Stormtrooper Costumes Maintain Continuity in Star Wars

By Shrey Sankalp

Ah, good ol’ Stormtroopers.

For characters who seem like they were born with a biological predisposition to miss, they sure managed to get the aim on the audience’s hearts right.

An original creation of visionary maestro George Lucas, Stormtrooper costumes were first introduced all the way back in 1977 in the original Star Wars.  Stormtroopers mere soldiers of the big bad, but who knew these woefully incompetent soldiers with their white shiny armor would become one of the most recognizable and consistent aspects of the franchise?

The idea behind Stormtroopers was simple – an intergalactic war needed intergalactic soldiers and owing to aesthetic obligations associated with the sci-fi genre, said soldiers needed to have fantastical yet practical costumes. George Lucas knew it all too well, and carried over his signature attention to aesthetic and we ended up with the sparkly white costumes that are now ubiquitous.

Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC-BY 2.0

And ubiquitous they are!

You can find Stormtrooper Easter Eggs and references in every popular medium (though the cake goes to the fully functional costume Barney Stinson kept in his living room in How I Met Your Mother), but the real cultural impact can be felt when it comes to merchandising.

Star Wars as a franchise has had considerable box office revenue, but that revenue is only a third of the revenue generated from toys, miscellaneous licensed merchandize, and of course, the costumes.

Every Halloween, you can be fairly certain that you will be greeted by at least five Stormtroopers looking to trick-or-treat you. And it’s not just the kids!

Adults who grew up watching these movies go one step further. A quick search reveals the various creative ways Stormtrooper costumes have been utilized, from serving as groom and bride outfits at themed weddings to Star Wars re-enactments, they’ve been everywhere.

And ‘everywhere’ includes dance competitions too.

Yep, you heard it right. In countless dance competitions, participants have donned Stormtrooper costumes and performed entire musical numbers!

Imagine that!

(Lucasfilm)

This ubiquity is thankfully something Disney hasn’t forgotten with their new generation films.

All films have had some variation of Stormtroopers in them, with slight adjustments to the armor, helmets and equipment. A lot of people argue it’s so that Lucas could sell more toys and costumes, but I disagree.

It’s these small variations to the costumes and equipment that added a sense of realism – just as the Armed Forces have different uniforms for different ranks and situations.  Why can’t the same extend to Stormtroopers?

It lends to realism and stops them from seeming like a CGIed herd of clones – a problem a lot of people have with the prequels where the armies are literally CGIed herds of clones.

On the same topic, it’s the familiarity offered by the presence of a Stormtrooper that brings old fans back for more, while simultaneously enamoring newer ones.

The introduction of Flametroopers, baton wielding troopers and the shiny chrome Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens doesn’t just add cool costumes into the mix; while attracting new fans with their snazziness; it reminds old fans things haven’t changed that much with the new generation after all.

(Lucasfilm)

And just as The Force Awakens introduced familiar yet different versions of the classic troopers, so is Rogue One.

So far three additional kinds have been confirmed – Death Troopers, Scarab Troopers and Sandtroopers.

All troopers bring their unique flourishes to their costumes (although I’m certain the Death Troopers are the coolest looking ones with their all black design and green lights!) that once again build on the familiarity to explore new avenues.

All of this just shows that after years of remaining low key, Star Wars is finally back, and in what grand fashion. We’re going to get new movies every year for the considerable future, and while there were some apprehensions before 2015, The Force Awakens wiped them away for good, and Rogue One looks like it’s on the same path. 

Disney is rightfully marketing on nostalgia and yet serving up enough novelty to suck in newer viewers. Fans couldn’t be happier.

Something big is coming, and we can’t wait to be a part of it.