
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Will Introduce The Sith Trooper
It is ironic that with all the real crap going on in the world, the mention of something called a “Sith Trooper” would be the light in the darkness. San Diego Comic Con starts next week, and Star Wars announced they will have a presence there, celebrating a staple of the franchise: The stormtrooper. There will be screen worn suits on display from all eras of the Skywalker saga. They will even display some new ones from the upcoming film Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. One of the new ones is something called a “Sith Trooper” which you can see below.

The resemble a mix of Palpatine’s Imperial Guards, and Palpatine’s Clone Troopers. It is almost as if Palpatine will have some sort of presence in The Rise Of Skywalker… Madlyn Burkert, Lucasfilm archivist, who is co-producing the exhibit, had this to say about the Sith Trooper:
“It has some really unique aesthetics to it. And it has some subtle ties to previous stormtrooper designs, which I think fans will enjoy discovering.”
Let’s look at the bigger picture here. The Sith are extinct in this current era of the story. Palpatine was the last one, and Luke destroyed him in Return Of The Jedi, but as the wise master said “No one’s ever really gone.” So have the Sith been quietly rebuilding, and laying low until the opportune moment? Snoke and Kylo Ren aren’t really “Sith”, though they use some of the Sith’s teachings and ideals.
The Rise Of Skywalker is set to wrap up over 40 years of storytelling, and be the definitive end to the Skywalker Saga. Any Star Wars story we get after 2019, will tell different, unconnected stories. Director JJ Abrams, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said that Rise is supposed to reference and tie up all 3 eras of the saga. The Sith Trooper definitely feels like a “prequel era” nod. Dealing with the potential return of the Sith would definitely fall under that category.
I do wonder how big their role will be in the overall story though. The Rise Of Skywalker has a lot to accomplish. When Rogue One was being promoted, there was a ton of focus on the Death Troopers (partly because they looked awesome), but they weren’t all that significant to the story in the grand scheme of things. They were just aesthetically pleasing, which is what the Sith Trooper is too.
This isn’t the first time those words have been together. In the Knights Of The Old Republic video games, there were Sith Troopers too, but their design was vastly different as you can see below.

With Lucasfilm rumored to be making a Knights Of The Old Republic era trilogy, maybe we will see a “Sith Trooper” after The Rise Of Skywalker. But for now, this is certainly the latest intriguing thing in a long list of intriguing things surrounding the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga.
If you are attending SDCC this year, be sure to check out the armor in all of its glory.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker hits theaters December 20th.
Source: StarWars.com
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