Star Wars Rebels Season 3: 20 Easter Eggs & References You Need To See

Everyone now recognises the Death Troopers from their first ever appearance in Rogue One. Serving serving under Director Krennic as his personal protection squad, being a lead figure in the development of the Death Star, they were present at the Battle of Scarif and the start of the Galactic Civil War.

But in Zero Hour, they made their animated debut on Rebels, this time in the service of Grand Admiral Thrawn, taking part in the battle against the early Rebel Alliance on Atollon. What’s different about these Death Troopers is that their animation models were based on the earliest concepts of the elite unit for Rogue One. The Rebels episodes went into production before Rogue One had concluded and the designs had not been finalised, so the team had to adapt from the initial concepts.

The incandescent green lights of the ends of their helmets are a notable difference between their appearance in Rebels and Rogue One, and their armour looks considerably lighter than their live-action counterparts.

Death Troopers served as protective details and bodyguards for important Imperial Officers throughout the Empire. Easily recognisable by their black suits of armour, they had specialised helmets that scrambled their verbal communications so no one other than themselves could understand what they were saying.

They are essentially commando units.