Every Stormtrooper in Star Wars Explained
Released on 12/13/2019
I'm Doug Chiang.
I'm the vice president
and executive creative director for Lucasfilm.
I'm Madlyn Burkert.
I'm Lucasfilm's collections and exhibitions archivist.
And today, we're gonna talk about every clone trooper
and storm trooper that is
in the live-action Star Wars films.
And yes, we do mean every trooper.
[intense suspenseful music] [laser blasts chirping]
Imperial stormtrooper.
Those are one of the most fascinating designs
for me 'cause that was the first image
that I saw from Star Wars.
And the idea for that was that George wanted
to create these iconic imagery
that looked like living skeletons,
and that's why you have the stark black and white.
And so when you see the white armor coming
out of a black room, you just see the armor,
and it's a very terrifying moment for you,
especially when I was 15 years old when I first saw that.
And one of the iconic things was
that the helmet is very specific.
It looks like a skull, it's a stylized skull,
and Ralph McQuarrie did a brilliant job
to take all the key elements like the eye sockets
and the mouth to make it just a touch mechanical
but yet still harken back to a living skull.
Initially, the original trilogy stormtroopers
were made in such a way that they were geared
towards actors that were around five foot 10 to six feet
to be able to fit into the armor.
They were built out of Vacform plastic.
When it came time to fit Han Solo and Luke Skywalker
into their disguised stormtrooper armor,
it took a bit of magic from the costume department
to make them fit, but they were able to do it.
[dark suspenseful music]
[Luke] I can't see a thing in this helmet.
Sandtrooper, they are the same design
as the stormtrooper armor, but they're modified
to look a bit more suited for the environment
in which we see them, which is,
at first in A New Hope, at Tatooine.
[Man] Look, sir, droids.
Distinguishing parts of this costume
are partly the backpack that they wear.
The backpack was created out of found objects
from just a local hardware store.
So fans have spent many a year trying
to recreate those backpacks in order to figure out
what exact parts those components are made out of.
The sandtrooper's also distinguished by a shoulder pauldron.
The shoulder pauldron was originally a piece
of motorcycle protective gear that
was worn for youths in the 70s.
And so that piece actually very well suited those costumes.
And one of the things I love about the sandtroopers
is that you get to accessorize the plastic stormtroopers.
And those little touches actually add so much personality
and character to the stormtrooper outfit.
[laserblasts chirping]
Spacetrooper, while the majority of their armor
is the exact same as the stormtrooper,
they are distinguished by a breathing apparatus
on their helmet.
So some of the pieces on the helmet
are slightly different to adapt for that.
They have a backpack that provides ammunition.
Joe Johnston, who was a concept artist
and very heavily involved in the design process
for the original trilogy Star Wars films,
he actually played the two spacetroopers
that you see in A New Hope.
They were able to use some photographic magic
to make it look like there's two,
but really, it's the same actor wearing the same suit.
Tie fighter pilots are just the slight variation
on your classic stormtrooper pilot.
And the idea there was just to take the classic armor,
the white armor, and turn it all black
and give 'em a helmet.
And then we actually are utilizing the breather adapters
in the front of the helmet.
Those are always designed in there
because these were supposed to be 0G outfits
so you can actually breathe in space.
And so we actually see those hose connections being used.
The apparatus that we see attached to the chest armor,
those are also all meant to evoke the same design that you
would see in terms of the Death Star bridge
or the control panels.
They wanted to make it emblematic of the Imperial Ships.
[starfighter jets roaring]
[laser blasts chirping] [explosions booming]
AT-AT pilot.
First time that we see the AT-AT drivers in their vehicles
is on the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.
[explosions booming] [dramatic suspenseful music]
The helmet is derived from an original stormtrooper helmet
and a tie fighter pilot helmet design,
as well as the chest armor pieces originally
were tie fighter pilot pieces that
were then repainted and repurposed in order
to accommodate this new vehicle, the ATAT, or the AT-AT.
[dark dramatic music]
Snowtroopers from Empire Strikes Back
are one of the designs and the variants
that I found really fascinating.
The snowtroopers obviously are in a heavy snow environment,
so you have this facial shroud,
and they have more of padded clothing just for warmth.
But I think, iconically,
it creates a very interesting silhouette.
Adding into what Doug is saying,
the components that you're able to play with,
the backpack that implies that more gear
is needed in this environment, and as well,
they have a slightly different arrangement
of components of hard armored pieces to accommodate the fact
that it might be a bit more difficult
to move in this environment.
The first time that we see the Imperial royal guard
is in the Return of the Jedi.
They are the guards for the emperor.
The Imperial royal guards are a stunning statement
in terms of who are these people.
And I think the idea of choosing to go
with a bold red and make 'em very mysterious
so that their face looks very exotic
in that you don't know who's back there.
Is it a droid or is it a person?
And I think the overall silhouette is very powerful
as these mysterious guards for the emperor.
[dark brooding music] Guards, leave us.
The bright red is meant to provide a stark contrast
to the set design, but it's also an homage.
George Lucas was very much a fan of classic hot rod cars,
so this cherry red is definitely a color
that was influenced by his love of those cars.
Biker scouts, or scout troopers,
are particularly suited for the forest environment,
in this case, the woods of Endor.
Their components are designed as such
that they'll be a bit more comfortable suited sitting down.
As well, the locations of their pistol,
which is the first time we actually see a small,
handheld sidearm pistol Freeze!
on a stormtrooper. Come on, get up.
That pistol's actually mounted into their boot.
I love their helmet design because we
were trying to lean into biker iconography.
And the idea that the mouth actually,
the snout became an open mouth
in almost like an open scream,
created an emotional look that's very terrifying.
The helmet design, for practical purposes,
was also designed where the face lifts up.
As they learned on set,
trying to situate a full stormtrooper helmet
with seconds to go before the camera starts rolling,
this was a bit easier for the actors.
[scout trooper yells]
[vehicle zooming past] [loud thud]
The clone troopers were first introduced
in Episode Two: Attack of the Clones.
For the clone troopers,
none of them were built practically.
They were all CG characters.
That was a really fascinating design exploration
because George wanted to connect Boba Fett
with the classic stormtroopers.
And he was leading up to the fact
that stormtroopers were gonna be clones.
In this time period,
we are keeping all the angles very sharp
and very stylized to evoke a more romantic time.
And so in designing the helmet itself,
we lean into designing a variant,
a blend between the classic Boba Fett helmet
and the stormtrooper helmet.
And that's why you see the strong T visor.
We retain the mouth but we stylize it,
so the helmet itself of the clone trooper,
you'll see the evolution to the classic stormtrooper.
Unlike the classic stormtrooper armor,
which is traditionally white
for all the different stormtroopers,
the clone trooper armor is distinguished by rank,
based on different colors and color patterns
and schemes that are implemented into the costume design.
Red denotes captain, yellow denotes pilot or commander,
green denotes sergeant, and blue denotes lieutenant.
Phase two clone troopers.
The style and the look of different stormtrooper helmets
over time definitely evoke the societies
in which those clone troopers in this instance come from.
We meet a lot of the clone troopers during Order 66.
Order 66 is when Palpatine orders the destruction
of the Jedi.
Execute Order 66.
[dramatic music] [laser blasts chirping]
[laser blasts chirping] [explosions booming]
One thing that differentiates the clone troopers
from Episode Three from the ones in Episode Two
is the clone troopers are asserting their individuality.
Their costumes have different colorations and patterns.
They are named characters, which is not typically
how we differentiate different stormtroopers
from each other.
This.
Thank you, Cody.
For example, Commander Cody was named after Commando Cody.
[suspenseful music]
[explosion booms] Commando Cody.
That is an old serial that George loved,
and I love all those little elements bringing things
from George's inspiration to his films.
And so this is one of those highlights
for me that makes me smile.
We're on your tail, General Kenobi.
[Madlyn] Clone trooper pilot.
In looking at the clone trooper pilot,
we see some elements that definitely are going
to slowly evolve into what we now know
as our original trilogy tie fighter pilots.
[Doug] The biker advanced recon trooper
is an interesting look.
We're taking all the key elements
of the stormtrooper helmets,
and now we're really stylizing it,
trying to create a very aggressive personality in the face.
[laser blasts chirping] [intense suspenseful music]
[Madlyn] AT-RT driver.
His costume is suited for his environment,
his army green camouflage look and face shield.
Yes, sir. [slow dark music]
[Man] Forward units--
The elite corps clone trooper,
and these were primarily seen during the Battle of Kashyyyk.
You're starting to see a blend of the classic stormtrooper
with a scout trooper in terms of that open face scream.
And they wear a very distinct camo look
to fit the environment.
[explosion booms]
Galactic Marines.
The face mask on this one reminds us
of the snowtrooper from Hoth.
During Order 66, this clone trooper is responsible
for killing Ki-Adi-Mundi, beloved Jedi.
[dramatic music] [laser blasts chirping]
[Ki-Adi-Mundi cries out]
The 501st special ops clone troopers fought
alongside Anakin Skywalker as they attacked the Jedi Temple
in Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith.
[dark dramatic music] No!
Get a medical capsule immediately.
[Man] Yes, sir, right away.
The Imperial shock troopers were part
of Palpatine's guards, and they were colored red.
We first see them on Coruscant alongside Palpatine
You'll search. after Order 66.
[Man] Yes, sir, right away, sir.
Utapau airborne clone trooper.
You can start to see further evolutions of the helmet.
Now we're starting to blend a little bit more
of the scout trooper along with the iconic shapes
of the Vader mask.
[Man] Sir, no one could've survived that fall.
[dramatic music]
[Madlyn] The 327th Star Corps clone troopers
are distinguished by their yellow elements
in their uniforms.
They wear a skirt, which we will see later on
in future Star Wars stormtrooper designs.
[Doug] The Coruscant clone troopers
are denoted by their gray markings,
and they're primarily used to defend Coruscant.
[engine roaring] [suspenseful music]
[laser blasts chirping]
[stormtroopers yelling]
First Order stormtrooper.
The update design is not only updated take
on the stormtrooper armor that we know and love,
but the technology in which the costume effects department
enlisted in order to create this physical costumes
was incredible achievements compared
to the original trilogy.
The original trilogy, while using Vacform methods
to create plastic armor, the First Order armor
was primarily created using 3D printing methods
and also molded polyurethane casting and molding
to create incredibly malleable pieces of armor.
The First Order stormtrooper,
you'll notice we're actually taking the next evolution
in terms of stormtrooper design,
really stylizing the black and white features
of the down frown mouth.
And then also, part of the personality design idea
was to make these guys really brutal,
very strong, very powerful.
There are a lot
of main design considerations and challenges.
One of the first thoughts was how
do we evolve the stormtrooper, the classic stormtroopers,
into the next generation?
And we approached it by really thinking
about new materials.
What would the new materials affect the design?
And that's when you start to see the cleaner lines,
the cleaner edges, and you start to really understand
that okay, this could be our next evolution
of the classic stormtrooper.
Partly based on design decisions and also based
on advancing construction methods, the helmets
between The Force Awakens First Order stormtroopers
and the First Order stormtrooper helmets we see
in The Last Jedi have slight variations.
The bridge on the helmet nose is slightly narrower
in The Last Jedi versions of these helmets.
The First Order stormtroopers were really evoking a lot
of the historical elements from the classic stormtroopers.
And by that I mean we're actually implying that these
are going back to the original genesis of the stormtroopers
but yet updating it with all new materials.
[stormtroopers roar]
Captain Phasma.
We're trying to take the evolution
of the First Order stormtrooper
and elevating it to a higher rank.
And we did that by changing the material,
turning her into this amazing chrome look designed
by Michael Kaplan.
JJ Abrams named Captain Phasma after Phantasm,
that horror film where there was this chrome ball
that was very menacing.
Initially, this character was meant
to be cast as a male character.
Once they decided to have this be a female actor,
they didn't make any adjustments to the costumes.
The costume that Gwendolyn Christie wears
as Captain Phasma, it still has the same amount
of strength evoked in wearing it.
However, it's still clear that a woman is wearing the suit.
Captain Phasma's costume in The Last Jedi
is visually more chrome than the costume
that we see in The Force Awakens,
and part of this is because her ability
to be shot on camera is Episode Seven proved
to be very challenging because, oftentimes,
lighting and cameras would be shown
in the reflections of her costume.
And so to combat that, it's a bit duller of a sheen.
By Episode Eight, Industrial Light & Magic
was full-on ready for the challenge
of handling that amount of chrome on her costume,
and it was much more effective
to have the costume visually appear
to be much stronger and shinier.
You're a bug in the system. [dark suspenseful music]
The first time we see the First Order flametroopers
is on Jakku when they are attacking the village.
The First Order flametroopers are distinguished
by their backpacks that provide power
for their flame rifles that they carry.
[starfighters roaring] [electroprod buzzing]
First Order riot control stormtrooper.
The first time that we see this riot trooper
is in The Force Awakens where he
is well known for being the stormtrooper that yells--
[Man] Traitor!
This character carries a very menacing baton
as well as a riot shield.
The First Order stormtroopers were much more likely
to have individuated skillsets and tasks,
so in this instance, this particular stormtrooper
is outfitted, in this case weapons,
that most effectively help him to do his duties.
[men grunting loudly] [weapons clashing]
The First Order Megablaster stormtrooper
is distinguished by the ammunition packs
that he wears over his chest armor
as well as a very large, heavy, heavy blaster.
The First Order snowtroopers were a next evolution
of the classic snowtroopers that we saw
in Empire Strikes Back.
You'll see that we preserved the veil
that covers the mask, and we kept the overall silhouette.
And the only thing we really updated
was just to give them a little bit more mask
to make them a little bit more powerful looking.
[dark music]
The First Order tie pilots, we kept the same idea
where we took the classic First Order outfit
and just made 'em black.
And therefore, the special ops version,
we gave 'em red stripes,
and that's to mirror the red stripes
that we see on the tie fighters.
[slow dramatic music]
The Imperial assault tank pilot is one
of those designs that's one of my favorite
because it takes the stylized look
of the stormtroopers, and we refined the lines.
And you'll see that all the elements are there,
but they're very clean.
Many of the armor pieces on this costume
are actually the same exact pieces
as you see on the shoretrooper.
This mask was designed by Glyn Dillon.
He and co costume designer David Crossman
created this helmet design that,
a bit like the death trooper, has this mandible effect
to it to give it a bit of a menacing look.
[Man] Hit the terrace!
Get out of there!
[explosions booming]
[dark suspenseful music] [troopers yelling]
[explosions booming]
The Imperial death troopers
were a new class of stormtroopers.
And we first see the death troopers
in Rogue One alongside Director Krennic.
We wanted to design them so that they
were sleek and powerful, more like the Seal Team Six
of stormtroopers, and we distinctly made them larger
than life so they were taller than six feet.
And we also decided to keep them very narrow
so they look very athletic and that they can move very fast.
One of the distinguishing factors
of the death troopers is the mask,
and we spent a lot of time designing that.
And ultimately, we ended up with this very aggressive look
where the side cheeks almost became like mandibles.
So it gave it a very slight
and menacing spider-like personality.
The Imperial shoretrooper.
We first see these in Rogue One.
Their roles are very present in Battle on Scarif.
They are distinguished by three different looks
that denote their ranking.
So there's the shoretrooper captain,
there's the shoretrooper squad leader,
and there's the soldier.
But the colors that they wear, the blue,
definitely evokes the ocean and the water
that they fight alongside in Scarif,
and then the beige color is meant
to match the beach that they fight in.
These costumes were designed to fit the environment.
Very much like the scout troopers,
they have less armor and more soft fabrics.
And also, you can see a little bit
of a scout trooper in the face mask.
[Captain Phasma] Let's make this hurt.
The first time we see the executioner troopers
is aboard the Supremacy flanking Captain Phasma
in The Last Jedi.
[Doug] The First Order executioner is distinguished
by black markings, and he also carries an electolaser ax.
[tense suspenseful music] [electric buzzing]
[Captain Phasma] On my command.
[Doug] The first time we meet the Praetorian guards
is in Snoke's throne room in The Last Jedi.
[Madlyn] The elite Praetorian guards
have three different helmet variations.
Their helmets and their weapons are coordinated.
Their costume design is meant to show
that they're are at the ready but that they
are also able to move flexibly.
They're evoking a bit of a samurai style.
Actually, my favorite scene in The Last Jedi
is when Rey and Kylo Ren fight and defeat all
of the Praetorian guards in Snoke's throne room.
[dramatic suspenseful music]
[lightsabers clashing] [Rey grunting loudly]
The Mimban stormtroopers.
The uniforms of the Mimban stormtroopers
are meant to suit and look and fit
into the environment in which they fight,
which is the Mimban battlefields,
but they also have a cape to help with that.
And then their helmet has an added lip
on top that distinguishes it
from a regular classic stormtrooper helmet.
[Man] Yeah, kill 'em slower.
[troopers yelling]
Imperial mudtroopers.
You first see this stormtrooper in Solo.
Those were initially designed where we're trying
to go backwards in time a little bit
from the classic stormtrooper.
And the idea was that these troopers
were in a very dirty, mud-filled environment,
so we wanted to make them look very gritty.
Costume designers Glyn Dillon
and Dave Crossman used elements of World War I soldiers
that were fighting using trench warfare tactics
to help design and inform the look of this costume.
Victory! [explosion booms]
And much like the trench warfare during World War I,
these mudtroopers were outfitted
with similar types of combat gear
that you would've seen in World War I.
For instance, their gas mask evokes that as well.
We also see Han Solo wearing a version
of this uniform while fighting in Mimban,
and his is a bit different from others
in that we actually see his face
because we're meant to see Han Solo
because we need to know it's Han Solo.
Stick to soldiering, kid.
You don't want any part of this.
[vehicles zooming past]
Imperial patrol trooper we first see on Corellia in Solo,
and you notice in the design we're now actually starting
to blend in even more scout trooper into the look.
So the whole outfit is a little bit more soft fabrics,
and then the face is a blend of the classic trooper
with the scout trooper.
[lasers blasting] [suspenseful music]
[Madlyn] The first time we see the range troopers
is during the train heist in Solo.
And what distinguishes them is the magnetic boots,
which allows them to clamp into the exterior of the train.
[Han] Here they come!
The actual practical build of the boots includes light up,
it has some hydraulic mechanisms in there
that actually emit steam, and this is
to give that full effect so that,
as we see it practically shot,
the boots will definitely give you that illusion
that they're magnetic.
[suspenseful music]
[Doug] First time we see the First Order jet troopers
are on Pasaana.
The jet troopers' jet pack is actually part of his armor,
and we see other elements that are meant
to evoke this fast-moving jet propulsion
characterization that this trooper armor has.
There's actually an homage
to an original rough McQuarrie production painting
on the insignia on the test plate.
We first see that in the First Order snowtrooper,
but then costume artist Glyn Dillion decided
to add a version of that insignia into this jet trooper.
We also see the mandible design returning on the helmet.
[jet pack roars]
[climactic music] [Chewbacca roars]
[C3PO] Oh, they fly now!
They fly now?
They fly now!
The first time we see the First Order treadspeeder driver
is in The Rise of Skywalker.
The First Order treadspeeder combines elements
of a First Order stormtrooper armor pieces along
with a further evolution of the biker scout.
There's a soft pant element as opposed to thigh armor
to make it so that this stormtrooper is better suited
to riding a new version of this speeder bike.
This is a First Order electroprod stormtrooper.
We first see them in The Rise of Skywalker.
They're denoted by the fact
that they have a new weapon, the electroprod.
The Sith trooper is a new trooper for The Rise of Skywalker.
If we think about the white stormtrooper evoking a skeleton,
the Sith trooper is meant to evoke the muscles,
the internal strength that you might find in a soldier.
Much like the death trooper,
it fights quite close to the body.
It's meant to evoke the fact that this
is a stormtrooper that's to be ready
for anything that comes at it.
One of the interesting aspects
is that you'll notice in the helmet we're bringing back some
of the elements of the clone trooper
with that strong nose T visor look.
The Sith jet trooper, it combines elements
of the Sith trooper and the First Order jet trooper
that we see in The Rise of Skywalker.
There's a jet pack that's connected
to the back armor of this trooper
as well as that mandible effect on the helmet.
And that was every single clone trooper
and stormtrooper in the live-action Star Wars films.
And that's it for now, but we can't wait
for you to see what's coming up next.
[swelling moving instrumental music]
[laser blasts chirping]
[weapons clashing] [Finn grunting loudly]
[laser blasts chirping]
[guns booming]
[jet pack roaring]
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