Star Wars Celebration is underway in Europe and that means all sorts of interesting new details are coming out regarding the upcoming films. We've just been introduced to an entirely new Stormtrooper we'll meet in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While we had already seen one specialty Stormtrooper class, clad all in black, it turns out they're not the only new troopers that will be part of the film. The Empire has their own Marine Corps too.
One of the new costumes on display at Star Wars Celebration is of the Shoretrooper. Our own Sean O'Connell is on site at the event, and snapped a few pictures of the new trooper that we'll see when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits screens in December. Based on the brief description that accompanied the costumes, Shoretroopers patrol the beaches and bunkers of the top secret military headquarters in the film. While it's not specifically spelled out, we assume that means the facility where the Death Star planning and design is being done, the place where Jyn Erso and her team have been sent.
These troopers seem to have the most in common with the forest troopers that we saw in Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi.They have similar helmets and armor to those characters. Most interestingly, their armor does not appear to be complete, as their legs appear to not be fully armored. This, potentially, could make them a more maneuverable fighting force on the ground.
There's a name for soldiers whose responsibilities include securing beaches, Marines. If traditional Stormtroopers are the Empire's Army Infantry, the Shoretroopers appear to the Imperial Marine Corps. And of course, the existence of troopers who secure beaches also tells us that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will have a sequence that takes place on a beach. It could be a mini D-Day if that is where the Rebel Alliance team makes their incursion into the Empire's base. A sci-fi version of a beach invasion sounds like quite an exciting scene, Star Wars meets the opening of Saving Private Ryan. We're in.
Combined with the Shadowtrooper, or Deathtrooper, it appears that we will have several new classes that we never saw in the original trilogy. What do you think of these Shoretroopers from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? You'll get a chance to see them in action December 16, 2016.
