• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

What functions do the Storm Trooper armor serve?

I believe that armor is to add signifcant wieght to the car to prevent a small tornado from lifting it up or tipping it over. As far it not stopping anything, I have seen once in the first season I think, where it survived a heck of a hail storm, the windsheild was the only thing cracked.

WHUT
 
I believe that armor is to add signifcant wieght to the car to prevent a small tornado from lifting it up or tipping it over. As far it not stopping anything, I have seen once in the first season I think, where it survived a heck of a hail storm, the windsheild was the only thing cracked.

WHUT

lolwutpl.jpg
 
My guess is this: They're Star Wars' equivalent to Star Trek's Redshirt. They're indispensable to the Empire, and they don't care if any of them get killed, therefore, the armor they have probably isn't the best that the empire has. They're able to use them in numbers because they're easy to train. Occasionally, you'll see a few with higher ranks, but that's probably only because they somehow managed to survive.

Don't think it was ever mentioned on screen but some of the books pretty much state the opposite - storm troops are valuable, are well trained and post Endor are in short supply.
 
My guess is this: They're Star Wars' equivalent to Star Trek's Redshirt. They're indispensable to the Empire, and they don't care if any of them get killed, therefore, the armor they have probably isn't the best that the empire has. They're able to use them in numbers because they're easy to train. Occasionally, you'll see a few with higher ranks, but that's probably only because they somehow managed to survive.

Don't think it was ever mentioned on screen but some of the books pretty much state the opposite - storm troops are valuable, are well trained and post Endor are in short supply.


You're most likely right. I don't reach much Star Wars fiction. As an aside, does this mean that there's a possible Redshirt extinction though? Someone must save those Redshirts! ;)
 
My guess is this: They're Star Wars' equivalent to Star Trek's Redshirt. They're indispensable to the Empire, and they don't care if any of them get killed, therefore, the armor they have probably isn't the best that the empire has. They're able to use them in numbers because they're easy to train. Occasionally, you'll see a few with higher ranks, but that's probably only because they somehow managed to survive.

Don't think it was ever mentioned on screen but some of the books pretty much state the opposite - storm troops are valuable, are well trained and post Endor are in short supply.


You're most likely right. I don't reach much Star Wars fiction. As an aside, does this mean that there's a possible Redshirt extinction though? Someone must save those Redshirts! ;)

Why do think they changed the uniform colours? :)
 
The EU thing about Stormtroopers being limited I think was based on the assumption that they were an elite force, and that the guys in the big helmets and black shirts were the 'regular' army. However, judging by the prequels, Lucas I think intended them to be the main army of the Republic/Empire.
 
The EU thing about Stormtroopers being limited I think was based on the assumption that they were an elite force, and that the guys in the big helmets and black shirts were the 'regular' army. However, judging by the prequels, Lucas I think intended them to be the main army of the Republic/Empire.

Sorry, but it is very difficult to take the storm troopers seriously after witness how inept they are in RotJ. They were poorly trained, uncoordinated, and absolutely disorganized.

SW.Republic Commando was a great game, but EU is EU.
 
the stormtroopers running out in the novels was because the Republic was killing them all and taking planets from the Empire, which was decreasing in size year-on-year, and losing Caridia and other Academy worlds didn't help.
 
Oops sry folks. I thought you were talking about Weather channels, storm trooper tank that videos tornadoes. My mistake.
 
SW.Republic Commando was a great game, but EU is EU.


Yeah, not to mention that it takes place in the Clone War era, which means things could have changed since then. It could very well be that the practice of cloning out of perfect soldiers fell out of use, perhaps because it was too expensive so that by the time ANH rolls around, the Empire is using soldiers that aren't as well trained as they should be, but as compensation maybe have larger numbers of them. Which begs the question, what exactly did happen to the clone troopers after the war was over? Is there any point of transition where the Empire starts looking more like the Empire in ANH compared to that of the Clone Wars? Everything looks so different between the two, with a few exceptions.
 
But now that I know what your talking about.
Yeah it seem that where ever you hit them with blasters the get hit and fall down. I don't think the armor serves much use other than for looking apeal.
 
the novels Order 66 and Imperial Commando: 501st partly deal with a transistion away from Kamino-produced clones and increased numbers of mongrel (IE baseline human) officers in the forces. it's also made clear that combat aside, clones have a limited life-expectancy due to the Kaminoans accelerated aging (something like 20 years in 5 calender years) of them to physical maturity.

so, by the time of ANH, nearly all the clones from the Clone Wars are dead either through combat or through aging. thus, the Imperial Army and Navy are instead reliant on either conscripts or volunteers from the human populace. and since they didn't spend the first five years of their lives being drilled in tactics, combat and live-fire exercises, they aren't as good.
 
Regarding Imperial Stormtrooper marksmanship: is everyone forgetting Tarkin let the gang escape so he could follow them back to the rebel base? Leia even mentioned that it was "too easy." The Stormtroopers were ordered to shoot everything but the fleeing rebels.
 
the novels Order 66 and Imperial Commando: 501st partly deal with a transistion away from Kamino-produced clones and increased numbers of mongrel (IE baseline human) officers in the forces. it's also made clear that combat aside, clones have a limited life-expectancy due to the Kaminoans accelerated aging (something like 20 years in 5 calender years) of them to physical maturity.

so, by the time of ANH, nearly all the clones from the Clone Wars are dead either through combat or through aging. thus, the Imperial Army and Navy are instead reliant on either conscripts or volunteers from the human populace. and since they didn't spend the first five years of their lives being drilled in tactics, combat and live-fire exercises, they aren't as good.


Ahh, I see. If that's the case, I think it would be pretty interesting to see a story where a clone tries to reverse his aging process.
 
that was the main background plot to the Republic Commando series and IC: 501st. the commandos' training sergeant, Kal Skirata (a Mando bounty hunter brought in by Jango to aid in training the clones) tries to find out how to extend clone lifetmes.

unfortunately, the author fell out with the publishers and Lucas Licensing over development of the Mandos in the Clone Wars toon and quit. i believe there were other issues involved as well.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top