Stormtroopers have been a part of the Star Wars franchise since the beginning. The white-clad soldiers were some of the first characters we ever saw in Star Wars: A New Hope and since then the characters have always been a part of Star Wars. That's not to say they haven't evolved a great deal over the decades, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will bring us the newest iteration of the Stormtrooper, the Sith Trooper.
StarWars.com revealed the first look at the red and black Sith Trooper today as part of an announcement of a special exhibit spotlighting the history of the Stormtrooper at San Diego Comic-Con next week. Fans will get to see many of the different Stormtroopers designs from the last 40 plus years, including this brand new addition to the Stormtrooper family.
Beyond the reveal of the look and the name, little else was revealed about this new character, beyond the fact that there will be a ton of Sith Trooper merch available at SDCC for those who want to take home this new character sooner rather than later.
Of course, we can surmise a few things based on what we know. If it's a Sith Trooper, then these soldiers must serve the Emperor. Palpatine is the only living Sith as far as we know, unless Kylo Ren has been his apprentice this whole time, or becomes one during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Or maybe Palpatine has another apprentice we'll be meeting at some point in the new film.
The red color has always been associated with those in charge. The Emperor's personal guard from The Return of the Jedi as well as Supreme Leader Snoke's Elite Praetorian Guard all wore a similar shade of red.
Of course, if the Emperor has his own Stormtroopers that raises a bunch of interesting questions. Where did they come from? Who trained them? The First Order? How many people have known that Palpatine was alive (assuming, of course, that "alive" is the right word for whatever state the guy us in) this whole time? Does Finn, a former Stormtrooper know that Sith Troopers are a thing?
Still, whatever the deal, the Sith Trooper looks pretty awesome. One also has to wonder who will be under the helmets of these things when we see them. Stormtroopers have been the primary place where the new trilogy has hidden cameos of celebrities who wanted to become part of the franchise.
I'd expect that the Stormtrooper exhibit at SDCC will reveal a few additional details about these new troopers, though likely nothing too spoilery. We're only five months away from the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and it seems unlikely anybody is looking to give away too many details about characters with links to the Sith.
