Why Imperial Army Troopers are Vital to the Success of the Empire

The Imperial Army Trooper is one of the most underrated assets in the Galactic Empire. Without them the empire would fall in months. In many ways they were far more important than the Stormtrooper Corp.
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[@BOABModels]

I think part of the reason Stormtroopers have been used as the main villainous fighting force for a filmmaker's point of view, is that it's easier for the audience to wipe out a faceless battalion of drones than soldiers with expressions of fear or anger. Clones were often shown with their helmets off to humanise them whereas stormtroopers are the exact opposite.

[@owenwilliams9746]

I think thats why andor is so good, is that we finally have the opposite of this. often in andor the imperial aren't wearing any helmets, and we see their full range of emotions. The only time we do see them wearing helmets that comes to mind is when the shoretrooper arrests cassian. Which makes sense because its a faceless enforcer that arrests him, not a human being.

[@BOABModels]

@@owenwilliams9746 definitely!

[@lukedalton]

Plus (always from the filmaker pov), masked extra can be used and reused easily

[@anenemystand5582]

Also they're just iconic.

[@magmapixel8627]

@@owenwilliams9746 it’s also worth noting how overqualified a shoretrooper is for that position. Having a shoretrooper and KX droids stationed there is like having the US marines as mall cops. It’s a small detail that shows just how far the Empire will go to maintain order.

[@rovelfox7832]

My head canon is that the Stormtroopers started off as being rarer and more elite, but as tensions and conflict kept escalating and the demand for more stormtroopers rose, the quality quickly dropped as they cut corners in the training and rapidly sent out green units into unfavourable circumstances. Stormtroopers before Yavin were significantly better trained than stormtroopers after Yavin IMO

[@davydovua]

That also correlates with the lore where some half a million of the oldest and best veteran stormtroopers were blown up together with the first Death Star during the battle of Yavin, including more thanhalf of the 501st legion

[@PpAirO5]

Agree.

[@jackrutledgegoembel5896]

except in Star Wars Rebels, because Zeb produces an alien pheromone that interacts with stormtrooper rebreathers to turn them into cartoonishly stupid goofballs that can't hit anything. Haha

[@darkhorse3535]

The first scene of A New Hope shows how accurate stormtroopers really are, they take minimal casualties while coming through a choke point and still decimated the rebels. EC Henry has a video on this.

[@BryceByerley]

very true...The trouble they run into is that e-11s don't have the power to blast through plot armor.

[@darkhorse3535]

@@BryceByerley yep

[@lukedalton]

they fought few guards that are also lightly armed (all the rebels have guns and flank jacket) while the Stormtroopers come out in full armor and heavy weapons; honestly it's not that epic martial feat

[@DronePhotography-yh5kr]

@@lukedalton Rewatch the scene. There were over a dozen rebels, armed with weapons similar to the stormtrooper E-11, and they where holding a hallway, which acted as a fantastic chokepoint. They also were hiding behind small barricades and stuff. Around a dozen stormtroopers came out of the hole in the ceiling and where able to eliminate all rebels with one or two casualties in the span of 60 seconds. Pretty epic and elite if you ask me.

[@vinz4066]

Stormtroopers are Always very effective except when they Go Up against Main Charakters.

[@dogloversrule8476]

Another reason why we see Stormtroopers so often is because most Star Wars media happens on either rebel hotspots, key imperial installations, or whatever the 501st legion and Vader are. Until Andor, we never really got a good look at what non hotspots or key installations were like troop wise. Also, you might notice that when the ISB decides to put the squeeze on Ferrix they send in Stormtroopers

[@tompearce5418]

Stormtroopers are basically sent headlong into conflict zones while the Imperial Army are a police force everywhere else.

[@TheWarmachine375]

At least the Imperial Army soldiers don't have bad luck of being constant chewtoys to the main protagonists and the Rebels compared with the Stormtroopers.

[@paddyskywalkershow34]

True the stormtroopers were the good guys and the rebels made things worse for them

[@macekreislahomes1690]

Your both right. Below is my take on it as a Clone Wars Veteran helping to unite both sides. Long live The Republic. "Republic, Empire, What's the difference?" (Edit: first thing in the morning. So I corrected the formatting, wording, and spaceing between paragraphs. Sorry about the editing and basically an essay like explaision.) Storm Troopers were fighting under the wrong cammand at least at the top, on the mostly right side, mostly for the right, or good reasons, a huge chew toy, and escape goat especially by The Force. They really needed atleast Durasteel Armour,more than their Clone Trooper predecessors for any legitimate hope of survival with maxed out bad luck immediately after leaving Boot Camp. The Rebels were mostly on the wrong side, fighting for the right reasons, favored by The Force usually, with the right cammand at the top. The Rebel Military needed what the Impirial Military had. The Inpirial Military needed what they had and what the Republic Military and Defense Forces had. If they worked together, they could have had Democratic freedom and proper representation, with proper checks and balances, order, and lasted at least a millenia.

[@SpacenoidCentral]

And yet it should be the other way around. The Imperial Army Troopers were the lesser soldiers of the Empire while the Stormtroopers were the Elite Infantry. But I guess disney doesn't see it that way, and they just use the stormtroopers as jokes because they have more iconic designs

[@jayjyuri8796]

@@paddyskywalkershow34 I don’t know about good guys but the rebels did make things bad for them

[@YokaiX]

@@macekreislahomes1690democracy? In a fascist, imperial, imperialist, colonialist, regime?

[@VideoHitz2023]

I always thought that the Stormtroopers WERE the regular army, because that’s all we ever saw in the movies. The other ones with the black helmets and suits were more like security guards or support personnel.

[@Arystanbek98]

Black helmet and suits are imperial navy troopers

[@VideoHitz2023]

@hismhs I think the black uniformed Navy Troopers were supposed to be the security and naval support forces, whereas the Stormtroopers were the regular ground combat units, unless I am mistaken.

[@Prophetofthe8thLegion]

@@VideoHitz2023the stormtroopers are the empires equivalent of U.S. Marines.

[@rcbmmines4579]

Speaking of Timothy Zahn, when he did use stormtroopers, they were portrayed as incredibly competent elite soldiers. The 501st legion first appeared in Survivor’s quest and a handful of them were quite impressive compared to their on screen counterparts.

[@clothar23]

It's worth noting the 501st maintained a relatively high number of clone troopers. Who were in every single way the superior of any enlisted or drafted Stormtrooper. It was only the attrition of combat and their accelerated aging that saw the 501st become less Clones and more stock Stormtroopers. And even then they still maintained the same sort of training regime the Clones had.

[@rcbmmines4579]

@@clothar23 yes true but this was before the 501st was established to have been a clone legion, it was their first appearance on paper and it established all Stormtroopers to be on that comparable level. Battlefront II classic and Revenge of the Sith were still a few years away from showing its clone trooper origins. The former also implies no clones were left after Hoth.

[@phantomsanic3604]

@@rcbmmines4579 I always assumed that the Clone narrator in Battlefront 2 Classic was able to finally retire after the Battle of Hoth and that's why the missions end at that point.

[@rcbmmines4579]

@@phantomsanic3604 My thoughts exactly. Pretty sure that was the implication as well. Really, Survivor's Quest is decades ahead of when the clones should still be able to act as soldiers with their accelerated aging, so the Stormtroopers there couldn't have included clones.

[@shawnmika9275]

Part of me suspects they chose a much more "casual" look for the Imperial army uniform on Aldahni simply to eliminate the helmet and allow the actors faces to be seen. However, I love the way it turned out and makes complete sense, that, in these outlying areas, having stormtroopers is unnecessary. I only wish they had used a more dressed down version of the shoretrooper, like the transport trooper, only in brown, with a shoretrooper helmet, for a police force, that picked up Andor.

[@Spectacular_Insanity]

No, their uniforms are accurate. Think of General Veers. He’s an officer commanding an Imperial Army Regiment. He had stormtroopers under his command but he himself was Army. And his uniform was typical of the Imperial Army units.

[@dervis621]

I think imperial army trooper was created by West End Games for the Star Wars role playing game in the '80-90. They created an incredible amount of Star Wars material and a lot of them were used in books and comics.

[@eddapultstab2078]

The armor shown in solo is a BDU or battle dress uniform. It's an outfit and ensemble designed specifically for use in campaign, i.e. going to war zone or occupation zone. The way a military dress displays what a unit is expecting to face on a regular basis. Even the US military does not stand guard at the white house kitted out like they were going to iraq or Afghanistan, they wear and operate in their standard dress uniforms. This is important because it shows that the imperials on that one planet did not even have to worry about piracy or insurgency so it was unnecessary to be on a constant battle readiness.

[@jackrutledgegoembel5896]

@@eddapultstab2078 I love how realistically Andor portrays the Imperial Army. You see the have battle uniforms that differ from their standard utility fatigues that they wear when they're painting walls in their base, for example.

[@chickenlegend8039]

Imperial army is underrated, but it begs the question, what if the roles of stormtrooper and imperial army were reversed?

[@paddyskywalkershow34]

I agree with you

[@jacobhuff3748]

I would say things would have escalated quickly with the stormtroopers routinely creating situations that the rebels could exploit for recruitment

[@MrDibara]

@@jacobhuff3748 "PEACE THROUGH POWER!!" 🔥 "And that is why I joined GDI. *Nope."*

[@generalyoda8325]

I think the empire would have won. (Clone troopers in the early phase plus if all the stormtroopers were trained by clones they would do 10 times better)

[@paddyskywalkershow34]

@@generalyoda8325 what if the empire won with normal people and best clone troopers to stop the galactic Clive War

[@lolmeme69_]

I honestly like the look of the Imperial Army trooper more too. It's got this very WW1-ish vibe that I just love.

[@torg2126]

I think that the Imperial Army looks like the Imperial Guard from 40k.

[@porky8278]

@@torg2126 they got those similar helmets and the 90s US field goggles used in the Gulf War which is also used in 40k

[@porky8278]

@Denise Bond Why are you doing ... after every other sentance

[@dianabarnett6886]

@@torg2126 That battle scene on Mimban could have been ripped right out of 40k.

[@Prophetofthe8thLegion]

They look more ww2 to me. Specifically they remind me of the Wehrmacht.

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

The Imperial Army sounds like the place the Empire uses to promote careers while the Stormie's are for enforcement.

[@weldonwin]

Stormtroopers are basically the SS, a political army that is recruited and trained based on ideology, rather than practicality. Hell, there were even considerations in their recruitment, to genetic purity

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

@@weldonwin indeed, "too tall for a Stormtrooper" from the SW Aftermath novels comes to mind.

[@bugfisch7012]

I guess, their military value is limited. I would compare em with the Waffen SS - an elite image, but as ideolic fanatics, they aren't too professional on a military point of view, will act... brave? - but stupid in a lot of cases. Like in NS-Germany, the Stormtroopers are the propagandistic ideal of the fanatics. And the Army was the place for the serious shit ;)

[@weldonwin]

@@luisemoralesfalcon4716 The too tall thing, does make some sense if you consider that their armour is mass produced and one-size-fits-all

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

@@weldonwin so true.

[@literallyjesusbehindbars]

I always thought of the Stormtroopers as the Marines of the Empire, vs the imperial army which is just the army

[@RETOKSQUID]

More like the SS in theory.

[@carsonm7292]

@@RETOKSQUID My impression is a mixture of both. They are fanatical and "elite" political troops loyal to the head of state like the SS, and also are the Empire's primary "amphibious" force projector like marines.

[@zacharysheetz3701]

I like seeing more imperial army because it can hype the stormtroopers. When they do show up, everyone realizes that shit has hit the fan. Having enemies with understood levels of difficulty can be a way to set tension. It's also why I wish G. Lucas had done more with Boba Fett, like he originally intended. Boba Fett would be that obstacle that Luke should loose badly to in the beginning. That way you can see his growth when he defeats him later. Imagine if they had to fight and run from Boba Fett in Mos Eisley in New Hope.

[@littlekong7685]

I really hope they show a strong rebel force decimating imperial troopers, only to themselves get decimated by a handful of stormtroopers with vehicle support. Show them as the terrifying war machines the in universe propaganda shows.

[@brianhanes5413]

Honestly, they can fix that by just making a TCW style OT show. I'm baffled they haven't done that yet. Some of the legends and canon comics were really good. I saw a fight between Chewbacca and Dengar that was sick. I'd love to see that on tv as well as Boosk vs Chewie. Another great fight is Han and Chewie vs Boba. As well as IG-88 vs Luke and Han.

[@atwcat9370]

@@littlekong7685 The whole point is that they are not the terrifying war machines the in universe propaganda says they are, though?

[@BOOTYMANTHAGOAT]

​@@atwcat9370 but they are. That's the thing lol

[@stephenphillips6456]

Stormtroopers were very accurate shooters until Palpatine, in an effort to cut costs, eliminated their vision plan.

[@jayvhoncalma3458]

So the scopes they had on their blasters was really useless then?

[@harukrentz435]

I always loved the joke about how cheap the empire was...

[@PpAirO5]

@@jayvhoncalma3458.. 😄 I always thought it was stupid how they didn't use the scope and the collapsing stock for better and steadier aim. And they're supposed to be elite soldiers.

[@stork_jogin]

They would be able to aim, if the armor on their Upper arm didn't Force them to hip fire everything

[@johnmccarron7066]

I think when considering the Stormtroopers in terms of the many Nazi Germany parallels that the Empire has, it's best to think of them as the parallel of the Waffen-SS; in other, words a private army to the ruling party separate from the official army. The Waffen-SS also had a reputation for being an elite fighting force, but that doesn't necessarily mean a well-trained one. They were, however, very well supplied when compared to the Wermacht, And also absolutely fanatical in their devotion to the regime (which translates into both a willingness to commit atrocities, and a willingness to fight on in situations that would otherwise be unwinnable). It helps to explain why the storm troopers as an 'elite fighting force' can be everywhere, not necessarily display a better level of training than, say, Rebel commandos, and continue to fight on despite atrocious casualties. A modern parallel would be the 'Republican Guards' you see many Arab Baathist states utilize. Functionally speaking, they aren't too different from a modern will equipped and well trained military force, which doesn't necessarily make them elite on the world stage, But it does make them superior to the rest of that nation's army. That's because their primary purpose isn't necessarily fighting outside threats, but propping up the regime against potential interior threats.

[@m60pattoncovidiot29]

Or they could be compared to the actual stormtroopers of the WW1 Germany

[@justindunlap1235]

It also seems like they would make a good insurance plan in case some mof or admiral decides to attempt a coup using the resources under their command.

[@bugfisch7012]

​@@m60pattoncovidiot29 No, only the name is. The actual "Sturmtruppen" were regular soldiers fighting with special tactics. The Waffen-SS is closer to it, in the means, that they are more an elite-force of political soldiers in propaganda, not in battlefield. As far is I know, the term "Sturmtruppen" wasn't even an as dramatic thing in Germany at all. Civilians wouldn't have any idea what this is about. As as "Blitzkrieg" was a term in the english-speaking world, but not in Germany.

[@m60pattoncovidiot29]

@@bugfisch7012 the stormtroopers are not political officers

[@MotoroidARFC]

@@m60pattoncovidiot29 they were supposed to be fanatically loyal to Palpatine and enforced his will sort of like the SS did for that Austrian. Yes, they were not like a zampolit in the Soviet military as that wasn't their job.

[@ARCtrooper65]

From my understanding, in the current canon, Stormtroopers are used as the Imperial Main Military, the Imp Army is for things like ground officers, vehicle drivers, and some trooper types, like Mudtroopers

[@farissbenrix7413]

I am happy, they bring us much more of Imperial Army Troopers .

[@wood9557]

Let's hope so

[@FastTquick]

I’m really proud at how Lucasfilm revived the Imperial Army Trooper for Canon. In Legends, IATs were barely a footnote in the universe. In Canon, they are cast in places where they would make the most sense for enforcing the rule of the Empire. As much as I have issues with the new canon, the IATs are definitely one of its few bright spots.

[@indianajones4321]

The Imperial Army deserves more respect

[@icephoenix5466]

They just need to hit shots ;)))))

[@Cirkle97]

Imperial Army by far, always liked the look of Colonel Starck and General Veers so much more than the stormtroopers. It always made more sense and I appreciate seeing more Imperial Army coverage with these newer series, humanize what we thought were all evil people just following mindless orders.

[@der_globetrotter4198]

It would be nice for Andor S2 to dive deeper into the Stormtrooper vs Army vs Isb-rivalries within the Empire (which could also lead to new plot dynamics beyond the simple good vs. bad-pattern of traditional Star Wars)

[@jbark678]

Interdepartmental conflict is one of the big risks with hyper-centralization

[@basabromander2778]

I feel it makes sense that we've seen mostly storm troopers so far. The stories typically focus on pivotal battles with pivotal characters involved, so the presence of elite troops makes sense. It further makes sense that in Andor, the ost down to earth series so far, the army plays a more visible role

[@matthewy2j]

Reminds me of the Late Roman Army, where the army was split between the Limitanei (Garrison, stationary) vs the Comitatenses (Mobile field armies).

[@1337penguinman]

History has shown time and again the most effective armies are ones where the individual soldier is competent and encouraged to take their own initiative.

[@imissnewspapers]

Besides the new novels, look the West End Games Imperial Sourcebook as well. I have nothing but LOVE, admiration & full appreciation of Timothy Zhan’s works ~ let’s give credit where credit is due. I worked at West End Games when we created the Star Wars Roleplaying game and Mr. Zhan pulled heavily from our work & material in our sourcebooks. We had sent his publishers & agents all the our world (galaxy) building - and at times we would get faxes (it was the 90s) with several questions (like what was the name of the Imperial Capital) - of course when Mr. Zhan’s Heir to The Empire came out we felt that all our work now was “official” and fully Canonized. So many thanks to him as well.

[@johnhutton8927]

I loved the West End Books. The source books are incredible. Rebel & Imperial Special Forces. The Rebel Special Operations groups. Love them all.

[@user-yq9im9dk9z]

Did WEG come up with Coruscant name or Timothy Zahn?

[@imissnewspapers]

Coruscant was on a list of possible names for the Imperial Capital / Center. Timothy Zhan was the first to use it and it became fully Canon with The Phantom Menace.

[@JE-zl6uy]

The Storm Troopers have good aim... Remember in A New Hope the rescue operation was a damn Trap. It was done so that Vadar could track Leah to the Rebel Base, which is what they were looking for the entire film

[@noalowenstein6741]

I like how the material of the uniform changes depending on the locale so, on Aldhani which is pretty cold, the uniform is made of wool (possibly even locally sourced) rather than the normal cotton

[@adamboyd1132]

I've long thought that the Stormtroopers were part of the Tarquin Doctrine, where being scary was more important than being combat effective.

[@Kingofthepnwdorks]

As I understood it stormtroopers didn’t need to be nearly as effective considering most battles were won with air and armored warfare against essentially disorganized small insurgencies; at least until the rebellion organized better. Not to mention initial runs of stormtroopers were still clones until they decided to no longer have new runs of clones, making them later less effective as they died or aged out.

[@motherteresa8418]

Obi Wans frame of reference for imperial troopers were clones troopers. Who sew their replacements as inferior

[@SSJRadioBluth]

Considering the Storm Troopers were told by Vader to let the Millennium Falcon escape with Leia in order to find the rebel base. Then they come in mowing on Hoth. Cloud City is a trap, they had no intention on killing Luke. They easily capture Three Of the top officers in the Rebellion on the forest moon of Endor. They're not incompetent. Just whim to whatever their commanding officer is feeling that day. It makes them ineffective but they broke through into Hoth with very little support against the full ground force of the Rebel Alliance. Since the Walkers were rendered useless pretty quick. In the few battles they participate in together the Storm Troopers usually show better success.

[@Justicar333]

I think they each have their own role to play. The Imperial army troopers are as you said, the rank and file military grunts. They operate much like any conventional infantry heavy combined arms force. The Storm Troopers appear to be more of an assault corps, something like the American Marine Corp. While they do get used for a variety of functions, at heart they are a more highly trained force meant to serve in combination with naval assets and making ship to target assaults. And we see them excel at this in the film. The white armor actually makes sense in ship combat as ships are predominantly white interiors in the setting. Their weapons look to be a type of smaller carbine, not great for open combat but very effective for saturation of and use in tight ship corridors. Because they look impressive they became the ideal candidates to be the face of the Imperial might. But a lot of roles they got squeezed into were not really what they were best for.

[@techno6467]

I just thought of stormtroopers as sort of marines They focus on close-minded combat and battle, while Army was focused on a more open-eyed idea of warfare, setting up bases, taking care of the actual citizens, etc.

[@paddyskywalkershow34]

Stormtroopers at the good point while there was peace in the galaxy

[@anti5091]

I've always enjoyed the Imperial Army far more than any of the other aspects of the Empire. It's something about the common man being with a bunch of other dudes who are there for various reasons... a lot more like our troops today.

[@biokido575]

aren’t the storm troopers just an expeditionary force like the american marines? It’s in the nameSTORM trooper.

[@anthonyrhodes8042]

They're more like the Waffen SS

[@elpinguinovolador4114]

@@anthonyrhodes8042 in fact they are a mixed concept since they work literally as enforcers for the navy.

[@Colombiarican31]

Them helmets made them miss alot. Capt Rex couldnt shoot with it on when he and Kanan Jarrus went to save Ezra. We see that same joke again in the Mandolarian when those two troopers that captured Grogu in season 1.

[@MotoroidARFC]

Those scout helmets have better fields of vision than the stormtrooper helmets just by looking at the visor. If they're electronically enhanced (which would be necessary for the stormtrooper helmets) there is no excuse for the poor shooting. The pistols those scouts had could've been at fault since the bolt missed even when they pointed them at the targets. Poor manufacturing or poor maintenance or both. The stormtroopers seem to hit their targets when the story has them shoot characters with no plot armor.

[@Colombiarican31]

@@MotoroidARFC i have to give to ur point...since the empire did look at quantity over quality.

[@ArcticWolf00Alpha0]

Lets be real, the only reason stormtroopers are idiots is because the SW writers aren't smart enough to make them an actual threat.

[@motherteresa8418]

Red letter media said he no idea these guys were clones they even small talk with each other. But now. The clones actually small talked more then the Stormtroopers

[@TheGhettoGinger]

Unit Cohesion is immensely important on and off the battlefield. Sun Tzu said, regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. There is no nobler cause than to fight for those who will lay down their life for you.

[@HolyknightVader999]

8:30 Uh, Alan, have you seen the Battle of Hoth? Or looked at the EU lore surrounding it? The Stormtrooper units there used large numbers of soldiers and combined arms tactics. They rode in on AT-ATs which acted as both transports and heavy artillery, they had AT-STs as ground support along with some Stormtrooper infantry units, and when the shield went down, TIE Fighters, Interceptors, and Bombers descended from the skies to attack the fleeing rebel transports. The 501st Legion even positioned a Star Destroyer to bomb some rebel transports about to take off. In Endor, they had AT-STs and speeder bike scouts backing them up. And in most battlefields where they could use them, they used AT-STs, AT-ATs, other models of hovertanks and walkers, speeders, TIEs for air support, and the occasional Star Destroyer bombing hard targets to weaken the enemy. Stormtroopers have been using combined arms tactics whenever they were in the open. Hell, just boot up the Force Unleashed, and look at the Imperial Felucia and Imperial Raxus Prime levels; they had AT-STs and Dark Troopers backing up regular Stormtrooper units. Stormtroopers have been using combined arms tactics all over the films and the EU, Alan. To say otherwise is to show one's complete ignorance of most of SW lore. 8:38 An argument made in ignorance. Stormtroopers are usually getting ready to fight all the time, whereas the Imperial Army troopers usually get lazy guarding some post instead of going off to where the rebels or the enemy are at. If you've got two units, and one is constantly fighting while the other is just sitting on their ass guarding a place that's secure, then in terms of military culture, the former is going to be better than the latter. The former is primed and ready to fight whenever and wherever the Empire needs them, the latter just sits around guarding something safe 90% of the time. When they do see action, they're not the ones charging into the jaws of hell-the Stormtroopers do that. So of course, a better military culture goes to the unit that is always ready to fight at the drop of a hat, not the unit that typically acts like mall cops 90% of the time. "Imperial command assigns Stormtroopers wherever they are needed to crush resistance and neutralize opposition to the will of the Emperor. They are totally loyal and cannot be bribed, seduced or blackmailed into betraying the New Order. They live in a totally disciplined militaristic world where obedience is paramount and the will of the Empire is unquestioned." (Imperial Sourcebook, page 46) 9:00 Palpatine IS the Empire, Alan. The man in charge, the Emperor, is the one thing who keeps it all running. Without the Emperor, what is the Empire? A gaggle of self-important yahoos with guns who go on power trips. With the Emperor, they're an army with a purpose and a leader. Without the Emperor and his loyal assistants (Vader, Tarkin, the Stormtroopers) the Empire would just be a thousand different armies pretending to fight under the same banner, but are just loyal to their local commanders, generals, governors, or admirals, which is a bad thing for the average Imperial citizen and for everyone involved save for the Rebels. You'll just repeat the same mistake the Old Republic did, except now, the local powers have bigger guns and no Jedi to police them. Also, the Emperor does want his men to finish their missions. Unlike 40K, the Star Wars Empire can understand a commander who makes a tactical retreat if things go haywire. Captain Sarkli, a high-ranking Storm Commando, performed missions for the Empire, some successful, some not. Sometimes he wins, other times he retreats or leaves, but the Emperor kept using him and noted his resourcefulness. He was never demoted, and he spent his last days fighting the rebels on Endor. The Sith only execute you for failure, but if it's a failure wrought by things outside your control, they won't kill you. This is why Admiral Ozzel died and Admiral Piett remained alive. 9:17 Stormtroopers aren't sent against the enemy blindly, Alan. We see in the Mandalorian that they are allowed to retreat if things got too hot (like with them fighting against Boba Fett and Din Djarin; the commander realized all was lost and decided to retreat back to the dropship). This isn't the Imperium where you have a commissar behind you, ready to gun you down if you didn't follow suicidal orders to the letter. 9:44 9:58 Also, it is important to keep communications to a minimum in combat situations, because A) the enemy could be spying on you and B) you need to be ready for combat situations that can happen anytime. So you can't just hobnob with the commander all the time and waste his time when the enemy could be near. And during downtime, Stormtroopers socialize and get together like any other military unit. It also makes sense to not let the men get too attached to each other, because they can die anytime and relationships between soldiers could be complicated by that. What if one trooper dies, and his pal goes on a Rambo-style killing spree that gets him killed, too? Soldiers have to not let that get to their heads, because they accept the possibility of death when they put on the uniform. Hence why the Stormtroopers in the OT, when not fighting the heroes, tend to be very effective, since they react to the death of their comrades with barely a glance, and they keep on pushing through and fighting, which is what they're supposed to do. If they lose their focus due to the death of a friend, it can affect them and the unit negatively. There have been stories of American snipers going up against insurgents, only to see the one insurgent lose control and start going on Rambo-style shooting sprees because they lost a friend, which made them easier to pick off. Also, Stormtroopers do sometimes blow off......during their after-hours when they're not in uniform. During Kyle Katarn's stint as a Stormtrooper, his life wasn't half-bad. He and his friends celebrate their victories, and even higher-ranking personnel recognize them for their sacrifice and prowess in battle. They're the upper crust of the Empire's forces, and the Empire treats them that way. They probably not only get higher pay and better weapons (E-10 sucks compared to the E-11) but they can also party around when off duty, and they get praised by their officers if they do well. They can party hard just like the rest, just not when they're on duty, which is better, since if an army starts goofing off or playing cards when they're supposed to be guarding a place, that will spell trouble and would probably make it easy for the enemy to kill them. Like when the Hessians celebrated Christmas during the American Revolution, and the Americans came in and attacked them. 10:51 Stormtroopers in Tantive IV did rather well. And we see in other media that they can use cover, lay traps, and not be idiots in battle. Again, in the OT, when they're not getting ambushed by Ewoks or going up against the main heroes, they do reasonably well against the enemy, hence why Garm Bel Iblis didn't join the Alliance proper during the events of the OT, because nine times out of ten, the Stormtroopers were kicking their teeth in.

[@alegsb3943]

Damn

[@therabidsquid432nerf9]

I agree! Plus one thing I didn't like was how he goes after Taramyn. Correct me if i'm wrong but he did what he was supposed to do. He had a comrade give him covering fire and ran quickly to cover. I remember from Generation Kill, all the Marines went in a straight line to cover and they mocked the reporter for running side to side since all it did was give the sniper more time to take potshots at him.

[@HolyknightVader999]

@@therabidsquid432nerf9 Exactly. That, and the only reason their heist succeeded was because the garrison was full of lax Imperial Army Troopers. If they had Imperial Stormtroopers in the garrison, most of the rebel thieves would be dead.

[@Arkangilos]

@@therabidsquid432nerf9 I mean in the army as an infantryman, that was used as an example of what not to do and was ridiculed as bad.

[@porky8278]

@@HolyknightVader999 Most of the rebel thieves did die to Imperial Army Troopers

[@thezerastora]

I can’t believe that there are people calling themselves “starwars fans” that aren’t watching andor…. It’s a masterpiece nothing is comparing to it.

[@colinblackie9654]

Actually the reason they miss in Star Wars a new hope was explained in Star Wars a new hope by Princess Leia “ they let us escape”

[@PeterFendrich]

Fleshing out the larger imperial military beyond the (relatively) small portion that was the stormtrooper corps is another part of superb World building that's been coming over into mainline Star wars. Personally, I agree with the assessment that the stormtrooper core was probably way over exaggerated in its effectiveness, which while adding to the general intimidation Factor they were meant to have, belies the fact that the army and Navy forces for probably actually pound for pound just as effective in their roles, if not more so. It would actually be interesting to analyze the comparative similarities and differences between the imperial army and Stormtroopers to the Grand Army of the Republic; I feel like not only is the stormtrooper the aesthetic inheritor of the clone legacy, with the armor, impersonal front, etc, but actually exhibit some of the weaker aspects of the clone army as well: fanaticism that could stand in the way of superior tactics, hampered by inept leadership, etc.

[@Ugnutz]

i always figured Stormtroopers were basically the Marines of the Star wars universe as they are always onboard the ships guarding them you never see army troopers on star destroyers

[@brianpainter6620]

I love the AFK-The Web Series depiction of the Storm Troopers TK-FKU and TK-FNG, soooo accurate for the crusty non-com and the shiny new recruit.

[@tagair211]

It's nice to see other armed forces of the Empire ! I really enjoyed seeing these guys ! They reminded me a little of Cadians.

[@DavidEvans_dle]

Just once, I would like to see the Storm Trooper armor - protect the individual from a successful attack. Laser blast, light sabers even rocks thrown at them from Ewoks.

[@MrRich2u]

I despise Ewoks. Stone age critters kicking space fairing marines...right

[@lukedalton]

This mean the Empire start to give a crap for the life of his soldiers and so give them decent equipment instead of supply them of cheap material that way inferior of what their predecessor (the clone troopers) had

[@Arkangilos]

I remember some source (maybe an older rpg sourcebook) saying it was more that it helped them survive rather than stop them from being dropped. So while they may go down, they are still less likely to die. Also it stops shrapnel.

[@theeviloverlord7320]

@@MrRich2u they have the most powerful weapon of all though: massive authorial biase

[@haroldearlgray5629]

Loved the apt Warhammer reference

[@juanpabloramirez7523]

Alan, you should make a vid about the amount of credits Cassian has cost to the Empire so far. Not just his part of the robbery but the Narkina escape and its production loss.

[@doubleoj]

That's what i love about Andor it made stormtroopers scary again

[@celebrim1]

WEG styled the Empire off the German Nazi party, with the Imperial Army based off the Wehrmacht and the Stormtroopers based off the SS. Most fascist regimes have the same division of having two of everything, and particularly two militaries where they have one larger conscript military and a second smaller, better trained, better equipped military that is overtly political and fanatically loyal directly to the head of state. The purpose of this is to prevent the Generals from ever having sufficient power to challenge the ruler, since the head of any one army or faction of it never has enough control to challenge the ruler, conspiracies against the ruler are made much more complicated (especially since one conspirator has to agree to be subordinate to the other one). Effectively, fascist governments work just like the Narkina 5 prison, with the government divided into teams that have to compete with one another for favor.

[@myduckisonqauck7227]

Imperial army CompForce Stormtrooper corps

[@Kumimono]

Uh, that's kinda how the national guards and regular army work in the US, afaik. They're not full fascists, again, afaik.

[@celebrim1]

@@Kumimono No, it's not. The closest thing in the US system is that the Marines are functionally a whole separate army, but the Marines aren't in fact better equipped and aren't chosen for political loyalty.

[@celebrim1]

@@myduckisonqauck7227 CompForce is more like the Sturmabteilung.

[@LupusBellum20]

The Stormtrooper Corps is supposed to be a Star Wars equivalent to Marines, and many do think that is how we are, mindless drones that obey every order, but that is just not the case. I like the Imperial Army because it shows an accurate depiction of how the armed forces as a whole. We the Marines, despite putting an appearance of being highly uniform, faceless, we are still human, and I'd argue that we are more like the Imperial Army. I've never seen a Soldier question an officer outright, or an NCO. As for Marines we want our troops to think outside of the box, and while we do have to obey orders given to us, they have to be lawful orders. But I digress, The Imperial Army, and Stormtrooper Corps, are two faces of what the military is, the dark side😏 of how it could operate, and how some think it is: and the way it really is. Great video Allen I love your content and keep up the good work👌👍.

[@wheelmanv]

It's worth noting that even the grand army of the republic was structured this way. A galaxy wide conflict cannot be fought with only order ~10 million clones. That's the scale of a war on a single planet. Most of the fighting was done by local sector and planetary forces that would have looked more like the imperial army in structure and gear.

[@Bigglesfly]

The stormtroopers are like the SS while the troops are the wermacht. The SS was much more political, fanatic and had impractical yet scary uniforms, while the wermacht is more focused on securing their objectives, and are mostly conscripted and were (often, not always) just regular citizens

[@benspooner7396]

I think I’ve noticed something with stormtroopers and army troopers. The armour, army trooper, mud troopers and snow troopers, all have the same armour for each environment. (Yes I think snow troopers are part of the army core, it makes sense). And they are normally used to attack, the stormtrooper, shore troopers, range troopers, are typically used to defend places, any troopers going under punishment defend civilian areas instead of military locations. The storm troopers are better trained than the army troopers. Then highly specialised troopers like scout or death troopers. This doesn’t say that they can switch up roles here and there but it fits I think.

[@elpinguinovolador4114]

No, the snows are stormtroopers, the common chestplate is just a coincidence, in fact it’s not even the same armor piece if look carefully specially at the back and there is no more common elements, it was the 501 legion who assaulted echo base ( a stormtrooper legion ) Also the army troopers were used on tedious and expendable roles like first line troopers on a meat grinder like mimban or garrison forces doing nothing like in aldhani, the thing is that even the if the empire says that there are infinite stormtroopers they are the smallest military branch so the can not afford wasting efectives on worthless jobs, that’s the point.

[@elpinguinovolador4114]

No, the snows are stormtroopers, the common chestplate is just a coincidence, in fact it’s not even the same armor piece if look carefully specially at the back and there is no more common elements, it was the 501 legion who assaulted echo base ( a stormtrooper legion ) Also the army troopers were used on tedious and expendable roles like first line troopers on a meat grinder like mimban or garrison forces doing nothing like in aldhani, the thing is that even the if the empire says that there are infinite stormtroopers they are the smallest military branch so the can not afford wasting efectives on worthless jobs, that’s the point.

[@benspooner7396]

@@elpinguinovolador4114 yes I’m fully aware that snow troopers are actually part of the stromtrooper core, hence why I said (“ I THINK snow troopers are part of the army core as it makes more SENSE) all I was saying is that it makes more sense if they were part of the army core. Having a section of military typically used to attack, and another sections typically used to defend. It makes more sense as training can be more specific and better results cause defending and attacking require different tactics. Like you said, army was used in tedious tasks and front line stuff. I’m just saying it would work if snow trooper were part of the army. And stormtrooper are harder to train, they are “infinite” but not actually. So having them typically defend important places and have army grunts do tedious deadly stuff just makes sense And sorry let me rephrase, they have similar armour pieces. Like the chest plate, the helmet, shoulder pads.

[@elpinguinovolador4114]

@@benspooner7396 Now I understand but still don’t agree, the stormtroopers are shock troops not sentinels so a lighting strike like the battle of hoth seems to be its optimal task.

[@benspooner7396]

@@elpinguinovolador4114 fair. see with the battle of hoth, I always thought flooding the tunnels with expendable foot soldiers at the front lines makes more sense, but then again, we both now this is just my “head cannon”. I prefer this, I know it’s not official but oh well, I prefer it and maybe someone else does to.

[@lerneanlion]

Alan: Stormtroopers are Palpatine's Walls. Me: *imagining the 50 meters tall Stormtroopers do the Rumbling*

[@idontuploadanym0re]

rest in peace Gorn…. he was a good man

[@RomLoneWolf23]

Actually, if one considers the Stormtrooper Corps to be the Empire's version of the German S.S., the fanaticism and lack of self-preservation begins to make more sense. They're not meant to be a stable army. They're an extension of Palpatine's might, his personal army of fanatics.

[@brianhanes5413]

Stormtroopers not learning each other's name is honestly ridiculous. Designations are fine but they need to somewhat get along and know each other to make them better soldiers where they'll care more about each other.

[@Jake-dh9qk]

Stormtroopers are actually a very valuable unit. In war, a lot of stagnation comes from soldiers not willing to die for small objectives and officers have no way of forcing their troops to sacrifice themselves, unless they underwent extreme indoctrination. As we can witness in the most current Russian/Ukraine war, most troops try to avoid direct confrontation. This is where stromtroopers/shock troops excel in. They are brainwashed into sacrificing their lives even for a small tactical gain. These shock troops are all that is required to completely alter the battlefield. It's like a shock cavalry unit. One good charge can break the morale of an entire army.

[@clancyholdopen3781]

Been given this some thought, and I don’t think I like the idea of the Stormtroopers being a separate thing from the Imperial army. The idea definitely has it’s uses, but I think I prefer the idea that the empire just tried to make a less expensive clone trooper, and then never really gave it much more thought. The empire got a decent enough replacement model of the clone troopers working, then sorta said “good enough”.

[@ShawsOwn]

Disney really needs to hire Generation Tech as Star Wars Lore consultants.

[@theyoungcentrist9110]

I really liked seeing imperial army troopers in Andor mainly because it humanizes the Empire and shows to the rebels that toppling the Empire will be a lot harder. Andor in my opinion is a better and darker/mature version of Star Wars Rebels. But we did see army troopers a little bit in Solo during the battle Mimban.

[@truckduck9797]

I'd liken Stormtroopers to branches and organizations such as the Waffen SS, Iraqi Republican Guard and Fedayeen, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. A second army aligned with the regime rather than the nation and competing with the regular army for resources. More emphasis on ideological purity and fanaticism, usually at the cost of flexibility. Although the obvious reason we see Stormtroopers almost exclusively in the OT is because nobody had thought of any such distinction, I personally explain it away as the ideologically indoctrinated Stormtroopers being favoured in the fight against the more organized elements of the Rebel Alliance. I also figure that Stormtroopers stationed on ISD is in large part to keep the navy in line.

[@theashbys8863]

What day a great Andor episode if not one of the all times great episodes in tv history. And a generation tech vid drops thanks Allan happy day

[@alvo212]

To your boardwalk patrol point, it may be easier and more cost and emotionally effective to deploy a couple squads of storm troops compared to a battalion of regular army.

[@emersonlamond1024]

The depth of analysis that you provide to star wars is great

[@alluringming]

Least from looks of it the imperial army trooper armor isnt white and stands out. I would love if they expanded upon the imperial army and even see more sets of armors designs just for them

[@danielmcphee2546]

Stormreoopers to me seemed more like marines than being part of imperial army.

[@Cherb123456]

Interesting & great watch! Thank you!

[@EdricLysharae]

"They serve the Empire well, and I have a great many of them."

[@danielmcphee2546]

Imperial arm all the way. I do hope we see more of the my special trooper types and types armor they used

[@basabromander2778]

I think the direct comparison of stormtroopers to the SS they were inspired by gives the most clarity. They were supposedly superior elites and given the very best gear, but that superiority over the standard army was dubious at best. In the end they were more a symbol of fear than an elite force

[@danielfalcocchia8537]

love the lore you share for Star Wars

[@tomfuller4205]

Going with Team Imperial Army Trooper.

[@imperium_cohort]

Finally we get to see the true grunts of the empire at work

[@theordinarytime]

The Stormtroopers are akin to the SS (Waffen SS and otherwise). Some units are truly elite fighting forces, probably mostly ex-clone war formations. But their true purpose is to be an omnipresent occupation force to pacify internal threats, the competent warfighters are there to uphold the reputation and appearance of the rest of the forces. The Imperial army's job is to be the main military ground force, and the reason we don't see them other than as officers is because the rebels is an internal threat first and foremost, one you deploy your counter insurgency forces against, not your conventional army.

[@johnray1956]

Generation Tech: The issue is that the normal Empiral guard has more ineractions, and more combat experience. Storm troopers is only set out on critical missions, so combat experience suffers due to more downtime then people realise. Storm Troopers is to be the fear factor, but not having an enemy to practice marksmenship on, and tactics means that the stormtroopers is rusty. You can have the sharpest axe in the forest, but if you dont know how to cut down a tree it means nothing. you can have a axe less sharp, but have knowledge of cutting down trees, and be more productive. Stormtroopers do not survive the enemy enough to have combat experience that is needed for winning.

[@SeeAndDreamify]

I think a lot of the scenes where storm troopers are missing could be explained away by them being under orders to not actually kill the main characters. This would be because they use the tactic of letting them escape but planting a tracker quite a bit in the original movies. It is still a bit of a blunder from a storytelling point of view though, they really should have done something to make them believably seem competent.

[@LairdErnst]

I will say that the regular army trooper is a much more practical and cost-effective choice for front line infantry work as far as having bodies to send blaster fire down range. As well as for the various tasks of grunt work that is needed to keep the empire's military smoothly running. Stormtroopers are shocktroops. They are meant to make a statement wherever they show up and with whatever they are doing. They are like the marines of the empire. Send them anywhere, any time to resolve whatever issue that needs resolving with intimidation and force. The only reason I see to increase their numbers is if you're expecting more ship boarding actions that need armored troopers from head-to-toe to be the first through the door to take incoming fire. Or if the Imperial Army troopers need the reinforcements to help keep a local populous under control with intimidation. I can see them also being the main force used for taking rebel hideouts and bases since they are better armed, armored and trained for the action than the rest of the army.

[@gipsydangeramericasmonster9632]

the helmet for the imperial army gives me a reason to use the term "shovel head " more

[@motherteresa8418]

Why didn't the empire use honey pots how did rebels avoid spies

[@jedihunter176]

9:47 "There was usually very little non-mission-related communication among Stormtroopers in the same units" *Meanwhile on the Death Star* "You seen that new BT-16?" "Yeah. Some of the other guys were telling me about it. They say it's it's quite a thing to see..."

[@connectixnlost]

The Imperial Army troopers are like the normal infantry and stormtroopers are like the marines of the imperial army.

[@SkittlesOctopus]

Fictional militaries sounding like real military forces really does make them a lot more interesting, like the empire of man’s military or the fantasy version, another good example would be something like the covenant from halo, it just adds a professionalism and layer of “This is an organized empire, not some random nation made for a movie to give people hope when they rebel”

[@ColeSlaw270]

That snowboard is getting mighty dry my friend. wax that thing

[@haze245]

So the stormtroopers are basically the SS(makes sense since stormtrooper was a shock troop in WW1) And the imp army is just like the wehrmacht

[@franzferdinand5810]

I have never actually read the heir to the empire books. But I have read the 2017 trawn trilogy. And YES, if you are interested in the workings of the empire, the books are sooooo good.

[@TinyPirate]

If you haven't read the last third of Origins of Totalitarianism you should, goes over a lot of themes you raise around the people and the rulers.

[@megalopath]

Strike at zero hour, with overwhelming firepower! They’re fueled by the fear in their enemies’ eyes! It’s a Shock Troop infiltration, a fast and violent escalation,out of the trenches the stormtroopers rise! (I had to)

[@andrewlim9345]

Liked how Solo: A Star Wars Movie and Andor helped explore and humanise Imperial Army troopers.

[@jeancaron9325]

If the Republic had a Army like normal Imperial Army,Things would be Better.

[@asurlybarber3620]

Why Stormtroopers are cooler: No one goes to Halloween parties dressed as Imperial Army conscripts.

[@4RMULA_arch]

absolutely love this channel.

[@armycowboy4313]

Im on team Imperium Army because they are just the men and women fighting to protect their homes. Also you could compare the storm troopers to the Nazi SS and the Imperium troopers to the German Army during WW2

[@lessssssgooooo]

Both the SS and tge Wehrmacht commoted crimes

[@armycowboy4313]

@@lessssssgooooo not saying they didn't but out of the 2 the SS where extremists.

[@rebelalliance77]

Great video!

[@LanternsLight]

I like the look of the imperial army troopers. Mostly because I’m sick of faceless stormtroopers. Plus the army troopers look cooler to me.

[@12stack73]

They look more realistic i think plus we can se their faces, i enjoyed them both in Andor and Solo, and i hope we will see more of them in the future.

[@jeffu6541]

Storm troopers remind me of the marine corps always deployed and always ready to fight

[@PCRenegade]

I always considered the Stormtroopers to be like the SS from WW2 Germany. They were the fanatical group who swore allegiance directly to Hitler, and their main duties were to be shifted around to various regions to do specialized duties, including suppressing uprisings and had very specific roles that did not not necessarily include front line fighting (although they did). They also worked for intelligence services and special police. I always felt this was the closest parallels to the Stormtrooper, and considering Lucas borrowed a lot of things from WW2 and put it in Star Wars, this just made a ton of sense to me.

[@robowisanveithasung6022]

compnor is more akin to the SS in my opinion, and I would even say compforce is it’s Waffen Ss

[@cirmothe9]

The star wars galactic battleground prima strategy guide had a cool short story from a stormtrooper's perspective taking kashyyyk.

[@Dev_Admiral]

the imperial army troopers are better and cooler than normal stormtroopers but specialized stormtroopers like Death Troopers or Imperial Shock troopers were more likely to be better i feel like