Stormtroopers are the assault/policing troops of the Galactic Empire. Dissenting citizens sometimes referred to them as bucketheads, a derogatory nickname inspired by the bucket-shaped helmets of stormtroopers.

They wore white armor made from plastoid and outfitted with a wide array of survival equipment and temperature controls that allowed its wearer to survive in most environments, and were designed to disperse blaster bolt energy.

As members of the Stormtrooper Corps, an independent branch that operated under the Imperial Army, stormtroopers represented the backbone of the Imperial Military. Stormtroopers were trained at Imperial Academies, and used a variety of weapons.