Dark trooper stages of development
The Dark Troopers represented a pinnacle of technological advancement, serving as both battle droids and infantry exoskeletons. Their design incorporated robust plating reminiscent of stormtrooper armor, formidable weaponry, and jump packs that provided enhanced maneuverability and a tactical edge on the battlefield.
Beyond the initial Phase Zero prototypes, these troopers were manufactured in three distinct iterations. The Phase I dark trooper was a basic droid skeleton, armed with only a vibroblade and a physical shield, primarily existing as a testing platform for subsequent advancements. The Phase II dark trooper built upon this foundation, incorporating external components. The Phase III dark trooper, the definitive model, remained largely uncompleted. Only three Phase III prototypes existed aboard the Arc Hammer. General Rom Mohc, the project's mastermind, utilized one of these prototypes, a more potent modification of the Phase II design, as a wearable battle exosuit.
The Dark Trooper Project, evolving from the earlier L8-L9 and Z-X3 initiatives, was conceived by General Rom Mohc. Mohc was a staunch advocate for the importance of close-quarters combat and therefore opposed the development of superweapons such as the Death Star. He directed the Dark Trooper Project from his specially equipped starship, the Arc Hammer.
The project's initial phase began several years prior to the Battle of Yavin. Utilizing technology previously employed to transform Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, the Empire, stationed on the Empirical research station, began converting veteran clone troopers into formidable cyborgs known as Phase Zero dark troopers. As the Empire's reliance on clone troopers diminished, the Phase Zero project lost momentum and was eventually discontinued. However, the effectiveness of these cybernetic soldiers was evident to many, including Rom Mohc, the young Imperial officer overseeing the space station. The Phase Zero troopers saw deployment in combat shortly before the Battle of Yavin.
Years later, the Dark Trooper Project received official approval. The primary objective was to engineer the next generation of stormtroopers, focusing on armor and weaponry integration for use with standard stormtroopers (including clones) while anticipating future internal system advancements. The dark troopers were first deployed against the Rebel Tak Base during the attack on Tak Base, as retribution for the destruction of the first Death Star. They annihilated all Rebel forces present. Mon Mothma, concerned about the potential threat posed by the dark troopers, tasked Kyle Katarn with dismantling the program.
Dark trooper squads were frequently deployed alongside standard Imperial stormtroopers and Imperial Army personnel in combat situations to leverage their unique advantages. Employing advanced combat tactics and utilizing jetpacks, they would infiltrate enemy lines or outflank enemy positions, disrupting enemy formations and enhancing overall combat effectiveness.
Their armaments included specialized assault cannons, modified versions of Imperial repeaters, rather than the standard E-11 blaster rifle. They were also equipped with additional fragmentation grenades, thermal detonators, and concussion grenades. The dark troopers' armor, constructed from the nearly indestructible metal phrik mined on the moon Gromas 16, provided superior protection against enemy fire, including lightsabers. Acceleration compensators integrated into the armor allowed soldiers to withstand the extreme maneuvers the unit was designed to execute.
Katarn successfully destroyed the Arc Hammer after defeating Mohc. With Mohc's demise and the destruction of the Arc Hammer, all official research into the Dark Trooper Project, as well as other battle droid programs, was terminated.
However, evidence suggests that not all dark troopers were destroyed with the Arc Hammer. Some were observed stationed on Kessel, Felucia, Coruscant, and other planets. Darth Vader also retained a contingent of dark troopers as guards for his castle on Vjun. 11 years later, Katarn, accompanied by Jaden Korr, encountered dark troopers once more during a mission to Vader's former stronghold in search of Rosh Penin.
Although the dark troopers were deactivated during the mission to the Arc Hammer, at the Battle of Ord Sedra, some Imperial Remnant stormtroopers donned armor vaguely resembling dark trooper designs. These stormtroopers fought against the Yuuzhan Vong during their invasion of the galaxy.
Dark trooper production commenced on Gromas 16, where phrikite was extracted. Phrik alloys underwent testing in a laboratory on Fest and refinement at Ice Station Beta on Anteevy, which was likely the site of Phase II production. Moff Rebus oversaw the manufacturing and supply of the dark troopers' weaponry.
Dark troopers remained aboard the Arc Hammer, whose location was always kept secret, and were deployed to planetary targets via special hyperspace pods.
These troopers existed in several distinct phases:
The initial dark troopers were not combat droids but rather cyborg clone troopers with over 70% of their bodies replaced by mechanical components. They were armed with standard blaster rifles and modified stormtrooper armor, including jump packs. Their cybernetic enhancements included prosthetic limbs and organs, as well as a life support system.
The Phase I dark trooper represented the earliest iteration, essentially a lightsaber-resistant phrik skeletal frame equipped with a vibrosword on its right arm and a blast shield on its left. It primarily served as an installation sentry.
The Phase I dark trooper's exposed power cords and couplings constituted significant vulnerabilities. The prototype "super trooper" featured a small jump pack for brief bursts of speed, enhancing the velocity of its vibro blades.
The Phase II dark trooper was equipped with the suit, a jump pack, and an assault cannon capable of firing 400 plasma shells and 20 missiles without the need to reload. They also wielded the ARC Caster, a weapon that discharged potent bolts of electricity. These enhancements made Phase II dark troopers the most prevalent combat units.
Phase Zero dark troopers typically carried a blast cannon or ARC caster as their primary weapon, supplemented by a commando pistol or SE-14r light repeating blaster as a sidearm. They also carried a supply of thermal detonators.
Oppressor-7 class dark troopers were armed with EE-3 carbines, standard-issue E-11 carbines, stun batons, and, in some cases, heavy DXR-6 disruptor rifles. Streamlined jetpacks affixed to the droid's back facilitated rapid escapes from precarious situations and provided enhanced maneuverability.
Glory-class dark troopers were armed with E-11 blaster rifles, EE-3 carbine rifles, DXR6 heavy carbines, and possibly T-21 light repeating blasters.
Elite dark troopers were armed with blaster cannons, SE-14c pistols, and a variety of grenades, including fragmentation grenades, thermal detonators, and concussion grenades.
Beyond the primary models produced during the three phases of the Dark Trooper Project, a limited number of specialized variants were created to explore specific applications for the droids. One such variant was the Triumphant-class dark trooper, some of which accompanied Darth Vader on various missions around 1.5 ABY. The Inquisitorius also possessed their own dark trooper variant, the Inquisitorium dark trooper. The purge trooper was an earlier dark trooper model, specifically engineered for combat against Jedi and other Force-sensitive individuals. Other variants included the Elite dark trooper and the Dark novatrooper, used for boarding Rebel vessels.
Dark troopers made their debut in Star Wars: Dark Forces, serving as the game's most challenging adversaries. The player, as Kyle Katarn, was tasked with destroying the project before its full implementation.
According to Leland Chee, the custodian of the Holocron continuity database, the dark troopers featured in computer games like Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds and Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption are considered non-canon. Their appearances in these games are primarily for gameplay purposes. However, The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide retconned the dark troopers from Battlefront games, integrating them into the Dark Trooper Phase Zero project, where the Empire transformed clone veterans into cyborgs.
While Dark Forces implies that the dark troopers are droids, it never explicitly states this. Star Wars: Rebellion and Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide describe dark troopers as Force wielders encased in exosuits. However, this is likely non-canon within Star Wars Legends, especially since The Essential Guide to Droids later served as the first source to explicitly establish the dark troopers as droids.
Several other "variants" of dark troopers appeared in the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies. Most of the dark troopers in the game are white, in contrast to the dark gray of Dark Forces, although a variation of the droids (known as the dark novatroopers) encountered during Rebel corvette missions are colored black. Due to the game's combat mechanics, the dark troopers do not utilize their jetpacks or assault cannons.
Some non-canon depictions of dark troopers diverge from the canonical Legends version. In Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, the Phase II variant appears to wield a large chaingun, while the Phase III variant is equipped with two shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. Conversely, in the Star Wars Miniatures game, Phase III dark troopers possess small missile launchers. In Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, they were roughly equivalent in power to an AT-PT, although this is likely attributable to game mechanics. They were produced at Imperial Fortresses at a cost of 50 units of food and 85 units of carbon, and were upgradeable.
Dark troopers have been manufactured as toys. The Phase III dark trooper was released as an action figure in the Kenner Expanded Universe series of the Star Wars: The Power of the Force line, and all three phases are represented in Star Wars Miniatures.
The New Essential Guide to Droids retroactively established the evolutionary connection between the dark trooper and the L8-L9 droid through the Z-X3 droid, highlighting the visual similarities between all three droids and stormtroopers.
While some sources indicate the production of three Phase III dark troopers, The New Essential Guide to Droids asserts that only a single prototype was ever constructed, implying that it was the one worn by Mohc during the final battle of Dark Forces.