Star Wars Has Turned The Stormtroopers’ Greatest Weakness Into Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Secret Weapon

Stormtroopers have been staple villains in the Star Wars franchise since they first burst onto the Tantive IV, but only now—under Grand Admiral Thrawn—have they become a real threat to the galaxy. 47 years ago in A New Hope, Stormtroopers were intended to be intimidating, faceless soldiers who served the Empire without emotion. Nevertheless, since their introduction, they’ve been made fun of for their terrible aim, flimsy Stormtrooper armor, and other obvious weaknesses. While other Star Wars characters can survive getting cut in half, Stormtroopers tend to die after getting hit with a single shot, regardless of where it lands.

Recent Star Wars projects have finally begun picking up on the hilariously bad reputation Stormtroopers have among the audience. For example, The Mandalorian season 1 features two Scout Troopers failing to shoot a small object right next to them; an obvious parody of their terrible aim. They make it seem like aiming is difficult, yet most main characters tend to just “pull the trigger,” as Rey so eloquently put it in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Nevertheless, while some shows have taken to turning Stormtroopers’ weaknesses into comedy, one series has turned their biggest joke into the audience’s worst nightmare.

Stormtroopers Are Famous For One Thing: Dying

In almost every medium, Stormtroopers exist in the story to die. From the dozens who dropped into the depths of the Death Star while fighting Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, to the one who got kicked off a tower in the Andor finale, Stormtroopers are famous for getting taken out quickly. Whether it’s a small lightsaber cut or a single blaster bolt, they rarely survive any of the major battles in the movies and shows. Instead, they die ignoble, forgettable deaths that tend to blur together.

Even in children’s books, Stormtroopers are well-known for their brief and forgettable appearances in the franchise. Star Wars: The Mandalorian Junior Novel by Joe Schriever says that Stormtroopers “did what they were famous for—fighting, then dying,” hinting that even the citizens of the galaxy knew just how bad Stormtroopers were at fighting. Their predecessors, the clone troopers, fought honorable battles and died meaningful deaths. Meanwhile, most Stormtroopers were nameless nobodies who die seconds after showing up.

Ahsoka’s Undead Stormtroopers Turn This Weakness Into A Weapon

Despite Stormtroopers having a similar reputation to redshirts from Star Trek, the Ahsoka series manage to take their laughable deaths and turn them into one of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s deadliest weapons. In Ahsoka, Thrawn commands a host of zombie Stormtroopers known as Night Troopers. Initially, most of these troopers were still alive. But with the help of Nightsister magick, they are able to continue fighting even after being inevitably killed. So, while Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren continually cut them down, the Night Troopers keep getting back up.

Ironically, it’s almost as if Thrawn knows of the Stormtroopers’ proclivity for death in the franchise. Ever the tactician, he uses his reanimated Night Troopers to ensure his escape from exile on Peridea, knowing they will fight to the death and beyond for his sake. Thrawn now returns to the galaxy with an army of Night Troopers who solve the Stormtroopers’ greatest weakness. With them, he is free to return to the Star Wars galaxy and work on rebuilding the Empire on the backs of unkillable soldiers.