Special Missions troopers of the Imperial Army constituted a lethal branch of special forces troopers, operating under the authority of the Special Forces Command. These operatives of the Galactic Empire were deployed for extremely dangerous clandestine operations, comprised of highly skilled individuals including sniper squads, infiltrators, saboteurs, commandos, assassins, and slicers. Functioning covertly and within enemy territory, they understood their expendable nature.
The initial reference to the Imperial Army Special Missions trooper within the new Star Wars canon occurred in Dawn of Rebellion, a supplemental roleplaying resource for the Star Wars Roleplaying series, released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2018. The Imperial Army Special Missions troopers first appeared in the Star Wars Legends continuity within Wanted by Cracken, a roleplaying supplement published by West End Games in 1993.