughably incompetent Cannon Fodder, with many characters in shows like The Mandalorian remarking on their poor reputation. - The Goomba: Video games like Fallen Order/Survivor and the single-player Battlefront campaigns tend to use the average Stormtrooper as the weakest and most basic humanoid enemy type.
- Heavily Armored Mook: The Phase II Dark Trooper. While Legends established the Dark Trooper Project as being droid stormtroopers, the Phase II seems to be regular soldiers with heavier armor and weapons.
- Highly-Conspicuous Uniform: Stormtroopers will wear their stark white uniforms regardless of whether a mission takes them to the lush forest moon of Endor or the sunny desert planet of Tatooine.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Trope Namers, due to their inability to do more than graze the main characters after the opening of A New Hope. Their actual adherence to the trope is Zig-Zagged throughout the franchise, with their effectiveness depending mainly on the tone of the work they're appearing in. Word of God and All There in the Manual materials, along with off-handed in-universe comments, establish that this is mainly down to a combination of wildly varied recruitment and training standards across the Empire's territory and the poor quality of their helmet visors. Said inability is why Commandant Brendol Hux plans to fix this with the Stormtroopers he's training via the Commandant's Cadets program, which would have Stormtrooper cadets trained from birth to fight like Clones without any of their weaknesses.
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: After their Flanderization, most of them become so incompetent that you almost feel bad for them.
- Kill It with Fire: The Incinerator Stormtroopers, as well as Flametroopers, use flamethrowers as opposed to blasters.
- Light Is Not Good: Don't be fooled by the shiny white armor - these guys are enforcers of tyranny through and through.
- Lowered Recruiting Standards: After the Clone Wars, the elite clone troopers who had been trained since birth were phased out of service via the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill and the Empire used human conscripts to fill the ranks. This is often seen as the reason why the Stormtroopers pale in comparison to their predecessors.
- Mascot Mook: Stormtrooper armor is one of the most iconic designs in Star Wars, and they show up constantly in the movies, the EU, and in marketing materials. Even in the Legends continuity, where Stormtroopers are supposedly Elite Mooks who actually make up only a small portion of Imperial infantry, they're absolutely ubiquitous while "Imperial Army troopers" are nowhere to be seen.
- Malevolent Masked Men: They're dressed in white armour and serves an evil empire. They can be mean and sadistic, but on the other hand, many of them are Punch-Clock Villains.
- Mooks: They are the Empire's main fighting force and tool of oppression.
- Mook Lieutenant: Stormtrooper Commanders are Stromtroopers that command others of their kind, as indicated by the colors of their pauldrons. (Red being squad leaders, Orange being captains, etc.)
- More Dakka: Heavy Weapon Stormtroopers wield Z-6 rotary blaster cannons and/or DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles to blast enemies of the Empire into submission.
- Palmtree Panic: Shoretroopers are Stormtroopers assigned to various tropical locations, such as Niamos and Scarif.
- Patrolling Mook: Patrol Troopers from Solo and Jedi Survivor are Stormtroopers that patrol urban areas like Corellia and Coruscant
- Predecessor Villain: The TK Stormtroopers from The Bad Batch are this for the usual run of the mill Stormtroopers that would later define the Empire's ranks.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Some of them. A Stormtrooper in the short story One Thousand Levels Down even offers his sympathy to Anandra Milon, a teenager of Alderaanian descent living on Coruscant after Alderaan was destroyed, for having to arrest her simply because of where her family is from.
- Retcon: In Star Wars Legends, they were described as being repurposed clone troopers that eventually got other gene donors somewhere along the line after samples from Jango Fett ran out, along with conscripts hired along the way. As of Rebels, the clone troopers were retired from combat with the conclusion of the Clone Wars, and Stormtroopers are now exclusively conscripts and volunteer forces. Interestingly enough, the original Expanded Universe explained that the Stormtroopers were conscripts up until Attack of the Clones. Certain sources indicate that some clones were kept around, however. For instance, a member of the Imperial Royal Guard in Lords of the Sith is revealed to be an aging Jango Fett clone.
- Samus Is a Girl: Female Stormtroopers are only indicated by their voices.
- Sucksessor: Their predecessors under the Republic, the Clone Troopers, were a genuine Badass Army who did very well against the Separatists, Jedi, and early revolts against the peace Palpatine's Empire worked hard to achieve. The Stormtroopers, on the other hand, have wildly inconsistent recruitment, training, and equipment standards that lead to a reputation as incompetent bumblers. At least the First Order's Stormtroopers were trained better!
- Took a Level in Dumbass: Stormtroopers (Scout Troopers included) grow even more incompetent in Return of the Jedi. While in A New Hope they're under orders to let the Rebels escape from Death Star and in The Empire Strikes Back Snowtroopers actually won the Battle of Hoth, here they don't have any excuses for losing, yet they're not only repeatedly outmatched but also outsmarted by the Rebels and, worse, Ewoks. It's especially bad that the Emperor claimed the Endor garrison to be a legion of his best troops, yet they aren't even close to be the best. To sum it up:
- They fall for C-3PO's I Surrender, Suckers.
- After Luke fell from his speeder bike during the chase scene with a Scout Trooper, said Scout Trooper turned around and attempt to shoot him down, ignoring the fact that Luke is armed with a lightsaber that can deflect blaster bolts. The result is predictable.
- When an Ewok stole a speeder bike, it shouldn't be trouble if there's only one Scout Trooper to chase it. Instead, they sent three, leaving only one trooper to guard the bunker's entrance. Unsurprisingly, he's ambushed by a bunch of Rebel Commandos shortly after.
- They actually twice pointed their blaster at the heroes (each at Leia and Han) and yelled "Freeze!" rather than just shoot them down.
- Villain Decay: By Rogue One they have abandoned any sense of being an "Elite" force, and are stuck with menial tasks like prison guards and escorting cargo shipments. They are wiped out by the platoon load and attempt no tactics.
- Weak-Willed: The amount of times the Jedi have used the Jedi Mind Trick on them is nothing short of entertaining.
- We Have Reserves: Stormtroopers depend on their sheer numbers and fanatic devotion to the Emperor to overcome enemy troops.
- You Are Number 6: All stormtroopers are assigned an "operating number" akin to a military service number, formatted as "TK-[insert number here]." It's heavily implied that they're required to use this number in place of their actual name in most situations, as a form of psychological conditioning.
- Zerg Rush: Stormtroopers are woefully subpar successors to the Clone Troopers of the Republic, but the one thing they have over their predecessors is abundance. The Empire's general tactic is to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers and if that doesn't work, use more.
Imperial Combat Drivers
Imperial Combat Drivers
The Imperial Army's elite ground vehicle pilots, known to operate the AT-DP walker, speeder bike, AT-AT walker, AT-ST walker, and the Imperial Troop Transport. The AT-AT Drivers are usually seen being commanded by an Imperial officer, such as Agent Kallus in Rebels and General Veers in The Empire Strikes Back.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The lightly armored neck of the AT-AT is the only point vulnerable to blaster fire. The rest is too tough. For most other Walkers such as the AT-DP the weakest points are the leg joints.
- Badass Driver: AT-AT Drivers definitely qualify. Mostly subverted for the AT-ST Drivers as many of them are outwitted by Ewoks in Return of the Jedi.
- Chicken Walker: AT-STs and their various derivatives/precursors. In fact, they are often called "Chicken Walkers" by fans.
- Companion Cube: Walker pilots were known to form strong attachments to their machines, often considering them as extensions of themselves.
- Cool Helmet: They wear variants of Stormtrooper helmets, except for AT-ST Drivers who wear maskless helmets.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Whenever AT-ATs are around, expect this to happen. An old Republic AT-TE piloted by veteran clone troopers didn't stand a chance, and neither did the Rebellion's Echo base on Hoth.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: Combat drivers are generally cocky and abrasive, but AT-AT drivers considered themselves the elite amongst the elite.
- Faceless Goons: Except for AT-ST drivers whose helmets are maskless, though they sometimes wear large black goggles. It is established in some materials that the elevated height of AT-DPs and AT-ATs necessitates face protection.
- Giant Foot of Stomping: The AT-AT Walkers.
- Glass Cannon: The AT-ST Walker is powerful, but it explodes if the cockpit falls to the ground.
- Humongous Mecha: The AT-AT Walkers and to a lesser extent the AT-DP. The three AT-ATs that battled the old Republic AT-TE seemed to be even bigger variants.
- Interservice Rivalry: They are envied by their peers for their armored cockpits and powerful weapons.
- Light Is Not Good: AT-AT pilots wear white version of TIE pilot armor.
- Mighty Glacier: The AT-AT isn't very fast, but they make up for their incredible firepower. However, the walker is faster than it looks.
- Mook Mobile: They are more-or-less Stormtroopers who operate with ground vehicles.
- Walking Tank: The Walkers are probably the best-known examples of this trope.
Imperial Supercommandos
Imperial Supercommandos
See their entry on the Mandalorians page.
Task Force 99/SCAR Squad
In General
Task Force 99, SCAR Squad
Task Force 99, also known as SCAR Squadron, was an elite squad of Special Commando Advanced Recon (SCAR) stormtroopers led by Sergeant Kreel. Their members are Aero, Cav, Mic, Misty, Shrap, and Zuke.
- Ambiguously Human: Similar to Kreel, neither of them are either human or a Rubber-Forehead Alien.
- Cool Ship: They fly around in an Imperial Sentinel-class shuttle, customized with a red stripe down the middle of the cockpit and the viewport tinted red.
- Elite Army: They were afforded an unusual degree of autonomy, and were deployed in small squads led by a sergeant.
- Elite Mooks: Each member of the unit specialized in different tactics.
- Aero served as the squad's engineer, capable of repairing and hot-wiring vehicles for transport.
- Cav served as the squad's melee specialist, capable of attacking targets in close quarters combat.
- Mic served as the squad's slicer, capable of breaking into and decrypting enemy computer systems.
- Misty served as the squad's sniper.
- Shrap served as the squad's heavy weapons specialist, wielding a flamethrower and explosive charges.
- Zuke served as the squad's specialist in heavy weapons and explosives.
- Last but not least, Kreel served as the squad's leader and specialized in both long and close range combats.
- The Faceless: Neither of them (sans Kreel) are never seen without his/her helmet.
- Fun with Acronyms: Special Commando Advanced Recon, or SCAR Squadron for short. They seem to be successors to the Advanced Recon Commando (ARC) Troopers of the Republic.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: The aforementioned names are just nicknames, as Stormtroopers aren't typically known by their real names. Kreel is the only one whose real name is known, and even he's better known as Agent 5241.
- Minor Major Character: They seem like a gimmick for the main Star Wars series, but it turns out that Crait was compromised as a rebel base because SCAR Squad found out about it, as seen in Storms of Crait.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: They are the Imperial Army's version of the Bad Batch from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and their own show being a specialized Stormtrooper squad using the same ideas. And if the physical designs of some of the characters wasn’t enough for you, the Bad Batch’s official unit designation was Clone Force 99.
Kreel
Sergeant Kreel (Agent 5241) / "The Gamemaster"
Click to see him as the Gamemaster
Appearances: Star Wars (Marvel 2015)
An undercover stormtrooper and SCAR trooper of the Galactic Empire, serving in the 501st Legion under the direct command of Darth Vader. He was assigned to infiltrate Grakkus the Hutt's organization as his arena gamemaster in order to learn about his stash of Jedi artifacts. After completing that mission, Kreel is given command of a SCAR trooper squad, Task Force 99.
- Affably Evil: A Double Subversion. As Grakkus' Gamemaster, he may be rough, but he's overall a Reasonable Authority Figure who neither sugarcoats things for Luke, nor talks down to him. Considering he lives on Nar Shaddaa, this probably makes him the best person on the moon. But it turns out he is also an Imperial Agent trying to capture Luke. Then, in Issue 21, we learn that he's a stormtrooper who truly believes that what the Empire is doing is right.
- Ambiguously Human: Unlike most stormtroopers, his face is actually seen during his tenure as Grakkus' Gamemaster. But he partially concealed his face with a hood and his skin appears to be red at some angles, so it's rather uncertain whether he's human or Rubber-Forehead Alien. While the Empire is notoriously anti-alien, they do have some working for them and Darth Vader holds no bias against them, making it possible that he is a non-human serving in Vader's personal stormtrooper unit.
- An Arm and a Leg: His second fight with Luke ends badly, as Luke uses a powerful Force-push and knocks him and several heavy ship parts across a room, where one lands on his arm. Kreel is forced to cut off his arm in order to escape the exploding ship.
- Badass Normal: He's trained in the field of martial arts that are superior to that of his fellow troopers. He also has the capacity to wield a lightsaber — something that very few non-Force-sensitives can use safely.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: Let's put it this way: he's a Stormtrooper who can not only shoot straight (his entire squad can, in fact), but is competent enough to wield a lightsaber which he uses to fight Luke Skywalker, of all people.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When he was four, Kreel watched a man die. It made him cry like a baby for a dozen more times. Two years later, Kreel watched his own father being murdered in front of him, but he did not cry. He then started to kill people and worked in the fighting pits, making them his way of life in order to survive.
- Disappeared Dad: His father was murdered when he was six years old.
- Elite Mook: He is a SCAR trooper (Special Commando Advanced Recon trooper), an elite variant of stormtroopers.
- The Faceless: Averted as the Gamemaster where he wore a hood, instead. Played straight as stormtrooper.
- In the Hood: He wears a hood during his tenure as Grakkus' Gamemaster.
- Large and in Charge: He is pretty tall and muscular, and the leader of Task Force 99. Zuke is much bigger than him, however.
- Laser Blade: He keeps a green lightsaber that he took from Grakkus' palace.
- Master Swordsman: He was given the task of training Luke Skywalker to fight in the arena, and is skilled enough with a sword that he can wield a lightsaber.
- Mook Lieutenant: He is the leader of his own elite squad of SCAR trooper, Task Force 99.
- Mook Promotion: Started his career as a stormtrooper in Darth Vader's 501st Legion. He's later promoted to be the leader of Task Force 99.
- The Musketeer: As stormtrooper, he primarily uses a blaster, only using his lightsaber for close-quarters fighting.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Saved Luke from Kongo the Disemboweler, but only because he's under Darth Vader's orders to capture Luke alive.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Boss from Star Wars: Republic Commando, as both are highly trained elite soldiers that lead specialized squads. Aside from Kreel obviously not being a clone, they also differ in that Boss saw lightsabers as outdated even during the Clone Wars, while Kreel carries one in spite of not being force sensitive, and even duels Luke Skywalker more than once.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: As the Gamemaster.
Misty
Misty
Appearances: Star Wars (Marvel 2015)
A Special Commando Advanced Recon (SCAR) trooper in Task Force 99, acting as the squad's sniper.
- All-Encompassing Mantle: Misty wears a hooded cloak that partially covers his/her torso.
- Ambiguous Gender: Misty's gender isn't specified. The name Misty, in and of itself, doesn't help.
- Ambiguously Human: Similar to Kreel, Misty is either human or a Rubber-Forehead Alien.
- Badass Boast: Upon guessing an enemy sniper's position:Kreel: Misty, if it was you, where would you be?
Misty: If it was me, you'd already all be dead. Luckily for us, rebel snipers are all rubbish.
- The Faceless: Misty is never seen without his/her helmet.
Elite Squad
In General
Elite Squad
Appearances: The Bad Batch
A squad of handpicked Imperial troopers recruited by the Empire and under Crosshair's command, tasked with eliminating rebel threats and other holdouts in the early days of the Empire.
- Anti-Mutiny: Near the end of the first season, the entire squad disregards Crosshair's orders to stand down as they'd grown suspicious of his loyalty and his relationship with his old team. It gets all of them, sans ES-02, who'd been ordered away to find Omega, killed.
- Costume Evolution: A quite literal example. The Elite Squad uses modified Phase II Clone Trooper armor rather than Stormtrooper armor, seeing as they're entered into service immediately after the Clone Wars. However, what makes it different from clones is their armor is refitted to their sizes and has dark gray paint and green visors, similar to the Death Troopers.
- Elite Mooks: It's in the name. They're a small unit of top soldiers from across the Galaxy who serve as Rampart's pet project and enforcers.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: While the squad is entirely human due to the Empire's xenophobia, the majority of the squad are people of colour, including the two women.
- If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: Their first mission to kill the entire Onderonian group for being associated with Gerrera, including the civilians. The squad, spearheaded by ES-01, protest to this horrific order and insist that they should at least arrest the civilians for questioning, only for Crosshair to kill ES-01 for disobeying orders. The rest comply to Crosshair's demands, passing the first test of becoming mindless, evil Stormtroopers.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Nastily averted. Their first mission has them kill civilians affiliated with Saw Gerrera, and almost every shot they fire ends up killing someone.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: They are only ever referred to by their callsigns.
- Predecessor Villain: They're prototypes for the Stormtroopers that will menace the Rebel Alliance throughout the original trilogy.
- The Psycho Rangers: They're the Empire's answer to Clone Force 99; uniformed, dark armored elite soldiers for special operations. However, they're comprised of conscripts and volunteers, in direct contrast to the Bad Batch who have been trained from birth, and the Elite Squad shares none of the camaraderie of their clone counterparts. And they occupy 99's old quarters that have been newly renovated.
- Unfriendly Fire: On the wrong end of this. Crosshair values his brothers in the Bad Batch more than he does his minions in the Elite Squad, and frags them to prove that his We Can Rule Together offer is genuine.
- You Are Number 6: We currently only know them by their operating number.
ES-01
ES-01
Species: Human
Voiced by: Emilio Garcia-Sanchez
Appearances: The Bad Batch
One of the initial four recruits of Project War-Mantle, ES-01 balks at serving under the command of a clone and has ambitions to take command of the squad from Crosshair.
- Dark and Troubled Past: ES-01 supports the Empire because unlike his life under the Republic, he's paid well, gets fed, and has a roof over his head. Not an uncommon motive among recruits in the Empire and the First Order — just ask Tam and Agent Tierny.
- Everybody Has Standards: ES-01 balks at Tarkin's order to kill civilians on Onderon. Too bad this gets him killed.
- Fantastic Racism: ES-01 looks down on Crosshair for being a clone and even tries to overrule his order to execute the Onderonian refugees partly on the basis that he's a clone.
- Foil: To ES-02. Both have a distrust of Crosshair, though while she's concerned about her commander's ties to his old squad, ES-01 looks down on him for being a clone and objects to killing civilians affiliated with Saw Gerrea's proto Partisans.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: ES-01 is the most vocal, is openly dismissive of clones, and doesn't see a problem killing rebels, but is horrified when Tarkin and Crosshair order him and his squadmates to execute the civilians that the rebels were helping and tries to overrule it by only turning the civilians in for questioning. Crosshair ends up killing him to show the others what happens to the disobedient.
- Make an Example of Them: When ES-01 voices against the order to execute the refugees that Saw's rebels were helping, Crosshair kills him in front of the others, both for his disobedience and having previously been chatty and dismissive of him being a clone earlier.
- Mauve Shirt: He gets a decent amount of characterization in his only episode for it to mean something when Crosshair offs him as an example to the rest of his squad.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: ES-01 doesn't care about the Empire's ideals, he just sees it as a way to have a roof over his head. When it comes to executing civilians, he's horrified and instead attempts to have him and his teammates simply arrest them for later interrogation, only for Crosshair to kill him as an example of what happens to the disobedient.
- Not What I Signed on For: On their mission to subjugate the rebellion on Onderon, ES-01 objects to killing civilians. Crosshair promptly kills him to show the others what happens when you don't follow orders.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Like many other Imperials, ES-01 says he only joined the Imperial military to make a living, not necessarily because he believes in its ideals. And when the squad discovers that their first mission isn't just to eliminate rebels, but also to execute civilians, they're reluctant until Crosshair makes an example out of the outraged ES-01.ES-01: With the Empire, I'm paid, I'm fed, and I have a roof over my head. That's more than the Republic has ever done for me.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Upon being ordered to execute the refugees that Saw's rebels were smuggling, ES-01 balks at it and suggests they only arrest them to be interrogated later. Crosshair shuts it down.
- Sacrificial Lamb: He is given the most development of the Elite Squad members in his debut episode, and is quickly killed off to show that the nascent Empire is not screwing around when it comes to their new fascist ideology.
- The Starscream: ES-01 all but states he'd rather be the one calling the shots, and starts making good on his word when Crosshair prepares to execute civilians. This earns him a blaster bolt through the chest.ES-01: Enjoy being commander, for now. We'll see how things shake out.
- Token Good Teammate: Despite being a jerk and racist to clones, he's the only recruit to openly defy the order to kill civilians simply because it's not moral. Deconstructed as that gets him executed on spot, serving as an example that no morally good person will remain on the Stormtrooper Corps for long.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Killed in the same episode he's introduced, though he has the most characterization.
- Would Not Shoot a Civilian: ES-01 vocally condemns shooting unarmed civilians and the rest of the Squad follows his lead. Crosshair rectifies that by summarily executing ES-01 and forcing the rest of the squad to finish the job.
- You Have Failed Me: Crosshair kills ES-01 to Make an Example of Them to his squadmates on what happens to soldiers that don't listen to orders.
ES-02
ES-02
Species: Human
Voiced by: Tina Huang
Appearances: The Bad Batch
Another of Rampart's initial recruits for the Elite Squad, ES-02 did not trust Crosshair.
- Ace Custom: Uses a DC-15A blaster rifle that is modified to include a scope.
- Cold Sniper: She's the Squad's marksman and a fairly proficient one at that. She's not very talkative and executes her targets with silent precision.
- Evil Counterpart: An Eviler Counterpart to Crosshair. Both are the Cold Sniper of their squads (Clone Force 99, Elite Squad), and both use rifles during missions (773 Firepuncher sniper rifle, a modified DC-15A blaster). But while Crosshair misses his old squad and wants them back despite trying to kill them, ES-02 just sees the Batch as enemies of the Empire and books it when her commander and his old squad fight off too many DT-Series Sentry droids, leaving him for dead.
- Zigzagged as she was reluctant to kill civilians on Onderon, only complying after Crosshair executed ES-01.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When she regroups with Crosshair, only to see the bodies of her squadmates littering the ground and the training room swarming with DT-Series Sentry Droids, she decides to cut her losses and run. It's because of this that she winds up being the Sole Survivor of the Elite Squad.
- Mauve Shirt: She receives some focus in "Return to Kamino" as the only Elite Trooper to become suspicious of Crosshair's motives for his old team and is later the only original member of the Squad left alive after Crosshair kills the rest.
- Properly Paranoid: After Hunter is captured and brought to Kamino to lure the rest of the Bad Batch into a trap, ES-02 voices her suspicions of Crosshair's old ties to his team to Rampart, who shares her sentiment. She later turns out to be correct when Crosshair kills the rest of his squad in a bid to recruit his brothers.
- Sole Survivor: Due to being sent to capture Omega, ES-02 is the only member of the Elite Squad to avoid being murdered by Crosshair when he attempts to convince the Bad Batch to join the Empire. Upon witnessing the aftermath, she wisely rushes to the last evacuation shuttle before Rampart destroys Tipoca City.
ES-03
ES-03
Species: Human
Voiced by: Ness Bautista
Appearances: The Bad Batch
One of Rampart's initial recruits for the Elite Squad.
- Naïve Newcomer: Shows shades of this. For instance, when arriving on Bracca, he believes that the atmosphere of the planet is interfering with their scanners, but Crosshair corrects them.Crosshair: No, you're being jammed.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Unlike the other members of the Elite Squad, he never really gets any individual development before being fragged by Crosshair.
ES-04
ES-04
Species: Human
Voiced by: Dahéli Hall
Appearances: The Bad Batch
Elite Squad's heavy weapons trooper, wielding a flamethrower, the BT X-42 heavy flame projector, into battle.
- The Brute: The strongest of the recruits who can lug around a BT X-42 heavy flame projector without hassle.
- Character Death: She, along with ES-03 and two other Elite Troopers, are killed by Crosshair when they defy his orders to stand down.
- Fire-Breathing Weapon: Her primary weapon is a BT X-42 heavy flame projector. Possibly her only weapon even, given that she uses it instead of a sidearm when executing prisoners.
- Made of Iron: She is hit by a huge proton torpedo shell thrown by Wrecker, a clone with Super-Strength, but is up and walking around without a problem a few minutes later.
- Number Two: She appears to be Crosshair's second-in-command of the squad as she's usually the one reporting to him and issuing orders to the other troopers when he's not present.
Other Stormtroopers
Crest
Lieutenant Crest
Species: Human (clone)
Homeworld: Kamino
Appearances: Tarkin
A clone trooper still in service to the Empire five years after the Clone Wars ended. He serves under Darth Vader.
- Rank Up: He starts out the story as a sergeant, and while he commits a couple of flubs early in the mission, nearly invoking the wrath of Darth Vader, he's able to redeem himself and ends the story as a lieutenant.
- Rapid Aging: Due to being a clone, he still suffers from rapid aging, and has to be at least somewhere in his forties during the timespan of Tarkin. Vader even wonders if perhaps this is affecting his skills or reaction time after he scrapes the Sith Lord's mediation chamber while loading it aboard the Carrion Spike.Darth Vader: Excuses won't suffice, Sergeant Crest, perhaps you are aging too quickly to remain on active duty.
- You Have Failed Me: Vader says this to him verbatim after he lets the Carrion Spike get stolen. Although it seems as if a Force-choke is in Crest's future, Vader postones executing him, and Crest manages to redeem himself by capturing crime lord Faazah's warehouse. For this, Vader not only spares his life but promotes him.
Torrent
Sergeant Torrent (TX-828)
Species: Human (clone)
Homeworld: Kamino
Appearances: Smuggler's Run
A clone trooper still in service to the Empire shortly after the Battle of Yavin 4. Torrent is stationed aboard the Star Destroyer Vehement and serves under the command of ISB officer Alecia Beck during her hunt for the Rebel unit known as the Shrikes.
- Old Soldier: He was among the last batch of clones bred on Kamino, which still puts him at somewhere over forty.
- Undying Loyalty: Unlike other clone troopers like Rex, Echo, Cody, and Wolffe who were disgusted by the rise of the Empire and left its service, Torrent continues to happily serve it.
Rick
Rick the Door Technician
Species: Human
Homeworld: Unknown
Voiced By: Yuri Lowenthal
Appearances: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
A scout trooper Cal Kestis initially runs into on Koboh who he can Jedi Mind Trick. Later returns as a boss.
- Aerith and Bob: Star Wars universe has always been well known for "Aerith" names. But then, there's "Rick the Door Technician", which stands out as the "Bob" amongst "Aeriths".
- Nominal Importance: Subverted. Despite having a name and a boss life bar, he is killed as easily as any stormtrooper you've encountered before.
- Pet the Dog: You can spare him by Force-Pushing him to the other side of the chasm where he fights you.
- Suicidal Overconfidence: A lone stormtrooper who fearlessly charges into battle against a Jedi. It ends as well for him as you'd expect.
- Zero-Effort Boss: Initially encountered as a no-name Stormtrooper, Rick will later confront you as a named boss. Unsurprisingly, he falls within a few hits as well.
Stormtroopers on other pages
- Commander Bragh under Anoat Sector Command
- Davin Felth under Tatooine Garrison
- Thara Nyende / SP-475 under Sullust Garrison
- DX-578, TK-626, MB-223, and TK-462 in Lothal Imperial Garrison
- TK-421 in Death Star Crew
- Wanten / TD-110 in The First Order
- Terex / TK-603 under First Order Security Bureau
- Ruthford in First Order Stormtrooper Corps
- AP-1982 and JS-1975 under Nevarro Garrison
- Denwade Banevans under Vandor Garrison
Other Forces
Army Troopers
Imperial Army Troopers
Appearances: Lords of the Sith | Solo | Andor
"Your Empire needs you! Troopers, forward!"
— Major Staz
Following the end of the Clone Wars, the planetary defense forces and local militias of the former Republic's member-states were forcibly integrated into the Imperial Army. Consisting almost exclusively of conscripts, these poor souls served as cannon fodder in the Empire's earliest conflicts before being replaced by the rapidly expanding Stormtrooper Corps, though some still existed to help Stormtroopers if needed.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear to what degree the Stormtrooper Corps replaced them. Early materials relating to them stated that they were phased out entirely, but Andor shows them still active as late as 5 BBY.
- Ascended Extra: Previously overshadowed by the more iconic Stormtroopers, the Imperial Army and its troopers receive significantly greater focus in Andor, even having Imperial Security Troopers as a variant.
- Cannon Fodder: To an even greater degree than Stormtroopers, as they were the "non-elite" troopers of the Imperial Army.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Their masks/faceplates are separated from their helmets, making them look more like one of these than Stormtroopers.
- We Have Reserves: They appear to be more expendable than even the Stormtroopers since they seem to wear even less armor than Stormtroopers.
