Stormtrooper Commander

Stormtrooper Commanders, also known simply as stormtrooper officers, were military officers within the Stormtrooper Corps of the Galactic Empire. Although Imperial stormtroopers were regarded as the Empire's best soldiers, the commanders were trained to be far superior to the more common infantry soldier. Their exceptional reputation afforded them more than just command over regular troopers. The elite Shadow Troopers answered to the authority of the commanders as well.

The commanders were an aesthetic anomaly within the Stormtrooper Corps; some commanders donned blue markings on their armor, which separated them from the rest of the plain white-armored soldiers. Hence, the commanders were permitted to follow an old tradition of the Grand Army of the Republic where soldiers distinguished their respective units by color. This tradition was abandoned after the Clone Wars ended with the rise of the Empire.

By the year 2 BBY, stormtrooper commanders were responsible for enforcing Imperial law and order on the most hostile worlds that hadn't yet been fully subjugated to the will of Emperor Palpatine. As "descendants" of the Old Republic's legendary ARC troopers, the commanders were treated as a special forces unit and the most elite warriors in the military. Yet despite their training and advanced technology, the commanders were ultimately ineffective against powerful Force wielders such as Starkiller, the secret apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Text and facts from the “Stormtrooper Commander/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.