Rebel trooper

Takin' the safety off!Anonymous Rebel trooper

Rebel troopers (also known as Rebel soldiers and Rebel infantry) were standard foot soldiers employed by the Alliance to Restore the Republic. After the Declaration of a New Republic in 4 ABY, most Rebel troopers were organized into regular units of the New Republic Army.

History

Rebel trooper starkiller — Rebel Troops with Starkiller in 1 BBY.

Rebel troopers came from all walks of life and joined up for many reasons.^[6] Imperial defectors were not uncommon,^[1] and some clone troopers were known to have joined the Alliance.^[7] From the moisture farms of Tatooine to the marbled halls of Coruscant, Rebel troopers hoped to shore up the struggling Alliance in any way they could.

From the beginning of the Alliance in 2 BBY^[2] and up until the formation of the New Republic in 4 ABY,^[3] the Rebel troopers saw their organization transformed. What started out as countless local cells of loosely structured resistance groups, gradually turned into a galactic wide and well-trained infantry force.

The infantry forces saw action on many worlds throughout the Galactic Civil War, fighting with and against the native populations.^[8]

Organization

ToArms-TCGEoD — Rebel troopers arm themselves for battle

Rebel troopers constitute the main element of the Alliance Army. In the overall structure of the Alliance's military, the troopers fell under the jurisdiction of Sector Forces, under the ultimate command of Chief of State Mon Mothma.^[1] Rebel troopers were organized into standard units of varying size, ranging from squads and up to the largest tactical units, the divisions. Divisions were roughly equivalent to Stormtrooper Legions in manpower, but not necessarily in combat power.

Rebel troopers sometimes stood in contrast to the better trained and better equipped Alliance Special Forces. Furthermore regular Rebel troopers were typically a few years younger and less experienced than their colleagues in the SpecForces. Nevertheless SpecForces was often dependant on the support of these troopers from the Sector Forces to complete their own battle objectives. Also the Rebel troopers served as a primary source of SpecForce recruitment. If a Rebel trooper had above average physical and mental abilities and was dedicated enough to the Alliance, he could be considered a SpecForce candidate.

Rebel troopers employed squad-level tactics and guerrilla warfare to to be effective against the Empire. They also deployed vehicles in hit-and-run missions.^[6] Squads were carried and deployed into battle aboard GR-75 medium transports.^[8]

Uniforms and equipment

Charge — Rebel heavy troopers, with reinforced rebel armor and helmets.

The task of supplying all Rebel troopers with standardized uniforms on a galactic scale was nearly impossible. Nevertheless the Alliance Army was able to implement a 'standard look' that could help identify the troopers as Rebels and therefore also improve morale and unit cohesion. The large helmets with neck guards and khaki uniforms became some of the trademarks of the Rebel / New Republic uniforms.

Rebel troopers of various units spread across the galaxy were often equipped with uniforms bearing a striking resemblance to the uniforms of the Alderaanian armed forces. Alliance sympathizers within the Alderaanian government helped fund, train and equip many militant groups outside the Alderaan system.^[9] Much of the uniforms and equipment came from the Galactic Republic's Planetary Security Forces.^[1]

Echo Base trooper SWG by Ryan barger — An Echo Base trooper on Hoth

The Alderaanian-looking and most common uniform of the Rebel troopers consisted of blue shirts, black combat vests, gray trousers and black calf length boots. To protect officers and general infantry from head injuries, white blast helmets with blast visors and extended neck guards were issued as standard head-wear. They, however, lacked the level of armor utilized by their imperial counterparts. This basic uniform was seen all over the galaxy, often with smaller differences in design and coloring.

Troopers who operated in more harsh environments such as hot deserts, icy plains or thick jungles, would often be equipped with more specialized uniforms and equipment. Usually these troopers wore camouflaged uniforms. The most noticeable use of these camouflaged uniforms was during the Battle of Endor, where rebel soldiers wore green/brown camouflage, to allow them to blend in with Endor's forested environment. On ice or snow planets, such as Hoth, they wore thicker, white variants which afforded troopers greater protection from the elements.^[4]

Rebel Heavy FiB — A heavy weapons specialist with high-powered blaster rifle

With the establishment of the New Republic, the troopers, now part of the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic, were more frequently seen wearing government and unit symbols on their sleeves and body armor.

With regards to weaponry, most rebel troopers were issued DH-17 blaster rifles^[4] or A280 blaster rifles. These rapid-fire blasters made rebel troopers an effective fighting force in medium range combat. The two standard-issue sidearms were the DL-44 heavy blaster pistol and the DH-17 blaster pistol. These pistols were usually only used when rifle ammunition was low or in close-quarter firefights, where a rifle would prove to be too cumbersome. Each trooper also usually carried up to 4 Class-A thermal detonators, for anti-personnel and anti-armor purposes.^[6] Although, these were not likely to be used during combat aboard starships for fear of a hull breach. On the open battlefield they could also utilize a range of heavier weaponry, including E-Web heavy repeating blasters, mortars,^[5] and hand-held missile launchers.^[4]

Rebel troopers were outfitted at Alliance Army troop centers on various worlds and were divided into several ranks. Trooper Recruits had only light armor and weaponry, while Heavy Blaster Troopers had better weaponry and tougher armor. Armored Repeater Troopers were issued repeating blasters.^[5]

Behind the scenes

Droidsrebeltroopers — Rebel troopers wearing uniforms inspired by Ralph McQuarrie's concept art appeared in *Droids* (1986) 6.

Early Rebel trooper designs created for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope by Ralph McQuarrie^[10] appeared in various later sources, including the 1986 comic Droids 6 which features two of the designs as part of an alternate retelling of the film.^[11] One of those two designs, featuring a large domed helmet similar to the final version, was released as a 2007 action figure as part of the Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collection's Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series.^[12] The second design featuring a face-covering helmet also appeared in the 1981 Star Wars 61 comic, worn by a Rebel sergeant on Arbra.^[13]

Helmets similar to those worn by Rebel troopers were worn by Old Republic soldiers in 3956 BBY, such as Trask Ulgo and other Republic Navy personnel serving on the Endar Spire. The uniforms worn aboard Tantive IV had a strong resemblance to the uniforms of Kota's Militia from around 3 BBY.

In Star Wars: Battlefront, the standard troopers wear camouflage gear, while the Rebel vanguard division troopers wear Alderaanian style clothes.