Stormtroopers (STs)—known as TK stormtroopers, and colloquially referred to as «bucketheads«—were the elite shock troops of the Galactic Empire and were part of the Stormtrooper Corps, an independent paramilitary branch operating under the Imperial Army. These obedient and zealous soldiers wore armor consisting of white plastoid plates over a black body glove, and their standard weapon was the E-11 medium blaster rifle. In addition to the standard variant trooper, various specialized units such as scout troopers and snowtroopers comprised the ranks of the corps. Stormtroopers would serve alongside the regular infantry to enforce oppressive rule over the galaxy.
Possibly taking their name from the «storm» of galactic history, they were first known as TK troopers from its inception at the end of the Clone Wars when the Sith Lord Darth Sidious declared himself Galactic Emperor. The Galactic Republic was supplanted by the Empire, and the clone troopers who formed the backbone of the Grand Army of the Republic became the first generation of Imperial stormtroopers. During the early years of the Imperial Era, the cloning operation on Kamino was shut down as the Empire turned to conscription and voluntary recruitment in order to fill the stormtrooper ranks. The remaining clones were gradually retired from service due to their rapid aging, their legacy inherited by natural-born humans who were also trained to render total allegiance to the Emperor and his New Order.
Bucketheads were spread throughout the galaxy during the Emperor’s reign, from the galactic capital of Coruscant in the Core Worlds, to major installations and vital worlds, such as Lothal in the Outer Rim Territories. These shock soldiers fought many battles against the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War, including the Battle of Scarif, the Battle of Hoth, and the Battle of Endor. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Princess Leia Organa was captured by stormtroopers who served under the Sith Lord Darth Vader. However, Organa was rescued by Luke Skywalker and Han Solo who, disguised as stormtroopers, infiltrated the first Death Star. The Emperor stationed a legion of stormtroopers on Endor to protect the shield generator of the second Death Star, although they were defeated by the Alliance’s Ewok allies.
With the Emperor Palpatine’s death, Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax took control of the Empire, which rallied to his homeworld of Jakku to make a final stand against the New Republic. After losing the Battle of Jakku, the Empire signed the Imperial Instruments of Surrender and the Galactic Concordance, and its stormtrooper forces were consequently demobilized as part of the New Republic’s terms for peace.
Despite this, in violation of the agreement between the New Republic and the Empire, a number of Imperial holdouts continued to make use of Remnant Stormtroopers as soldiers or mercenaries, including Moff Gideon‘s faction as well as the remnants on Morak. By the last days of the New Republic Era, a new generation of stormtroopers emerged as standard soldiers of the First Order.