Post by Red on Feb 4, 2007 1:44:07 GMT -5
Training and Organization
If a man between the ages of 18 and 30 scored in the top fifth percentile, an Imperial recruiting agent would contact him and presumably arrange DNA sampling for cloning. Men who didn't score that high were still wanted as regular soldiers. Also, it was preferable if stormtrooper recruits met a certain standard in height and weight.
The Stormtrooper Corps was not directly tied to the Imperial Army, and maintained its own command structure, ranking system, and support facilities. Stormtroopers were loyal only to the Emperor, and only followed orders from Army and Navy personnel at their discretion.
The basic unit of organization was the individual trooper. Each stormtrooper was assigned a number for tactical purposes and to reinforce the Imperial ethic of uniformity. Troopers were organized into squads, platoons, companies, battalions, regiments, and legions. A company commander could give command to any regular officer over any given squad or platoon. A single battalion consisted of 820 soldiers—whereas a battalion of Galactic Republic clone troopers was comprised of only 576 men.
Stormtrooper officers were traditionally non-clone graduates from the Imperial Academy. In battle, commissioned stormtrooper officers wore standard stormtrooper armor with rank insignia to indicate status. Non-commissioned officers were identified in the field with shoulder pauldrons instead of the standard rank squares worn over the armor. For non-combat situations, officers wore a black tunic and pants dress uniform, including a cap, boots, gloves, and standard rank squares.
In addition to their military role as elite troops, stormtroopers constituted an important part of Palpatine's New Order. Stormtrooper training was accompanied by thorough indoctrination to Imperial ideology, above and beyond what the normal military was exposed to, and stormtroopers were closely associated with the Emperor himself. This was particularly significant in light of the tensions between the Emperor and the Navy. For instance, the stormtroopers deployed to the Death Star were, arguably, largely there to ensure the immensely powerful battle station remained in the Emperor's control. Darth Vader was sent for a similar purpose.
Equipment
The BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle was the standard issue weapon of the Corps and one of the most common issued rifles in the Empire. Before these blasters were designed, the first stormtroopers used DC-15A blaster rifles and side arms. The blaster was largely based on the DC-15 blasters used by clone troopers during the Clone Wars, right down to the folding stock, allowing for increased range and braced fire. All stormtroopers, excluding those assigned to heavy or special weapons, carried an E-11 along with a SE-14R sidearm. DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles and DLT-20A blaster rifles were also used by stormtroopers.
All stormtroopers also had a cylindrical thermal detonator attached to the small of their back, on their torso armor. Like almost everything else on a typical Stormtrooper uniform, the detonator casing and buttons were not labeled, merely blank white in color. This was done deliberately in order to reduce the chance that an enemy would be able to arm to detonator if it were captured. Even a person who somehow knew the way to input the code would have to learn what it was. Each thermal detonator arming code was unique, known only to the soldier to whom the device was issued. The individual detonator code, along with designation codes and rank, were the only semblances of individuality that the troopers were allowed.
Armor: A Symbol of Fear
This armor was white body armor over a sealed black body glove. In this respect it appeared similar to the armor worn by their predecessors of the Clone Wars. The complete ensemble encased the body, and typically had no individually distinguishing marking outside of rank—so much so that casual first-time observers would sometimes mistake the stormtroopers for some form of battle droids.
The armor also protected the troopers from very harsh environments as well as projectiles and impact weapons. The armor might be penetrated by a direct blaster bolt, but would significantly reduce damage from the absorbed bolt. The body glove allowed for comfortable operations in an very wide range of climates, including—for a very short time—even total vacuum conditions, or immense extremes of cold and heat. In this respect, it could be argued that the armor was much less suited to battle than its clone armor predecessor, and much more suitable as a high-tech survival suit.
If a man between the ages of 18 and 30 scored in the top fifth percentile, an Imperial recruiting agent would contact him and presumably arrange DNA sampling for cloning. Men who didn't score that high were still wanted as regular soldiers. Also, it was preferable if stormtrooper recruits met a certain standard in height and weight.
The Stormtrooper Corps was not directly tied to the Imperial Army, and maintained its own command structure, ranking system, and support facilities. Stormtroopers were loyal only to the Emperor, and only followed orders from Army and Navy personnel at their discretion.
The basic unit of organization was the individual trooper. Each stormtrooper was assigned a number for tactical purposes and to reinforce the Imperial ethic of uniformity. Troopers were organized into squads, platoons, companies, battalions, regiments, and legions. A company commander could give command to any regular officer over any given squad or platoon. A single battalion consisted of 820 soldiers—whereas a battalion of Galactic Republic clone troopers was comprised of only 576 men.
Stormtrooper officers were traditionally non-clone graduates from the Imperial Academy. In battle, commissioned stormtrooper officers wore standard stormtrooper armor with rank insignia to indicate status. Non-commissioned officers were identified in the field with shoulder pauldrons instead of the standard rank squares worn over the armor. For non-combat situations, officers wore a black tunic and pants dress uniform, including a cap, boots, gloves, and standard rank squares.
In addition to their military role as elite troops, stormtroopers constituted an important part of Palpatine's New Order. Stormtrooper training was accompanied by thorough indoctrination to Imperial ideology, above and beyond what the normal military was exposed to, and stormtroopers were closely associated with the Emperor himself. This was particularly significant in light of the tensions between the Emperor and the Navy. For instance, the stormtroopers deployed to the Death Star were, arguably, largely there to ensure the immensely powerful battle station remained in the Emperor's control. Darth Vader was sent for a similar purpose.
Equipment
The BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle was the standard issue weapon of the Corps and one of the most common issued rifles in the Empire. Before these blasters were designed, the first stormtroopers used DC-15A blaster rifles and side arms. The blaster was largely based on the DC-15 blasters used by clone troopers during the Clone Wars, right down to the folding stock, allowing for increased range and braced fire. All stormtroopers, excluding those assigned to heavy or special weapons, carried an E-11 along with a SE-14R sidearm. DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles and DLT-20A blaster rifles were also used by stormtroopers.
All stormtroopers also had a cylindrical thermal detonator attached to the small of their back, on their torso armor. Like almost everything else on a typical Stormtrooper uniform, the detonator casing and buttons were not labeled, merely blank white in color. This was done deliberately in order to reduce the chance that an enemy would be able to arm to detonator if it were captured. Even a person who somehow knew the way to input the code would have to learn what it was. Each thermal detonator arming code was unique, known only to the soldier to whom the device was issued. The individual detonator code, along with designation codes and rank, were the only semblances of individuality that the troopers were allowed.
Armor: A Symbol of Fear
This armor was white body armor over a sealed black body glove. In this respect it appeared similar to the armor worn by their predecessors of the Clone Wars. The complete ensemble encased the body, and typically had no individually distinguishing marking outside of rank—so much so that casual first-time observers would sometimes mistake the stormtroopers for some form of battle droids.
The armor also protected the troopers from very harsh environments as well as projectiles and impact weapons. The armor might be penetrated by a direct blaster bolt, but would significantly reduce damage from the absorbed bolt. The body glove allowed for comfortable operations in an very wide range of climates, including—for a very short time—even total vacuum conditions, or immense extremes of cold and heat. In this respect, it could be argued that the armor was much less suited to battle than its clone armor predecessor, and much more suitable as a high-tech survival suit.