Shadow troopers, sometimes written as shadowtroopers, represented an elite and exceptionally trained branch of stormtroopers. These soldiers fought for the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War against the Rebel Alliance. Drawing inspiration from the Republic's earlier clone shadow troopers, these Imperial trooper successors displayed unwavering loyalty to the Empire.
These shadow troopers were recognized by their unique black suits. The suits were composed of experimental armor and integrated a portable cloaking device. This combination made them nearly invisible, which was ideal for covert operations. These specialized soldiers would often overwhelm opponents by launching mass attacks, utilizing various blaster rifles, flash grenades, and jetpacks.
Shadow troopers, which can also be written as shadowtroopers, were a specialized type of stormtrooper serving the Galactic Empire. They were composed of highly skilled, elite shock [troops](/article/troop]. These shadow troopers were a fearsome fighting force known for their unwavering devotion to the Empire and their steadfast commitment to the Imperial cause. While these troopers frequently attacked in large numbers to overpower enemies, their stealth equipment made them well-suited for missions requiring subtlety rather than direct confrontation.
Shadow troopers were distinguished by their black suits, which were made of experimental stealth armor constructed from stygian-triprismatic polymer. This material enabled them to evade sensors. Their intimidating armor included a portable cloaking device that provided optical camouflage. This made the well-protected soldiers almost entirely invisible as they moved, allowing them to appear unexpectedly and surprise their adversaries. The specialized armor of shadow troopers could also feature the Imperial crest on the left chest and a black pauldron on the right shoulder.
Similar to standard stormtrooper helmets, the armored helmets worn by shadow troopers had heat dispersion vents and gray or blue-tinted exhaust filters on each side of the face. Likewise, shadow trooper helmets were fitted with a direct speaker positioned between two induction filters on the chin. The eye lenses and mouth area of the helmet were also gray.
Equipped with a variety of survival gear, shadow troopers' weapons included E-11 medium blaster rifles, DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles, T-21 heavy blasters, and flash grenades. They could also carry jetpacks. Some shadow troopers used a holster along with chest or belt pouches, all in black, to carry their equipment.
Shadow troopers fought for the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War against the Rebel Alliance. They were modeled after the clone shadow trooper predecessors, which were a variant of the clone troopers utilized by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. According to Admiral Gial Ackbar of the Rebel Alliance, shadow troopers were elite soldiers who should not be underestimated.
The initial mention of shadow troopers in current Star Wars canon was in Star Wars: Force Collection, a digital card game from 2013 created by Konami Digital Entertainment. Although Force Collection launched before the Star Wars canon reboot in 2014, Lucasfilm Story Group member Leland Chee verified that the game was consistently updated to align with canon. Consequently, digital cards depicting shadow troopers, originally named "Shadow Stormtrooper," were later renamed "Shadow Trooper" to match the terminology used in newer canon media, starting with Hot Toys' sixth scale shadow trooper collectible figure released in March 2015.
Black-armored stormtroopers with cloaking devices originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity. Known as "shadow stormtroopers" or "Blackhole stormtroopers," they initially appeared in "Gambler's World," a Star Wars comic strip written and drawn by Russ Manning, published from March 12 to September 8, 1979. Furthermore, the 2008 Legends video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed presented gray-armored stormtroopers featuring blue-lit plating and cloaking devices, called "Shadow Troopers."
The video game Star Wars Battlefront, developed by EA DICE and released on November 17, 2015, marked the initial canon appearance of shadow troopers. Besides being an unlockable appearance customization in Battlefront's multiplayer modes, shadow troopers are only featured in the game's survival mode. In this mode, the player controls one of two rebel troopers who are stranded in an area surrounded by Imperial forces. Shadow troopers are part of the waves of enemies that the rebels must defend against until they are extracted. This scenario is playable in different locations on the planets Hoth, Sullust, Tatooine, and the Forest Moon of Endor.
A June 16, 2015, article on the official Electronic Arts website, which revealed the survival mode of the then-upcoming Star Wars Battlefront, spells the trooper variant's name as "shadowtrooper" without a space. This spelling is used in some later sources, even though the game itself typically uses the two-word version. Star Wars: Stormtroopers: Beyond the Armor, a reference book released on October 24, 2017, also 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 was launched on November 17, 2017, shadow troopers were excluded from the sequel due to the introduction of another black-armored stormtrooper, the death trooper.
Bandai's "Onmitsu Shadowtrooper" collectible figure, released on December 29, 2017, reimagines the soldier with Japanese-style armor. Although "Onmitsu" means "secret service" in Japanese and is also used as another name for ninja from the past, the figure comes with a sword and two kunai blades in addition to a stylized blaster.
The 2021 non-canonical LEGO Star Wars Battles mobile game includes the Imperial Dropship, which transports two standard stormtroopers into combat and is piloted by a shadow trooper. The dropship itself is based on a LEGO set that also features a shadow trooper pilot.