'Star Wars' Proves To Fans that Stormtroopers Are Way Scarier Than Realized

Ominous music plays as the stormtroopers march in. Stormtroopers or TK stormtroopers or TK troopers are the infantry soldiers of the Galactic Empire. They are easily identified by their stark white armor consisting of white plastoid plates over a black body glove along with their standard issued E-11 blaster rifle. They also wore a helmet that was easily put on and taken off. Although we never see what a stormtrooper looks like under their helmet in the original trilogy except for when Luke and Han disguised themselves as one when they boarded the first Death Star to save Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope. The stormtroopers have served the Empire since its beginning when the Clone Wars ended and the Sith Lord Darth Sidious declared himself the Galactic Emperor. They may have even taken their name from the “storm” of the galactic history.

The stormtroopers are supposed to be the elite soldiers of the Galactic Empire. They are trained and equipped for almost anything. The ruthless fighting force has committed many massacres across the galaxy as they serve the Emperor in the most important battles of the Empire.

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So how did the stormtroopers become perceived as incompetent or bumbling fodder? Heroes of the Rebel Alliance to the Resistance have always been able to overcome the stormtroopers rather easily. These soldiers seem to be not very accurate shooters. Could it be their standard-issued weapon? Perhaps it is their marksmanship fundamentals? They rarely aim using the sights to shoot. They tend to shoot from the hip resulting in their missing a large target like the Millennium Falcon. Maybe they only look bad because Darth Vader had ordered them to purposely miss so that the Millenium Falcon can escape and lead them to the Rebel base. Despite what we have seen on screen, there are some events where the stormtroopers appear as ruthless as Darth Vader.

The first time we saw the stormtroopers in action was when they annihilated the Rebel troopers aboard the Tantive IV at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope. We would later see them utterly destroy the Jawas, Uncle Owen, and Aunt Beru, leaving behind smoking remains. Our first impression of the stormtroopers was that they were a force to be feared. After all, they were an elite group of soldiers accompanying Darth Vader into the first conflict we saw on screen. Of course, the “good guys” had to win in the end. Due to plot armor, those protagonists from the Rebel Alliance to the Resistance were bound to win.

Unlike what many have seen in films and television series, stormtroopers are actually a ruthless band of brothers in combat. One such episode of this brutality is displayed in the comic series Vader’s Quest. Their search for the pilot who destroyed the Death Star led them to the Outer Rim planet of Dubrava. After the stormtroopers murdered a Rebel sympathizer in a Dubravan bar, its patron started to rise up against the Imperial aggressors. In response, the stormtroopers locked down the building and set it on fire with their flamethrowers while using their blasters to annihilate anyone who tried to escape. This is considered one of the darkest moments of Star Wars.

However, the depiction of the stormtroopers as being weak and easily defeated continues in the Star Wars saga. Even in Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian series, the stormtroopers are outmatched and outmaneuvered. Again, the fanbase wants to see the Jedis, Rebels, and Mando win. Meanwhile, the stormtroopers will continue to have their brutal moments and total massacre of innocent victims and civilians off the screen. We may get to see more of these moments as there are many more Star Wars projects to come both on the Disney+ streaming service and the big screen. The stormtroopers will continue to entertain the fanbase just as their creators continue to bring these stories to life.

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Written By Charles Cunha

Source(s): Screen Rant, Wookieepedia

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