The 41st Ranger Platoon constituted a clone trooper infantry platoon and also functioned as a strike team. It was a part of the 41st Elite Corps, serving the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This platoon engaged in sabotage operations targeting Separatist supply routes and facilities. Later, they participated in the Battle of Kashyyyk, providing support to other units within the 41st Elite Corps. Following the enactment of Order 66 and the commencement of the Great Jedi Purge, the platoon was involved in the pursuit of Jedi Grand Master Yoda.
Within the Grand Army of the Republic, the 41st Ranger Platoon acted as both a clone trooper infantry platoon and a strike force, specifically within the 41st Elite Corps, serving the Galactic Republic. The platoon typically consisted of four squads, totaling thirty-six clone troopers. The unit's composition included diverse clone soldiers, such as standard clone troopers, clone specialists, clone trooper officers, heavy weapons clone troopers, and Advanced Recon Force Scout Troopers. During operations, the platoon utilized All Terrain Reconnaissance Transports and featured an ARF trooper officer who commanded a reconnaissance walker patrol.
Initially, the platoon was equipped with Phase I clone trooper armor, featuring a forest camouflage paint scheme with dark green elements, further enhanced by a green polarized lens. Clone sharpshooters utilizing Phase I clone trooper armor were additionally outfitted with helmet-mounted macrobinoculars and could also have a black left-shoulder pauldron. Heavy weapons clone troopers in the unit also received a helmet-mounted visor, alongside a small, black right-shoulder pauldron, a clothed bag worn across the torso, and supplementary armor attachments. Clone trooper officers were equipped with a rangefinder attached to their helmets.
Later, the platoon adopted Phase II clone trooper armor. Standard clone troopers could wear forest camouflaged armor or armor with dark markings on the shoulder and two dashes on the right chest. Clone specialists continued using helmet-mounted macrobinoculars and could also have a left-shoulder pauldron. Specialists without the pauldron had two reflected diagonal dark green dashes across their chest, plus dark green shoulder armor. Heavy weapons clone troopers had a clothed bag across their chest and torso, a small right-shoulder pauldron, and extra armor, or dark green markings on their forest camouflaged armor on the chest, arm, shoulder, and leg armor. Phase II clone trooper officers had rangefinders, a gray kama, and dark green markings on their shoulder and chest armor.
The 41st Ranger Platoon's Advanced Recon Force Scout Troopers got modified Phase II armor, with green helmet markings showing their affiliation to the 41st Elite Corps and divisional markings on their legs indicating their affiliation to the 41st Ranger Platoon. Their armor was painted in muddy green that faded into brown camouflage at the limbs, then dirty white at the lower legs and feet. Their ARF helmet had reinforced side flaps and an advanced comlink device with a projecting antenna.
The unit's soldiers used various handheld weapons. Standard clone troopers had DC-15A blaster carbines, clone specialists had Valken-38x snipers, officers had DC-17 repeater hand blasters, and heavy weapons clone troopers had DC-15A blaster rifles or DC-15LEs. The unit's ARF troopers used DC-15A blaster rifles, grenades, and other explosives. The ARF troopers also used RPC-2 Rocket Launchers stored on their vehicles.
During the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the 41st Ranger Platoon was active. The 41st Ranger Platoon was often sent to sabotage enemy supply lines and weak points, diverting attention from Republic interests. By the time of the Battle of Mon Cala, the Republic Military, including the 41st Ranger Platoon, had adopted Phase II clone trooper armor.
The platoon served late in the war, fighting in the Battle of Kashyyyk with other 41st Elite Corps forces on Kashyyyk and the Wookiee Army. ARF troopers from the platoon fought with Red Company at the Kachirho City beachfront, supported by HAVw A6 Juggernauts, Infantry Support Platforms, and All Terrain Attack Pods.
After Order 66 and the start of the Great Jedi Purge, a 41st Ranger Platoon ARF trooper patrol was assigned to search the battlefield for clone survivors and wounded Wookiees to execute. Reaching a downed Wookiee Oevvaor Jet Catamaran on the beach, an ARF trooper officer told his troopers the Wookiees were dead, ordering two east while he and another went west. The 41st Ranger Platoon's ARF troopers helped hunt Jedi Grand Master Yoda after Order 66, but failed to stop his escape from the planet in an E3-standard starship lifeboat.
The 41st Ranger Platoon debuted in the video game Star Wars Battlefront II, initially launched by Electronic Arts in 2017, but the platoon's inclusion occurred with the "Elite Corps Update" on August 29, 2018. However, the update released the 41st Ranger Platoon clone trooper skins as the standard 41st Elite Corps appearance.
Later, a clone trooper appearance overhaul created a different look for the 41st Elite Corps, spinning off the original appearance as the newly-created 41st Ranger Platoon in a February 27, 2019 update. The 41st Ranger Platoon was initially named the 87th Rangers before the update's release, but the name was changed. The update also slightly modified the 41st Ranger Platoon's armor coloring, adding dark green shoulder armor and different dark green patterns to their camouflage and equipment.
Pablo Hidalgo and [Jason Fry]'s 2020 reference book, Star Wars Complete Vehicles, New Edition, retconned the 41st Ranger Platoon as the AT-RT drivers in the 2005 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, based on the drivers' black thigh armor markings. Before this, the Battle of Umbara arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars also showed the 501st Legion's ARF troopers with the same black thigh markings. However, in 2024, Sideshow Collectibles released a 1:6 scale 501st ARF trooper figure without black thigh markings, instead featuring the regular Phase II 501st clone trooper's blue leg stripes. It's unclear if this was intentional after the retcon, or a mistake by designers who missed the black markings in the episodes.