Stormtroopers are some of the best cannon fodder in all of science fiction. They are faceless bad guys that exist for the heroes of the Star Wars films, books, comics and games to blast and move on to main villains like Darth Vader.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was one of the first times that fans got a look at a character beneath the stormtrooper helmet, and now, writer Jason Aaron is about to do the same in issue #21 of Marvel's flagship Star Wars comic.
As revealed on StarWars.com, #21 will launch a new story arc that will focus on an elite seven-member squad of stormtroopers, in the process exploring their personalities and reasons for siding with the Empire.
"That was one of my favorite parts of The Force Awakens, getting to see and getting to know a real character who was a stormtrooper and somebody who, of course, has a conscience and changed his ways and joined up with the good guys," Aaron says. "This is the opposite of that. It's us peering inside the heads of somebody who is very gung-ho for the Empire and then the question, of course, is ‘Why? Why would you sign up to fight for the Empire?' That's something we'll answer over the course of the story."
The new story arc will see a new artist join the comic in the form of Jorge Molina. Working alongside Aaron, Molina has created a team of badass warriors that take more than a few inspirations from their earlier Clone trooper counterparts. Each member has a designated role in the squad, and their unique look reflects that. There is the sniper, the demolitions expert, the pilot, the heavy weapons specialist, the hacker, the scout and the leader of the squad, Sergeant Kreel. Kreel will be familiar to fans who have kept up with the Star Wars comic, and he makes a return in a big way here.
Aaron says fans can expect heroes Luke, Han and Leia to collide with this fearsome fighting force in issue #23 and beyond. From the look of these new stormtroopers, the Rebels might have their work cut out for them.
