8 Star Wars Questions That Always Confused You

7. What Was The Point Of Stormtrooper Armour?

star wars questions
Lucasfilm

One of the big misconceptions throughout Star Wars is that stormtrooper armour is effectively useless. While it's definitely understandable why viewers have been left with that impression, given it doesn't protect against direct blaster bolts, stormtrooper armour actually represented the pinnacle of military design in the galaxy far, far away.

The plastoid material that covered each trooper was designed to offer some protection against glancing blaster fire, but it had other benefits too. Apart from looking intimidating, stormtroopers also had access to an array of equipment in each set of armour, including a full utility belt, optional backpacks to carry further equipment, and an extremely advanced helmet.

Stormtrooper helmets (referred to mockingly as "buckets" by the Rebels), came equipped with their own heads-up-display and advanced communication set-ups, which would directly interface with the battlefield and give stormtroopers the edge in combat scenarios.

It may not look like much, and it won't offer any protection against direct blasterfire, but stormtrooper armour was far from useless.

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Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.