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{{Top|ffa|sprot|canon=Dark Trooper}}
{{Youmay|dark trooper battle droids|[[Dark side of the Force/Legends|dark-side]]-empowered [[Dark trooper (stormtrooper)|dark troopers]] used by [[Sedriss QL]], [[shadowtrooper]]s created by [[Desann]], or the [[shadow stormtrooper]]s used by [[Blackhole]]. You may also be looking for the similar-looking [[canon]] [[death trooper]]s}}
{{Quote|A new stormtrooper that can take out a Rebel base that quickly? I shoulda kept working for the Empire.|Kyle Katarn, to Mon Mothma|audio=KeptWorkinForTheEmpire-DF.ogg|Star Wars: Dark Forces}}[[File:DarkTroopers-RECG.jpg|thumb|250px|The three phases of dark troopers]]

The '''Dark Troopers''' were advanced [[Battle droid/Legends|battle droids]] and infantry [[exoskeleton]]s that featured heavy plating that resembled the [[Stormtrooper armor/Legends|armor]] of a [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtrooper]], powerful weapons, and [[jump pack]]s for increased flexibility and tactical advantage.<ref name="TEGtD">{{EGCite|D|Dark Trooper}}</ref>

They came in three versions: the [[Phase I dark trooper]] was a skeletal [[Droid/Legends|droid]] armed simply with a [[Vibroblade/Legends|vibroblade]] and physical shield, primarily a testbed for the later stages; the [[Phase II dark trooper]], which featured, in addition, the external elements; and the [[Phase III dark trooper]], which was the main unit and was never fully developed. Only three Phase III prototypes were on board ''[[Arc Hammer]]''. One of these was used by the originator of the project, [[General/Legends|General]] [[Rom Mohc]]. It was a more powerful variant of the Phase II model and was able to be worn as a battle exosuit.<ref name="Dark Forces">''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]''</ref>

==History==
===Development===
{{Main|Dark Trooper Project}}
{{Quote|What I unveil today will mark a new era for the Empire. We will be able to decimate the Rebels just as we did the Jedi Knights. At last the Emperor's war will be filled only with the glory and beauty of decisive victory.|[[Rom Mohc]]|audio=DecisiveVictory-DF.ogg|<ref name="Dark Forces" />}}
The Dark Trooper Project was the brainchild of General Rom Mohc, who strongly advocated the martial virtues of close combat with one's enemy, and thus disagreed with the philosophy that created such [[Superweapon/Legends|superweapons]] as the [[Death Star/Legends|Death Star]]. He operated the Dark Trooper Project from his customized [[Starship/Legends|starship]], ''[[Arc Hammer]]''.<ref name="Dark Forces" />

[[File:Dt_deploy.png|thumb|left|200px|Dark troopers ready to be released]]

The main goal for the Dark Trooper Project was to create the next generation of the stormtrooper. It consisted of the armor and the application of weaponry so it was intended for use with the basic stormtrooper but looking forward to whatever internal system that might be developed. The dark troopers were first used against the Rebel [[Tak Base]] in the [[attack on Tak Base]], in retaliation for the destruction of the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station/Legends|first Death Star]]. They slaughtered all the Rebels in the base. Concerned about the potential threat of the dark troopers, [[Mon Mothma/Legends|Mon Mothma]] tasked [[Kyle Katarn]] with the program's destruction.<ref name="Dark Forces" />

Squads of the dark troopers were characteristically deployed alongside the standard [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Imperial]] stormtroopers and the [[Imperial Army/Legends|Imperial Army]] regulars in battles to add their distinctive advantage. They used their advanced combat techniques and jetpacks to drop behind enemy lines or outflank enemy positions, contributing to the overall effectiveness of battle maneuvers by creating havoc amongst their foes.

They were equipped with specialized [[Assault cannon/Legends|assault cannons]], which were modifications on the [[Imperial repeater rifle|Imperial repeaters]], rather than the standard [[E-11 blaster rifle/Legends|E-11 blaster rifle]]; they were also issued additional [[Fragmentation grenade/Legends|fragmentation grenades]], [[Thermal detonator/Legends|thermal detonators]], and [[Concussion grenade/Legends|concussion grenades]]. Dark troopers wore dark gray armor made of the nearly indestructible metal [[Phrik/Legends|phrik]], [[Gromas Mines|mined]] on the moon [[Gromas 16]]. In addition to providing superior protection against enemy fire including energy weapons such as lightsabers, the armor was equipped with acceleration compensators to allow a soldier inside to endure the extreme maneuvers the unit was designed to perform.

[[File:DarkTrooper_egtd.png|thumb|right|200px|[[:Category:Technical drawing images|Schematics]] of all three phases]]

Katarn succeeded in destroying ''Arc Hammer'' after killing Mohc. With the death of Mohc and the destruction of ''Arc Hammer'', all official research into the Dark Trooper Project, and all research into other battle droid programs, ended.<ref name="Dark Forces" />

==Phases==
Production of dark troopers began in Gromas 16 where [[phrikite]] was extracted. [[Phrik/Legends|Phrik]] alloys were tested on a laboratory on [[Fest/Legends|Fest]] and they were refined in [[Imperial Robotics Construction Facility Ice Station Beta|Ice Station Beta]] on [[Anteevy/Legends|Anteevy]], where, presumably, the Phase II was produced. The weapons of the dark troopers were manufactured and supplied by [[Moff/Legends|Moff]] [[Rebus (Galactic Empire)|Rebus]].<ref name="Dark Forces" />

Dark troopers stayed on ''Arc Hammer'', whose location was always secret, and were jettisoned to their planetary targets in hyperspace pods.<ref name="Dark Forces" />

There were several different phases of these troopers:

===Phase I===
[[File:Darktrooper_phase1-HaL.jpg|thumb|200px|A Phase I dark trooper]]
{{Main|Phase I dark trooper}}

The Phase I dark trooper was the earliest dark trooper and was little more than a lightsaber-resistant phrik skeletal frame equipped with a [[Vibrosword/Legends|vibrosword]] attached to its right arm, and a blast shield on its left. It served primarily as an installation sentry.

The Phase I dark trooper had visible power cords and couplings, which were prime weak points. The prototype of this "super trooper" had a small jump pack for short bursts of speed to increase the velocity of its vibro blades.

===Phase II===
{{Main|Phase II dark trooper}}

The Phase II dark trooper was equipped with the suit, a jump pack, and an [[Assault cannon/Legends|assault cannon]] capable of firing 400 [[Plasma/Legends|plasma]] shells and 20 missiles without reloading. They were also armed with the deadly ARC Caster, which shot out powerful bolts of electricity. These advantages made Phase II dark troopers the most common combat units.

===Phase III===
[[File:Darktrooper.jpg|thumb|right|170px|A Phase III dark trooper]]
{{Main|Phase III dark trooper}}

The last and most powerful dark trooper was the Phase III dark trooper, which dwarfed even the Phase II model, and was intended to be the armor of the next generation of stormtroopers.

==Other dark troopers==
[[Zasm Katth]] commanded several so-called [[Dark trooper (stormtrooper)|dark trooper]] teams (such as [[dark trooper team two]]) that had been empowered with the [[Dark side of the Force/Legends|dark side of the Force]].<ref name="Dark Empire II">''[[Star Wars: Dark Empire II]]''</ref>

==Behind the scenes==
Dark troopers were first introduced in ''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]'', serving as the game's most powerful enemies. The overall objective of the game was for the player, as Kyle Katarn, to destroy the project before it was fully implemented.

According to [[Leland Chee]], keeper of the [[Holocron continuity database]], the dark troopers appearing in computer games such as ''[[Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds]]'' and ''[[Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption]]'' are non-[[canon]]. Appearances in such games should be mainly considered for gameplay purposes only.<ref>{{SWBoards|url=thread.jspa?threadID=152583&start=1020|thread=Holocron continuity database questions|user=[[Leland Chee|Tasty Taste]]|date=November 27, 2006|time=02:41 PM|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172528/http://forums.starwars.com/thread.jspa?threadID=152583&start=1020}}</ref> ''[[The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide]]'', however, [[retcon]]ned the dark troopers of ''Battlefront'' games to be part of [[Dark Trooper Project#Dark Trooper Phase Zero Project|Dark Trooper Phase Zero project]], in which the Empire transformed clone veterans into cyborgs.

While it is implied that the dark troopers in ''Dark Forces'' are droids, the game never states this. The game [[Star Wars: Rebellion (video game)|''Star Wars: Rebellion'']] and ''[[Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide]]'' describe the dark troopers as [[Force-sensitive/Legends|Force wielders]] wearing exosuits; however, this is probably non-canon within [[Star Wars Legends|''Star Wars'' Legends]], especially since {{EGCite|D|Dark Trooper}} was later the first source to explicitly establish that the dark troopers are droids.

[[File:PhaseIIDkTrooper_BF.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A Phase Zero dark trooper]]

Several other "variants" of dark troopers appeared in the [[Wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] ''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]''. Most of the dark troopers in the game are white, as opposed to the dark gray of ''Dark Forces'', although a variation of the droids (known as the dark novatroopers) found during the Rebel corvette missions are colored black. Due to the nature of combat in the game, the dark troopers do not use their jetpacks or their assault cannons.

Some non-canon appearances of dark troopers differ from the canonical Legends version. In ''Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption'', the Phase II variant seems to use a large [[chaingun]], and the Phase III variant has two shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. However, in the ''[[Star Wars Miniatures]]'' game, Phase III dark troopers have small missile launchers. In ''Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds'', they were about as powerful as an [[All Terrain Personal Transport/Legends|AT-PT]], although this is probably [[Canon#Canon and games|game mechanics]]. They were produced at Imperial [[Fortress/Legends|Fortresses]] at a cost of 50 units of food and 85 units of [[Carbon/Legends|carbon]], and were upgradeable.

Dark troopers have been produced as toys. The Phase III dark trooper appeared as an action figure in the [[Kenner Products|Kenner]] ''Expanded Universe'' series of the [[Star Wars: The Power of the Force (1995 toy line)|''Star Wars: The Power of the Force'']] line, and all three phases are represented in ''Star Wars Miniatures''.

''[[The New Essential Guide to Droids]]'' established, through retconning, the evolutionary link of the dark trooper to the L8-L9 droid via the Z-X3 droid, drawing on the resemblance all three droids have to stormtroopers and, consequently, to each other.

Some sources say three Phase III dark troopers were produced, while the ''New Essential Guide to Droids'' states that only one prototype was ever built, implying it to be the one worn by Mohc in the final battle of ''Dark Forces''.

==Appearances==
*''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]'' {{1st}}

===Non-canon appearances===
*[[Star Wars: Rebellion (video game)|''Star Wars: Rebellion'']]

==Sources==
{{Scroll_box|content=
*{{InsiderCite|23|LucasArts Update|LucasArts Update: The Creation Story}}
*''[[The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire]]''
*''[[Star Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised]]''
*{{EGCite|D|Dark Trooper}}
*''[[Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide]]''
*{{SWArchive|url=collecting/news/hasbro/news19991029.html|text=Dark Trooper : Space Trooper|archivedate=20080623042523}}
*''[[Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Prima's Official Strategy Guide]]''
*{{CollectorCite|1|Around the Galaxy}}
*{{InsiderCite|25|Lucasfilm's Latest}}
*{{InsiderCite|25|LucasArts Update|LucasArts Update: The Real Characters at LucasArts}}
*{{KennerCite|set=Star Wars: The Power of the Force (1995 toy line)|text=''Star Wars: The Power of the Force''|pack=Dark Trooper|link=POTF2EUdarktrooper.asp|archivedate=20190825220316}}
*''[[Star Wars: Behind the Magic]]''
*''[[Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive]]''
}}

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}


{{Dark_Trooper_project}}
{{Stormtrooper_variants/Legends}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperial projects and operations}}
[[Category:Dark trooper models| ]]