An Overview Of Republic/Imperial Uniform Colors

In the Republic and its successor states individuals in service of its military and civilian organizations commonly wore a universal service uniform.  Though the uniform differed slightly between organizations and time periods, a basic standard existed amongst the uniforms of most members of the Republican/Imperial apparatus.

One key difference in uniforms used to identify members of a certain branch was color.  Specific branches of the Republic/Empire had colors used to identify their uniforms.  To avoid wasting time I'll get into the data.

PT 1:  The Galactic Republic.
The Galactic Republic used many different service uniforms throughout its long history.  As early as the Naboo Blockade the Republic had adopted a new system that would be used by its personnel until its transformation into the Empire.

Judicial Department - The Judiciary was the central military and law enforcement department of the Republic until the Clone Wars necessitated a proper military.  The Department included the Judicial Forces and the Security Forces; members of both were known to wear dark blue service uniforms.[1][2][3]
Senate Guard - The Senate Guard were the elite police force in charge of protecting the Galactic Senate.  While part of the Judicial Department, their suits bore different colors.  The tunic sported a noticeably lighter shade of blue alongside black pants.[4]
Republic Navy - Officers in the reorganized Republic Navy wore a variety of uniform colors.  Admirals and Captains were almost exclusively seen wearing olive-drab uniforms.[5][6][7]  Lower ranking officers usually wore a greyish-blue or white suit.[5]
Republic Army - I can't think of any outright visual appearances of the Clone Wars-era Republic Army.  It is known the Army was founded from PSFs and the Judicial Forces.  My best guess is the uniforms of the Judicials would carry on to the new department (PSFs had no standard garb).
Grand Army of the Republic - Officers were seen wearing blue-grey while others wore a darker grey uniform.[5]
Medical Specialists - Officers serving medical roles were seen to consistently wear white uniforms, sometimes with brown belts, gloves and boots.  During the early Clone Wars, medics wore badges on their shoulders.  Towards the end of the war the officer's badges were moved to their chest, left of their rank badge.  The new uniforms also sported hats with red stripes on the shoulders and cap.[5]
Republic Service Organization - Members wore tan jackets with a black skirt.  Their caps could either be black or tan.[35][36]
Potential Judicials - A captain appeared on a ship resembling a Judicial vessel.  The ship's captain wore a red uniform.  An officer under his command wore either a greyish or green uniform (The lighting made the color a bit ambiguous).  Could these be examples of Judicial ranks having different colors?[8]
Republic "Generals" - The ORSF was a particularly large paramilitary organization run by Republic Senator Ranulph Tarkin.  The Security Force was intended to be the official Republic Military, though it was never more than a mere PSF.  Tarkin himself held the rank of General within the ORSF, wearing a red tunic with blue pants.  Could this have been an official uniform for Generals?[9]
Republic Moffs - Wilhuff Tarkin was a Sector Moff as well as an Admiral.  He wore an olive-drab uniform standard amongst Admirals.  Was this representative of the Moff uniform?[5]

PT 2:  The Galactic Empire.
Having been born from the Republic, the Empire inherited its predecessor's equipment.  It took little time for the Imperials to phase out old uniform styles.  The new suit had been seen in the Republic's ranks before, but it now bore the status of standard-issue.

Imperial Slavers - Any information on the placement of slavers in the military structure or their rank and organization is certainly beyond me.  However, one slaver made a clear appearance supervising labor on Weapons Factory Alpha.  This individual wore a rarely-seen brown uniform.[10]
Imperial Security Bureau - ISB agents' outfit consisted of black pants and a hat with a white tunic.[11]  There were exceptions of course; some Agents have been seen wearing grey.[12]  One other case is Commander Alecia Beck, who wore all-white.[13]
Imperial Army - Now there were surely many obscure colors seen in the Army, but the standard was clearly olive-drab.[14]
Imperial Navy - Throughout the Navy officers typically wore olive-drab.  Naval Troopers wore all-black on the other hand.[11]
Stormtrooper Corps - The typical Stormtrooper wore an all-black uniform, not unlike the lesser-skilled Naval Troopers.[11]
Starfighter Corps - Imperial Pilots were seen wearing either olive-drab or black uniforms.[15][16]  Some even wore light-green suits.[17]
Imperial Medics - Army Medics wore a white tunic with blue stripes and a pair of black pants.[16]  Another Medic, who I assume to be the Naval analogue, wore a more regular grey suit.[18]
Imperial Surgeons - Unlike the similar Medics, Surgeons wore an all-teal uniform.[19]
Imperial Diplomatic Corps - Diplomats wore the standard olive-drab suits.[20]
181st Imperial Fighter Wing - Initially the 181st were a standard starfighter wing, wearing olive-colored garb.  After being promoted to "elite" status they gained red stripes on the sides of their uniforms.[15]
Imperial Liaisons - Liaisons provided a bridge between the Imperial government and local forces.  They were seen wearing green uniforms.[21]
Imperial Intelligence Directors - Armand Isard and later his daughter, Ysanne, both wore all-red uniforms.[22][23]
Imperial Intelligence - Similar to the ISB, most Intel agents wore white jackets and black pants.[24]  Also, it wasn't unheard of for agents to wear all-grey.[12][25]
Imperial Inquisitors - Though Inquisitor uniforms soon devolved into a hodge-podge of contradiction, the initial kit was quite standardized; these early Inquisitors were seen wearing grey.[26]
Grand Admirals - Grand Admirals wore one of the most iconic uniforms in the Empire.  The suit consisted of a white tunic and pants along with gold epaulets.[27]
Moffs and Grand Moffs - Trachta, an early Moff, wore a grey suit.[28]  In later years Moffs would be seen almost exclusively in olive-drab.[11]  Rufaan Tigellinus was a Grand Moff as well as a Grand Admiral; he wore a Grand Admiral's uniform instead of the Moff's equivalent.[29]
Ozzik Sturn - Kashyyyk's Captain Ozzik Sturn inexplicably wore an all-white uniform (Military captains almost exclusively wore olive.).[16]  It is unclear what warranted his irregular attire.

PT 3:  The New Empire.
Under the new Empire the uniforms were of a quite similar style to the previous renditions; the main difference being most commissioned officers would wear collars and cuffs alongside the traditional garb.  Color-based identification would certainly persist in this era.

Imperial Mission - Konrad Rus, the head of the Mission, wore a white uniform under his Missionary robes.  In addition he possessed a white collar with gold badges.[30]
Imperial Diplomatic Corps - The only diplomat seen in the new Empire was Director Fehlaaur.  He wore the standard olive-colored uniform.[31]
Imperial Intelligence - Director Calixte possessed a blue-grey uniform.[30]  Imperial Knight Sigel Dare wore an olive-drab uniform while posing as an officer.  She wasn't an actual Intel operative and her uniform was a disguise; the legitimacy of the uniform is debatable.[32]
Imperial Navy - From the bottom to the top it seems most conventional officers in the Navy wore the standard olive-colored uniforms.[33]
Imperial Army - Like the Navy, olive seemed to be the standard color for the Army.[33]  One notable exception: in some scenes it appeared the Army's head, Geist, wore a grey uniform.[34]  At other times he possesses the normal olive suit.[31]
Starfighter Corps - Pilot Gunn Yage wore an all-black uniform.[31]

Military Supreme Commander - Supreme Commander Morlish Veed sometimes appeared in a greenish-khaki uniform.[34]  On other occasions he wore an olive-colored alternative.[30]

Sources:
1. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
2. Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
3. Star Wars 28: The Hunt for Aurra Sing, Part 1
4. Clone Wars Chapter 24
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
6. Star Wars: Republic: Dreadnoughts of Rendili
7. Star Wars: Republic: Siege of Saleucami
8. Star Wars 23: Infinity's End, Part 1
9. Star Wars: Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War
10. Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
11. Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
12. Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
13. Smuggler's Run
14. Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
15. X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel
16. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
17. X-Wing Rogue Squadron: The Rebel Opposition
18. Empire 9: Darklighter, Part 2
19. Star Wars: Empire: To the Last Man
20. Star Wars 49: The Last Jedi (Lol)
21. X-Wing Rogue Squadron 26: Family Ties, Part 1
22. Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows 3
23. X-Wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service
24. Star Wars: Agent of the Empire
25. Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand
26. Evasive Action
27. Heir to the Empire
28. Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison
29. Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals
30. Star Wars: Legacy: Broken
31. Legacy 15: Claws of the Dragon, Part 2
32. Legacy 42: Divided Loyalties
33. Star Wars: Legacy
34. Legacy 43: Monster, Part 1
35. The Clone Wars: Prelude
36. The Clone Wars: The Valsedian Operation

LITREP: Legacy - Divided Loyalties

So it's really great to turn the focus back to the Allies.  Tatooine was dull to me for one reason and one reason alone; Cade Skywalker.  It's odd to say you adore a series, yet hate the protagonist, but I'll easily admit that I can't stand Cade.  The reluctant hero shtick was great, but it just won't end, so it's great to get a whole issue dedicated to the Allies.  I love just about all of them, from Fel to Stazi, and everyone in between.  

         The issue starts with the Jedi meeting the Alliance fleet.  It's nice to meet new Jedi, and the Twin Tails look lovely.  It's quite interesting that the X series fell out of favor with the main Alliance forces.  Now let's set all this aside because Sigel Dare is here!  I can't help but love Sigel.  She's clearly the Alpha-17 of Legacy.  What's not to love about a snarky sociopath?  That's not to say she wasn't a shebs in this issue--she was-- but a little more character development could make her all the more likeable.

        The first plot involves Sigel and a Jedi named 'Dan' going to Dac to extract Master Sinde.  This Dan character is seriously annoying.  I'm still kind of mad at the smug Jedi.  The two knights sneak through the Sith forces a little too easily if you ask me.  Whatever.  Single issue stories don't really have time for the nitty gritty.  

        When confronted, Treis Sinde refuses to return to Bastion.  Emperor Fel has ordered his return, yet Sinde claims the force wants him to stay.  Sigel Dare pulls her lightsaber on her former master, calling him a traitor.  I agree with Master Dare, though an execution is taking things too far.  I think a direct order from your superior is more important that protocol.  In such an awful and dangerous war, sacrifices must be made.  Imperial Knight protocol doesn't matter osik when the fate of the galaxy is at hand.  Treis Sinde is betraying his Empire.  Master Dan resolves this by agreeing to stay on Dac, in place of Master Sinde.  Thus Sinde and Dare both return to Bastion without further hassle.

          The second plot follows the Galactic Alliance fleet.   A Sith taskforce suddenly attacks the Allies.  On the bridge of the Alliance, Gar Stazi is shot by a traitor.  The would be assassin is detained and Stazi is taken to the medbay.  The enemy fleet's commander is an over-ambitious admiral who plans to become the new Executor.  Unfortunately, he gets no time to develop in the period of the issue.  

         With Jhoram Bey filling in for Stazi, the fleet makes an emergency jump to escape their pursuers.  The Sith fleet manages to chase them to their RV, to Bey's surprise.  Out of desperation, they attempt another escape.  When the Sith fleet catches up, they find only the Alliance.  Expecting a surrender, they are caught flat-footed when the rest of the Alliance fleet ambushes them.  The Allies have won the day.

          I thought the first plot was fairly good;  It was great to get more Sigel Dare, even though this wasn't her finest appearance by any metric.  Treis Sinde's actions left a bad taste in my mouth, though.  The second plot was more of a lame repeat of Renegade, a far better issue.  One thing alone makes the issue great in my mind:

         The traitor, a Mon Cal named Tealart, betrayed the Alliance because his family was held hostage by the Sith.  Now captured, he concludes they were probably dead by now.  A sympathetic Stazi promises to help his family if possible.  In the end Gar Stazi promises an execution for Tealart, stating that a demonstration must be made.  The Mon Cal understands and thanks the Admiral for promising to help.  

         Legacy manages to handle nuance much better than most Star Wars stories.  It's rather great that an issue like this can exist in such a childish universe.  George Lucas once said Star Wars was for twelve year olds.  Legacy manages to go above and beyond Lucas' simplicities.  

         

The Force Unleashed II - My Review

What did I just play?

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

What was the point of this?  The previous game wrapped up fine.  I didn't have any questions.  Why was this necessary?  I didn't even love the first game.  The Force Unleashed II makes the original look spectacular.  This game left me with so many questions.  I'm guessing they were planning a third game.  Where did that go?  In hindsight they certainly had time to at least work on a third game.  

         In short, this game was pointless.  There weren't too many new designs, but the new ones weren't bad, the gameplay was great, the locations were okay and the graphics were nice.    Unfortunately, this doesn't save the game.  It certainly doesn't.  This game is seriously lacking in the story department. 

         I'm not going to get too deep in this segment- I'll just provide the premise.  Starkiller is back.  Why?  Why couldn't he stay dead?  Starkiller was a loose end, and thus he died.  He can't be running around in the Star Wars universe.  Why bring him back?  They would've had to either kill him off or let him live.  Having him die twice would feel quite weird.  Letting him live would be even weirder.  Imagine Starkiller alive, with the Rebellion during the films.  That would be fairly odd. 

        The plot moves at hyperspeed.  You cut enemies up, and the transition from mission to mission is incredibly jarring.  The characters simply run into situations without consideration or thought.  There is no scene where Juno and Galen are in their ship considering how to execute their mission.  There is no scene showing the inner workings of the Alliance.  There is one scene where General Kota is just like "We're attacking Kamino!", and the fleet just goes along with it.  They don't take the time for a plan.  They just jump to lightspeed.

        This game has little story worth.  Having played it I'd like to pretend it isn't canon (In it's respective timeline.).  It just makes a mess of things.  You can pretend it doesn't exist, or you can try to explain it.  I prefer the former.  Besides the fact that Starkiller is back from the dead there are some other serious loose ends.  Obviously, I won't spoil them here.  Basically this game leaves off with MAJOR cliffhangers, and they remain unresolved to this day.

        

All in all I thought this game was mildly insulting, story-wise.  The gameplay is great.  The game is a lot of fun.  If that's all you want, I'd recommend it.  It must be noted, the game is incredibly short.  I'd say it's about six hours.  The game technically has nine levels, while three of these "levels" are just boss fights.  Most of the niceness in this game comes from the gameplay.  If that's what you're looking for, then great.  The story offers little- you're better off watching the cutscenes on YouTube.

With all this said, I'd give it a 3.5/10.  I'm not sure if I would've bought it in hindsight.  The tie-in graphic novel, however, is quite worth a read.  Far better story than the game.

-SPOILER SEGMENT-

Boy, that cliffhanger.  What were they thinking?  Honestly, seeing Vader in shackles was an incredible visual, but it shouldn't have happened- not in the main canon!  Having Vader captured is a huge blow to his character.  It's stuff like this that gives the EU a bad name.  Also Juno coming back to life.  [eyeroll]  Wouldn't she be in serious pain upon regaining consciousness?  Nah, just embraces the kiss.  So cheesey.  

       I did like the mission aboard the Salvation.  Gave me flashbacks to Ghost Ship Recon.  The Terror Troopers were actually fun enemies.  The Terror Walker was an annoying boss, but then again, most bosses in this series are incredibly annoying.  Just having the privilege to control the camera is a blessing.

       I don't think Boba Fett was all that necessary in the context of the game.  They could have just had the Imperials abduct Cpt. Eclipse themselves, but nah, gotta have those OT characters!  Why must everything be so ridiculously connected?

      Cato Nemoidia wasn't terrible.  It just wasn't that memorable either.  The Gorog was just a bigger Rancor really.  The visual where the Gorog literally crushes the Rancor was rather shocking, so credit for that.  It was rather hilarious how bottomless the planet was.  I'm pretty sure they were falling for over a minute.  Baron Tarko was absolutely forgettable.  A: He brings shame to the Baron title famously held by Soontir Fel.  B: His name sounds way too much like 'Tarkin'.  If anything, his death was slightly funny ('Funny' in a very loose sense).

       I'm pretty sure Starkiller's "clone" is actually the original, or at least contains the original's spirit.  Otherwise they wouldn't have put so much emphasis on whether or not he was the real Galen.  I'm not going to get into the science of cloning a force user.  The instances of the phenomena are a bit contradictory.  

       The Acolytes and Saber Guards were pretty bad.  What happened to Shadow Guards?  They managed to be fairly tough enemies.  Both of the new force-using Imperials are incredibly weak.  I also don't understand the purpose of splitting force-users from saber-users.  Shadow Guards managed to use both powers and their sabers.  From a story standpoint, what is the purpose of a "Saber Guard"?  Can't normal guardsmen wield sabers?  They sure do in the previous game!  The Sith Acolytes aren't bad.  They look slightly cool, honestly.  They aren't ever given an explanation inside or outside the game, unfortunately.  The real problem is that they seem to be unarmed.  Did the Empire cut its annual Lightsaber budget?  These people need their sabers!

       One thing that stood out were the Galen clones.  When they emerged from their vats they were fully clothed and wielding lightsabers.  What?  How does this work?  Do they grow their own clothes?  What about the Lightsabers?  Apparently in the Empire unborn, defective clones are more privileged than active duty Sith Acolytes.  What the heck?!?

       Imperial War Droids were an interesting touch.  It must be asked, though: Why couldn't we have Purge Troopers, again?  Whatever.  The War Droids were fun.  The Carbonite effect was also cool.  To be a tad bit nitpicky, they look a bit too Terminator-esque.  Still a cool design, though.

       Riot Troopers seemed incredibly unnecessary.  Why would a trooper need a whole new armor set, just to wield an electrostaff?  Isn't stormtrooper armor designed for riots?  Why is a variant needed?  Jumptroopers were back, which was cool.  Unfortunately the AI was much more annoying, so fighting them was a chore.

        Swatting Imperials got repetitive, and fast.  In the first game you fought a massive variety of enemies.  In this game you fight the same enemies as you are spoon-fed new ones.  If this game lacks anything (Besides story) it's variety.

If you want to experience the EPIC journey of (Possible) clone, Galen Marek, I'd recommend watching it on YouTube.  If you want to play the game for any reason, though, get it on sale.  Full price definitely isn't worth it.

LITREP: The Last Flight Of The Harbinger

I really don't read the Marvel comics much, so I only picked this one up because of special forces.  Does it deliver?

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

So I read it with the SpecForce in mind.  I don't think it really delivered.  Just a buncha super hero stormies.  Karen Traviss really put it best: "Special Operations was as much—no more—about detailed surveillance, observation, and rehearsal than going in with [guns] blazing and blowing stuff up.".  All the SCAR Troopers did was blow stuff up.  The comic ever got into tactics or any of the cool stuff.  Also the SCARs aren't really the focus; It's really about the "Big Three", which was a personal disappointment.  

         The art isn't much to look at.  It fell into the uncomfortable crevasse between realistic and cartoonish.  The heroes looked quite weird and the SpecForce troopers looked a tad obnoxious.  If anything, the cover art wasn't bad.  

        What I really wanted was a nice story from an Imperial perspective and getting to see the nicer sides of the Empire.  This was not the case.  The Imperials outside of Scar Squad were just awful, while Scar themselves don't seem very nice either.  I was hoping they would be the Imperial counterparts to the OT heroes, with maybe even their own series.  This seems unlikely.  A real missed opportunity in my opinion.

   'Special Commando Advanced Recon' is an awful acronym. It doesn't make grammatical sense.  'SCAR' doesn't even sound cool to me.  Scar Squad clearly doesn't know how to equip for a mission.  The comic involves a mission to a star destroyer (The Harbinger).  Onboard this ship the Imperials use flame throwers, sniper rifles and rocket launchers.  How does this make sense?  Flamethrowers don't work in a fireproof environment, sniper rifles are useless in a tight indoor area and bazookas can punch a hole through the ship's interior.  The SCAR Troopers aren't tactical- they're just OP.

        The story mostly pertains to the Big Three, but it's fairly enjoyable and contains enough SpecForce troopers for my liking.  Better than trying to squeeze enjoyment out of Gambler's World, I'd say!  For this I'd give it a 6/10.  It really isn't bad; It's pretty fun.  If you're a SpecForce fanatic like me, you'll probably like it.

-SPOILER SEGMENT-

So the dialogue was pretty cheesy.  There's a point where the sergeant asks Luke what to call him, to which he replies "REBEL!",which I thought was fairly cringey.  The "I've got a bad feeling" line is quite cliche at this point, but the comic nicely subverted it's usage, so credit for that.  Han and Leia bicker so much it makes them look like BFFs in ESB.  It's like the author couldn't think of any other way they could interact.  There's this one part where they are fighting over who commands the ship, and they literally race to the bridge to settle the argument.  Han commandeers a speederbike and Leia takes a space suit to fly to the bridge.  It's so childish I can't take it seriously in the slightest.  

        Vader abruptly appeared, though in the end when they inevitably failed he fires his TIE Fighter on the Harbinger in rage.  I thought this was awesome and in line with Vader's nasty temper.  Another great moment was the ending when the reader discovers C-3PO was captured.  It's shocking and sudden, packing a nice punch.  A rebel admiral is captured in the beginning and the audience doesn't know his ultimate fate.  However, when his ship strangely appears he is strapped to the front!  It was honestly a bit scary.  Sarge using his lightsaber against Luke was also a great scene.
        In the end I thought it was okay.  Not really memorable, while it had a ton of potential.  It focuses way too much on the Big Three and delivers hardly anything new.  If you like that kinda pulp then read it---If you like special forces then read it---But if you like great stories then don't read it. 

Let's Get This Straight: Shadow Troopers

Shadow Troopers are another convoluted piece of Star Wars lore.  Also known as Shadow Stormtroopers and informally referred to as Blackhole Stormtroopers, these soldiers are the premier special forces of the Empire's Military Intelligence.  Let's get into this tricky topic.

Shadow Troopers are a very old concept.  They first appeared in the 1979 comic strip series, Gambler's World.  In this story Shadow Troopers were the personal agents of the mysterious character, Blackhole.  They were rooted deep into the Imperial areas of spycraft and surveillance.  In a few scenes they were rather competent, being some of the few troopers to actually defeat Luke and Leia (Albeit briefly.).  Their blend of special tactics and black armor would set a precedent for later elite units.

Years later a similar unit would appear in Dark Empire.  These troopers were known as Darktroopers and wore identical armor.  Were they the same?  Who's to tell?
        Crimson Empire followed Dark Empire.  Shadow Troopers made a clear appearance in this series.  In the comic a unit of these troopers are the personal guards of the current Emperor.  Despite their relocated position they are functionally identical to the Shadow Troopers of the 70's.  If anything, Crimson Empire shows that Shadow Troopers are no match for a Royal Guard.

You see this was the original interpretation of the Shadow Trooper.  Later sources would say Shadow Troopers were nothing more than the marines from Blackhole's star destroyer, given fancy armor.  I said it would get convoluted; Let's get into that!
        Long after these initial appearances the origin of Shadow Troopers would be called into question.  Behold the Clone Wars-era Shadow Trooper!

Shadow Troopers now originated during the Clone Wars.  This goes against the idea of them being former marines.  Shadow Troopers would go on to survive through the Clone Wars and the following Dark Times, making an appearance in The Force Unleashed.  

        Some people have decided to consider the two interpretations separate entities.  My rebuttal is simple; If they look like Shadow Troopers, if they act like Shadow Troopers, if they share the same spot in the ORBAT, and finally if they have the same name, they're the same freaking thing!  

        I basically explained the out-of-universe history of the group.  Now I'd like to explain what I've gathered on their in-universe history.

         Republic Intelligence was an important asset during the Clone Wars.  Special Forces was an essential part of their organization.  For the majority of the Clone Wars, Intel relied on Covert-Ops Troopers.  These troopers were lower in skill than their counterparts in the Special Operations Brigade.  By the last months of the war Director Armand Isard decided to give Intel SpecForce a rebrand.  This new unit was the iconic Shadow Troopers.
        They specialized in infiltration, espionage and target extraction to name a few.  Shadow Troopers were known for a more delicate touch which set them apart from some of their rival units.  Black was a paint job sometimes used by Republic Commandos.  This was merely a personal modification, and was unsupported by the military (With Commandos having to make do with white jetpacks!).  Shadow Troopers colors were quite official and would go on to be the standard for special forces.  These troopers had a great deal of armor and modifications available to them.

The original Shadow Troopers wore a special variant of the standard armor.  This particular suit was laced with durasteel fibers.  This made their armor much stronger than the regular kit and also gave them a greyish appearance.  Sometime after the beginning of the Rebellion Shadow Troopers received an upgrade.  This new armor was made with a stygian triprismatic polymer, which itself was a harder form of duraplast (The material Clone Commandos were known for using.).  Besides the obvious durability it provided, it also enhanced the trooper's stealth and provided them the infamous black appearance.  This stealth boost was itself aiding the Shadow Troopers most famous gadget, the Cloaking Device.  Indeed they were known for their ability to rapidly turn invisible.  

        Shadow Troopers were Intel agents through-and-through as well as being stormtroopers.  They were known to carry Spyeye Drones with them and had the clearance to divert local spies and security streams to their operation.  Shadow Troopers reported directly to the Director of Intelligence, originally Armand Isard.  They were one of the more mysterious units in Intelligence and were sometimes paired with Inquisitors.  When Isard was removed from his position, a mysterious agent named Blackhole became the Acting Director.  During Blackhole's breif reign the organization was put to great use, nearly capturing Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.  It was during this series of counter-terrorism operations that the troopers earned their nickname, Blackhole Troopers.  

Shadow Troopers survived until the end of the original Empire, at least.  In those last days they served as the personal unit of Sovereign Protector-turned-Emperor, Carnor Jax.  A squad was known to accompany him as personal guards.  Unfortunately all of these troopers and Jax himself were assassinated by rogue Royal Guardsmen, Kir Kanos.  This act crumbled the Empire and, shortly after, the organization ceased to exist.  

Later the Empire would be revived, though it is unknown if Shadow Troopers ever made it into the New Empire.  Black-armored special forces were still the standard, so their legacy lived on, at least.

LITREP: Lando

I had heard good things about Marvel's 'Lando' miniseries and I was bored so I decided to pick it up.

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

So first off the art wasn't that great.  I love the art of Legacy Volume 2, and Lando's art is quite similar, but it lacks the stylish coloring and is generally worse in every way.  The story was pretty good honestly.  I have a buncha nitpicks, but overall it worked rather well.  Lando was Lando, but the book featured several new characters who were decent.  The best character in my opinion was Lobot.  I didn't expect to see him, but he was quite terrific.  The story is rather short, but it succeeds within the time it's given.  

        I'd give it a 7/10; It was mostly good, and while it didn't quite appeal to me I can see why people would like it.

-SPOILER SEGMENT-

Now I get to complain, since most of my complaints are spoilery.  

        So it seems Disney is progressive in so many ways.  However when it comes to Imperials you'd think these characters came from the seventies.  Disney just can't seem to write an Imperial character who isn't a defector or a mustache-twirler.  Alas Timothy Zahn wasn't just ahead of his time- He was ahead of this time too, apparently.  There is a Moff who appears in this comic; Morally interesting Moffs are an endangered species.  Turns out this Moff was just another villainous type.  [sigh]

        Lobot was great.  His original backstory was he was a criminal who was turned into an organic computer as punishment for his crimes.  I honestly prefered this depiction.  His "death" was really quite touching.  It reminded me a lot of Kane Starkiller's sacrifice.  It must be said, however, that the idea of a cybernetic implant that is such a detriment to the user was very stupid.  Who designed that thing?

        Korin was literally just Professor Gryphomarn.  The panther twins offered nothing really.  They turned evil because they look scary, I guess.  You see I've never been a fan of the Dark Side being an external force of corruption.  I've always prefered internal darkness.  Seeing two otherwise good individuals suddenly possessed was jarring and weird.  

        Channath Cha was interesting.  At first she seemed like another boring Boba Fett clone, but the twist where she was Lando's former lover and helped them escape was great and surprising.  What bugged me was that the Emperor would even use a bounty hunter.  Why not use special forces, a Sovereign Protector or a Hand?  Palpatine commanded the entire Empire; There is no reason he would ever need the service of bounty hunters.

Anyway I thought the book was objectively good.  Didn't really appeal to me, but it was still okay.