View source for Stormtrooper commander/Legends

{{Top|canon=Stormtrooper Commander}}
{{Otheruses|Commander}}
[[File:501st_stormtrooper.jpg|200px|thumb|The stormtrooper commander: the elite within the elite]]
{{Quote|Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans.|[[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]] to [[Unidentified stormtrooper commander (Tantive IV)|the assault commander]] aboard the ''Tantive IV''|<ref name="Episode 4">{{Film|IV}}</ref>}}
'''Stormtrooper commanders''' were [[Imperial Military/Legends|military]] [[Commander/Legends|officers]] within the [[Stormtrooper Corps/Legends|Stormtrooper Corps]] of the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]. Although Imperial stormtroopers were regarded as the Empire's best [[Soldier/Legends|soldiers]], the commanders were trained to be far superior to the more common infantry soldier. Their exceptional reputation afforded them more than just command over regular [[Trooper/Legends|troopers]]. The elite [[Shadow Trooper]]s answered to the authority of the commanders as well.

The commanders were an aesthetic anomaly within the Stormtrooper Corps; the [[Color/Legends|blue]] markings on their [[Stormtrooper armor/Legends|armor]] separated them from the rest of the plain white-armored soldiers. Hence, the commanders were permitted to follow an old tradition of the [[Grand Army of the Republic/Legends|Grand Army of the]] [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Republic]] where soldiers distinguished their respective units by color. This tradition was abandoned after the [[Clone Wars/Legends|Clone Wars]] ended with the [[Declaration of a New Order|rise]] of the Empire.

By the year [[2 BBY/Legends|2 BBY]], stormtrooper commanders were responsible for enforcing [[Imperial Charter/Legends|Imperial law and order]] on the most hostile [[Planet/Legends|worlds]] that hadn't yet been fully subjugated to the will of [[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]]. As "descendants" of the Old Republic's legendary [[Advanced Recon Commando/Legends|ARC troopers]], the commanders were treated as a special forces unit and the most elite warriors in the military. Several stormtrooper commanders were also particularly brutal in enforcing the Empire's will compared to the stormtrooper foot soldiers, a particularly infamous example being the stormtrooper commander [[Kayn Somos]].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2015/8/4/serve-the-empire|title=Serve the Empire - Preview the Kayn Somos Villain Pack for Imperial Assault}}</ref> Yet despite their training and advanced technology, the commanders were ultimately ineffective against powerful [[Force-sensitive/Legends|Force wielders]] such as [[Galen Marek|Starkiller]], the [[Sith apprentice/Legends|secret apprentice]] of the [[Sith Lord/Legends|Sith Lord]] [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]].

==Overview==
The stormtrooper commanders patrolled hostile battlefields, leading Imperial forces into fierce combat on dangerous worlds that resisted the rule of the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]. Highly intelligent and resolved to secure victory at any cost, the commanders were among [[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine's]] finest and most elite [[Soldier/Legends|soldiers]]. Much like the [[Advanced Recon Commando/Legends|ARC troopers]] of the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]], the commanders were an elite within the elite; regular [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtroopers]] were superior to almost every enemy soldier, yet they were ultimately inferior to the specially trained stormtrooper commanders.<ref name="Databank">[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)|''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'']] in-game databank</ref>

As soldiers of the Empire, the commanders were unquestioningly loyal to Emperor Palpatine and the ideals of his [[New Order/Legends|New Order]], not unlike the entire [[Imperial Military/Legends|Imperial Military]] that had sworn unconditional allegiance to the [[The galaxy/Legends|galactic]] sovereign. The most important aspect of the commanders was in their collective role as officers of the elite [[Shadow Trooper]]s. In this capacity, they wielded the authority to command their forces as they saw fit. Freedom from the restrictive hierarchical system of the Imperial Military enabled the commanders to call in for reinforcements or trigger ambushes without clearance from [[Imperial High Command/Legends|Imperial High Command]].<ref name="Databank" />

In combat, the stormtrooper commanders led by example by fighting alongside their troops on the front lines. Their strategy normally consisted of maintaining a distance between themselves and the enemy. Once they found an opening, they would quickly [[Stun/Legends|stun]] their opponents and then allow them to be overwhelmed by the [[Stealth field generator/Legends|stealth-concealed]] shadow troopers. Overall, the commanders' commitment to the Empire was complete to the point that they were prepared to fight under any condition, even when faced with certain [[Death/Legends|death]].<ref name="Databank" /><ref name="TFUvg">[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)|''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'']] video game</ref>

==Equipment==
Whereas the majority of soldiers within the Stormtrooper Corps were required to conform with Imperial uniformity by wearing stark-[[Color/Legends|white]] [[Stormtrooper armor/Legends|battle armor]], the stormtrooper commanders were aesthetically distinguished from their regular comrades by the blue markings that adorned their specialized armor. Although the commanders' protective covering was visually identical to the standard armor issued to all stormtroopers, there were certain differences besides color that separated their gear from those of the rank-and-file trooper.<ref name="Databank" />

The most notable feature in their armor was a built-in [[Deflector shield/Legends|shield generator]]. The shield on the armor of the stormtrooper commanders was capable of withstanding almost any attack, including certain [[The Force/Legends|Force-based]] [[Force power/Legends|attacks]]. As befitting their station, the commanders were armed with deadly handheld [[Blaster cannon/Legends|blaster cannons]], equipped with a powerful stun setting. This was in stark contrast to the ordinary stormtroopers that were armed with [[E-11 blaster rifle/Legends|E-11 blaster rifles]].<ref name="Databank" />

==History==
[[File:501st_Commander_AR.png|thumb|left|250px|A commander of the [[501st Legion/Legends|501st Legion]]]]
By the year [[2 BBY/Legends|2 BBY]], nearly two decades since the formation of the Galactic Empire, the stormtrooper commanders had established themselves as the best and most skilled soldiers in service to Emperor Palpatine. Although regular stormtroopers were regarded as the backbone of the Imperial Military, the commanders superior training and specialized equipment earned them the right to consider themselves as an elite force within the elite [[Stormtrooper Corps/Legends|Stormtrooper Corps]]. By this time, they were stationed on a number of hostile worlds, enforcing the Emperor's will and projecting Imperial power throughout dangerous environments such as [[Felucia/Legends|Felucia]] and [[Raxus Prime/Legends|Raxus Prime]]&mdash;both of which were former [[Confederacy of Independent Systems/Legends|Separatist]] strongholds.<ref name="TFUvg" />

When the [[Sith Lord/Legends|Sith Lord]] [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]] faked the death of his [[Sith apprentice/Legends|secret apprentice]] after his treachery was discovered by his [[Sith Master/Legends|master]], Palpatine, [[Galen Marek|Starkiller's]] near-fatal injuries were steadily healed on the Imperial [[Starship/Legends|starship]] ''[[Empirical]]''. During the apprentice's recovery, the military personnel on the science vessel, including the stormtrooper commanders, only knew of Starkiller as "Subject 1138." His identity and connection to Vader were a complete mystery to them. In their ignorance, they simply assumed that he was just another one of the [[Dark Lord of the Sith/Legends|Dark Lord's]] experiments.<ref name="TFUvg" />

Their ignorance, as well as Vader's lack of concern for his own soldiers, led to the deaths of the commanders and their troops on the ''Empirical''. After fully recovering, Starkiller was ordered by his master to create an [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|alliance of rebels and dissidents]], while also maintaining the secrecy of his clandestine mission. In order to conceal the evidence of his apprentice's survival, Vader ordered that the ''Empirical'' be destroyed and all of its occupants terminated. In the [[Battle aboard the Empirical|process of his escape]], Starkiller annihilated every Imperial who stood in his path, including a few stormtrooper commanders that were located in the [[Escape pod/Legends|escape pod]] bay.<ref name="TFUvg" />

Since the [[PROXY droid|holodroid]] [[PROXY]] launched all of the pods in accordance with Vader's orders, the commanders and their soldiers were unable to escape as the ''Empirical'' was set on a course with a nearby [[Star/Legends|sun]]. They attempted to stun Starkiller so that their shadow troopers could overwhelm and kill him, but ultimately they were no match against the apprentice's greater skills and his exceptional command of the Force. The remaining commanders were located on the bridge where former [[Captain/Legends|Captain]] [[Juno Eclipse]] was being held prisoner by a group of [[Imperial officer/Legends|Imperial officers]]. After dispatching the last of the stormtrooper commanders and their comrades, Starkiller rescued Eclipse and escaped from the doomed starship on the ''[[Rogue Shadow]]''.<ref name="TFUvg" />

Starkiller's mission led him into more confrontations with the stormtrooper commanders in locations such as the fallen [[Jedi Temple]] on [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]], the jungle world of [[Felucia/Legends|Felucia]], the [[Wookiee/Legends|Wookiee]] homeworld of [[Kashyyyk/Legends|Kashyyyk]] and the junk world known as [[Raxus Prime/Legends|Raxus Prime]]. Most were killed by Vader's assassin.

==Appearances==
*''[[Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command]]''
*[[Blood Ties: Boba Fett is Dead 1|''Blood Ties: Boba Fett is Dead'' 1]]
*[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)|''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' game]]
*{{Film|IV}} {{1st}}
*[[Imperial troop transporter (story booklet)|Imperial troop transporter story booklet]] {{C|as Troop Commander}}
*''[[Ultimate Core Dump]]''
*{{SWG|An Empire Divided}}
*''[[Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy]]''
*''[[Specter of the Past]]''
*[[Specter of the Past (unabridged audiobook)|''Specter of the Past'' unabridged audiobook]]
*''[[Fool's Bargain]]''

==Sources==
*''[[The Star Wars Sourcebook]]''
*[[Star Wars Sourcebook (Second Edition)|''Star Wars Sourcebook'', Second Edition]]
*''[[The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide]]''
*''[[Star Wars Trading Card Game]]: [[Battle of Yavin (TCG)|Battle of Yavin]]''
*[[Universe (Star Wars Miniatures)|''Star Wars Miniatures: Universe'']]
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*''[[Dangerous Covenants]]''

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

{{Interlang
|da=Stormtrooper kommandør
|es=Comandante de soldados de asalto/Leyendas
|ru=Штурмовик-коммандер
|uk=Штурмовик-командир/Легенди
}}

[[Category:Galactic Empire ranks]]
[[Category:Stormtrooper variants]]