The artillery stormtrooper, alternatively referenced as the Mortar Stormtrooper, mortar troopers, or shell trooper, represented a specialized stormtrooper type within the Galactic Empire's military, distinguished by their proficiency in employing indirect fire weaponry. These troopers carried explosive-laden backpacks and some utilized Model 201 mortars; notably, one such trooper engaged in combat on the planet Tython after the Empire's collapse, operating as part of an Imperial remnant.
Artillery stormtroopers, also known as Mortar Stormtroopers or shell troopers, constituted a specialized division of stormtroopers within the Galactic Empire, focusing on the use of indirect fire weapons like mortars on the battlefield. They launched explosives at steep angles, ensuring they landed at precisely calculated coordinates from a safe distance.
These stormtroopers wore standard stormtrooper armor, but it was distinguished by yellow markings. These markings were arranged in the same pattern as the red markings seen on incinerator troopers, signifying their specific area of expertise. They also had a yellow pauldron and a military backpack that stored ammunition, including C-25 fragmentation grenades. One of the weapons employed by the artillery stormtrooper was a portable Merr-Sonn Munitions Model 201 mortar.
Artillery stormtroopers were part of the Empire's military forces. Following the fall of the main Empire, during the era of the New Republic, at least one trooper was part of an Imperial remnant under the command of Moff Gideon. In 9 ABY, this mortar trooper was deployed to the planet Tython as part of an effort to seize the Force-sensitive child Grogu from the custody of the Mandalorian Din Djarin. As a member of a stormtrooper unit, the trooper set up the Model 201 mortar system while other troopers moved up a hillside, facing attacks from the assassin Fennec Shand and the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
The artillery trooper then began firing on Shand's location, supported by an E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon. One of the mortar shells caused a rock near Shand to become partially dislodged. Shand then pushed the rock down the hill, crushing several stormtroopers and the E-Web emplacement. Ultimately, the stormtrooper forces were forced to retreat, and their transports were destroyed by a rocket fired by Fett. Around the same time, the Hunter Sentinel, who had left the Empire but publicly supported it at the Hunters of the Outer Rim, had a suit of artillery stormtrooper armor he could use in matches.
The artillery stormtrooper was initially referred to as "Mortar Stromtrooper" on its official product page. This article assumes that the term was a misspelling of "Mortar Stormtrooper." This trooper variant made its debut in "Chapter 14: The Tragedy" of the live-action Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which was directed by Robert Rodriguez and was broadcast on December 4, 2020. The variant's official name was revealed in its Databank entry.