Alright, it's a new month (okay, not super new at this point, but sort of), and that means a new topic from Mrs.
@acrossthestars over at
Anakin and His Angel's monthly Star Wars ComLINKS link up (my title is suddenly more clever than you thought, eh?). For July, the topic is: favorite trooper (for any of you out there that immediately thought
Super Troopers, knock it off! Star Wars is srs biznez...or something...lots of parentheticals today...what's up with that?), but, after thinking about it for a spell, I've decided to tweak the rules and write about my favorite trooper from each era of Star Wars; and by "era" I don't mean "in-universe" era, but the "real life" time-frames involving the original trilogy, the prequel content, and the new stuff since Disney took over. So, now that all that's settled, how 'bout I quit blabbing and get on with it...
(Main image from
Pachyrhinosaurus on DeviantArt.)
Scout Troopers
If I had to pick an overall favorite trooper (which I don't! muahahaha), the Scout Trooper would definitely be it. Scout Troopers were my favorite growing up, and, although there may be some cooler options nowadays, I'd still dance with the girl I brought...I've always liked their more loose, less-encumbered style; they're like the ninja equivalent of a Stormtrooper...I mean, sort of...anyway, I'm also enamored with the fact that, while they look decidedly different than a standard Stormtrooper or even the less-deviated Snowtroopers, they're still immediately recognizable as a soldier of the Empire. The same can't be said, I don't think, of the Shoretroopers from
Rogue One; out of context, they just look like people in rad armor - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just impressive that Scout Troopers retain their Imperial-ness even though they have a fairly distinctive look. The white armor really helps that, for sure, but still...oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, they get to zip around on speeder bikes...they're like the Imperial Mobile Patrol (okay, Lucasfilm, if you're reading this, here's that live-action Star Wars show you've been looking for: IMPS, a CHIPS reboot in the Star Wars universe...you're welcome). And, with that, I think I've made my case for the Scout Trooper, now on to the next one...
Captain Rex
Really, this is mostly me geeking out about how, mostly in
Clone Wars, the Clone Troopers were able to become identifiable, individual troopers while all wearing roughly the same armor and looking nearly identical (you know, tattoos and hairstyles and such were different), but I'm using Rex as the example because his particular look is my favorite. I especially like the skirt-like, samurai-looking addition to his armor, as well as the shoulder pad, which is a cool callback to the orange shoulder pads from the original trilogy. Most of all, though, I like the way he (and most any other trooper, really) decorated his helmet to make it his own, make it personal. It reminds me of the
Rifleman's Creed, but instead of pertaining to a weapon, it pertains to their armor. If I were to customize a Clone Trooper helmet for myself, I'd either make it look like my face was peeking out of a rancor's mouth just before he devoured me, or I'd have some kind of bird soaring out of my forehead with its wings going down the sides...if someone artistic wants to draw that up for me that would be way past cool...
Death Troopers
"But Bryan! How can you possibly not pick some sort of First Order trooper as your new era favorite!?!?" Well, because they're not as cool as Death Troopers, duh...sure, we don't
really know anything about them, and, sure, it appears that they may play with dolls on their down time (second time I've made that joke...deplorable...), but they wear wicked, all-black armor and are called "Death Troopers"...
Death...if that's not enough to be considered the coolest in your book, then you and I have drastically different books...anyway, yes, I really think Death Troopers are a better-looking soldier than any First Order trooper (though if I were to pick a favorite among them it would have to be the Flametroopers, because flamethrower). If someone from the 501st offered to make me a suit of armor, Death Trooper would probably be my first choice - yes, I know I said Scout Troopers are my favorite, but that's partially for nostalgia reasons; aesthetically, Death Troopers take the cake. (By the way, if anyone in the 501st or otherwise wants to make me a suit, I'm all for it.)
And that'll do it for me, folks...so what's your favorite trooper? Would you agree with one of my picks, or are you a connoisseur of a different type? Were my picks all wrong and you're now embarrassed to have read them, or did I do okay? (Let's be honest, I always do at least okay.) Let me know which trooper is your favorite and why in the comments below, and/or, if you're up to it, do your own write up and add it to the
ComLINKS when it goes live on July 13th. And, regardless of whether you write anything or not, you should definitely head over after the 13th to see what other Star Wars fans choose as their favorite troopers. Who knows, if you don't agree with me, maybe you'll find someone else that got it right (i.e. wrong). Whatever you do, though, may the Force be with you...
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