Every Stormtrooper in Star Wars Explained

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 location 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]