When you think of the Imperial Army, the first image that probably comes to your head is a group of stormtroopers in shiny white-plated armor. Over time, stormtroopers have become synonymous with whoever is the big bad in the Star Wars universe. The Empire had them, and now the sequels have a new breed of stormtroopers serving the First Order. Despite the fact that stormtroopers are typically part of the "bad guy's" team, many people enjoy dressing up as them for conventions and emulating their behavior at cosplay competitions.
And who can blame them? One of the reasons for this is that stormtroopers look and sound very cool. Jedi are awesome and all that, but I would have to say that stormtroopers are more iconic. That does not mean that being a stormtrooper is all sunshine and daisies. Being a stormtrooper is actually not fun at all. We can't forget that they serve some pretty evil people who don't appreciate individuality, charity, or peace. As such, the ways in which our favorite fictional stormtroopers are raised and trained are vicious and unrelenting.
Plus, you think organizations like the Empire and the First Order are going to be chill and lax people when it comes to structuring their army? Heck no! They are going to be strict. There are so many regulations that a stormtrooper has to follow. It's dizzying. Read on if you want to learn about all the things stormtroopers aren't allowed to do if they want to be, well, stormtroopers.
25 Keep Things Cool
I know that stormtrooper armor looks like a bunch of plastic sheets wrapped around limbs, but it is supposed to be more advanced than it seems. The armor has an interior temperature control that allows their wearer to survive various climates.
Unfortunately for the stormtroopers, they are not allowed to adjust the temperature of their armor themselves. Any change affects how much energy their suit has, so their superiors want to ensure that stormtroopers don't waste energy by keeping the AC on.
24 Get A Good Night's Sleep
In some way, the First Order is worse than the Empire when it comes to training their stormtroopers. They do not let their stormtroopers have as much rest as you would think.
During their training, First Order stormtroopers have to sleep with subliminal sleep messages playing in their ear. This auditory propaganda is supposed to ensure that loyalty to the First Order will be ingrained in the minds of its soldiers. Poor stormtroopers can't even get a decent night of rest.
23 Got To Drive Them All
Stormtroopers are not allowed to slack off on a single bit of their training. Part of their training involves learning how to pilot the different types of Imperial Walkers. Even the most average stormtrooper needs to have a rudimentary knowledge of controlling an AT-AT or an AT-ST.
I guess this is supposed to help in case of a shortage of pilots. A random stormtrooper can just take over the reins to the massive Walkers. Talk about an all-inclusive training regimen.
22 Ask Questions
It is unthinkable for a stormtrooper to ever question an order. If a superior tells a stormtrooper to do something, the stormtrooper is supposed to do it without any sign of disobedience. This is meant to be true of both the Empire and the First Order.
So far, the only stormtrooper we have seen break this mold is FN-2187 aka Finn. This fact makes his break from the First Order all the more impressive. He was able to shed the indoctrination and become his own person.
21 A Name To Call Their Own
In order to make their soldiers into faceless threats that subdue troublemakers, the Empire and the First Order implemented a practice where stormtroopers shed their real name.
The First Order took it a step further and made it so that their stormtroopers would never remember having any other name aside from the serial number they were designated. Having a name gave a stormtrooper an identity, and apparently that's bad for an oppressive government's army.
20 A Spark Of Creativity
The stormtroopers of the Empire were comprised of volunteers to the Imperial Army. That does not mean that they were kept in less stringent environments compared to their First Order counterparts. Restrictive rules still bound them.
The Empire looked down on a stormtrooper improvising on the spot.
Stormtroopers, they believed, were meant to obey orders, and that's it. Forget about thinking on your feet. Even if a plan went south, stormtroopers were supposed to follow it to the bitter end. (Dutch Van der Linde, anyone?)
19 Work Is Your Life
If you're a stormtrooper, you can forget about having a "life back home" to return to. Your work is your life and home rolled up into one. This is especially true if you're in the First Order. They do not even allow for a stormtrooper to be anything but a stormtrooper.
At least Imperial stormtroopers started out as volunteers. It's possible they may have had children and a family before they joined up. First Order stormtroopers have nothing but their job.
18 With A Blaster In Your Hand
A stormtrooper is always supposed to know what to do with the weapon they are given. I believe this is true of any army in the universe.
A stormtrooper is not allowed to fail at weapons training.
If they don't know how to fire a weapon, what are they even doing in the Imperial/First Order Army? Stormtroopers are trained in a variety of weapons, so they are expected to be proficient in using them. How else would we get a little specialization in our stormtroopers otherwise?
17 Caring For Fallen Comrades
Stormtroopers go down in the line of duty. That is expected to happen when you throw them willy-nilly at planets you wish to subjugate.
Stormtroopers are not allowed to mourn for their fallen brethren.
If the trooper who was next to them should fall in a hail of blaster fire, a stormtrooper is supposed to just carry on and not worry about the fact that their forces are getting decimated. Worrying about casualties is a job for their superiors, though I doubt whether their superiors care either.
16 A Varied Diet
Stormtroopers don't really have downtime, so they do not get to go out to fancy restaurants and try out exotic foods. They have to content themselves with whatever the Imperial cafeteria is offering.
A stormtrooper's diet is a sad thing.
They are fed the bare minimum of nutrients necessary to keep them functioning as life forms. They are given Imperial rations for meals every day. I shudder to think what First Order stormtroopers eat.
15 Get A Little Breathing Room
The First Order rules about constantly wearing a stormtrooper helmet are demonstrated near the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Finn is shocked after his first battle on Jakku. (Well, I'd call it more of a massacre than a battle.) He takes off his helmet in order to breathe easier. Almost as soon as he did this, Captain Phasma was on his case, ordering him to put it back on. The First Order insisted that stormtroopers keep their helmets on at all times in public.
14 No Abduction Qualms
First Order stormtroopers were not volunteers. Instead, the First Order found children, young children, and took them from their homes à la the SPARTAN II program from Halo.
From such a young age, these future stormtroopers were easier to indoctrinate. And as a stormtrooper, you had to be okay with repeating the process in order to get fresh "recruits." Stormtroopers were not allowed to hesitate during these abductions. It is a vicious cycle.
13 Give In To Your Anger
Technically, stormtroopers in the Imperial Army answered directly to Emperor Palpatine. They took their orders from him. This goes all the way back to when clone troopers were the ones who made up the Imperial Army. As such, stormtroopers were not allowed to speak a word against the Emperor.
Obviously, they were also not allowed to take any action against the Emperor. Not that they would have been able to do much damage against this Lord of the Sith.
12 No Jedi Left Alive
You know that feeling when you're playing as a lowly stormtrooper in Star Wars: Battlefront II, and all of a sudden you see Luke Skywalker rushing toward you with a lightsaber in his hand? Well, stormtroopers have to ignore that feeling and rush in blasters blazing anyways.
Stormtroopers were not meant to leave Jedi alive.
If they saw one, they were supposed to attack, no matter the danger. I bet you feel sorrier for those stormtroopers now, huh?
11 A Human Army
It is never outright stated, but the Empire is a xenophobic and human-centrist government. They make a point of employing only humans, even though the galaxy is filled with a ton of other aliens.
This is true of their stormtrooper outfits as well. Only humans, or near-humans, can be stormtroopers. How species-ist do you have to be to not allow aliens to be a part of your cannon fodder squad? You would think the Empire would want to increase enlistment, not restrict it.
10 Wear A Pair Of Jeans
Even on the days when stormtroopers don't have to wear their armor, they still can't dress casually. Stormtroopers have to wear their traditional white armor in any combat situation or when they are on security detail. This makes perfect sense.
But, if they are not participating in one of these activities, they must wear their dress uniform. I would really like to see a stormtrooper on a day off. But of course, stormtroopers don't really get a day off.
9 Feelings Of Sympathy
Both the Empire and the First Order wanted to clamp down on any feelings of empathy that may arise from their soldiers.
Stormtroopers are trained not to feel bad about what they are doing.
Instead, stormtroopers are taught to extol the aims of the Empire or the First Order. Their reasoning follows that if their superiors want something to happen, then it is the right thing to do. That's why stormtroopers are able to commit atrocities against innocent people.
8 Give A Trooper A Nickname
If you've seen The Clone Wars television show, you'll know that one of the ways clone troopers were able to build their own identity (despite being clones) was by giving each other nicknames. This practice was stopped when stormtroopers came around, especially during the time of the First Order.
The idea was to depersonalize their soldiers. That's why stormtroopers were given serial numbers. Not only were they denied their original name, they were also prevented from getting a nickname.
7 What's In A Life?
It's sad, but stormtroopers were also taught not to value their own lives. They were taught that they were expendable. The only thing their superiors believed should matter to them was completing their objectives.
That's why stormtroopers always fell like flies in a firefight. Why protect their own lives when they were taught from the beginning that their own lives meant nothing? The more of this list I write down, the sadder I feel about making fun of stormtroopers in my youth.
6 No Retreating
Stormtroopers are not allowed to run from a fight. The only way for them to go is forward. Even if the odds are stacked against them, stormtroopers must rush head-on into a pitched battle.
I hate to state a stereotype, but retreat is not an option for stormtroopers.
In fact, they would probably get punished if they were caught retreating. And since they consider their lives worthless, it costs them nothing to push ahead. Living to fight another day is for Rebel scum.