Thrawn's Night Troopers Explained

[@Alphaeon1196]

Ngl, the designs make it seem like they have evolved into more of a Thrawn Cult

[@MrTwistedLizard]

There were actually some rumblings between officers in the Thrawn books. Because of the exemplary fashion Thrawn treated his troopers he had some of the most loyal regiments in the Empire so loyal in fact many of his peers in Imperial command questioned if his troops were loyal to the Empire or loyal to Thrawn

[@Lukesnrlcards]

They were chanting thrawn

[@SavageSamxV]

That was what I thought too especially with everyone chanting “Thrawn” as he walked out.

[@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation]

Seems plausible tbh. And not entirely out of line with various military forces in Antiquity, which it seems these guys are partly inspired by.

[@richardjohnson9543]

​@@MrTwistedLizardIn a galaxy where Thrawn remained and the Empire won the war, I believe the Emperor would've eventually perceived him as a threat and eliminated him, even if Thrawn had no intention of challenging Palpatine

[@stuckerfam]

I think the "Die well" line is a sign of the honor (yes, a twisted honor) of Thrawn rubbing off on his troopers. Baylan also has a form of honor, which he has proven by his keeping of his word (so far) to Sabine.

[@norsekraken]

Love that because he would recite the mantra, "May warriors fortune smile upon you," to those he respected going into combat.

[@michaelbenjmitchell1]

Die well has roots in Japan as seen with the Klingons in Star Trek as well.

[@celuler22]

die well is a Mandalorian saying for when one goes to combat if i remember right

[@thanhhoangnguyen4754]

​​@@celuler22 Considering they are warrior tradition culture it suit them. Nothing more worthier for a Mandalorian than to die in combat. Even Mando would accept it, the Creed of warrior.

[@fanta4897]

I think the stormtroopers look a bit rough simply due to lack of resources. If you look closely, even Thrawn's uniform is torn and stitched back here and there.

[@luismena57]

Loved that detail

[@fanta4897]

@@luismena57Yeah, me too.

[@tatty75]

the troopers are dead, the wrapping is to hold them together to keep them animated with the night sisters powers and good to fill in the cracks... night troopers

[@ProdAlarick]

I agree,a ISD have 10k Stormtroopers on board + 15k other personnel atleast and Thrawn said thir numbers dwindeled over the years so I think they are just the survivors of the travel+Ezra+survival on the planet,if you think about it they need food they need to leave the Chimera since her rations last about 3-4 years with the lower crew number. I'm so tired of the crazy theroies these days. Like with Marrok this and Marrok that.

[@travcollier]

​@@tatty75That seems likely to me, but not in a mindless zombie way. My theory is that these are the toughest, smartest, and most disciplined of the troopers who have managed to survive... from a certain POV. ;) Basically nightsister magic keeping troopers who have the will and skills "alive" past the point their bodies should be dead.

[@erikabutler6893]

One thing that really impresses me about Enoch is his strong military bearing. When he went up to Thrawn and Morgan to report Baylan and Shin had left, Thrawn gave the order to use just 2 squads to back Baylan and Shin up. Enoch was just turning away to carry out that order when Morgan spoke up and suggested they sent more. Enoch stopped in his tracks and immediately turned around, but not in a showy manner. Then Thrawn explained his reasoning and Enoch turned around and left. How Enoch handled this situation just screamed military bearing.

[@bennettbush3906]

it did.

[@MattU4970]

To me (16 years military so far) Enoch pausing means that the ultimate command authority is split between Thrawn and the Nightsisters

[@senderbud31]

​@@MattU4970agreed. Been in about 10 years and this reminded me of when I was a platoon sergeant and was getting told two different things from my commander and 1SG lol.

[@gigahussar4072]

I'm pretty sure this is because the actor (forget his name) was actually in the Navy for some time. So I imagine he suggested that little detail or just added it in himself without a second thought. Either way, love it.

[@seandawson5899]

I view the night troopers as rugged and experienced. They look formidable with their cracked armor. It shows they've been battling and facing hardship.

[@nutterbotter8308]

Yeah they really look like hardened warriors. Hope they put up more of a fight than regular troopers.

[@Prophetofthe8thLegion]

@@nutterbotter8308these guys have evolved from red shirts to blue shirts. It means they will have +2 health.

[@mr.p215]

​​@@Prophetofthe8thLegionthey went from greenbeards to greybeards

[@mrzirak792]

​@@nutterbotter8308 and then they are gonna be onetapped by any named character just like it was with clone commandos in tbb.

[@lemonynora]

@@nutterbotter8308me too. I’m tired of seeing troopers be hyped up and they’re just useless. It’s been a problem in Star Wars since a new hope.

[@LPdedicated]

The golden crack Kintsugi effect on the otherwise stark white armor (a.k.a. fixing what was once broken with something greater) and the Night Sister ribbons is an AMAZING touch and a clear hint of what has been going on with Thrawn's army and plot in general. This is peak Star Wars IMO! I love that the Night Sisters (who are heavily inspired by the Bene Gesserit order of Dune) are having their live action moments!

[@nathan22211]

someone in one of my FB groups has actually compared the 3 night sisters we see to the 3 fates

[@TheJamesLykins]

Agreed about kintsugi

[@richardlafleur8389]

Peak Star Wars was "Empire", and ever since then it's been a steady descent all the way down to the mucky bog it's now mired in.

[@nephicus339]

We also saw 'Sith Kintsugi' in previous live action, with how Kylo Ren's helmet was repaired. This could have been a tradition the Sith, and then the Empire, developed from original Night Sister traditions, too.

[@SatanicBarbeque]

​@@richardlafleur8389 Oh my god, we fuckin get it. Modern star wars is trash. Yet you're still here, watching a video about modern star wars.

[@JetTheBaron]

There was a thing in Japan called ''Kintsugi'', which is pretty much a way to mend broken tea cups (and more I'd assume). They'd use Japanese lacquer, and would cover it with a *gold* powder. If I missed anything, or got something wrong, please let me know.

[@maxencebrumelot-dumontier5578]

Wasn't this technic the inspiration for Kylo Ren's fixed mask ?

[@jackisgreat925]

Beat me to it lol

[@jakenitzel2590]

I was thinking the same thing

[@PartyNearTheDoorKBR]

And lowkey, i saw a decent amount of old Japanese inspiration used in the episode, like the uniforms of those nomads and the language of those rock things

[@D2RCR]

@@maxencebrumelot-dumontier5578It was.

[@SugarRushTimes2030-gs3qp]

I think the red ribbon around their Storm (Night) Trooper armor is a symbol of partnership with the Night Sisters, a visual form of loyalty of ideology if you will.

[@brohamster]

Agreed.

[@rippera45]

It's worth noting that historically, Imperial Navy officers are the ones who resist and disobey Thrawn. We routinely see Stormtroopers work under him without issue, while Navy personnel question his methods, mutter xenophobic words, think they can do better than him, etc. Konstanine, Kallus, Pryce, Tarkin; all Imperial Navy, and all tried to sabotage or outdo Thrawn. It would make sense that the Grand Admiral would have a Stormtrooper as his second, after a long history of being betrayed, belittled, and baffled by the sort of idiots the Imperial Navy gave him.

[@zewps9502]

Personally I kinda love this idea, in such a dangerous environment Thrawn probably really doesn't have the time to be dealing with conflicting opinions, he needs orders followed with strong conviction, and a survivalist storm trooper regiment would certainly fit the bill.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

I think he is the overall Stormtrooper and ground forces Commander and as Thrawn is in Complete Overall Command in The Naval officers so Yeh , In the Many Sci fi navy novels I’ve read the Marines are capable of Taking over any ship they are assigned with ease in case of mutiny , sabotage , hostage crisis , or boarding actions

[@sit9993]

Although in the Timothy zahns thrawn books thrawn was very well respected by the officer corp on the chimera (bar one) and they were incredibly loyal to thrawn. In fact so loyal that thrawn's peers would occasionally question if his crew was loyal to him or the empire. So I kinda doubt that the lack of naval officers implies a lack of trust between the naval officers and thrawn. I think it might just be a case of presentation. He's meeting people for the first time and he's showing reverence to the nightsisters. Also it's the nighttroopers who have a job to do, which they get to doing immediately. No time wasting with thrawn

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

@@sit9993 and all we see of is the NightTroopers (name only to differentiate from stormtroopers than to hint a Zombiefied trooper , More like a Thrawn Trooper than a Magic Dead trooper) present in hanger to Transfer the objects from Catacombs to Star destroyer , Thrawn isn't a person to show grand showoff . And The Naval Officers need to be at thier Naval Battle stations , CIC and quarters.

[@dyent]

Or he just noticed that one of his troopers was Wes Chatham and was like "Damn, you're a brick shithouse, you're getting a promotion"

[@violetlight1548]

I don't think the catacombs are filled with the Nightsisters' dead. I think they're Thrawn's crew, placed in stasis for their survival, and he's relying on the Nightsisters out of necessity until he can bring them home. But it might be wishful thinking on my part. Those would be the actions of Zahn's nuanced Thrawn, not Filoni's EVIL Thrawn.

[@skywardsoul1178]

I do miss the more nuanced Thrawn. It's such a shame that's he's been turned into a more competent than average evil villain.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

If You have read the novels you will know that those might be objects of strategic and tactical values in the upcoming Thrawn Campaign on the New republic , Books had Cloaking , Cloning ,Force nullifying , Force assisted Multi front attack coordination, and embedded Intelligence systems inside new republic . So yeah they will most likely be Such exotic tactical strategic advantage objects

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

And I miss Thrawn the Wise instead of this Thrawn the dictator

[@death31313]

Based on the dialog it sounds like emptying the catacombs and transporting the bodies was at the request of the night sisters. I'm guessing they aren't Thrawn's men, though they might not be dead night sisters either.

[@SuperSaiyanD48]

Either your ignorance or your bias is showing, cause Filoni's Thrawn is FAR from straight evil.

[@Saxon709]

When I first saw Capt Enoch, his helmet reminded me of Emperor Aurelian. Love the design. Hopefully we'll see more of him.

[@GermanOlle]

Yeah, the Rome 2 Emperor Aurelian version....

[@nutterbotter8308]

I really hope we get a great fight with him. He looks too cool for it not to happen

[@AzraelThanatos]

Enoch's armor also seems to be based on Clone armor

[@Kusuriuri184]

I think Enoch's mask takes inspiration Emperor Aurelian because he brought the Roman empire back from the brink, then there his name of course being close to God.

[@CT-9904-Crosshair]

I really hope Enoch isn’t wasted like the Inquisitor from Tales of the Jedi. You can’t make a really cool character then just kill them off!

[@wodanswil]

I can't believe how cold and dangerous Thrawn seemed to be. Absolutely terrifying character.

[@nephicus339]

And he used to be even more terrifying.

[@Azrael_Equinox]

Im not personally a fan of Night Troopers being undead. I like it a lot more if they are Thrawn's attempt of making sure his crew is alive and well armed using local techniques and cultures to do so. Honestly Nightsister magick being used scientifically by Thrawn to create a zombie legion that goes horribly wrong would be a GREAT concept for a modern take on the old Death Troopers novel

[@creed8712]

Technically speaking project Blackwing exists but it currently is as real as the old purge troopers before fallen order

[@cybergames3436]

Blackwings still canon, and it got WAY WORSE in canon, post yavin blackwing got loose, like across the outer rim.. and star wars commander is still counted as canon.@@creed8712

[@Sangth123]

I'm really not a fan of them being undead because Thrawn himself would take umbrage with the idea. He respected his men and using someone else's magic like that would be not only a liability to him but morally against him.

[@creed8712]

@@Sangth123 a deadman doesn’t need to sleep, eat, and knows no fear. Being controlled directly means they’d essentially act in unison and be able to have their tactics changed on the fly. They would be a perfect soldier and for as much as Thrawn cares about people under him he knows it pays to do so. If you don’t have to make sure their needs are met and their loyalty ensured then why bother at all?

[@danthiel8623]

or you could go the red harvest route and have magic plant zombies

[@NoobNoobNews]

I think that the planet they found themselves trapped on is just plain hostile. Lots of crew members died, stormtroopers went out to hunt or escort naval crew on resource gathering and scouting missions to then be attacked by large and dangerous aliens. It is a terrible mess, and Thrawn is using whatever resources he can to maintain some semblance of order until he can get what is left of his crew back home alive.

[@PhantomObserver]

Thing about Thrawn: remember that in the novels, his command style inspires such trust that his subordinates are willing to die for him. This includes knowing what parts of the military ethos are important, such as dress and deportment being far less important than maintaining military fitness and skills.

[@jugganaut33]

Yes. The best military in the world are scruffy. Spetznaz, Delta force, Seals, SAS. All use their own equipment. Have beard. Their jobs to kill people. Not look pretty. Thawn is likely embraces that.

[@busterbrown2117]

Thrawn is very Romelesqe.

[@brightlord-ov7cm]

Thrawn looked fat af in this show, quite the opposite of how the books depicted him.

[@lemonynora]

@@busterbrown2117exactly like he didn’t care about uniforms and stuff same with Monty and his desert rats. When you’re out in these situations it’s impossible to maintain that level of cleanliness that regulations demand. It’s far from important. What’s most important is loyalty, cohesion, and morale most of all. It’s been 10+ years, people expecting their armour to be pristine are silly. They’re clearly battle hardened and I imagine there is some form of witchcraft going on. I doubt it’s undead but they might be given nightsisters steroids so that they don’t have to eat or sleep and have extra strength.

[@lemonynora]

@@brightlord-ov7cmno need to fat shame. Thrawn is 70+ years old at this point and he looks perfectly healthy for that age. He’s also been trapped for over a decade on this planet with very little todo for most of that time. Once he established a strong position and alliances with the mothers he probably spent his days plotting, and reading. Plus always be awhere that adaptions are never going to be 100% accurate to the source material or your imaginary image. And lars does an excellent job with the character. His performance is perfect and that is what matters most. I don’t see any other actor in his role to play this character at this age.

[@maxk8482]

What I find interesting and also to be considered is, that he told Morgan he won’t waste more troopers to aid Balen and Shin since he lost casualties during the exile.

[@Brismo7]

The Gold in the armor reminds me of Kintsugi. The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or platinum. And the Red Armored Raiders reminded me of Samurai.

[@Brismo7]

I got the feeling of, Thrawn has been thrust into this new Galaxy and its a lot more dangerous than the old galaxy. And his troops have been thru a lot of battles and they seem to be low on resources. Hence why his star destroyer is missing panels and his troops are so dirty and tattered. The armor looks like its been repaired by hand in a Kintsugi way. Representing lots of Hardship.

[@dsdmtom]

My thoughts exactly, on kintsugi. I didn't make the connection with samurai, but you could be right there too.

[@jakerolfe7689]

With the noises they were making I saw them as Samurai Sand-People, and later Sabine met hermit crab Jawas. It's like a weird alternative universe version of Tatooine

[@CaptJackHarlock]

I like the idea of lack of resources and have to use different local resources to fix their stuff pretty neat ngl

[@WavyLettuce]

I completely agree, the whole show of Ashoka has had a Japanese vibe to it. If you look back on the planet before they jumped to this new galaxy, the red tree forest had a sakura look to it and the music was definitely inspired. Another detail I noticed is that Ashoka’s footwear was very reminiscent of ninja footwear

[@jehovahcephus]

The first thing that came to my mind was Kintsugi. Where gold is used to fix the cracks in pottery. It was used for the Star Destroyer and the Stormtroopers.

[@indianajones4321]

It’ll be interesting to see what happens, but I personally think it might be dumb to make them be dead. Like how come Thrawn and Ezra would be the only survivors? I think they’re just his remnant legion, but I could always be wrong. Anyway the Chimaera was awesome to see… I hope it becomes a Lego set

[@xfirebrand0648]

hope the night troopers become lego figures too, and yea i'd like to agree the red tape and gold is just holding the armor together, and like wheres the imperial crew, i'm sure that isn't the whole crew, and that there are gunners, officers, ect.

[@StuffyAk79]

UCS thrawn star destroy and the acclimator bout to make my wallet cry

[@xSoulhunterDKx]

@@xfirebrand0648I honestly hope to see non Lego original gifs to make night troopers. I doubt Lego will make them look that good. The recent stormtrooper isn’t my type of design either

[@itsthedude6155]

When Baylan goes out to follow Sabine, Thrawn says to send 2 squads out once they get the signal. Morgan asks shouldn't they send more troops? Thrawn responds "our numbers have dwindled in our exile" if they could bring the troopers back to life it wouldn't be a problem. I don't think they are dead troopers.

[@DavidWalker1987]

Yeah them all being dead doesnt make much sense. There surely needs to be a loss of intelligence / agency if they are dead etc. I can understand it for your soldiers who've died, but the rest of the crew. Nah.

[@ranefe2632]

Idk why but the troopers made me think of the Roman Empire and the gold reminded me of kintsugi. I think it's symbolic of how thrawn, always trying to be perfect, suffered a loss (they broke) but he's peiceing it all back together to make a big comeback. Might be a stretch but I think it also symbolizes the fall of the Roman Empire same way their Empire fell

[@der-Dritte]

I think its were they got inspired to make them

[@SpottedHares]

The Night Troopers had year to both die and abandon Thrawn. But these didn't do either. These are battle hardened troops whose loyalty has been thoroughly tested and hardened.Sure Thrawn was kind enough to tell us explicitly that their numbers have dwindled when question about sending more troops after Sabine, but these Troopers are still here.

[@matthewwarbington4125]

i think thrawn did also build up a army too and included more numbers in his ranks but that influcence is through connections he has in the galaxy

[@AuraKnightStar]

I don't think that the Night Troopers are zombies, but are simply Storm Troopers that have been bolstered by Night Sister magic. Their armour, like Thrawn's ship, has been cracked and repaired using the same local materials. They may look dishevelled but they still stand and move with discipline and speak organically. Any crackling in thier voices is probably just do to their radios being old. Even Thrawn's uniform has been stitched and patched in places. Thrawn even says that their numbers have diminished over time. Thrawn cares for his men and wouldn't turn them into zombies, He specifically calls out the captain of his guard by name. Why would Thrawn do that if the guy was just an animated corpse? Thrawn is practical and will use every resource afforded him. Unlike many Imperial Officers Thrawn doesn't dismiss the Jedi and the Force and antiquated fairy tales. He thanks the Mother's multiple times for their assistance. He does not fear them but he does respect them and that respect is reciprocated. We have seen how Night Sister magic can bestow abilities on others in the past so why can the same thing not be happening here?

[@Engine33Truck]

Many of the reasons you mention are excellent reasons to illustrate that Thrawn was pretty much the only high ranking Imperial officer who could get stuck out somewhere like this and actually live to tell the tale. He not only lives (and probably will live to return to his home galaxy) but he kept his command intact, which makes him even more unique. Any other canon Imperial officer (except maybe Veers or Hurst Romodi) would’ve seen it all go to shit within a couple of weeks. In legends, maybe 1 or 2 other Grand Admirals could accomplish that, but no one else out of the literally thousands of high ranking Imperials.

[@bennmagee1038]

I think that the new decorated armour of the night troopers could be down to field repairs originally and as thrawn appreciates art I don't think he would really mind much, he might have even embraced the change. some of the golden streaks in the troopers armour looks similar to the weld marks in Kylo Ren's helmet so I think it's likely to be repairs with local metals

[@nicholashodges201]

If that's all they have access to then he's not much choice whether he minds or not. He wouldn't let his men be in cracked and piecemeal armor if he had any other choice. This shows they don't have enough plastoid and the material they can get apparently can't be used to make a full suit of storm trooper armor, probably due to weight and/or interfering with the built in electronics. In all likelihood equipment in such poor shape is driving him mad. It endangers his troops. Or at least that how novel Thrawne would take it. This one can't be that far off...

[@JenomKolemjdouci]

Hell yeah. If he lets his soldiers repair and decorate their own armor according to their sensibilities, he can read individuals much easier than the conformist clean stormtroopers.

[@carlost856]

​@@nicholashodges201hence why the armour is reinforced by night sister magic as seen by the ribbons.

[@WoodlandDrake]

It is very likely that Thrawn encouraged his surviving troopers to embrace the culture of their Dathomiri hosts; but I believe that the Troopers are being sustained by dark magic, and a select few are enhanced by the magic. In effect, I believe Thrawn, rather innocently, handed his own troops over to the Nightmothers for them to make their own army. It may not happen, but I think Thrawn may be falling victim to the cunning power of the Dathomiri and we may see him be betrayed by the Nightmothers. I'd like to think that if this happens he has the opportunity to take the pragmatic approach and join Ahsoka and co to stop the Nightmothers, and also give us the deeper look at Thrawn that he so desperately deserves.

[@zitochigames258]

Thrawn in both legends and canon is easily one of the most intelligent and wise mortal beings in the galaxy, possibly universe. one of two things, A. He knowingly gave his soldiers over for conversion (I doubt this heavily) or B. They are normal soldiers who either are just hardended and rigger OR enhanced in some way/ healed with magic.

[@andersonic]

For 70's kids, the Chimera and Night Troopers also evoke the Cygnus from "The Black Hole", Disney's 1979 sci fi horror film where a lost cathedral-like science ship is found full of sinister robots half of which turn out to be the lobotomized original crew.

[@Obiwan7100]

Isn't this technically Warhammer 40K?

[@Olibe-1]

Indeed, the mood is also quite similar. Some calm evil.

[@dangtoons1760]

exactly what I was thinking :) but happy to repeat your call-back

[@kermitwilson]

My mother took my sister and I to see that in the theater as a little kid. Half the kids in elementary school were there, it was a new Disney movie. Pretty sure we were all traumatized by that movie. The evil robot basically guts Anthony Perkins alive on screen with a Ninja blender for an arm. And that wasn’t even the worst part.

[@D2RCR]

That's an awesome callback. Probably the darkest Disney movie of all time.

[@robdixson196]

I can't say I am a huge fan of mixing mysticism and the macabre into Star Wars. For me them holding together discipline through in a hardscrabble life purely on faith in Thrawn's leadership just builds up the idea of how charismatic, competent, and dangerous to the new republic he is. But also it CLEARLY tells us there is something going on in that galaxy that is extremely dangerous.

[@baswar]

Tbh I suspect they need a reason for thrawn to return now which doesn't require you to question it too much. Like f it magic thats why. Though it might show us how far thrawn has gone done the rabbit hole?

[@liammartin5457]

Right, like it reminds me of how loyal Napoleon’s men were to him regardless of his position in power.

[@Sanuske4]

I hate to say it but mysticism and macabre has always been a part of Star Wars. IE: The sith and Jedi and all they imply.

[@ThatOneGuyWhoLostHisHandle]

@@Sanuske4 That's not really what he said here though, the way he explained it seems more like he doesn't like mysticism being the reason for major plot points like a famous bad guy coming back. The mysticism should be an exciting way to spice up the show itself with force wielding space wizards doing their thing and what not, but typically there's an overall goal more rooted in reality, for instance, in rogue one the main plot had nothing to do with anyone using dark fantasy arts to raise a zombie army. They needed to collect the blueprints to a weapon of mass destruction so their allies could nuke the damn thing, that's not only a believable plot, it's relatable. There has been actual military campaigns waged for that very reason (Iraq). In the originals the goal was actually destroying said weapon of mass destruction, the mystical arts just added to the fun sci-fi feel of the shows enviroment. This shows plot seems to be, stereotypical evil charismatic bad guy makes a deal with evil witches to raise an army of the undead so he can go on a crusade for the sake of the good guys having someone to fight... Maybe this would suffice if it were some fantasy adaptation or something lol...

[@MHAOvercharged]

Didn't Thrawn and Ezra be sent into the unknown region? A place horrifying than their own.

[@joetube3801]

While the Night Troopers walk normally and not like a zombie, perhaps this is why Marrok existed in the script: Marrok walked like a normal person, but he was only a animated by green Nightsisters magic

[@shawn6860]

I figure the Night troopers are closer to human than undead.

[@DrewLSsix]

​@@shawn6860what if they are still living humans who have been preserved by magic in the absence of food and other resources?

[@shawn6860]

@@DrewLSsix THat would be my take. they move to smoothly and are too focused to be undead in my mind.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

I don't recall Marrok talking like ever

[@lordly123]

@@sumukhvmrsat6347He doesn’t say much, but he does have a few lines, off the top of my head I can remember one time is when he is flying in his ship.

[@slowbro1337]

I like the gold kintsugi art motif of the army. Thrawn litteraly patching the army together into something better than it was before. Beautifull

[@Say-Hello]

Thrawn mentions that their numbers have dwindled. If they were full zombies they could resurrect the entire crew and be at full strength? Maybe they're not fully dead but held together by magic keeping them alive or replacing lost limbs explaining the red wraps on different parts of the troopers bodies. Also, when we first see Enoch his entire shirt under his armor is dark red instead of the traditional black making him the most wrapped trooper.

[@lazymansload520]

Perhaps not all of them are zombies and the zombie ones are the ones he is more inclined to part with

[@redheartnorvus8997]

The nightsister ribbons may have to do something like Maul getting legs. So these strom troopers may have injuries like lost limbs, severe chest and leg trauma where organs are heavily damaged. And these ribbons are there to magically keep them healed or animate portions of their bodies as well as making them stronger

[@Poseidon-1]

The kintsugi touch on the armor is so badass and I’m really liking the Roman look of these troopers and I cannot freaking wait till next episode because shits gonna hit the fan

[@tapir.evolv3433]

I have one thing to say since Thrawns Star Destroyer wasn't detected by Morgan when she arrived, I would think Thrawn explored this other Galaxy so they could have had Food to survive all these years

[@GildedNines]

this show has been amazing so far the design of the hints of gold and red cloth on the armor

[@Sir_Casimir]

The advance golden interior of the giant hyper ring, the strange golden vessel with yellow engine lights instead of the normal blue colour and even the droids inside them gave off an Eternal Empire feel to me; they all seem a bit different for the Star Wars we are used to. (Though that can be said about this entire series so far.)

[@montypython5521]

This is my favorite stormtrooper look, I hope they're still alive and aren't treated as cannon fodder like other storm troopers.

[@CovFlag]

Man, I just finished watching you LAST episode of Generation Tech and then here you are, just 8 hours ago posting another vid. Every day you keep us informed with relevant analysis and interesting news in the world of Star Wars. Thanks so much for doing all this. Cheers from a Trekkie from the Philippines 🖖

[@colbychavez3550]

Allen those aren't' cracks showing through a gold undercoat. that is Kitsugri. The Japanese art of repair to highlight the "flaw" in gold rather that try to make it seamlessly disappear. This is done to give the object a story and character, and is a great Star wars implementation for the armor here.

[@Fourtytwo4242]

and such a thrawn thing.

[@nathanieljackson5554]

Great video. This was a huge world building episode which is essential storytelling. Thrawn's ship is named the Chimera and is now visually a chimera with what look like similar tech to Morgan's gold spaceship and his troopers also reflect that with the gold plating and red ribbons. I speculate that the Nightsisters saved Thrawn and his crew by performing their magic on him. Magic that works differently in the Star Wars galaxy compared to this new one. Thrawn also implies that the witches were in exile as well which tells me that there may be some property to the planet that keeps the there. Hopefully in the next episode we'll get some insights or flashbacks of Ezra an Thrawn's arrival that will fill in some gaps to their exile.

[@stevebreedlove9760]

This show has done a lot of 1) introduce element 2) let people speculate for a week 3) take the most obvious path forward next episode. I am certain they will resolve most questions before the end of the season. Agree the world building was top notch.

[@Darthbaldmouse]

"die well" is a mando saying, there is another depending on what the mando was doing. you can find reference to that in Legacy of the Jedi when Jaina goes to attack her brother Jacen on the bug moon.

[@LoremonX]

I said that exact thing to my bro while we were watching it. My first thought was that Enoch might be from the Mandalore Imperial Academy.

[@tarn1135]

Thank you for seeing the Roman connection and not just assuming it’s samurai like some “bigger” Star Wars channels.

[@DrJay-iy8rv]

Interesting how in Rebels Thrawn underestimated the Force but this time he’s using Nightsister Magic and has some Force sensitive

[@nutterbotter8308]

He understands the meta

[@tomaskops7119]

He have be shown power of force, and have much more time to learn

[@omnitiontpictures]

Has some force sensitive.....what? Who you talking about? No one is force sensitive in his crew so what are you talking about?

[@cycoticmongoose]

@@omnitiontpicturesperhaps referring to Baylan and Shin, or the Great Mothers being force wielders?

[@omnitiontpictures]

@@cycoticmongoose baylan is not with him, neither is shin, and he already mentioned the night sisters. He said "nightsister magic (which I don't know why he spelled it together it's Night and than sister) and has some force sensitive.....and then just left it blank, so again who is he talking about?

[@Augie13]

We have waited years to see our blueberry finally in live action and we were not disappointed. Plus, dadbod Thrawn is right up there on my list. This is supposed to be family friendly so I will not tell you what list. 😊

[@SomeFilthyLittleGoblin]

An explanation for all the wrapping around the night troopers' armour may be similar to what we see in the bad batch when the crosshair is assigned to that base in the snow. The troopers lacked supplies arms and gear, their armour was wrapped to cover cracks and chips in the armour, as well as to keep the heat in. Would not be surprised if the night troopers have simply been given more freedom of choice by thrawn, and using whatever means they can to keep themselves in fighting shape.

[@johngancarcik5682]

8:31 i agree deathtroopers is an amazing book when i was in high school our library got it in and i had to keep renewing so i could finish it just dont read it before bed x.x

[@davidjarkeld2333]

Roman signifer's also had a mask on their helmet and there is archaeological evidence these were worn in battle. The signifer also had an adminstrative role as well.

[@Sb_Antimony]

Yeah my first thought was of a 100AD roman cavalry mask, they really do be dripped out tho.

[@Freelancer_N]

Dont forget, Thrawns specific words are "Enoch, captain of my guard" when he introduces him. He may be referring to Enoch being the leader of what remains of his stormtrooper corps or just this detachment Thrawn has organized as a strike force or personal guard. I find it unlikely that the amount of troops shown in the hanger is what entirely remains of the ships crew and are able to keep it running efficiently. Since we didnt see any part of the bridge/command deck in the episode (correct me if im wrong i dont remember at the moment) theres still a chance there are imperial navy personal running the technical side of the ship.

[@stachwel5547]

My first thought about stormtroopers sounding weird was that their helmets just have damaged electronics. As for lack of navy personnel, it can be just another instance of Filoni going with what's cooler, because stormtroopers always raise more cheers than some randoms in uniforms. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[@imadctrchicken]

facts

[@magikal_maddi2130]

You also wouldn't have technicians be your "honour guard" as your on the way to meet people, you'd have soldiers.

[@notani3533]

I think his forces has become less sophisticated due to the lack resources he mentioned before, in which brute force become more effective and efficient method in his time. The various decoration might've been intentional to gain sympathy with the night sister or even instilling fear to opponents he encounters in the past. It's not even a stretch that his stormtrooper might be locals that got inducted later on.

[@Kowalamaster]

The Kintsugi armour and styling is really cool.

[@adamdavis8082]

The gold repair of the storm trooper armor reminds me of how tea cups are repaired in traditional japaneese culture. To me, the gold repair represents the delicate preservation of and reference for imperal culture while the group is exiled so far away from the influence of the empire. Rather than replace their broken armor, they would rather repair their authentic imperial armor and demonstrate their sacrifices they've made with their shiny repairs.

[@radicalgremlin6440]

I could see thrawn having to turn to black magic after he could not feed his troops. He always cared for his troops in some sense. Also, if it is dust, it is similar to the thousand sons from 40k. So thrawn to in a way to "save" his troops had to turn to dark measures. Enoch is one of my favorites character. Love his roman vibes.

[@Rashomon999]

My theory is that the nighttroopers are stormtroopers who were seriously wounded to the point that they needed the Night Sisters' magick to keep them alive (so they have the red ribbons over the area wounded). They may not be zombies but the process has its own cost for the survivors. Enoch is the last one remaining who does not have these severe wounds and is why he is named Enoch. Biblical Enoch joined god as a living human, Star Wars Enoch is the last fully living stormtrooper to be with Thrawn.

[@SSGTStryker]

Captain Enoch’s (Wes Chatham) helmet or mask (w/his armor) reminds me of an Imperial Tank Trooper version of Mordred's (Robert Addie) suit of "Golden" armor from Excalibur (1981). Definitely Greek, Roman and Arthurian influenced.

[@acereporter73]

**glancing at my copy of Excalibur on blu-ray** "Come, father. Let us embrace at last."

[@unklejohn7381]

Mordred was the first thing I thought about

[@jamesweible5357]

This was a great set-up episode, it introduced lots of questions that we viewers want answered.

[@DiasOctavio]

The broken golden pieces in the ship and stormtroopers are a reference to a Japanese practice of restoring broken weapons and pottery with gold, to don't hide the damage or "error" that happened but show it as a sign of growth and experience

[@beatsbywoods8388]

$1000 dollars says your subscribed to Nerd Rockstar

[@biergarten1358]

I think it’s also likely that due to lack of food rations, there had to be some kind of Roman Colosseum style fight to the death in the victor joins the army type of deal. I also really like that they weathered his uniform, and gave him a dad bod

[@OswaldPHaygood]

I can always tell how much you're enjoying a show by how many daily videos you create for it. Btw, I am thoroughly enjoying Ahsoka too.

[@philipconnell2214]

Yhink the ribbons are 'magick" bandages. It explains the inconsistency in uniform. Same gold used to repair the chimera as well

[@neofulcrum5013]

With how the night sisters brought back their undead, I can believe that these night troopers are no different. Meanwhile Enoch looks like one of the immortals from 300.

[@gregg3799]

They did give him a hell of an entrance though. Thrawn and his troops... whatever they are... have clearly been through the maelstrom, have the weathermarks the show for it, yet are still standing and ready for more.

[@dsdmtom]

I think the gold might be following the Japanese art of Kintsugi: Repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

[@dubesquire6329]

You will get high as a bantha if you inhale the green dust!😂😂

[@michaelbrown4420]

Looks more like enhanced troopers similar to the way Savage Opress was enhanced. They've been out on their own surviving and likely fighting the locals for over 10 years or so now. I think the state of their armor is a sign of that struggle and the gold with red wraps shows that Thrawn wasn't above using black magic to keep his numbers as high as possible. It's certainly within the realm of possibility that a large portion of his crew turned against him when they found out their situation.

[@BrotherDog]

I also see the mask portion of Enoch's helmet as a tribute to George and his first film, "THX-1138"

[@JustGohan04]

I've been a clone wars fan for over almost 10 years and i have never heard of night troopers, and was surprised that every other star wars youtuber somehow know who they are ( despite looking at wookiepedia confirming episode 6 was their first appearance )

[@sebastianvergara9543]

The night Trooper are like the crew of Darth Nilius flagship in Kotor II

[@user-lc5of7jh5g]

They know they are night troopers because of the subtitles

[@Meravokas]

Many use the descriptive audio feature which is a more detailed version of close captioning/subtitles. Giving details such as this.

[@beatsbywoods8388]

I dont think anyone is saying they know who they are thats what all the comments are about, Whos under the Armor.

[@GonzoCiosain]

The instant I heard that soundtrack very reminiscent of Apocalypse Now I thought, "Oh shit, Thrawn has become the Kurtz of Star Wars." It's perfect too, since Coppola and Lucas were good friends and Lucas was originally going to direct Apocalypse Now. The lines from that movie about Kurtz at the briefing in the beginning absolutely apply to Thrawn. "His men worship him like a god."

[@ori7647]

For some reason, these night troopers remind me of dune's sardaukar, in a sense. They also sort of reminded me of the other warriors that attacked Sabine. I wonder if they are somewhat related.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

Sardukar were Most Loyal and very blood thirst always wanting to prove their superiority to others and often going against orders , only listening to the Emperors wishes . And they were also Raised in Salusa Secundas (the hell hole planet the name I'm forgetting slightly ) and they fight with BLADES too , but ...... I feel it too far off comparision , but Since Star wars is said to be inspired from Dune can't argue too

[@slimbim77]

Well the more I re-watch this episode which I found absolutely great, I come to the conclusion that these troopers are dead respectively un-dead, like Marrak brought back to life by Nightsister Magick.And they gave me the chills just by the way.

[@khutko1477]

Thanks for the Video, I was absolutely fascinated by the troopers! My hope is that they are living, and battle hardened, which would make them that more interesting.

[@jarrodbright5231]

I'd expect the most likely explanation for the Night Troopers is a bit of column C and a bit of column B. I'd say that a Nightsister Magic / Ichor augmentation was first introduced as a way to give extra powers and/or reduce the amount of food they need to consume. I'd say this was the thin edge of the wedge that led to them eventually, either through battle attrition or desparation from lack of supplies, turning into a full spirit army similar to what Marrok is, though perhaps not all of them are quite as far along that path.

[@jackisgreat925]

I thought like the fixes and patches they were making to their armor was very intentional like Japanese Kintsugi. It shows the level of reverence they have for that armor and for Thrawn.

[@FilippiniProductions]

Enoch's gold face mask reminds of Necromongers from Chronicles of Riddick. Also, maybe the undead witch Army will serve as a substitute for the Spaarti clones from the Legends Thrawn trilogy.

[@SmugCanadian]

Maybe they have been battling the Grysk and that's why they all want to leave that galaxy, and why almost all the troopers have been killed and reanimated. Also at the end when Thrawn says he needs to use their dark magik again I imagine it's also a reference to the soldiers being reanimated.

[@baszchuk3075]

Seeing the bits of gold or bronze in some of the cracks in the armor reminded me of that Japanese pottery repair method. I don't remember the name of it, but immediately thought of that

[@balarush]

I think the key wording here is "Once again". Makes you wonder what would warrant him needing their dark magic before, and what other need could there be but for a legion to help survive a new, hostile environment when already badly crippled.

[@adagatiyascullawl3458]

I took the once again as referencing calling out to Morgan and guiding her to them

[@bursegsardaukar]

Reminds me of the 1979 film Black Hole. The crew of a spaceship led a mutiny that failed and the survivors were lobotomized into mindless drones. I think some of the stormtroopers try to lead a rebellion against Thrawn and now all that's left of them are puppets controlled by the Night Sisters' magic to serve Thrawn.

[@nathanhall4156]

These Troopers are the Star Wars equivalent to the Emperor's Children from WH: 40K. They've consigned their souls to their armor in exchange for supernatural abilities. At least that's the vibe I get from them.

[@Deamon93IT]

There could be simpler explanations though: many years of fighting without logistical support had them improvise with their maintenance, and the ribbons may signal the alliance with the Great Mothers (and hence potentially act as a rudimentary IFF of sorts, as the locals may think twice before angering very powerful beings)

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

Or Maybe just keeping the Armor together , stopping them from falling ,, Even As we see in the episode , The Chimera wasn't there actually , it was at someplace and came back , So it maybe a very Recent battle ..... Either the Great dangerous thing Balen is searching and Thrawn and Nightsisters running from is , Either the Yuzhan Vong , Or Teh Jedi Expedition remnant of Jorus Sabayoth (cabaoth) of the Outbound flight , Or some other Galaxy destroying Brutal Species as the stormtroopers seem most Damaged than the ties

[@Matthew-McCallister]

The most likely answer for the lack of naval officers would be the fact that the army was stranded on a hostile world for a very long time. Most likely, the surviving naval officers were either killed off or donned stormtrooper armor for their own protection.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

Or simply the Naval officers were at the bridge CIC and battle stations , likewise the engineering crew at the Engineering department and the Food crews in their kitchens , The storm troopers were their to receive or as honour guard or simply because to load the cargo into chimera

[@tomaskops7119]

@@sumukhvmrsat6347simple, but reasonable point

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

​@@tomaskops7119Well that credit goes to all the Sci fi books I read , Thank you 😁

[@beatzis1195]

The flying dutchman vibes were present in this episode. I loved it!

[@gryphonosiris2577]

I'm wondering if the Night mothers were also exiled to this other Galaxy. As for the Night Troopers, I think they really are resurrected by Night Witch magic.

[@HMS-Studios-official]

13:02 thought you said “one of the dentist materials” lmao

[@sofmedic38W1]

Thrawn was always more interested in the power and information that comes from art. His own star destroyer has a design on the bottom. I think the trooper decorating their armor is way more in keeping with thrawns character. Also in the books, it is explained that Thrawn joins the empire as part of a mission from the Chiss Ascendency. So he's not as rigid as the video makes him out to be.

[@ToMegaTherion616]

There is a massive difference between how they move normally and how they do when resurrected later in the series.

[@GenerationTech]

Get your lightsaber here: ownasaber.com/ - FREE Scabbard when you purchase any lightsaber from our store. Simply add both the Scabbard and Lightsaber to cart and use code "TECH" at checkout. - New collection called "Super Sale" where 2 sabers of each collection are given massive discounts. These sabers are not involved in the FREE Scabbard special. - Special ends October 8th! -Use our promo code "EWOK" for additional $15 off

[@onbedoeldekut1515]

How do YOU spell tech, T.E.C.K (all CAPS)? 3:17

[@pyeitme508]

No

[@typrodigyofficial3857]

@@onbedoeldekut1515was thinking the same thing lol

[@Bluepizza1684]

They might be partiality dead Aka They are still alive but only a bit and are being held up by magic Basically magically duct taping your severely damaged car and praying it stays working

[@CristianSanchez-zs1hz]

What if it’s the universe of the Yuuzhan Vong, and the uneasiness is the force users feeling the lack of the cosmic force in this galaxy as though there’s an emptiness that they’re not used to feeling because the force of their galaxy usually fills that emptiness.

[@Ajax1063]

The way I interpreted his STs is that some are dead and have been revived, while the ones who arrived there alive have now been enhanced by NS magic. Hence, the varied conditions on their armors and how some were turned sideways and not facing forward at first. Those turned sideways are the dead ones. The ones facing forward are like Savage, made fanatical and strong through magic. If you think about it that land probably can't provide enough food to feed that entire army. So they faced a situation where they would either die slowly of starvation or live again and reborn using NS magic. I can definitely see the appeal when presented with little alternative.

[@andrewgeldmacher4765]

I don’t think thrawn would be that worried about losing too many troopers in the hunt for Ezra if they where just reanimated, the night sisters could always make more. Also his troops looking the way they do makes sense. Some of the best military commanders ever would enforce strict grooming standards when everything was perfect because it’s a good way to keep the men disciplined and prepared, but relax those standards when their men are in the shit because they understand their men need concentrate other tasks. Chesty Puller is renown for taking this approach durring the “Battle of Guadalcanal” & “The battle of Chosin Reservoir”

[@guardian72]

I actually was shocked to see 'Enoch'. Not quite the usual reaction to a stormtrooper .. this one actually did scare me. Very well done . I`m starting to think the original trilogy was a 'framework' - and series like Andor, Ashoka, Rebels etc. are filling in the storylines - the missing bits - and i`m as happy as a clam for that.

[@Driveby-Viktum]

So , the ribbons are literally holding the troopers together? OR are the ribbons magic-infused? those are the questions i need answered.

[@Memelord1117]

I think they're keeping them alive. Fresh supplies would take away that necessity, tho. Maybe the heavily sick and wounded ones would still need it, however.

[@nutterbotter8308]

Holding the troopers armor together

[@m.j.armstrong1803]

Another great video! Death Troopers was the first Star Wars novel I read, and I've never looked back. I would love to see Alan's top 5 Star Wars reading recommendations.

[@demolition3612]

I hope that the gold is perhaps a more primitive material that has been enhanced by night sister magics to match the properties of the metal they are patching up, this could work on both the armor and the ships. I think the grey pannels are probably made from remaining plasteel in the early stranded days before they ran out of repair material and had to start using the night sister enhanced metal, the red is either part of the spell applied to the metal, or it gives the troopers some special resistance or strength to help them survive on the foreign planet better, also I think the “die well” is because the whole culture of these imperials has changed in the past 11 years and they are now both more spiritual, and probably more unified in beliefs and cultural practices. I think the voice is because enoch looks like he replaced the voice modulator on the front of his helmet, so it might be a one off production to make a new voice projector/modulator for his helmet. Or perhaps its damaged. Mabey its a side effect of the night sister physical enhancement magics. I dont know, but its all very interesting, and im looking forward to next weeks episode, though I hope they aren’t undead, because that would ruin the chance of it being a permanent faction design change for thrawn’s imperial remnant.

[@TheGhettoGinger]

I personally think they are literally all that remains of his Stormtroopers. Thats why they're fanatical. They adore him for keeping them alive in a strange galaxy all these years. The way Thrawn said 2 squads would be enough to deal with the force users suggested him and his soldiers are hardened. I bet the reason these soldiers have red ribbons is because they are trained by the Night Sisters to be Jedi killers.

[@prometheuszero9]

I like the idea of this place being sort of dead or decaying or otherwise ominous. Even from the start they say it's a graveyard for Purgills... maybe it's kind of symbolic of a life after death, a place where "dead" people like Thrawn and Ezra have been for years. And I mean did anyone else think the howlers sorta resemble Ammit and/or Sobek from Egyptian mythology? Ammit especially is associated with the afterworld. It would be a cool design choice for the creators to use that as inspiration for the howlers. Definitely agree with a lot of your assessments here, and I like your observation about there being no naval officers to be seen... that didn't even occur to me. It seems too weird and coincidental right? At the very least, I'm sure there was some starvation going on, maybe some sort of disease... but the fact that only officers seem to be missing is suspect. Of course, we don't know how many stormtroopers there used to be either, but it looks like a pretty full hangar. So yeah, I think the idea of the officers being killed makes a lot of sense. As the "grunts", stormtroopers would likely be more willing to follow Thrawn's orders and would also be less likely to mutiny, and so by wiping out whatever naval officers aboard, he is basically ensuring a more loyal command structure. I am fully open to the idea that they might have even eaten them, as crazy as that sounds lol That is probably too grim for Star Wars though, and too mundane, so perhaps Thrawn sacrificed the officers for some dark magic ritual... maybe they had their lifeforce sucked out by the Night Sisters and transferred to the stormtroopers to both keep them alive and also strengthen them, turning them into Night Troopers. As you noted, it wouldn't be the first time the Night Sisters made use of the dead. I also like the idea that some or all of them might even be "ghosts" or whatever like Marrok, maybe some sort of spirit or just magic inside the armor. Whatever it is, I think it would be disappointing if they were just regular stormtroopers wearing cool looking armor... whatever they're bringing out the catacombs is clearly important to his plan, but I think the Night Troopers have something up their sleeve too. I think we might get our first glimpse of whatever that is in the next episode when the 2 squads he sent to join Balen and Shin show up. Also forgive me if this next comment sounds nitpicky, but even though gold is decently strong, it's definitely not ideal for something like armor or weapons, especially not pure gold, which dents and dulls pretty easily. That said, I LOVE you pointing out that it's something often associated with alchemy or other magical stuff. I think that's probably a more likely reason they used it. I gotta imagine it's also a stylistic and symbolic choice; it brings to mind kintsugi, the art of mending broken ceramic with gold, and of course Thrawn loves artsy shit. The appearance of it seems to suggest these troopers are/were broken and they've now been mended, but they're still a bit different. Either way, it looks amazing though... I definitely also agree that this place feels very ominous, decayed, etc... it's very much got symbolism of the world of the dead in a way.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

So Who would be Driving the star destroyer if not the Naval officers , Surely not a Stormtrooper operating the entire Stardestroyer from the hanger controls And I think These are named Night Troopers , More to differentiate , to make feel like a Thrawn Designed Trained and Loyal to Thrawn Like Thrawn Troopers in sense , than Undead Night Sister troopers ... But the Objects from Catacombs are likely to be Zombified

[@prometheuszero9]

@@sumukhvmrsat6347 Maybe the few that are still alive 😎

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

@@prometheuszero9 I am surely not expecting the Entire thousands of Crew of the Chimera to be alive or on ship When The Ship was Yeeted off with the space whales , It was in the middle of a Fierce Battle , Tie fighters in Air , Stormtroopers deployed or on way to ground facilities . And The Purgills have crushed out parts of Star destroyer too , Soo I Agree 😁

[@keano420]

In the last video you mentioned that thrawn is no longer an agent for the greater good, but because the empire has fallen now his idea of greater good is restoring it in order to help the chiss ascendancy In the thrawn ascendancy trilogy the grysk general even says that “the chiss are known for achieving their goals in any way possible” or something like that

[@shawn6860]

I don't think he would turn all his troops to undead with out good reason. If he did have Night witch allies the red wraps might magic upgrades for the suits and have fallen or near dead troopers in them. the captain is likely a living being. Thrawn is a survivalist and scholar. better to have the Night sisters close. Keep you your friends close.

[@rayv5417]

The military almost reminded me of Kintsugi, where you mend a break with gold. I figured their appearance was an implication that their experience hadn’t made them less disciplined or valuable as a military, but actually their scuffs and dings have made them even more effective as an army. But maybe that’s too symbolic for thrawn.

[@arthurbriand2175]

You gotta wonder who killed the stormtroopers. The scavengers don't seem that dangerous or brave, the shelled aliens are clearly not great warriors. Maybe the night sisters before they allied with Thrawn started by killing his entire army so that he would be dependant on them.

[@nutterbotter8308]

I mean it is stormtroopers, the scavengers seem be able to hold their own.

[@Deerhunter60641]

@@nutterbotter8308Stormtroopers are amazing soldiers that would only realistically be able to be stopped by elite rebel forces. Even when boarding the Tantive IV, they didn’t lose many people while being the ones entering an open hallway and choke point

[@Meravokas]

The Scavengers we see are only a small group. And when your numbers are already limited, sending out only what you'd need to do for foraging and scavenging would mean spread out squads more often than not. Plus it's unlikely that the 'wolfs' we see are all domesticated, nor have we seen what other predatory or territorial animals there may be. Even without plot armor being wielded against them, we've seen that Storm Troopers are still just skilled dehumanized and fanaticized humans. Their armor isn't not meant for war itself and if it does prevent a trooper from being killed by a high civilian grade or military grade blaster bolt, they're still put right down and out with some form of injury that would need to be treated sooner rather than later when taking a direct hit to the chest.

[@JothanGurr]

Reminds me of when the Grande Inquisitor in Rebels said, "there are some things far more frightening than death," as he fell to his death. Maybe Palatine was working on these necromantic arts in the main Star Wars galaxy

[@WilliamJames48]

Like the cops from THX

[@GenerationTech]

ah good call james

[@LudosErgoSum]

The real menace of the Empire were the cleaners because they did all of the mop-up operations absolutely spotless.