'The Mandalorian' Just Revealed a Legendary Class of Battle Droids
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Chapter 12 of Disney’s The Mandalorian—by now, really, just one long escort mission derailed episodically by stormtrooper killing quests in what feels like an extended video game cut scene, but who cares because it’s fun—features the return of Darth Vader stand-in Moff Gideon (played diabolically by Giancarlo Esposito) as well as the unveiling of perhaps a new class of battle droids never before seen in live-action Star Wars: Dark Troopers.
Chapter 12, in fact, was all about reveals. Though the episode entailed a more straightforward main storyline—a classic video game base destruction mission (and the most unstable power plant in the galaxy)—it also contained several key pieces of insight.
Alongside its Dark Troopers tease, the episode also, finally, explained just what the Nazi—er, Empire—scientist wanted with The Child (Baby Yoda): his blood. The scientist mentions in his transmission to Moff Gideon the concentration of “m-count,” standing for “midi-chlorian,” life forms that comprise living beings and channel the Force.
It seems as if the Empire is attempting to transfuse high m-count blood into beings to transfer Force powers. Perhaps ultimately so Moff Gideon can be one with the Force and lead the Empire like Vader—the dude already wields a Darksaber, dresses in black and flies a Tie Fighter, so why not?
Gideon also seems to be amassing a new army, as all Star Wars villains must do. Chapter 12 concludes with Gideon in a room surrounded by what appears to be exoskeleton droids. He smiles evilly as someone walks around with a clipboard. Classic Bad Guy move.
But what exactly are those fancy black troops?
What are Dark Troopers?
Perhaps The Mandalorian video game comparison is apt; Dark Troopers were first introduced to the Star Wars universe through Star Wars: Dark Forces, the 1995 first-person shooter. They’ve also appeared throughout the Battlefront series, so gamers will be familiar with the soldiers—not that they were any less easy to kill, let’s be honest.
According to Wookieepedia, Dark Troopers are a kind of advanced shock trooper droid. The droids were designed under Emperor Palpatine to be the next generation of stormtroopers. The Republic, however, sabotaged manufacturing facilities, forcing Palpatine to shut down production—because apparently the Empire’s military budget sucks, and they can only develop one bad ass weapon at a time.
Still, some Dark Trooper units saw combat, and their use wasn’t totally discontinued. Later models of the Dark Trooper could be worn as exosuits, meaning the troops Moff Gideon is inspecting could simply be high tech battle armor—perhaps worn by some mutant Force army?
Whatever the connection between Gideon, his Force experiments, and this new class of stormtrooper, one thing is clear: The Mandalorian is gearing up for one epic showdown.
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