The 1st Legion, or First Legion, was an elite stormtrooper legion in the military forces of the Galactic Empire. It was the legion that served under the command of the Sith Lord Darth Vader and was known as such across the galaxy due to their affiliation with Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine's right hand. Its members were recruited from the ranks of the equally renowned 501st Legion, another stormtrooper legion that directly served under Vader's command. Those in the 1st Legion who failed to meet Vader's expectations were either transferred back to the 501st or summarily executed for failure. Kimmund, an officer of the First Legion, was the fourth commander in his particular unit, his predecessors having been either demoted or put to death by the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Prior to the Galactic Civil War, the First Legion deployed to the planet Batuu alongside the forces of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Their joint mission brought them into conflict with the Grysks, a warlike people native to the Unknown Regions. The First Legion fought the Grysks on several occasions during their time with Thrawn, the first of which was at Batuu where Kimmund's troopers infiltrated a Grysk long-range heavy freighter and captured several Grysk warriors. However, the prisoners that they brought aboard the Chimaera—an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer and Thrawn's flagship—attempted to steal the First Legion's transport, the Darkhawk, resulting in a battle that Kimmund survived with the help of Thrawn's personal bodyguard, the Noghri assassin Rukh.

Following the failed prisonbreak, the First Legion fought the Grysks in the Battle of Mokivj with Darth Vader leading the ground assault in person. During the battle, Kimmund's troops rescued most of the Force-sensitive Chiss girls that had been abducted by the Grysks. Thrawn and Vader sought to retrieve all of the captives; therefore, they tracked the Grysks that escaped from Mokivj via hyperspace, leading to a another confrontation in which the First Legion succeeded in rescuing the remaining Chiss children. The First Legion supported the 501st Legion's Blizzard Force during the Battle of Hoth, during which 1st and 501st Legion cold weather assault stormtroopers broke into Echo Base under Vader's leadership.

Description[]

The men and women of the First Legion were Darth Vader's personal stormtroopers during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Renowned for their affiliation with the right hand of Emperor Palpatine, the legion's troopers were proud of their status in the Stormtrooper Corps. When Rukh dismissed the First Legion as "unknowns," Commander Kimmund rebutted the Noghri assassin's statement, citing his legion's reputation as proof of their fame. As soldiers they were held in high esteem by Grand Admiral Thrawn, who considered their actions against the Grysks exemplary.^[1]

The First Legion recruited its members from the ranks of the 501st Legion, another renowned Imperial Military unit^[1] that also directly served under Vader,^[4] ableit with a history that stretched back to before the formation of the Empire^[5] as a clone trooper legion under Jedi General Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars.^[6] First Legion officers also came from within the 501st, yet those who failed to meet Vader's expectations, such as Commander Kimmund's predecessors, were either demoted and transferred back to the 501st or executed by the Dark Lord of the Sith. Due to Vader's command style, Kimmund concluded that his only hope for survival was to keep the troops in line and compliant with orders.^[1]

Beyond Vader and Kimmund, other officers in the 1st Legion included Sergeants Aksind, Drav, and Viq.^[1] As a legion in the Imperial Army, the 1st Legion could be split into smaller units. Kimmund commanded his own unit of the 1st Legion, which included a squad.^[7] The 1st Legion also made use of a modified freighter Darkhawk, while Vader used a personal Lambda shuttle.^[1] During the Battle of Hoth, 1st Legion stormtroopers served as cold weather assault stormtroopers.^[2]

History[]

Vader's legion[]

The 1st Legion^[3] was levied by the Sith Lord Darth Vader before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Following the Battle of Atollon, the Emperor sensed a disturbance in the Force originating on the planet Batuu in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories. Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn were both sent to investigate; Commander Kimmund accompanied Vader along with a contingent of the First Legion. They traveled to Batuu via Thrawn's flagship, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Chimaera. The Star Destroyer was complemented by the Sith's private Lambda-class T-4a shuttle as well as the First Legion's transport, the Darkhawk—a repurposed Clone Wars era Separatist starship.^[1]

Mission to Batuu[]

During the voyage to Batuu, there was a degree of tension between Vader's legion and the crew of the Chimaera, and particularly between Kimmund's unit and Thrawn's bodyguard Rukh. The Noghri warrior made a habit out of boarding the First Legion's vessel unbidden; therefore, trooper Sampa rigged the ship's hatches with intrusion alarms to keep Rukh out. Despite their precautions, Rukh still managed to infiltrate the Darkhawk, this time making it as far as the electronics shop. Using trooper Jid's helmet to trigger the alarm, he alerted the First Legion and was promptly escorted off of the ship by Sergeant Drav and trooper Morrtic. Annoyed by Rukh's actions, Kimmund feared that the next security breach would result in either the Noghri's death or his own at the hands of the Sith Lord.^[1]

Upon reaching Batuu, Vader and Thrawn traveled to the surface while their subordinates remained onboard the Chimaera. Their arrival was followed soon after by a group of Grysk freighters, the largest of which was attacked by Kimmund's forces after Thrawn refused to reveal the Chimaera's location to the enemy. The Grysks, a warlike sentient species that came from the Unknown Regions, threatened the interests of both the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Empire according to Thrawn. While Vader and Thrawn dealt with the Grysks' Darshi mercenaries, the First Legion deployed to the freighter via the Darkhawk. After the Grysk vessel's hyperdrive was disabled by a squadron of TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighters led by Vult Skerris, the First Legion boarded the freighter and attempted to secure it along with its holdings for the Empire. Kimmund personally oversaw their efforts to capture the cargo hold, in accordance with Vader's instructions to keep the cargo intact, but the Grysks used explosives to destroy their cargo along with themselves.^[1]

Defense of the Darkhawk[]

Despite failing to secure the cargo hold, Kimmund's men were able to stun other Grysks before they could complete their suicide mission. The First Legion then transferred the prisoners to the Chimaera by order of Thrawn, who wanted to interrogate the Grysks. Thrawn had them confined to personal quarters typically reserved for TIE fighter pilots; in response, Kimmund and Sergeant Aksind decided to remain aboard the Darkhawk along with its pilot Tephan, having felt uncomfortable leaving their ship unguarded with the prisoners nearby. When the Grysk escaped from their makeshift prison, they attempted to escape from the Chimaera by stealing the First Legion's transport. A brief but intense skirmish ensued between the Grysks and Kimmund's companions, resulting in Aksind's death despite Rukh's timely assistance. Most of the aliens were killed in the fighting, although Kimmund and Rukh were able to recapture four of them.^[1]

Vader was far from pleased; he and Thrawn allowed the Grysks to escape from their prison so that they could steal one of the ships, all of which had been outfitted with homing beacons that would have led the Chimaera to the enemy's secret headquarters. Kimmund, who had not been informed of his superiors' intentions, inadvertently ruined the plan by preventing the aliens' escape. If the Grand Admiral had not spoken in the Commander's defense, Kimmund believed he might have become the second officer of his unit to be put to death for failure. As a result of the Grysks' decision to steal a Clone Wars era vessel like the Darkhawk, Thrawn concluded that their base was an old Separatist droid factory located on the planet Mokivj.^[1]

Battle of Mokivj[]

Upon the Chimaera's arrival at Mokivj, Thrawn requested use of Vader's stormtroopers, intending to lead the ground assault in person. However, the Dark Lord rejected Thrawn's plan and insisted that he remain with the command ship while Vader himself led the First Legion to the planet's surface. They successfully infiltrated the factory where Vader created a ruse to distract the Grysks while Kimmund, Sergeant Viq, and trooper Elebe searched for the prisoners they had been ordered to rescue. The Grysks who guarded the prisoners were killed by Kimmund's stormtroopers, although the captives themselves surprised the Commander for they were young Force-sensitive girls—three of whom were kept in hibernation chambers—of Thrawn's species, the Chiss. Taking the children into their custody, Kimmund and his troopers headed to the factory's courtyard and cleared it of enemy units in order to rendezvous with the Darkhawk. Aboard the Chimaera, Senior Lieutenant Lomar informed the Grand Admiral that the First Legion succeeded in their task and would return to the flagship with the rescued prisoners within the hour.^[1]

When Kimmund's unit returned to the Chimaera, the Commander was informed by Vader that a small number of prisoners remained with the Grysks, who escaped into hyperspace before Thrawn's Defenders could intercept them. At Thrawn's request, Vader used the Force to track the Grysks through hyperspace, believing the Sith Lord's powers would lead them to the location of the Grysks' main forces, and by extension, the remaining prisoners.^[1]

Rescue operation[]

Having tracked the enemy's lair to a star system, the First Legion planned to ambush the Grysk ship using the Darkhawk while the Chimaera attacked the main warships. Vader opted to support the First Legion by piloting one of the TIE Defenders, believing his presence was not required for Commander Kimmund and the stormtroopers to conduct a breach and rescue operation. The trap was a success; with the engines disabled by Vader, the First Legion boarded the Grysk vessel. Aided by Rukh's tracking abilities, Kimmund's unit began their search for the remaining Chiss captives while two troopers remained with the Darkhawk to guard it. A few troopers perished during the mission and Jid was left behind after sustaining a direct hit from a Grysk lightning gun, but ultimately the First Legion was successful in its task, rescuing more Chiss from the Grysks.^[1]

Battle of Hoth[]

With the Galactic Civil War raging between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Darth Vader's Death Squadron was tasked with locating Alliance High Command's base. Using Project Swarm, the Empire located Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth, and deployed its ground forces after arriving and the rebels activated their deflector shield generator.^[8] Darth Vader deployed the 501st's elite Blizzard Force, under the command of General Maximilian Veers.^[9] Blizzard Force's units were supported by the First Legion in the critical Battle of Hoth,^[3] which resulted in a major Imperial victory.^[8] Vader led 501st^[4] and 1st Legion snowtroopers into Echo Base.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

The 1st Legion was created by Timothy Zahn for the 2018 novel Thrawn: Alliances.^[1] The 1st Legion was identified as such in the English copy of "The Battle of Hoth and the Second Death Star" by De Agostini, which previously wrote it out as First Legion when translated.^[3] In an interview, Zahn said that he originally wanted to include the 501st Legion as Vader's personal force of stormtroopers, as it was in Star Wars Legends. However, the Lucasfilm Story Group vetoed the idea, saying that Vader would not have wanted to be closely associated to a unit that had been commanded by Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. However, due to the 501st's expert troops, Vader would still select his stormtroopers from within their ranks when recruiting for the First Legion.^[10]

The First Legion being Vader's personal legion during the time of the Galactic Empire contradicted the 2015 novel Battlefront: Twilight Company, where the 501st were referred to as Vader's personal legion by Everi Chalis.^[11] When asked about the matter, Story Group member Matt Martin mused that perhaps either Chalis was wrong or that the things could have changed by the time of Battlefront.^[12] While the "Vader's Fist" nickname was attributed to the 501st in Star Wars Legends,^[13] The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem calls the First Legion "Vader's Fist."^[14] However, Star Wars Helmet Collection^[15] and Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy applied it to the 501st in canon as well.^[4] While Helmet Collection was released before^[15] The Odyssey of Star Wars,^[16] Battles that Changed the Galaxy was released after it.^[17]

Appearances[]

• Thrawn: Alliances (First appearance)
• Thrawn: Alliances audiobook
• Thrawn: Alliances 1
• Thrawn: Alliances 3
• The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem (First identified as 1st)

Sources[]

• "Imperial Troops" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
• "The Battle of Hoth and the Second Death Star" — Star Wars Encyclopedia (First identified as 1st Legion)
• A Taste of Unlimited Possibilities on Star Wars: Unlimited's official website (backup link) (First pictured)
• The Grand Admiral and Darth Vader Join Forces in Marvel's Thrawn: Alliances #1 - Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references[]