Shadow trooper
Shadow troopers, sometimes written as shadowtroopers, represented a group of elite and exceptionally trained stormtroopers within the ranks of the Galactic Empire. During the Galactic Civil War, these troopers fought against the Rebel Alliance. These Imperial trooper successors, drawing inspiration from the Republic's earlier clone shadow troopers, demonstrated unwavering devotion to the Empire.
These shadow troopers were recognized by their distinctive black suits, which consisted of advanced armor and a portable cloaking device. This combination provided near-total invisibility, making them ideal for covert operations. These specialized soldiers employed a tactic of overwhelming force, attacking their enemies in large numbers with an array of blaster rifles, flash grenades, and jetpacks.
Description
Role
Shadow troopers, alternatively presented as shadowtroopers, were a unique type of stormtroopers serving the Galactic Empire. These highly skilled, top-tier shock troops acted as a formidable fighting force, exhibiting extreme loyalty to the Empire and an unshakeable dedication to the Imperial cause. While these troopers often attacked in large groups to overpower their adversaries, their stealth capabilities made them well-suited for missions demanding subtlety over raw strength.
Equipment
Shadow troopers were easily identifiable by their distinct black suits, which incorporated experimental stealth armor crafted from stygian-triprismatic polymer. This material enabled them to evade detection by sensors. This impressive armor was paired with a portable cloaking device, offering optical camouflage that rendered these well-protected soldiers nearly invisible as they moved. This allowed the troopers to seemingly appear from nowhere, surprising their foes. The specialized armor of shadow troopers could also feature the Imperial crest on the left chest, along with a black pauldron on the right shoulder.
Similar to standard stormtrooper helmets, the armored helmets worn by shadow troopers included heat dispersion vents and gray or blue-tinted exhaust filters on either side of the face. Likewise, shadow trooper helmets were fitted with a direct speaker positioned between two induction filters on the chin. The helmet's eye lenses and mouth area were also colored gray.
Equipped with a wide array of survival gear, the weapons available to shadow troopers included E-11 medium blaster rifles, DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles, T-21 heavy blasters, and flash grenades. Jetpacks were also part of their potential equipment. Some shadow troopers used a holster in addition to chest or belt pouches to carry their equipment, all in black.
History
During the Galactic Civil War, shadow troopers fought for the Galactic Empire against the Rebel Alliance. They were modeled after the clone shadow trooper predecessors, a specialized unit of clone troopers utilized by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. According to Admiral Gial Ackbar of the Rebel Alliance, shadow troopers were highly skilled soldiers who should not be taken lightly.
Behind the scenes
Creation and reintroduction into Star Wars canon
The initial mention of shadow troopers in the current Star Wars canon occurred in Star Wars: Force Collection, a digital card game from 2013 created by Konami Digital Entertainment. Although Force Collection debuted before the Star Wars canon reset of 2014, Lucasfilm Story Group member Leland Chee confirmed that the game was regularly updated to align with canon. Consequently, digital cards depicting shadow troopers, originally named "Shadow Stormtrooper," were later renamed "Shadow Trooper" to match the naming conventions used in newer canon media, starting with Hot Toys' sixth scale shadow trooper collectible figure released in March 2015.
The concept of black-armored stormtroopers with cloaking devices originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity. Known as "shadow stormtroopers" or "Blackhole stormtroopers," their first appearance was in "Gambler's World," a Star Wars comic strip written and illustrated by Russ Manning, published from March 12 to September 8, 1979. Furthermore, the 2008 Legends video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed featured gray-armored stormtroopers with blue-lit plating and cloaking devices, identified as "Shadow Troopers."
Star Wars Battlefront
The video game Star Wars Battlefront, developed by EA DICE and released on November 17, 2015, marked the first canon appearance of shadow troopers. Besides being an unlockable customization option in Battlefront's multiplayer modes, shadow troopers are found exclusively in the game's survival mode. In this mode, players control one of two rebel troopers stranded in an area besieged by Imperial forces. Shadow troopers are part of the waves of enemies that the rebels must defend against until they can be extracted. This scenario is available in various locations on the planets Hoth, Sullust, Tatooine, and the Forest Moon of Endor.
An article from June 16, 2015, that revealed the survival mode of the then-upcoming Star Wars Battlefront on the official Electronic Arts website spelled the trooper variant's name as "shadowtrooper," combining the words. This spelling appears in some later sources, even though the game itself generally uses the two-word version. Star Wars: Stormtroopers: Beyond the Armor, a reference book released on October 24, 2017, also mostly follows Battlefront's spelling, except for one instance of "shadowtrooper" as a single word.
According to Dennis Brännvall, the associate design director for Star Wars Battlefront II, which launched on November 17, 2017, shadow troopers were omitted from the sequel due to the inclusion of another black-armored stormtrooper: the death trooper.
Onmitsu Shadowtrooper and LEGO Star Wars Battles
Bandai's "Onmitsu Shadowtrooper" collectible figure, released on December 29, 2017, reimagines the soldier with Japanese-style armor. While "Onmitsu" means "secret service" in Japanese and is also a synonym for historical ninja, the figure includes a sword and two kunai blades in addition to a stylized blaster.
The 2021 non-canonical LEGO Star Wars Battles mobile game features the Imperial Dropship, which carries two standard stormtroopers into battle and is piloted by a shadow trooper. The dropship itself is based on a LEGO set, which also features a shadow trooper pilot.