Lets talk all things Star Wars

[Joek3rr]

First, we can't look to the Prequels for any solid indication of what was in Goerge's notes for the before-time. All we can do now is try to rationalize. I personally feel like the Grand Army of the Republic was a bad name for him to use. That was a politically-reactionary Civil War veterans' organization in the US in the 1870s. The numbers of clones and the breadth they were spread across, they were basically highly-trained shock troops (Marines, if you will), meant to hold the Separatists back until volunteers got through training in enough numbers to form a proper Republic military, since the Judicial Forces intentionally didn't exist in sufficient numbers to be a soldiery. There are implications various planetary and system defense forces were folded into Republic forces.

Originally, though, all we had was the visual storytelling through John Mollo's and Ralph McQuarrie's costumes. The Stormtroopers were still evidently shock troops, used for boarding actions, beachheads, and guarding military installations -- like the Marines. The black uniforms were seen closely associated with Vader and represented some form of special troops apart from the steingrau uniforms of people like Motti and Tarkin. What makes the most sense to me is that those are the Stormtroopers' garrison uniforms. Vader tells Praji to "see to it personally", but we don't see anyone in a black uniform down on Tatooine. He might be staying in the A/C aboard a combat vehicle off-screen while the guys in battle armor comb the desert, but various other things in that film and later ancillary material (Shadow Stormtroopers) lead me to black = Stormtrooper soft uniforms, with white battle armor to start, switching to black with advanced training/veteran status.

Those steingrau uniforms (and, I'll argue, the more clearly green, single-breasted uniforms seen briefly aboard the Death Star) fit best as the regular uniform of the Imperial Starfleet, being a combined army-navy service (starships can't take and hold planets, and troops are useless without a way to cross interstellar distances), the distinction being rank insignia. We see "army" in Star Wars, and "navy" in Empire. Jedi is an Imperial-rank nightmare, and should be ignored in that regard. The "mud troopers" in Solo are also of this branch of service. Regardless of retroactive in-universe evolution of the helmet and cuirass between Solo and Empire, those elements are consistent. The single-breasted uniforms are likely fatigues, to the placketed "class A" uniform. I was absolutely thrilled when we saw the blue uniforms of the Judiciary pilots in TPM. Han was always heavily, heavily implied to be an ex-Imperial pilot/officer. His pants looked like something military. And his jacket in Empire was the same color. If blue shifted to olive-ish green as Republic gave way to Empire, that would be some good visual storytelling, his being an older version of the single-breasted, straight-legged green uniforms on the Death Star. But then Trish Biggar had to screw that up with the horrible continuity-breaking ROTS Imperial uniforms that I do my best to pretend don't exist.

The light gray uniforms are always seen in some technical capacity. Comms, scanner techs, armored-vehicle drivers...

I've maintained for years that if a uniform isn't uniform, it isn't a uniform. The colors have to represent something. The differences in rank insignia have to represent something. The hard-armor styling differences (Stormtrooper versus Veers) have to represent something. They didn't give Veers an open kabuto helmet, like the Death Star guards or Leia's Senatorial escort. They didn't give him a Stormtrooper cuirass and faceless Stormtrooper helmet to mirror his drivers. Interestingly, the Snowtroopers have the same armor and helmet he does. I've argued that the TIE pilots in Star Wars and the walker drivers in Empire are Stormtroopers, else they wouldn't have the helmets and armor of Stormtroopers. More recently, after Solo, I've come to feel the Snowtroopers are Starfleet infantry in cold-weather gear. We had arguments pages and pages back in this thread about different types of cold and whether Stormtrooper armor being wearable for extended periods in hard vacuum made it usable in warmer subfreezing temperatures.

With the advent of Rogue One and Solo, I opine that the tank crews, Death Troopers, and Shore Troopers in Rogue One, and the Range Troopers and Patrol Trooper in Solo, are ISB. They've always maintained themselves separate from the rest of the Imperial forces, have their own similar-but-different uniforms, so it works to have them maintain their own matériel chain for the enforcement troops under their directorate. And the tank crew helmets and armor do look a lot like what Kallus had in Rebels...

So yeah, all that to say: Veers, Mud Troopers, Snowtroopers, and the ROTJ AT-ST crew are Imperial Starfleet Infantry, being the rough equivalent to the Army; OT TIE pilots and AT-AT drivers, Death Star guards and gunners, the folks in black uniforms, and the good old white battle armor are Stormtroopers, being Marines; light gray techs and armored-vehicle drivers, regardless if infantry or Stormtrooper, are a sort of technical/combat-engineer branch overlapping the other two; and the ISB do their own thing.

We see a lot of black uniformed guys in at various stations and such. Are they Stormtrooper corp as well?

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

One Star Wars topic that has been on my mind lately is the Imperial Army.

In a lot of EU content, the army troopers wore what were effectively the grey AT-ST pilot uniforms, with a cuirass. In newer media, the army troopers are shown with green uniforms with varying armor (such as the Mudtroopers in Solo and the Aldani soliders in Andor).

The two aspects that I can’t stop considering are:

1 - Why would the AT-ST pilot uniform ever be synonymous with army infantry? We only see them in walkers or at the Emperor’s arrival formation. As a kid, I only ever assumed those were dedicated walker pilots. There’s no indication they’re army.

2 - If the army is so wide spread, why is the Stormtrooper Corp so front and center, even shown as the occupation force in Mos Eisley?

Everything that I have read seems to indicate the Stormtroopers were the “fanatical elites” within the regime, where people were selected or recruited. Meanwhile, the army served more as a conscripted occupying force that manned established bases (as in Andor). Yet in Solo, we see the Army, along side Stormtroopers, no less) waging trench warfare on Mimban?

It seems the cannon idea of the army changed between Solo and Andor. I also think most lay people would assume the Stormtrooper Corp WAS the imperial army, let alone have a distinction between the naval forces.

I think the in universe excuse could be that Palpatine purposefully wanted the convoluted and un-siloed system, but it just seems weird, overall. You have army, navy, and stormtroopers, all of which have similar roles that are integrated into pretty much every area of Star Wars content.

Edit: Forgot to mention there are two green fatigue wearing imperials aboard the Death Star, who actually better match the Andor army soldiers…

I think Disney just did whatever they wanted. I think there's always been talk of regular Army aside from Stormtroopers (who support Army/Navy), but we've never seen them (until SOLO). I think the reason Stormtroopers are deployed is that they can scare a population a lot easier than some guy in a helmet.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

That sounds somewhat similar to what I remember we had discussed a while ago at a 501st command campout back a decade ago or so..
It started because someone wanted to wear a pauldron with another uniform and a huge discussion ensued.
It all came down to the same as what you said, a uniform isnt a uniform unless its uniform. I think i paraphrased that.
Somebody will have to make a chart one of these days. We never really did.
Nice work!

I'm still salty over the literal decades I've fought Detachment and Legion command staff on Magma Troopers and Storm Commandos... *sigh*

A chart like what? Breakdown of all of the uniform and combat gear and such?

We see a lot of black uniformed guys in at various stations and such. Are they Stormtrooper corps as well?

In all probability. Coordinating internal security aboard a Star Destroyer. Taking reports from the guys with the kabuto helmets guarding the blast doors into sensitive areas, making sure the gunnery crews are well-drilled, managing the ready status of the Stormtrooper pilots... And, as we see in ROTJ, some are managing access through the Death Star II's deflector shield.

 

[ID10T]

 

[Rawktrooper]

I'm still salty over the literal decades I've fought Detachment and Legion command staff on Magma Troopers and Storm Commandos... *sigh*

A chart like what? Breakdown of all of the uniform and combat gear and such?

Great photo. I think i remember this one circulating as to the absurdity of the pauldron in various costumes. Even Vader and Fett... Snowie with the teddy bear.. but the Sandie on the end... no pauldron. But he is also FX so that doesn't count. Classic. This photo had to be a decade ago. Good find!

I was meaning a chart like showing the uniform colors and types flowing from which organization etc. "All these are Stormtrooper corps". and "all these are Navy" "ISB" etc.. Quick reference chart.

Also, i am still salty as well with various Legion discussions. We had a Garrison CO leave over it all. I cannot say i blame him either.
Star Wars fandom is the most opinionated bunch of moof milkers ever to exist. In my opinion.

 

[Joek3rr]

View attachment 1718877

I'm still salty over the literal decades I've fought Detachment and Legion command staff on Magma Troopers and Storm Commandos... *sigh*

A chart like what? Breakdown of all of the uniform and combat gear and such?


In all probability. Coordinating internal security aboard a Star Destroyer. Taking reports from the guys with the kabuto helmets guarding the blast doors into sensitive areas, making sure the gunnery crews are well-drilled, managing the ready status of the Stormtrooper pilots... And, as we see in ROTJ, some are managing access through the Death Star II's deflector shield.

Though pauldrons on Snowtroopers is technically "canonical" now, thanks to Battlefront II. But yeah, with the exception of other specialized Stormtroopers or officers, pauldrons shouldn't be worn by everyone.

 

[Riceball]

In all probability. Coordinating internal security aboard a Star Destroyer. Taking reports from the guys with the kabuto helmets guarding the blast doors into sensitive areas, making sure the gunnery crews are well-drilled, managing the ready status of the Stormtrooper pilots... And, as we see in ROTJ, some are managing access through the Death Star II's deflector shield.

That makes a certain amount of sense but why have them on the bridge though? It's not like doing that job would require them to be on the bridge as opposed to anywhere else on the ship. One as the main security coordinator who reports to the Captain or the XO I can understand, but not 5 of them.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Great photo. I think i remember this one circulating as to the absurdity of the pauldron in various costumes. Even Vader and Fett... Snowie with the teddy bear.. but the Sandie on the end... no pauldron. But he is also FX so that doesn't count. Classic. This photo had to be a decade ago. Good find!

"Find", nothing -- I've had that since it first went around. I've been peripheral to the 501st since 1998. Not yet official. I have... Opinions™. And have more than once butted heads with command staff. For a group supposedly dedicated to film-quality-or-better costumes, there's a surprising amount of "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" when presented with whatever erroneous conclusions someone has already reached. Gawd, the hue and cry on the Pathfinders Detachment board when they made the flak vest mandatory, rather than optional -- it's in the frikkin' movie, guys!

I was meaning a chart like showing the uniform colors and types flowing from which organization etc. "All these are Stormtrooper corps". and "all these are Navy" "ISB" etc.. Quick reference chart.

I've been wanting to do that for a while, now, actually. Should I include Isard/Imperial Intelligence? Post-Disney-sale-Lucasfilm has been working hard to make me uninterested in the ancillary material I used to devour, so I have no idea if that old element of the EU has been worked back in in any way.

Also, i am still salty as well with various Legion discussions. We had a Garrison CO leave over it all. I cannot say i blame him either.
Star Wars fandom is the most opinionated bunch of moof milkers ever to exist. In my opinion.

And when their opinions are wrong, it's even worse.

Though pauldrons on Snowtroopers is technically "canonical" now, thanks to Battlefront II. But yeah, with the exception of other specialized Stormtroopers or officers, pauldrons shouldn't be worn by everyone.

There are a lot of things EA played fast and loose with for the sake of game mechanics. Some I can get behind, like colored markings on Stormtrooper armor indicating specialty training in certain equipment like flame weapons or explosives/demolitions. Other things are silly and immersion-breaking, like Luke fighting Boba Fett on Endor. Other things fall in between, like Snowtroopers with pauldrons.

I can accept some retroactive continuity. We don't see them on the Republic Troopers of the old days of three thousand years ago. They first showed up on the ARC Troopers in the Clone Wars microseries. That affectation seems to have carried over to at least some Clone Commanders. At least during the Clone Wars, it seems to be an indicator of advanced training and/or specialization.

Unless and until something definitively overwrites it, I try to incorporate as much from the old EU as I can. So far, I have the Phase I Republic Trooper armor we see in AOTC, an updated design inspired by the Republic Trooper armor of prior galactic conflicts. It proves less than optimal for modern battlefields, and the Phase II helmet was rolled out. The prologue of the PS2 version of The Force Unleashed -- set a bit after the end of ROTS -- shows Phase III Stormtroopers on Kashyyyk. Armor and helmet are a transitional blend of Clone Trooper and OT Stormtrooper elements and design cues.

Later that evolved into Phase IV -- armor we'd call Sandtrooper and helmet we'd call Solo. After the military adage, "If there is an opening, dirt will get in it" proved making the blue markings into physical slits was a bad idea, the helmet got further tweaked into Phase IVb (the earlier version retroactively becoming Phase IVa). The armor later got updated, too, but the 'a' variant remained in use in some specialized kit that saw less-frequent use, such as the Battle Armor, Arid Environment, High-Temperature (Sandtrooper). Later still, the helmet shape was streamlined a bit and additional minor tweaks to the armor resulted in Phase IVc (the ROTJ suit).

There's a whole big missing chunk of information, and I don't know how much will ever get filled in. In the Aftermath trilogy, the ISB locked down Imperial Center right after the Emperor died. Even after the Battle of Jakku, the Empire still held the center of galactic government. Mas Amedda, acting as Palpatine's deputy, wrested enough control to formally surrender to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. And that is the last I've seen of anything involving Coruscant. Again until it's proved "incorrect", I like to think of that as the new-canon version of the Imperial Remnant, and have the armor evolving one last time into the Legacy style, as either Phase IVd or Phase V (I'm torn).

But. While pauldrons remained in use through Phase III and Phase IVa, by the time Phase IVb was in use, they were replaced by armor markings and "Shadow" status.

That makes a certain amount of sense but why have them on the bridge though? It's not like doing that job would require them to be on the bridge as opposed to anywhere else on the ship. One as the main security coordinator who reports to the Captain or the XO I can understand, but not 5 of them.

Real-world? "Hey, we have some black Imperial jumpsuits in wardrobe -- stick some of the extras in them to break up the monotone look of the Star Destroyer bridge crew pits." There's a whole bunch of stuff in universe that doesn't always make sense. Some things seem super-advanced (like antigrav tech), while other things seem stupidly primitive (Boba Fett's rangefinder -- even in 1978 we already had picture-in-picture technology). Droids are an odd inclusion. Things seem strangely non-networked, relying on physical connections or couriering. Maybe they had something a bit like Dune's revolt against machines. Maybe AI tried to take over at some point. But I can come up with at least half a dozen plausible reasons why they'd be up there instead of somewhere else on the ship, based on the general universe-building going on in the original two films.

 

[Joek3rr]

I can accept some retroactive continuity. We don't see them on the Republic Troopers of the old days of three thousand years ago. They first showed up on the ARC Troopers in the Clone Wars microseries. That affectation seems to have carried over to at least some Clone Commanders. At least during the Clone Wars, it seems to be an indicator of advanced training and/or specialization.

Unless and until something definitively overwrites it, I try to incorporate as much from the old EU as I can. So far, I have the Phase I Republic Trooper armor we see in AOTC, an updated design inspired by the Republic Trooper armor of prior galactic conflicts. It proves less than optimal for modern battlefields, and the Phase II helmet was rolled out. The prologue of the PS2 version of The Force Unleashed -- set a bit after the end of ROTS -- shows Phase III Stormtroopers on Kashyyyk. Armor and helmet are a transitional blend of Clone Trooper and OT Stormtrooper elements and design cues.

At least in the late EU continuity. In the new continuity, the Ralph McQuarrie inspired TK troopers as seen in the Bad Batch. Seems to be the armor to further bridge the Phase II and stormtrooper.

Later that evolved into Phase IV -- armor we'd call Sandtrooper and helmet we'd call Solo. After the military adage, "If there is an opening, dirt will get in it" proved making the blue markings into physical slits was a bad idea, the helmet got further tweaked into Phase IVb (the earlier version retroactively becoming Phase IVa). The armor later got updated, too, but the 'a' variant remained in use in some specialized kit that saw less-frequent use, such as the Battle Armor, Arid Environment, High-Temperature (Sandtrooper). Later still, the helmet shape was streamlined a bit and additional minor tweaks to the armor resulted in Phase IVc (the ROTJ suit).

The blue lines are weird. All the new continuity physical suits, both stormtrooper and clone trooper, have slots in the side of the helmet. Whereas the CGI clones in Revenge of the Sith, show the lines are meant to be a painted or decal, like the OT stormtroopers. So if you're included all versions of the armor. There would have to be a kinda of Phase II and Phase IIa.

There's a whole big missing chunk of information, and I don't know how much will ever get filled in. In the Aftermath trilogy, the ISB locked down Imperial Center right after the Emperor died. Even after the Battle of Jakku, the Empire still held the center of galactic government. Mas Amedda, acting as Palpatine's deputy, wrested enough control to formally surrender to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. And that is the last I've seen of anything involving Coruscant. Again until it's proved "incorrect", I like to think of that as the new-canon version of the Imperial Remnant, and have the armor evolving one last time into the Legacy style, as either Phase IVd or Phase V (I'm torn).

But. While pauldrons remained in use through Phase III and Phase IVa, by the time Phase IVb was in use, they were replaced by armor markings and "Shadow" status.

In the EU I think a lot of remnant troopers started wearing pauldrons again. Or at least I recall orange pauldrons on officers in the Jedi Knight games.

 

[Darth Lars]

Today I learned that there's a sequel character named "Slowen Lo".
But of course there is ...

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

At least in the late EU continuity. In the new continuity, the Ralph McQuarrie inspired TK troopers as seen in the Bad Batch. Seems to be the armor to further bridge the Phase II and stormtrooper.

Hm. Interesting. Kinda like how I treat the Grand Inquisitor's TIE as a one-off prototype, those make the most sense to me as an advanced prototype that ended up not going into general production. An in-universe version of how IRL it was too impractical to directly translate McQuarrie's design and we got the Liz Moore and Brian Muir sculpts.

The blue lines are weird. All the new continuity physical suits, both stormtrooper and clone trooper, have slots in the side of the helmet. Whereas the CGI clones in Revenge of the Sith, show the lines are meant to be a painted or decal, like the OT stormtroopers. So if you're included all versions of the armor. There would have to be a kinda of Phase II and Phase IIa.

I forgot about that. Thank you. Gonna put physical slits into the Phase III lids for the throughline.

In the EU I think a lot of remnant troopers started wearing pauldrons again. Or at least I recall orange pauldrons on officers in the Jedi Knight games.

Man, it's been way too long since I saw those. But weren't those also set just pretty much right around the OT -- a bit before, through, and a bit after. I ran into the same thing with TFU 1 and 2. Plus a bit of the Jedi Knight and Battlefront syndrome of some good designs that make sense (EVO Troopers -- love 'em) and some head-scratchers that just don't fit (Imperial Navy Commandos -- with and without pauldron... what?).

 

[Joek3rr]

Man, it's been way too long since I saw those. But weren't those also set just pretty much right around the OT -- a bit before, through, and a bit after. I ran into the same thing with TFU 1 and 2. Plus a bit of the Jedi Knight and Battlefront syndrome of some good designs that make sense (EVO Troopers -- love 'em) and some head-scratchers that just don't fit (Imperial Navy Commandos -- with and without pauldron... what?).

Jedi Outcast is pegged at 12 ABY.

Yeah the Navy Commandos. The first attempt at making a McQuarrie style trooper. But they only appeared in the PS2, PSP, and Wii versions. I'm guessing they were supposed to be kinda like Navy Seals or something. Actually they'd probably be a better fit for an Imperial Marine. Yet the only real appearance of an Imperial Marine, is another Stormtrooper with an orange pauldron.

I wonder if sometimes all these more strange variants of troopers isn't the result of Moffs, or Admirals, using their positions to fund their little pet projects. A lot waste comes from bureaucratic meddling in the military. Kinda like the Ram Moc and his Dark Trooper project. These are just on a smaller scale.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Jedi Outcast is pegged at 12 ABY.

Ah, okay... I can see any of several reasons. Some local warlord missing them when they went out of style and bringing them back for his forces, some post-Galactic Civil War Imperial remnant making do with old kit after the newer stuff wore out... *shrug*

Yeah the Navy Commandos. The first attempt at making a McQuarrie style trooper. But they only appeared in the PS2, PSP, and Wii versions. I'm guessing they were supposed to be kinda like Navy Seals or something. Actually they'd probably be a better fit for an Imperial Marine. Yet the only real appearance of an Imperial Marine, is another Stormtrooper with an orange pauldron.

And there's zero reason for them. Stormtroopers are already Marine analogues. As for commandos... Well, West End gave us the Storm Commandos in 1993. We got the ARC Troopers in 2003 -- both in the Clone Wars micro series and in the Republic comics. We got the Republic Commando video game in 2005. Of all the things I don't think of the Imperial Starfleet infantry having, it's commandos. We really didn't need another one. Ironically, I credit TFU with giving us the most likely candidate for the base armor of the Magma Trooper in the EVO design.

I wonder if sometimes all these more strange variants of troopers isn't the result of Moffs, or Admirals, using their positions to fund their little pet projects. A lot waste comes from bureaucratic meddling in the military. Kinda like the Ram Moc and his Dark Trooper project. These are just on a smaller scale.

Honestly, I don't think that many. I think the "Cruisemissile Trooper" was the absolute stupidest. The rest seemed to fulfill some legit combat need or environment or situation. Do you have any nominees?

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

That just shows how bad the Sequel writing was that they had this secret army that could have been using some advanced stuff apart from Imperial style equipment, and all they could give us was bigger versions of this or that and TIEs with new paint jobs... They should have had, what are essentially the equivalent of EU warlords, flying TIE Avengers or TIE Defenders, with some exotic walkers.

 

[Joek3rr]

And there's zero reason for them. Stormtroopers are already Marine analogues. As for commandos... Well, West End gave us the Storm Commandos in 1993. We got the ARC Troopers in 2003 -- both in the Clone Wars micro series and in the Republic comics. We got the Republic Commando video game in 2005. Of all the things I don't think of the Imperial Starfleet infantry having, it's commandos. We really didn't need another one. Ironically, I credit TFU with giving us the most likely candidate for the base armor of the Magma Trooper in the EVO design.

I had a thought the other night. And I may have come up with a reason for why there would be Imperial Navy Commandos. There seems to be that there is some friction between some of the branches of the military. And it's very likely that the Navy is a bit salty on having to rely on the Stormtrooper Corp, for their fighting force. So they want their troops that they can use is military operations or in boarding operations.

Honestly, I don't think that many. I think the "Cruisemissile Trooper" was the absolute stupidest. The rest seemed to fulfill some legit combat need or environment or situation. Do you have any nominees?

There just seems like a lot of overlap. There is a bunch of special elite Stormtrooper units that kinda do the same thing. I mean there's two kinds of Shadow Stormtroopers. The ones in TFU with gray armor. Then your "classic" black armored guys. Who are under the command of Agent Blackhole, who also commandos Nova Stormtroopers. Another black armored unit, but with gold markings.

 

[Wolfsburg]

I always enjoy reading theories and ideas about the costumes and such.

I think I've brought it up before but I too feel like the so-called snowtroopers aren't actually stormtroopers but rather Imperial marines or some form of navy troopers. I also personally never liked the myriad of stormtrooper "variants" that have been embraced by the EU and elsewhere. I think the original idea for the base stormtrooper was to be a "catch-all" shocktrooper for all environs. However, as time has gone along, we've gotten all sorts of varieties of them, which are interesting but I don't think it was the original idea behind them in the mid-70s.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I saw a video today talking about how Lucasfilm lost 95% of its SW book reader base once Disney took over. The showed sales figures and said that the first High Republic novel sold a total of around 18,000 copies. They re-released the Thrawn Trilogy as a collection in recent years (forgot the year) and it has sold 5 million already. Google says as of 2017, the Thrawn Trilogy has sold 15 million total without the last 6 years added in!

 

[Riceball]

I always enjoy reading theories and ideas about the costumes and such.

I think I've brought it up before but I too feel like the so-called snowtroopers aren't actually stormtroopers but rather Imperial marines or some form of navy troopers. I also personally never liked the myriad of stormtrooper "variants" that have been embraced by the EU and elsewhere. I think the original idea for the base stormtrooper was to be a "catch-all" shocktrooper for all environs. However, as time has gone along, we've gotten all sorts of varieties of them, which are interesting but I don't think it was the original idea behind them in the mid-70s.

I've always thought that all of these environ specific Stormtroopers would be just regular Stormtroopers but wearing specialized gear. It makes the most sense, since it would be a waste to have all of these super specialized troops that would just be sitting around waiting to be called up for a fight in the specific environ that they're trained and equipped for. It would make far more sense to just have equipment stored in warehouses that would be issued out to the troops as needed. I will admit that it probably wouldn't be too unreasonable to believe that certain Stormtrooper units would receive more regular or specifically trained for certain environments but would usually spend most of their time acting and equipped as regular Stormtroopers. An example of this would be the US Army's 10th Mountain Division which is the US Army's main arctic/mountain unit but act as a regular light infantry division when not needed to operate in the mountains or cold environs.

 

[Jodo]

To use the analogy of the German military in WW2. Stormtroopers are basically SS units. While the Imperial Army is the Wehrmacht. It seems like Mimban had become a real slog. So they started deploying the regulars, to add to the numbers.

That is a great point for army vs. Stormtrooper corp, with the Star Wars number’s possibly being reversed compared to the German equivalents.

For my own purposes, the bulk of this discussion is really for my collecting habits. I have a large amount of Stormtroopers, but not many Imperial army personnel…

Since moving, I haven’t had a chance to re-display them. I have been thinking about reorganizing them, to put the black dress uniformed officers along with the stormtroopers, and then starting an Army section, to include my AT-ST pilots, Mudtroopers (not shown), snow troopers (not shown), Shoretroopers (not shown), and my Andor army troopers. I also have some green fatigued Tank Drivers as well.

 

[Joek3rr]

I always enjoy reading theories and ideas about the costumes and such.

I think I've brought it up before but I too feel like the so-called snowtroopers aren't actually stormtroopers but rather Imperial marines or some form of navy troopers. I also personally never liked the myriad of stormtrooper "variants" that have been embraced by the EU and elsewhere. I think the original idea for the base stormtrooper was to be a "catch-all" shocktrooper for all environs. However, as time has gone along, we've gotten all sorts of varieties of them, which are interesting but I don't think it was the original idea behind them in the mid-70s.

While the movie doesn't clarify who they are. The Art of The Empire Strikes Back, and the comic adaptation both call them Stormtroopers.