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Summary
Star Wars ' Imperial Stoormtroopers have devolved from frightening villain to little more than funny reliever in some canon stories . Stormtroopers were introduced at the source of the firstStar Warsmovie ( afterward retitledA New Hope ) , andthey were swiftly lay down as a deadly fighting effect for the tyrannous totalitarian Empire . Looking beyond the main Skywalker saga , both Legends and canyon have depicted stormtroopers inconsistently , with some floor maintaining their scourge level while others portray them as hapless shank fodder .
While theStar Warscanon and Legends continuities differ as far as the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps ’ location within the Imperial Military , both timelines establish the armored soldier as an elect fighting force . In their original legend embodiment , the Stormtroopers Corps were a specialised branch of the Imperial Military , answering directly to Emperor Palpatine himself and being fanatically fast to him . The current canon stool the Stormtrooper Corps a sub - division of the Imperial Army , but maintainsthey are far more pernicious than typical troops in the Imperial Army . Not allStar Warscontent agrees , though .
Star Wars canon embrace several stormtrooper variants , but some are more baleful to the rebels and more of a citation to the Empire .
A New Hope Portrayed Stormtroopers As Dangerous
A New Hope
A New Hope(initially known but asStar Wars ) shows stormtroopers easily pass over out the Tantive IV ’s contingent of Rebel Troopers ( who are armed with armour - piercing blasters ) with few casualties of their own . The remorseless viciousness of the Empire ’s elect soldier is shown to horrific effectlater on when a stormtrooper unit kill an intact Sandcrawler ’s worth of Jawas , afterwards gun down Luke Skywalker ’s Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru to hide their track . The disengagement easily take over Mos Eisley Spaceport , a severe haven for the reprehensible Hell . It is only aboard the Death Star that the stormtroopers seem less lowering .
The Imperial Stormtroopers abruptly become bafflingly pitiable marksmen during their shootouts with Luke , Leia , Han , and Chewbacca , leading spectator to mock their slowness as soldier . What looker are forget , though , is that dialogue between Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin confirm the Empire wanted the intruders to escape - to take them to the rebel base on Yavin IV . It ’s logical to assumethe stormtroopers intentionally miss their targets , allowing the Rebels to escape and lead the Empire to their hidden fortress . While perhaps outlandishly macabre , pass on the many stormtrooper fatality in the shootouts , the theory is consistent with the stormtroopers ’ overzealous idolatry to the Empire .
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Why Star Wars Fans Forgot How Dangerous Stormtroopers Really Are
The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi
Looking beyondA New Hope , Imperial Stormtroopers are treated as genuinely jeopardize inThe Empire Strikes Back ; Han , Leia , Chewbacca , and C-3PO only surviving their encounter with the soldiers on Hoth due to the Millenium Falcon ’s durable hull and hidden blaster cannon . On Bespin , stormtroopers overlook the heroes in their firefights but they were only using suppressing fire against Luke Skywalker . The other heroes are constantly on the running play from the trooper , taking cover and stalling them until they can flee Cloud City in the Millennium Falcon . There ’s a true sentiency of threat , and the Rebel evasion is venial .
Return of the Jedi , unluckily , dealt a major blow to the reputation of Imperial Stormtroopers . During the Battle of Endor , stormtroopers were infamously strike down by Ewoks , who used bows and arrows , spears , rocks , or their spare paws to kill or incapacitate the soldier . While understandably baffling for some viewers , the Ewoks ’ triumph makes sense , go byStar Warslore . In - universe , Ewoks are extremely physically strong , so much so that they can whelm their large human opponents with ease , even with simple munition . The Ewoks also knew their environment far better and repurposed Gorax traps for use against Imperial AT - ST Zimmer .
Stormtroopers have been portrayed as comical relief in most canyon properties , but is Andor ’s more redoubtable delineation more accurate to Lucas ' vision ?
The Best Star Wars Writers Have Always Shown Them As A Powerful Force
Survivor’s Quest, Vader’s Quest, & Andor
Even afterReturn of the Jedi , Imperial Stormtroopers ought to be impersonate as a dreadful and remorseless force of oppressiveness , and most Legends - geological era oeuvre did exactly this . Darko Macan and Dave Gibbons ’s 1999 comic seriesVader ’s Questportrays the Empire ’s elite soldiers likewise toA New Hope , stimulate them torch a bar full of civilian on Dubrava and blasting anyone who tries to fly the coop . Timothy Zahn ’s novelsHeir to the EmpireandSurvivor ’s Questare particularly noteworthy , showcasing the gauzy efficiency of little squads of stormtroopers . Under the leading ofGrand Admiral Thrawn , low squads of stormtroopers room New Republic capital ship and commandeer them with ease .
InSurvivor ’s Quest , a small group of stormtroopers defeat an overwhelming act of exotic warrior from a wash known as the Vagaari . All though the Vagaari were equipped with underpowered blaster , they are battle - hardened warrior by culture with numeric superiority , not to mention the fact that weak chargeman will finally deflate Stormtrooper armor with enough unmediated hits . In the currentStar Warscanon , work likeRogue One : A Star Wars Storyand its Disney+ prequel series , Andor , also describe stormtroopers as real threats to the heroes . InAndor , Lieutenant Gorn observe that Taramyn Barcona is a former stormtrooper , explaining why his field and fighting accomplishment were beyond those of a typical Imperial Army Trooper .
Imperial stormtroopers are fully armored , yet seem to die pretty easily in the Star Wars films - does their armor actually protect them from anything ?
How Fandom’s Stormtrooper Mistakes Are Making Their Way Into Canon
The Mandalorian
As the years have pass , though , a generation ofStar Warsfans - who bought into the melodic theme of stormtroopers as laughable - have become the current writers and showrunners . Consequently , some canon and Legends materials poke fun at the sensing of Stormtroopers being poor marksmen , but by far the worst wrongdoer isThe Mandalorian . Throughout the series , stormtroopers are depicted as really incompetent soldier who could hardly be considered threatening to Din Djarin and his allies , even without protective beskar armor . In one illustrious try at drollery , a pair of Scout Troopers spend several minute trying to boom a transmitter , lose every shot . Din Djarin and Migs Mayfeld remark the reputation of piteous Stormtrooper marksmanship , with the latter insinuating the Imperial Army is superior .
CurrentStar Warscanon properties likeThe Mandalorianare , unluckily , taking viewer misconceptions and running gags , which are harmless out of universe , and canonizing them . Not only does this fail to align newerStar Warsproperties with the original movies , butit also adulterate the effectiveness of stormtroopers as antagonist . When stormtroopers are portrayed as extremely skilled and remorselessly brutal minion of a totalitarian authorities , it makes the Rebels ’ victories far more square , something that many of theStar Warsfranchise ’s best attribute understood .
