Oh yeah, first the SHF version and now a Black Series one. My shelves are literally going to be packed with all of these Rogue One Troopers. Love each and every design of them.

heh, yeah, pretty much. its sleek and cool (well the shf version is anyway, the bs version looks a little dumpy imo) but,i don't think many people would guess that he pilots a hover tank if they just saw the design by itself.

going back to the original trilogy, you can look look at the troopers without any sort of context and get an idea of what their function is on the visuals alone. the snow troopers look like they're well insulated to function in harsh climates, the biker scouts are less armored and lighter than the standard stormtrooper and have an almost bmx rider aesthetic to them.

that kind of thought and practicality for designs seems to be fading in favor of simply coming up with cool looking designs regardless of their job designation and function. they're basically turning into cobra from gi joe....which from a toy collecting perspective is great i have to add lol

That's not at all what I'm arguing. My points are 1: that Stormtroopers, by their name and design, are space-borne shock troops, not regular infantry, and 2: the only reason they were patrolling a little hole-in-the-sand like Mos Eisley in the first place was because they'd been deployed there by Darth Vader (who, as the Emperor's personal attack-dog, has a certain amount of leeway in Stormtrooper deployment) to search for the stolen Death Star schematics. The "Special Edition" of ANH basically confirms this with the Imperial troop dropship flying away in the background when the troopers find evidence of droids.

When Darth Vader boards the Tantive IV, some of the Stormtroopers appear to be checking on their downed comrades.

Pretty much.

Indeed.

Lucas supposedly wanted the less pragmatic designs of the PT to suggest that this was "a more civilized age."

The combination of the tight-fitting bodyglove-top over baggy trousers is pretty weird (which reminds me: why the hell does FN-2187 have different boots than the other "First Order" Stormtroopers?)

http://i.imgur.com/2ZXPsRb.png

Without any sort of context, I'd guess that the troops involved in the Hoth assault were not Stormtroopers but rather Imperial Army soldiers.

Oh, they've been doing that for decades now, but it only really started to get out of control after AOTC came out in theatres.

And the First Order Stormtroopers look like ducks.

And how...

http://www.spikeybits.com/wp-content...onald-duck.jpg

Well, I'm simple. I love all the new designs of the various troopers. I'm not bothered by where did they go after or how their gears are designed in the real world, because...they existed a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. You know why they didn't reuse the old troopers for the new movie? Because then people would complain "it's the same old troopers in a new movie!" Star Wars has always been a treasure trove for selling toys, they made the movie to sell toys. And I love the movies, I like the toys and I collect the toys. So I got no problem with that! As long as they make GOOD toys and not $20 shampoo bottles.

Your deconstructionist spirit of analysis-free enthusiasm is acknowledged, and certainly valid for a lot of fans, but on the other hand, there are just as many (or probably more) viewers with analytical aptitude who see something on-screen and immediately begin evaluating it for verisimilitude in the context of what is known about the universe being depicted: "Does this make sense, CAN it make sense, or is it stupid?" They can't help it; it's in their nature to ask questions. Truly great artists need to anticipate such scrutiny, because attention to detail makes the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Rgds

I get what you're saying, but I don't really agree. Death Troopers look like elite special-ops Stormtroopers and Shoretroopers look like they patrol sandy environments (not just because of the color of their armor). I agree that you can't really tell a Tanktrooper's purpose just from looking at his armor, but could you do that with the AT-AT driver? I can't think of any way for an armor design to really indicate that its wearer drives a tank.

Most of the old EU, and pretty much all of the new canon, seem to go with the idea that Stormtroopers are regular infantry.

The official in-universe name for Snowtroopers is "Cold Weather Assault Stormtrooper", with "Snowtrooper" being a shorter informal name for that type of trooper.

I can't think that body armour would do much more than get in the way for a tank crewman.

Yes, as I've just spent the last page-and-a-half criticising.

Which is a remarkably silly idea. Like every Star Destroyer squadron just swans around the galaxy with a full assortment of specialists for every occasion, from Lava Troopers to Aqua Troopers and everything in-between...

ESB's "Snowtroopers" are commanded by an Army General. They're transported by Army AT-ATs, escorted by Army AT-STs and wear Army body armour. They're Army.

I'll chip in on the "where do Stormtroopers stand in the Imperial army?" conversation by pulling quotes from Star Wars' own website databank. The entry on Stormtroopers reads:
"Stormtroopers are elite shock troops fanatically loyal to the Empire and impossible to sway from the Imperial cause. They wear imposing white armor, which offers a wide range of survival equipment and temperature controls to allow the soldiers to survive in almost any environment. Stormtroopers wield blaster rifles and pistols with great skill, and attack in hordes to overwhelm their enemies. Along with standard stormtroopers, the Empire has organized several specialized units, including snowtroopers and scout troopers."

Let's all take a moment now and laugh at that part where it says they wield blasters "with great skill" because we all know how bad some of these guys are at aiming.
So Stormtroopers are officially considered shock troops and not just basic infantry (though this does raise the question of what the basic infantry units are?) but they have gear which is rigged to be adaptable. So Snowtroopers as we all know them (thank you Kenner toys) are technically Stormtroopers but wearing thicker, warmer attire. To quote from the portion regarding the battle of Hoth: "Stormtroopers in cold-weather gear deployed from Imperial AT-AT Walkers and invaded Hoth’s Echo Base." So to take it from Star Wars' own website all variants are technically Stormtroopers.

Okay, can no one post anything else until I can get my reply up, just so I don't have to keep adding to it as more posts come up? I keep trying to post a reply, but it keeps giving the "Post denied. New members may not post links in their posts, please try again without any links. We also check your text to see if it has any spammy words in it. If it did, that may be why you are seeing this message." I don't have any links, and I can't figure out what "spammy" words I have in it.

EDIT: never mind. Could someone delete this post? There's no delete option I can see

You're criticising official media for going against an in-universe idea that... wasn't really ever established by anything except a minority of OT content? Like, you seem to be getting mad at official old EU and new canon content for saying that there isn't a separate normal Army force in the Empire, when nothing in the movies even said there was? The movies never really showed there to be any non-Stormtrooper troops aside from those specifically assigned to the Death Star (and, of course, officers).

Specialist forces can probably be moved from fleet to fleet as needed, at least in the Star Wars universe. General Veers' Blizzard Force likely wasn't constantly with Vader's Death Squadron.

The Stormtrooper Corps, at least in the new canon, falls under the Imperial Army. Snowtroopers are both Stormtroopers and Army. They aren't mutually exclusive.

Come on, you know the only reason they miss so often is plot armor. Every time they're shown fighting against non-plot-essential characters, they're pretty effective (boarding scene in ANH comes to mind).

Yeah I know it's still just funny how bad they miss the heroes, especially in the hallways of Bespin where there's no cover or anything. They kicked the rebels' asses on the Tantive IV and at Echo Base though, plus they demolished those Jawas precisely and with cruelty before treating themselves to some Lars BBQ and in Battlefront you can be the best Stormtrooper there ever was who never misses a shot and helps take down Luke Skywalker with a well placed pulse-cannon shot. I actually hope Rogue One gives us some more regular Stormtroopers actually being good at their job since they're meant to be the feared representatives of an evil government.

Yeah, hopefully. I won't be super disappointed if the heroes are protected by plot armor, but it would be nice for troopers other than the Death Troopers to actually seem as effective as they canonically are.

yeah, i'd agree with the death trooper. shore trooper...hmmm, i don't know, maybe. you can tell right away that its a riff on the biker scout uniform but i don't know if i'd come to the conclusion that its specifically designed for sand environments....maybe if they had flip flops :D

if someone was familiar with a TIE pilot, I'd assume they'd have some kind of idea that an AT-AT driver pilots a vehicle since the his gear is literally just repurposed tie pilot gear.

that bit of dialogue between leia and han after the death star escape kind of implies that maybe the stormtroopers were purposely not hitting them with their blasters. i kind of hope thats the case cause they're really lousy shots on the death star...like comically bad lol.

Well, yeah, but that requires the context of knowing of the TIE Pilot uniform. I was talking about looking at it without context, as if you were looking at it for the first time. Snowtrooper armor, Scout Trooper armor, TIE Pilot suits, Death Trooper armor, and even AT-ST Driver suits all kinda signify what role they fulfill even without the previous context of Star Wars or Stormtrooper armor. AT-AT pilots aren't that clear role-wise, same as Tank Trooper armor.

You're right, because then Tarkin brings it up with Vader that he doesn't like letting them go and it better pay off. To quote the fictitious man himself: "I'm taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work."

I feel similarly. They're drab. The first press photos remind me of scenes from a local tent city. All that's missing is a shopping cart or two.
I have a similar gripe about Phasma and Ren. If I was their C.O. and I saw them prancing around in custom-modified armor or wearing a goofy mask and other non-standard-issue accoutrements, I'd jerk them sideways and tell them to take that shit off and get back in proper uniform. Vader was an exception because most of his black body was basically a machine, and anyway, nobody tells Vader what to do, but Phasma and Ren seem like a pair of prima-donnas and need to be dealt with accordingly. Ren in particular seems like a whiney little puke, not even part of the command structure. And yet he gives orders to the rank and file!

I kinda like the tank trooper, so might scoop one of him. Good context, characterization and storytelling will be important to give all the figures more appeal as collectibles.

Captain Phasma IS the C.O., though. She may be a captain in name, but her real rank is far higher. She is in command of the First Order's Stormtroopers. She's allowed to make armor out of one of Palpatine's old ships.

As for Kylo, the reason he's not "wearing standard-issue gear" is that he's not a soldier. He is the apprentice of Snoke, the leader of the First Order, similar to how Vader was apprentice to Palpatine. He, like his grandfather, is outside the command structure entirely.

Also, Kylo's not supposed to be another Darth Vader. He's supposed to be an emotionally stunted guy trying (and failing) to be the next Darth Vader. That's the point of his character.

I think the armor was probably made for her by someone else, maybe commissioned as a reward for outstanding service or something. An online theory I have seen is that she's actually a captain of their navy/fleet and not their army which grants a lot more rank. Going on this same speculative theory if you examine her cape it has these weird pockets and an overall weird layout for a cape which could suggest that it's actually her jacket uniform (like General Hux's) which she's fitted into a cape to wear over her armor. Whatever the deal is I hope she's better used in episode 8 because they way over-marketed her in 7 for how little she was there.

i was kind of thinking the same thing about her armor-that it goes with her rank and not so much that she decided to bling it out and accessorize.

i don't really put too much stock in ranks in star wars but it does appear that she's more of a figure head than an actual co. important enough not to participate in actual combat. which is why we only see her relay the order from kylo to kill all the villagers on jakku and why she is on starkiller instead of fighting on takodana.

I'm more miffed about her misuse and being turned into a joke rather than her limited screen time. she just needed to do on thing to show she is formidable or a terrible person-and she did neither. i really wish they added a scene where han and finn try to take her out and fail AND then chewie comes in and sucker punches her.

According to the Star Wars The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, her cape is made of armorweave, which (1) the other First Order Officers' jackets aren't made of, and (2) is something generally used for outifts intended to see some kind of fighting (Darth Vader's armorweave cape comes to mind), which again, First Order Officers (and their uniforms) aren't intended for.

From what we've seen from supplementary material to the film, she is the leader of the FN Corps, the First Order's equivalent to the Stormtrooper Corps. She personally oversees the training of all Stormtroopers in the First Order. We can't use these two examples of her not particularly participating in battle to say she's a figurehead.

Yeah, she really got shafted in TFA. I hope she gets a better deal in EpVIII.

Did anybody manage to get this Tank Trooper figure on Force Friday? I didn't, because my TRU only had 4 of them during Midnight Madness, and other people got them first; that was the only TBS 6" figure that TRU had. I checked other TRUs and Targets the day of the 30th, and they had evidently gotten the new TBS wave, so it wasn't just my area - it was that specific TRU.

I got really really lucky and managed to snag one.
I went back to TRU the next day, looking for Marvel Legends, and while browsing the SW Black stuff, saw that last year's TRU exclusive TFA Snowtrooper Officer was still on the pegs.
Hopefully, for those who weren't able to get one, the Hovertank Pilot will eventually be just as easy to find.

God I hope so.