Some mention of the lack of this problem in Clone troopers is probably worth mentioning. --SparqMan 11:48, 28 Jun 2005 (UTC)

• Agreed. I heard that they could shoot better because of their peripheral vision, as opposed to the lack of it on stormtroopers. -- Riffsyphon1024 13:04, 28 Jun 2005 (UTC)
  • Or maybe they don't have it because they're not the bad guys until the end of ROTS, and them suddenly not being able to shoot straight would lead to some extremely interesting questions. Dominus 22:00, 23 Dec 2005 (UTC)
• Some source, I think the NEC, mentions something along the lines of the "painfully obvious lack of short-range targeting" in stormtroopers. I'm kicking msyelf for not remembering where it was I read that. Kuralyov 05:27, 13 February 2006 (UTC)
  • • I, on a whim and boredom, was thinking of why clone troopers do not have this problem and why Jedi died at Geonosis from a Stormtrooper Effect perspective. As a result, I came up with many related theories I like to call "The Star Wars Laws of Combat." Two are introduced in the original trilogy, but one these laws (The Stormtrooper Effect) change in the new trilogy. I came to the conclusion that, in the new trilogy, new factors are introduced to the equation. If anyone wants to see my theories, go to my talk page. --Swali 05:20, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
• Guys, of COURSE the rule applies to clone troopers. Ki-Adi-Mundi, Aayla Secura, none of these are MAIN CHARACTERS. Their names are not even mentioned in the movies (perhaps Ki's is?) Consider that nearly all of the Jedi are wiped out by clone trooper fire toward the end of ROTS. All of the Jedi are shot dead EXCEPT for Yoda and Obi-wan Kenobi; the clone troopers cannot kill them. Even Mace Windu, quasi-major character, has to die through Anakin's plot element, not through trooper blaster fire. It's the same phenomenon that happens at the end of AOTC; in the midst of all the droid firing, Obi-wan, Anakin, Padme, Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Mace cannot be successfully hit.

For that matter, the clones are also beforehand unable to shoot and kill Jango Fett (on Geonosis), General Grievous (on Utapau), or any other major villain before the Order 66 is fired. They cannot gun down Nute Gunray's departing ship on Geonosis, though they gun down others. Part of the phenomenon of the stormtrooper effect is that the minions demonstrate remarkable skill when facing NON-major characters; something the clones prove as they exterminate the various Jedi that have fascinated us in the pages of Expanded Universe stories--not onscreen. However, they shoot down no major movie character throughout their illustrious history. BaronGrackle 08:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

• I think that George Lucas's reasoning is that, "The only reason these people are the main characters is because they are the ones that are so skilled." Anakin's the Chosen One; he can't die. (In his son's words, "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!". Then Obi-Wan is as wise as Yoda and as powerful as Windu, so Anakin says. Padme did not die in the Naboo conflict because she is so combat skilled, and then lived on to become a main character--at least on this line of thought.
• BUT my favored position is, the clone troopers are good because of their helmets. Sometime after ROTS, their helmets are replaced with new ones, which (to quote Luke again), they "can't see a thing in." The only reason the Empire lost on Endor was because the stormtroopers were shooting each other.

• I seem to remember one perfect example of this law: Level 6 of Jedi Knight: DFII. This is the one where you have to infiltrate the Imperial Palace at Baron's Head, defended by hundreds of stormtroopers, dozens of officers and commandos, and even a few AT-STs. You are one man against an entire army. Do you survive...of course!
  • The aforementioned instances of clone troopers suffering from the stormtrooper effect neglect that the formula states that the presence of Jedi is even more significant than the presence of main characters in leading to poor accuracy. The clones are obviously immune to that part of it, since, though the Jedi killed in Order 66 were not main characters, they were still Jedi and still died. Besides, the Clones are definitely better than the stormtroopers. I was sold on them the instant i saw the scene in Revenge of the Sith on Utapau when one jumps on top of a crab droid and blasts its head off.Darth Ceratis 20:29, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Contents 1 Not able to hit main characters... 2 Uh..what? 3 Equation 4 Extra stuff 5 Template 6 Ewoks 7 "Hero effect" more apt name than "Stormtrooper effect" 8 star wars insider view 9 maybe there not clones 10 Battle Meditation 11 Cracked article on why they suck at shooting 12 Training

Not able to hit main characters...Edit

I would like to mention that Stormtroopers are indeed able to hit some of the main characters: in ROTJ they hit R2-D2 and Princess Leia (in front of the Endor bunker) . And for that "Han in front of Stormie-filled-room thing": Before the Special Edition there were only like five or six Troopers, the others were added for the SE. So to make the scene more realistic it would have had to be changed completely. Commander Rob 17:54, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Uh..what?Edit

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days..I don't see really any "stormtrooper effect."

Episode IV: Stormtroopers killed a large amount of Rebel soldiers on the Tantive IV. Stormtroopers are "precise". Deathstar stormtroopers are easily killed but orders are to let the Falcon escape so that they can be tracked to Yavin. Deathstar stormtroopers are killed in one shot..but with their own weapon. Couldn't the armor be resistant against civilian weapons, but not high-powered military rifles like the E-11?

Episode V: Stormtroopers beat the crap out of the Rebellion. 'nuff said.

Episode VI: Stormtroopers beat by Ewoks, however, they showed no real combat inability (they, along with that one officer, captured Han and co.). It seems as if it was more of a logistical failure to perceive the Ewoks as threats, as well as a bunch of furry small things that blend in well with the terrain.

Just a thought. Tokakeke 05:18, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I just came to this page to essentially say the same thing. Nice to see I'm not the only one who thought this. --DarkJoker 19:34, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. I'll also point out that the "internal" explanation makes little sense. I'm not aware of any source saying that Stormtrooper helemts hurt depth perception (as opposed to Scout trooper helmets) and as far as I'm aware Clonetrooper helmets are fitted with similar equipment. As for blaming the rifles- erm- E-11 rifles are used by Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, and Lando throughout the original trilogy. Their accuracy is dead on. It's not the rifles. This article is in need of serious editing. I'd consider deleting the "digetic explanation" altogether. Vymer 14:25, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

"Their accuracy is dead on" - Exactly. When you can wield a rifle one handed and knock a stormtrooper off a catwalk, dead center, despite being a farmboy with little or no experience with anything larger than a civilian-grade pistol to ward off Tusken Raiders, I'd say your weapon is pretty damn accurate. Tokakeke 07:54, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

• I remember reading somewhere (a letters page in SW Insider, perhaps) that the loss of Jango meant that the Kaminoans had no original template for replacements, and that in order to keep up troop numbers for the Empire well into the time of the original trilogy, they would have had to make copies from the copies, which results in a breakdown of skill levels over generations of clones (something that occurs in real life cloning -and in photocopying). This 'clone fatigue' theory was supposed to explain both the lousy aim of the stormtroopers, as well as why the Empire switched over to conscription. If there are still clones mixed in with regular troops, that could explain the inconsistancy in their accuracy.

Or it could just be the will of the Force.Tocneppil 08:21, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

I've removed the "digetic" explanation entirely. It's claims about scoutrooper, clonetrooper helmets and stormtrooper helmets are unsourced (not to mention prima facie wrong as far as clonetrooper and stormtrooper helmets are concerned, from my sources). Arguing that the E-11 is inaccurate does not, as pointed out above, satisfactorily explain the canon facts, and on a whole I found the entire passage not worth saving.Vymer 13:30, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

• What's funny is, on the ROTJ DVD commentary, even George Lucas says that what happened to the ewoks in the film is what would have happened to them in real life, they were overrun once their surprise attack had ended. They were nothing more than a handy distraction. VT-16 22:24, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Yah, the ewoks suck, and for one I think that that piece of the film was incongruent to the rest, anybody else on board with this?

EquationEdit

Is it just my computer, or does it not show up? Maybe someone could just draw and upload it?

• It shows up. It involves math wikicode to exist. -- Riffsyphon1024 00:28, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

Extra stuffEdit

I just removed this from the article. Looks like original research to me.

"Although this is true of mere laser cannon fodder, there is another equation that represents the survivability of a jedi mentor, now we all know this is a very, very dangerous position. However I Have worked out an equation. It reads: if n : the number of padawans being lead by one mentor, and x: represents the number of lost loved ones of the padawan, and y: represents the evil factor rated from one to five in an open ballot of the padawan, and w: represents the lost limbs of the padawan(s), and p represents the amount of soldiers/followers under the influence of said individual/100, and f represents the force factor (1-5, and l is the lightsabermanship (1-5) and for the master if the factors instead of subtracting and the evil being good added, then 100- n+x+Y+w+p+l+F*10= the survivability percentage of the mentor."

Although this gives me the idea, where's the droid effect? -- Riffsyphon1024 00:35, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

Template Edit

Shouldn't this have a Community template or a non canon template?--Herbsewell 23:17, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Ewoks Edit

I think you guys forgot to mention that even ewoks with their primitive rocks and arrows could kill a storm trooper.

• Probably briefed on the weak spots in stormtrooper armor by the Rebels.Tocneppil 22:37, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
• the ewoks trow rocks against their helmets, i don't think thats very lethal. in the Lord of the rings, Merry and Pipin als trow rocks against the Uruk-Hai and Orcs, and yes, they also die.

You never see a rock or arrow actually kill a Stormtrooper in the movie. At best, they knock them down, allowing the Ewoks to get in close and attack while the Stormtroopers areas tunned or prone. Peptuck 01:56, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

"Hero effect" more apt name than "Stormtrooper effect" Edit

I think the discussion regarding shooting accuracy should be focused on how unrealistically accurate the hero is rather than how "unrealistically" inaccurate the stormtropper is, because, in fact, the stormtrooper's much-maligned accuracy probably much more mirrors (ironically) real-world firefights. (Many reports and studies point to police armed encounter accuracy rates of less than 20%—sometimes lower than 10%).

• Ahh, but the irony is why this article came to be. After all, Obi-wan's comment on "Imperial troops being so precise" is kind of countered in the lack of accuracy the stormies show when pursuing our heroes through the corridors of the Death Star (I mean, come on, how close is Han to the room full of stormtroopers before he turns around???). We've seen those long corridors in the background of the movie, and on the maps & blueprints -and trained 'elite' troops can't shoot straight?Tocneppil 08:29, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Of course they're not going to shoot straight when they're under orders to let the heroes escape the Death Star. It would kind of screw up Tarkin's plan to follow the Falcon back to the Rebel Base if they killed the escaping rebels. Peptuck 01:58, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

• "10%". That's the police, not the Marines.

star wars insider view Edit

in star wars insider magazine (S.W.I.M) issue 96, page 30 is says (I.U.P.O.V.) "The standard blaster rifle of the Imperial stormtrooper, the BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle has power settings that range from stun to kill. The rifle has a rapid fire option, which offers an expanded firing area at the cost of poor accuracy. Troopers are requested to avoid using this option whenever possible."

The rebels, who would be naturally inclined to save ammo what with funding issues would likely stick to semi-auto, preserving accuracy.

• I agree with the magazine's statement. In JKA (Jedi Knight Academy), the E-11 works in exactly the same way.

--MC707 22:26, 19 April 2009 (UTC)

maybe there not clonesEdit

perhaps after the rise of the empire, kamino became an ememy and the clone production stopped, causeing them to bring in recuits (like how they do today via volentiring) this is supported by luke mentioning in episode 4 to lars that he want to join the imperial academy (or atleast i remember that :/)

• The thing is, after many clone troopers deserted the Empire just after order 66, Emperor Palpatine stopped trusting the Jango template. Instead, he started using many other templates, while using volunteering as well. The jango template diminished a lot during that time.--MC707 03:30, October 28, 2009 (UTC)

Battle MeditationEdit

Could BM be a factor? DAWUSS 17:14, October 27, 2009 (UTC) I highly doubt it... If I recall, battle meditation had to be done in a safe place away from physical dangers, as shown in many Old Republic games/books, etc. For example, IIRC lord Kaan used battle meditation against the Old Republic while in his flagship.

• That could be it because in Episode 3 yoda didn't do any fighting on kashyyk he was probably why the clones were so good. Darth Bal 18:04, July 26, 2011 (UTC)

Cracked article on why they suck at shooting Edit

Cracked.com has an article[1] that puts forth a theory as to why stormtroopers were such horrible shots. Sounds fairly reasonable and wouldn't make a bad addition. EVula // talk // 16:36, November 17, 2010 (UTC)

Agreed. It makes more sense than most of what's being suggested here. It would also explain why clone troopers were better: they were brought up in an artificial environment where the only people like them actually looked identical to them, so they wouldn't necessarily see other humans as the same kind of people as them. Is there a certain amount of status that a theory has to have before it's mentioned here, or can we use it? --Elemarth 17:38, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

Training Edit

   If the imperial military got reports showing that the E-11 was inaccurate they could have boosted their training after the Battle of Endor showed that the inaccurate aim of the stormtroopers was fatal to the imperial Military. Also, On the Tantive IV the stormtroopers were from the 501st legion witch was highly elite due to their service under Darth Vader. At the Mos Eisley Spaceport those troopers were carrying heavy equipment as well as being in highly unusual conditions.
      In episode V the soldiers decimated the rebel troops like they were snowmen wearing C-4. The rebels were only able to destroy AT-ATs because of Rouge Squadron and a crucial weak spot in the neck of the AT-AT. Even at cloud city the imperials did reasonably considering the smoke screen and ambushes. 
     At Endor they initially lost due to ambush but were defeated only when an ambush captured an AT-ST giving the rebels the crucial advantage.
     My conclusion is that the imperials were designed to fight without the constant ambush tactics. They were conventional warfare elites but were outmatched by the rebellion soldiers.Darth Bal 02:47, March 5, 2012 (UTC)