snowtroopers

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Size:
  1.83 meters

• Weapon:
  Blaster rifle, heavy repeating blaster

• Vehicle:
  AT-AT walker

• Affiliation:
  Empire, Stormtrooper

• 

From the Movies

Storming through the icy corridors of Echo Base like a heavily-armed blizzard, Imperial snowtroopers stopped at nothing in their effort to conquer the Rebels at Hoth. A specially-trained division of stormtrooper infantry, the snowtroopers wear customized armor well suited to the climate extremes of ice planets such as Hoth. In addition to the hard white armor, their suit incorporates fabric overgarments that help contain heat, and terrain-gripping boots to combat slippery conditions. The Hoth snowtroopers brandished standard blaster rifles, and specialized teams used heavy repeating blasters mounted on tripods.

From the Expanded Universe

The Imperial troops who invaded the Rebel base on Hoth were part of an elite stormtrooper corps, assigned to General Veers and the Imperial Death Squadron. While the fleet carried stormtroopers from all the specialized divisions, those dispatched to Hoth were designated the Blizzard Force team.

Blizzard Force stormtroopers are trained to work in tandem with AT-AT walkers. There is no stealth involved in Blizzard Force tactics. They are trained to hit a planet fast and hard -- like a blizzard -- crushing any opposition quickly and completely. Once walkers secure an area, snowtroopers disembark via zip-lines and then go about clearing any pockets of resistance.

The Blizzard Force stormtroopers wear the typical black, two-piece temperature control body glove worn by other stormtroopers. Over this is an 18-piece outer shell that has been altered to include more powerful heating and personal environment units, and an airtight fabric oversuit for additional protection from the cold. To facilitate breathing in extremely cold or dangerous atmospheres, a breather hood envelops the snowtrooper's faceplate and feeds into the suit liner. Each trooper is equipped with a standard utility belt containing high-tension wire, grappling hooks, ion flares, additional blaster ammo, a survival kit, and food and water packs. Snowtroopers carry blaster pistols, blaster rifles, and two concussion grenades.

Behind the Scenes

The original concept sketches of the snowtrooper armor drew heavily from Samurai designs as an influence. There are slight variations in snowtrooper chestplates that denote rank. The trooper seen in the cockpit of General Veers' AT-AT walker has a standard Imperial rank badge incorporated into his armor.