Across the Star Wars series, the Empire has always stood out as one of the most interesting antagonistic forces. Thanks to how many moving parts a major evil empire was capable of having, fans could get invested in generals, emperors, and even enemies as simple as the Stormtroopers. Those who love Stormtroopers are often interested in the different varieties of the enemy, which is why Death Troopers have been such an interest for Star Wars fans.

Often clad in sleek black armor instead of the standard black and white, Death Troopers look far more menacing than their counterparts, even if Stormtroopers had great story potential at one point. Even the name is a bit more menacing. It is becoming more common to see Death Troopers these days, but for a while, it seemed as if these elite fighters were relegated to Star Wars history.

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What Are The Death Troopers In Star Wars?

A simple way to compare the Death Troopers to the many ranks of Stormtroopers is to view them as one of the special forces wings of the elite fighters. Death Troopers are the best of the best from the standard Stormtrooper ranks who then go through even greater training to specialize in other aspects of combat like espionage and protection of important figures in the Empire. When the Death Troopers are deployed for standard combat, a small unit can usually tackle whatever problem is in the Empire’s way.

Decked out in sleek black armor with tons of technological improvements, these troops are capable of assessing, surprising, and managing both active threats and allies on the battlefield. This means that Death Troopers won't ever be plauged by the same jokes about bad aim that the Stormtroopers are. The Death Troopers are particularly feared because it is rare for anyone to come across them and live to tell the tale. For a long time, these elite units were able to get in and out, completing their missions without leaving any survivors.

As some of the most ruthless soldiers in the galaxy, their drive to destroy their enemies is best summed up by a quote from Cordo, a Death Trooper squad commander in Star Wars: Empire Ascendant:

How Were Death Troopers Trained In Star Wars?

If the standard Stormtrooper can be considered well-trained, the Death Troopers are titans in comparison. Specializing in every aspect of warfare, a small unit of Death Troopers can provide the same or even more firepower than a massive legion of Stormtroopers. If a particular Stormtrooper recruit excelled in all aspects of their training, they would find themselves transferred to specialized training. Specifically, those recruits would be sent to the planet Scarif to become Death Troopers. The planet served as a unique training ground for all recruits, offering unique challenges that a standard Stormtrooper may never face during their service.

For a recruit to become a Death Trooper, they had to be completely different from the standard person. With strict requirements including height and weight, the average Stormtrooper recruit wouldn’t even qualify. Chosen recruits were pushed to the brink, and even further than that. Each Death Trooper received surgical enhancements that allowed them to trounce a standard human’s performance in physical situations.

Typically, Death Troopers would find one advanced area that they excelled at and would specialize in, but it is safe to assume that they were still more skilled than the average Stormtrooper in other areas as well. Death Troopers could range from standard fighters to elite snipers, explosive experts, and even spies. Due to all of this, Death Troopers weren’t just more capable than the average Stormtrooper. They were arguably capable of standing alongside some of the most fearsome beings in the galaxy, with both Thrawn and Darth Vader having dedicated Death Trooper units to make up for weaknesses.

Are Death Troopers Canon In Star Wars?

Shows and movies the Death Troopers appear in:

• Rogue One
• Star Wars Rebels
• The Mandalorian
• Ahsoka
• Andor

While many aspects of the Star Wars lore have since been removed from the main canon and relegated to the Legends continuity, fans who have missed these fearsome foes will be glad to know they are canon. This first became official in 2016 with the release of Rogue One, but the elite force made their return more recently in The Mandalorian, Rebels, Ahsoka, and the critically acclaimed series Andor. Sadly, the Death Troopers have yet to live up to their fearsome reputation on screen. But with the franchise becoming more interested in branching out from the Jedi, there may be more focus on them in the near future.

When the Death Troopers appeared in Andor for the first time, a lot of fans expected great things. Unfortunately, they were mostly relegated to standard support for villains, though they did see some level of action. The titular character, Cassian Andor, actually managed to kill one of the elite warriors in the midst of all the chaos on the planet Ferrix.

In an NME interview on Andor, Denise Gough (the actress who played Dedra Meero), shared her thoughts about her experience filming, highlighting how great it was to see the Death Troopers:

If the actors behind the scenes are that excited to see the Death Troopers appearing, and the fan excitement (and disappointment) was so clear, it might not be the last time they show up in Star Wars.

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