Stormtroopers from the Star Wars franchise are probably one of the most iconic characters in pop culture. Initially, in the original film trilogy (1977-1983) and Rebels (2014-18), these shock troops/space marines of the autocratic Galactic Empire were introduced under the leadership of Emperor Palpatine and his lieutenants, most notably Lord Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.
These soldiers wore armor consisting of white plastoid plates over a black body glove, and their standard weapon was the E-11 medium blaster rifle. A theory about their armor has once again surfaced online, explaining why the armor is so bad at protecting its wearer. As per this theory, the armor was never meant to protect them. Instead, their purpose was to create a horde of “fearsome appearing warriors.” This theory was opposed by some fans, who pointed out that armor can disperse some heat from a blaster shot.
Also read: Star Wars: 6 Most Bizarre Stormtrooper Variants, Ranked
A fan theory suggests that Star Wars‘ Stormtroopers’ armor was never meant to protect them
In 2021, a Reddit user who goes by the name u/do_not_engage, shared a theory on r/FanTheories about one of Star Wars‘ most iconic characters, Stormtrooper. The user first pointed out how bad their armor is: “It provides what seems like zero protection from lasers or even the impact of an Ewok weapon. Finn mentions that the helmets don’t even have full gas mask filtration in them.”
Here’s the interesting theory: The user believes that these armors were never meant to protect its wearers, instead, it was a “way to create a monolithic army of fearsome appearing warriors.” The armor serves two purposes: putting up a neverending mass of faceless Troopers against every Rebel and removing the humanity from the Troopers themselves.
Does the Stormtrooper armor actually provide zero protection?
Some fans of the franchise opposed this theory by claiming that the armor disperses heat from a blaster shot, which often leaves the soldier unconscious rather than killing them. Another fan pointed out that the dehumanization of the troops would make it easier for the rebels to kill the troopers.
This theory received over 2,400 upvotes on Reddit and it has resurfaced on social media, creating space for fans to have a detailed debate over this. Many fans believe that the white armor was created to instill a sense of order and security in loyal subjects and a sense of fear in the opponents of the Empire. Overall, the armor does provide protection, but not against stronger weapons.
