Within the Galactic Empire, and across various battle zones throughout the galaxy, one could find a specialized type of stormtrooper: the assault trooper. These troopers, a stranded variant, were stationed at numerous military facilities. They were identifiable by their stormtrooper armor, which was either the standard white with gold accents, or white with dark gray pauldrons. During the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic, these assault troopers were known for their swift hit-and-run tactics.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, the Galactic Empire began to recognize assault troopers as a specialized type of stormtrooper. During the Galactic Civil War, these troopers engaged in hit-and-run attacks targeting the Alliance to Restore the Republic. One such attack involved troopers descending from the sky to eliminate a Bothan Spynet listening post. The entire operation lasted only around six seconds, and incidentally scared away a greysor that was being walked by an operative who was away from the site. In addition to these specific operations, assault troopers were also stationed across the galaxy, including at various Imperial Military installations and combat zones, such as the Imperial Encampment located on Naboo's moon of Rori.
The assault troopers were a specialized branch within the Stormtrooper Corps, which itself was a component of the Imperial Military. Typically, assault troopers were Human males, and their operating numbers usually began with TK, GK, RK, LK, or VK. Within the assault trooper ranks, certain positions, such as veteran assault troopers and assault trooper squad leaders, were specifically designated.
Assault troopers were equipped with standard white stormtrooper armor. Some of the standard assault troopers wore plain white armor with a dark gray pauldron on the right shoulder, while others wore plain white armor with gold markings, but without a pauldron. However, veteran assault troopers and assault trooper squad leaders exclusively wore white armor with gold markings. Weaponry also varied among the ranks. Troopers with plain white armor typically used either E-11 carbines or Elite carbines as their primary blaster, and DX-2 disruptor pistols as their sidearm. Those with gold markings primarily used E-11 carbines, DXR6 carbines, EE-3 carbine rifles, or Elite carbines. For melee combat, they used stun batons, survival knives, or vibroblades. In contrast, assault trooper squad leaders favored either DLT-20A or E-11 blaster rifles as their primary weapon, and DX-2 disruptor pistols or scout blasters as their sidearm.
The 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, featured Assault troopers as non-player characters before its closure on December 15, 2011. These troopers were stationed around various Imperial installations and in the wilderness. The game utilized two distinct graphical designs for these troopers: all-white armor with a dark gray pauldron, and all-white armor with gold markings but no pauldron. Early in the game's lifespan, players aligned with the Empire could use faction points to acquire an assault trooper "faction pet" that would follow and assist them in combat. These "faction pets" wore the plain white armor with a dark gray pauldron. Throughout the game, the names of all assault troopers, veteran assault troopers, assault trooper squad leaders, and veteran assault trooper squad leaders were displayed in all capital letters when targeted or examined. However, in a now-defunct, dynamically generated Rebel escort mission called "Bothan SpyNet Post Attacked," the Spynet operative used lowercase letters to refer to "assault troopers," implying that the name of this particular stormtrooper type should be lowercase in standard conversation. It is also possible that the operative was simply referring to a generic group of assault troopers, rather than the specifically named specialized stormtroopers.