Decades ofStar Warslore were seemingly – and quietly – rewritten byThe Mandalorianseason 1. In the episode “Chapter 6: The Prisoner,”Din Djarinmeets the mercenary Migs Mayfeld, who is introduced as a former Imperial sharpshooter. Djarin reacts to this dismissively, acknowledging the running gag that stormtroopers seemingly have notoriously poor aim, leading Mayfeld to defensively correct him, stating that he was not a stormtrooper.
Mayfeld’s words confirm that he was in the Imperial Army but not the Stormtrooper Corps, strongly implying a major retcon to the Imperial military. In the originalStar WarsLegends continuity,the Stormtrooper Corps and the Imperial Army were separate divisions of the Imperial military. Imperial army troopers were more commonly seen throughout the galaxy, but the more famous stormtroopers were better trained, better equipped, and more infamous throughout the galaxy.
The Stormtrooper Corps served as the vanguard of planetary conquests and carried out the Empire’s most important missions and battles. In the modernStar Warscanon, the Stormtrooper Corps was reimagined as a sub-branch within the Imperial Army, with stormtroopers gradually becoming more widely seen throughout the galaxy than Imperial army troopers. It’s another difference between the stormtroopers and the Imperial soldiers, however, thatThe Mandalorianhas seemingly retconned.
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The Mandalorian Secretly Retconned The Stormtrooper Corps & The Imperial Army
Migs Mayfeld indicates that the regular Imperial army troopers are more competent soldiers than stormtroopersof the Stormtrooper Corps. If true, this completely recontextualizes the Imperial era of the modernStar Warscanon. What this might mean is that the stormtroopers are more recognizable emblems of theGalactic Empire, but they are less formidable than the more understated army troopers.
This would provide new context to Han Solo’s role in the Imperial military inSolo: A Star Wars Story, which has Solo initially serving in the Imperial Starfighter Corps before being transferred to the Army as an army trooper.Soloimplies that Imperial army troopers have one of the most menial and disposable positions in the Imperial military, seemingly conflicting withThe Mandalorian’sretcon, but there is a potential fix.
Star Wars: Every Type of Stormtrooper In Canon Explained
Some of the most popular characters from Star Wars are the stormtroopers, and there are many variants across the official canon timeline.
Stormtroopers may overall be less formidable than army troopers in the modern canon, but they hold a more prestigious position within the Empire due to their pageantry. Unfortunately, this lends in-universe credibility to the perception of stormtroopers being poor soldiers, with their focus on fanaticism and appearance taking precedence over discipline and competence.The Mandalorian’sretcon may have unintentionally also created a real-life parallel to another oppressive regime’s military.
The Mandalorian’s Stormtrooper Retcon Mirrors Real Life
The Galactic Empire has many – often intentional – similarities to Nazi Germany, with the Imperial military containing several parallels to the Nazi armed forces. In real life, the Waffen-SS was the military wing of the Nazi party, while the regular army was part of the Wehrmacht. Although both the Wehrmacht and SS committed countless atrocities (despite what the “clean Wehrmacht” myth suggests), the SS was more infamous and erroneously perceived as the more elite of the two forces. Although there were elite SS units, the Wehrmacht was generally a more effective military force, while the SS were more fanatical.
How Can The Mandalorian’s Stormtrooper Retcon Work With The Movies?
Despite creating an interesting real-world parallel,The Mandalorian’sImperial military retcon conflicts with theStar Warsoriginal trilogy films. If the regular troops of the Imperial Army were more elite than stormtroopers, it would be seemingly poor judgment for Darth Vader to have stormtroopers accompany him aboard the Tantive IV, invading Echo Base, or guarding the Imperial shield bunker on Endor when army troopers would be more effective.
Imperial army troopers are shown inReturn of the Jedi, operating AT-STs on Endor.
There is a potential fix for this within the modern canon. Thestormtroopers seen accompanying Darth Vader and guarding the Imperial base on Endor might have simply been elite stormtrooper units. Darth Vader led the501st Legion, and while the Imperial 501st phased out clone troopers and replaced them with recruits, the Legion likely remained one of the most formidable stormtrooper units in the military.
For example,Andorseason 1 depicts Taramyn Barcona – a former stormtrooper – as an elite soldier within the Aldhani rebel infiltration team. Taramyn Barcona may have also been part of an elite stormtrooper unit which, like the 501st, likely combined the Stormtrooper Corps’ pageantry with the effectiveness of the regular army. This would allowThe Mandalorian’s fascinating retcon to coexist with the original trilogy films.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian
Cast
Released on July 12, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
