A New Hope alluded to their industrial and uniform nature with a throwaway reference to “the Clone Wars.” The stormtrooper is one of the most iconic images from Star Wars, and subsequent sequels, prequels, side-quels, tie-in novels, video games, and comic books have reinforced the imagery and design language of that original suit of armor. Designed to look a bit like skeletons, the stormtroopers made a terrifying appearance in A New Hope, swarming into a captured Rebel ship, and stepping over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The Stormtrooper were to invoke specific imagery from real-world wars: the “Imperial people to look efficient, totalitarian, fascist” according to military historian and costume designer John Mollo in The Making of Star Wars. From the start, George Lucas had a specific idea in mind for the look and feel of the foot soldiers of his Galactic Empire.
