Soldier

Individuals could receive training and be structured into fighting units as part of a military or a paramilitary group, while others functioned as elite squads. Ground forces were the branches of armies composed of fighting men and women. Individuals who fought solely for financial gain as opposed to ideological reasons were known as hired guns. The duties of a fighter extended beyond those of a frontline combatant, including being stationed at a base or working as security personnel.

Often, soldiers fought driven by ideals like honor. The renegade Sith Master Maul was of the opinion that all soldiers were bound by honor, which he considered a weakness ripe for exploitation. Hope was another ideal, often embraced by soldiers in rebel factions. The Rebel infantry and other members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic were motivated by the hope that the Galactic Empire could be overthrown.

Commissioned officers took on leadership roles for soldiers, either engaging in combat and leading their units or commanding from a safer location. While officers who chose the latter could still achieve victory, soldiers often held a higher regard for superiors who fought alongside them in battle, earning the respect of their subordinates. Conversely, officers who operated away from the front lines risked alienating their troops, especially if their strategies led to significant fatalities among the soldiers. Such officers might face mockery from their troops, who would question whether their leader possessed the martial skills of the army.

Jedi General Anakin Skywalker strongly believed that the only authentic way to lead soldiers was to be on the front lines, fighting alongside them in the thick of battle. However, Captain Phasma of the First Order Stormtrooper Corps disagreed, arguing that effective leaders should not command from the trenches. Instead, Phasma considered her troops to be naive patriots, viewing them as expendable fodder to be sacrificed for her own survival and triumph.

The life of a soldier was characterized by intense combat and the constant threat of death in battle. However, soldiers differed in their understanding of what constituted a good soldier. The traitorous Senate Commando Faro Argyus held the view that a good soldier acted according to their own sense of what was right, but he also felt that the clone soldiers of the Galactic Republic were too indoctrinated to grasp this concept. Clone Commander Gree firmly believed in the necessity of following all direct orders and was angered by Argyus's statements. Another clone, Clone Captain Rex, initially thought that obeying orders upheld the Republic's honor, but his perspective shifted during the Battle of Umbara. Witnessing the suffering caused by Jedi General Pong Krell, Rex came to the conclusion that soldiers were sometimes justified in disobeying orders and making their own decisions.

Advanced Recon Commando Fives shared the opinion that loyalty did not require blind obedience, arguing that such behavior would reduce a soldier to the level of a pre-programmed war droid. However, the activation of a behavioral modification biochip in a clone's mind would alter their thinking, leading them to believe that a good soldier was one who followed every command. When Elite Squad Trooper ES-01, a human recruit brought into the Imperial Army by Project War-Mantle, protested against orders to kill civilians, arguing that he had enlisted as a soldier, not a killer, Clone Commander Crosshair executed him, instilling the belief in the rest of his team that all commands must be followed without question.

For countless years, the Galactic Republic was defended by the Jedi Order, who acted as law enforcement officers, although they insisted they were not soldiers. During the High Republic Era, soldiers, such as Republic Defense Coalition troops, were part of the Republic Defense Coalition. Republic peacekeeping troops were also deployed to maintain order in troubled areas. The Republic was also protected by the Judicial Forces. The Galactic Senate on Coruscant was guarded by the Senate Guard and its elite Senate Commandos. Meanwhile, Republic member planets like Naboo and Mon Cala usually had their own military forces, such as the Royal Naboo Security Forces, Mon Calamari Guard and infantry, or Royal Onderon Militia.

Despite the overall peace in the galaxy, localized conflicts still arose, involving local soldiers or, when necessary, Republic troops. During the High Republic Era, General Abediah Viess commanded a mercenary army of soldiers, known as her warrior-kin. The rival planets of Eiram and E'ronoh both maintained armed forces, which engaged in a series of wars known collectively as the "Forever War." Eirami soldiers and E'roni troops served as the ground forces of their respective planets. During the Nihil conflict, many Galactic Republic troopers of the RDC experienced their first real combat. In the late Republic Era, the government increasingly relied on the Jedi for peacekeeping duties, diminishing the role of the Judicial Forces.

With the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Republic established the Grand Army, consisting of clone soldiers, who were seen as the future of soldiers in galactic history. They fought against the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. While the Separatists primarily used battle droids instead of living soldiers, there were instances where organic troops were deployed, such as the use of Geonosian warriors during the First and Second Battles of Geonosis, and of Umbaran soldiers during the Battle of Umbara.

Before the war, Jedi Master Mace Windu had informed Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine that the Jedi would never serve as soldiers. However, the Jedi became official generals and commanders during the war, leading clone troopers on the battle lines. Instead of fulfilling their traditional role as peacekeepers, young Jedi like Ahsoka Tano found their lives consumed by warfare, effectively becoming soldiers.

Following the war, the newly formed Galactic Empire used the clones as the basis for the Imperial stormtroopers, who functioned as both elite soldiers and shock troops. Gradually, the stormtroopers also began to replace the regular Imperial soldiers. The Galactic Empire also utilized elite soldiers selected from the Stormtrooper Corps called death troopers, who were assigned to protect high-ranking Imperial officers. The Alliance to Restore the Republic had Rebel troopers, who served as its ground forces in the fight against the Empire. Grysk warriors fought as soldiers for the expansionist Grysk Hegemony, which attempted to invade Imperial territory and clashed with the stormtroopers of Darth Vader's 1st Legion during the Imperial–Grysk conflict.

The New Republic had its own New Republic soldiers, but its choice to disregard the First Order forced the Resistance to depend on lightly armored soldiers, similar to its predecessor. The First Order had its own version of the stormtrooper. Simultaneously, the Sith Eternal cult secretly amassed an army, whose most skilled soldiers were the crimson-armored Sith troopers. Legions of Sith troopers were readied for the final conquest of the galaxy, but the Sith Eternal was eventually destroyed in the Battle of Exegol. The First Order then experienced revolts against its military across the galaxy.