First Order jet trooper

For other uses, see jet trooper (disambiguation).

"None defies the First Order!"

―First Order jet trooper^[1]

First Order jet troopers, or simply jet troopers, were a stormtrooper variant in the Stormtrooper Corps of the First Order. Unlike the standard trooper, who was mostly trained in ground operations, these specialists were trained in aerial combat.

Equipment[]

Overview[]

C-3PO: "Oh! They fly now!"

Finn: "They fly now?"

Dameron: "They fly now."

―C-3PO, Finn, and Poe Dameron, whilst being pursued by jet troopers on Pasaana^[4]

Like the Galactic Empire's jumptroopers,^[1] First Order jet troopers^[5] were specialized stormtroopers that were trained in aerial combat utilizing specialized armor and weaponry.^[1] They were each armed with a comlink, a G125 projectile launcher, and equipped with an NJP-900 integrated jetpack for aerial combat.^[6]

Variants[]

NJP-900 — Jet troopers in service of the First Order

All First Order jet troopers wore jetpacks attached to their stormtrooper armor. Those deployed toward the end of the First Order-Resistance War wore a distinct helmet, donned chest armor with Aurebesh inscription alongside red markings, and operated with G125 projectile launchers. They also had C1 personal comlinks to facilitate communication with other military personnel. First Order Treadspeeder Driver wore similar armor, albeit with standard stormtrooper helmets and more flexible leggings. The Sith Eternal military's Sith Jetpack Troopers had the same armor design and function as their First Order counterparts, but wore armor plates in red and black colors.^[6]

During the Cold War with the Resistance, a variant of the First Order jet trooper was instead equipped with a standard stormtrooper helmet, a control box attached to their chest armor, F-11D blaster rifles.^[2] Around that time, another variant was equipped a similar helmet with a dark colored jetpack with straps and could operate in the vacuum of space.^[3]

History[]

Rocket-troopers-PD-2 — Jet troopers, each with a standard stormtrooper helmet, operating on Ovanis

During a mission to Ovanis in the Cold War undertaken by Resistance Commander Poe Dameron and his Black Squadron to locate Lor San Tekka for information on Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's location, First Order Agent Terex deployed multiple jet troopers alongside flametroopers with unidentified flametrooper transports.^[2] Eventually, the First Order forces were defeated on Ovanis.^[7]

Several jet troopers were involved in the rescue of Lor San Tekka by the Resistance in the Great Forveen Nebula, where they captured San Tekka and attempted to bring him aboard a First Order Light Cruiser, though they were eliminated by a Resistance retrieval squad.^[3] During the First Order-Resistance War, jet troopers were deployed in complement with 125-Z treadspeeder bikes piloted by Treadspeeder Drivers in the mission to Pasaana, but they were ultimately defeated by Resistance forces.^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

SWBF2-RocketTrooperFO — The original depiction of a First Order jet trooper in *Star Wars Battlefront II*

The trooper first appeared in the 2016 Star Wars comic book Poe Dameron 1, authored by Charles Soule and illustrated by Phil Noto.^[2] They were first identified as "rocket trooper[s]" in the 2017 video game Star Wars Battlefront II,^[1] before receiving the name "First Order jet trooper" on StarWars.com's Databank in 2019.^[5]

With The Rise of Skywalker Update on Battlefront II, the rocket trooper's appearance and name was updated^[1] to match with the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.^[4]

According to Lucasfilm Ltd.'s collections and exhibitions archivist Madlyn Burkert, the unique design of the jet trooper variant seen in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker incorporates nods to unused Ralph McQuarrie designs for the snowtrooper for the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and the death troopers of the 2016 Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.^[8]