This is going to be a versus between Stormtroopers and Rebel Soldiers.
We will compare their training, body equipment, and weapons, then pit them against each other
in a scenario.
For this specific versus, we will only be using Human Rebel Soldiers, as they were the
most common among the Rebel ranks, and they won't possess a natural advantage or disadvantage
seen in some other species.
A few years after the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial Military started to move
away from using clones and started to recruit regular Humans from across the Galaxy.
In order to qualify to become a stormtrooper, a Human would have to be at the top of his
or her class.
After being accepted, they went through rigorous training that shaped them into being elite
soldiers of the empire, who were fiercely loyal to the emperor.
However their training wasn’t always ideal, as there were many cases of training being
rushed in order to fill the stormtrooper ranks as a means of keeping up with the Empire’s
rapid expansion across the galaxy.
Also much of the training involved stormtroopers to disregard fallen comrades in battle and
to push on, no matter the cost.
This resulted in many stormtroopers to have low morale.
Despite this, most of them were formidable soldiers that were honored in serving their
Empire.
And before we go on to the Rebels, we do want to dispel this notion that Stormtroopers are
incompetent morons who can’t aim.
Doing so we will refute the so called evidence seen in the movies.
The stormtroopers on the first death star only missed because they were ordered to do
so, so they could use the fleeing Millennium Falcon to track the Rebels to their secret
base on Yavin 4.
The Stormtroopers on Endor were only defeated because they not only were completely caught
off guard by an overwhelming force but they were also fighting on territory they were
unfamiliar with, a territory that was littered with deadly traps set up by the Ewoks.
Ewoks are also very small and quick, making them very hard targets to hit.
We should also keep in mind that Ewoks are extremely strong, and were at times referred
to as “mini wookiees”, so a rock thrown by them is like a rock thrown by a massive
gorilla, and would knock out anyone hit in the head by the sheer force alone, no matter
what helmet they’re wearing.
Other than those two moments, stormtroopers were portrayed to be pretty dangerous in the
movies, by slaughtering the rebels on Tantive 4 and steamrolling them once again in the
Battle of Hoth.
Anyway, Now with the Rebels.
The Rebel Alliance didn’t exactly have a training structure for regular Rebel soldiers,
as they didn’t have the resources or funding to create one.
Due to this, most Rebel Soldiers’ training varied, with some coming into the rebellion
with a full blown military background and required no additional training, while others
joined without any prior training and were only given a few weeks of blaster practice
before being forced into combat.
Some even defected from the Imperial Military and the only training they ever received was
that from the Empire.
All in all, most rebel soldiers learned how to fight from experience rather than from
formal training.
Most of them were also very dedicated to the Rebel cause and would even sacrifice themselves
without a second thought.
These two things alone made rebel soldiers a force to be reckoned with.
Rebel Soldiers tended to be a few years younger than their stormtrooper counterparts, due
to the Alliance not setting an age restriction for recruitment, with some soldiers being
as young as 14 years old.
This resulted in some soldiers of the Alliance Army having very little experience due to
how young they were.
Stormtrooper armor and the body glove underneath were designed to protect the user from both
the environment and from blaster fire.
For the environment, the armor gave protection from extreme heat and cold, as well as provide
limited protection in the vacuum of space.
For blasters, the armor was designed to disperse the blaster bolt throughout the suit rather
than trying to completely stop it.
Although this greatly increased the survivability of the trooper, it did usually result in the
trooper being temporarily paralyzed or knocked out.
Which is why you’ll see some of them slightly moving after being shot down.
The armor was capable of stopping light blaster bolts, allowing the soldier to keep on fighting,
but anything above that resulted in the soldier being disabled.
The helmet provided stormtroopers the ability to see through smoke and darkness, as well
as have a basic heads up display which provided them environmental information and a simple
targeting system.
It also let them breath through smoke.
This armor did have some drawbacks though, by reducing the soldiers’ maneuverability
due to its weight.
It also could be temporarily disabled by an EMP bomb, with the trooper being knocked out
as a result.
Also the armor was not camouflaged, having the stormtrooper sticking out in most environments.
Rebel soldiers were not equipped with a standard uniform, due to the Rebel Alliance’s limited
resources.
Instead, they wore whatever was available and what was best suited for the environment
they were fighting in.
This usually resulted in them being camouflaged to the environment and because they tended
not to wear armor, they were also very maneuverable.
Rebel soldiers being directly hit by a blaster bolt usually resulted in their death, or at
the very less a serious injury that prevented them from fighting on.
They wore backpacks, which contained survival gear and additional blaster ammo.
They also wore helmets that protected their heads from blunt objects, like light debris,
but they weren’t reinforced enough to protect against most blasters.
The E-11 blaster rifle was the standard issue blaster for most Stormtroopers.
The E-11 was a very versatile blaster, being able to alternate from semi-automatic to fully
automatic, extend to a full rifle, and switch between stun and lethal modes.
The scope on the weapon allowed for the user to see through dark and smoky conditions,
and could be set to interface with the stormtrooper’s helmet.
The blaster produced a powerful blaster bolt which was capable of penetrating most types
of body armor.
Due to its long barrel, the blaster produced a very tightly focused beam.
Because of this, the E-11 was best suited for close to mid range firefights and in narrow
confinements like starship corridors.
The A280 blaster rifle was the most common blaster seen to be used by Rebel Soldiers.
It was a very powerful blaster that was considered to be one the best armor piercing blasters
produced during the Galactic Civil War.
It was capable of completely penetrating stormtrooper armor with ease, which is possibly why it
was so commonly used by the rebels.
The A280 blaster was best used in mid to long ranges and in more open like environments
like Hoth.
One thing to note, was that the A280 was much heavier than the E-11.
When it came to training, stormtroopers definitely received the better end of the deal, by getting
to use all the available resources the Empire had to offer, such as getting first hand experience
on using military equipment, going through battle simulations, and getting taught by
expert instructors.
Sure some stormtroopers’ training was rushed or was very harsh, but that wasn’t the case
for most of them.
Rebel soldiers really only received very brief training, if any at all, and they mostly learned
how to fight from experience, that is if they were lucky enough to survive their first battle.
Rebels who did possess superior abilities than their peers were given the chance to
go through a special training program to have them become members in the Alliance Special
Forces, but that was a completely different branch in the Alliance military and really
only took away the best from the Rebel army branch.
So for the training aspect, we will give the stormtroopers the point.
For body equipment, the stormtroopers possessed far more expansive and useful body armor and
equipment than the rebels did.
Not only did the armor protect them, but it also provided them targeting systems and sensors
that allowed them to see through darkness and smoke.
The only benefit a fully equipped rebel soldier had was that they were slightly more mobile
than stormtroopers, but not by that much due to the heavy backpacks they wore and the heavy
blasters they carried.
For body equipment, the stormtroopers get the point once again.
For blasters, both the E-11 and A280 rifles were powerful blasters that excelled at different
things.
The E-11 was more versatile with its various firing modes but was most effective at close
range, with it starting to be less accurate at mid range and eventually becoming very
difficult to hit targets at long range.
The A280 was sort of the opposite, as it didn’t have many different firing modes, but was
best suited in mid to long range fights.
Since they both are very well made blasters that are excellent in their respective categories,
it’s very difficult to decide which blaster is better, as it all would depend on the environment
they are being used in.
Because of this, it’s going to be a tie between these two weapons.
For this verses both sides will have an equal amount of people to make things fair.
Firstly, because the rebel soldiers in this fight will be using the A280 rifles, a single
direct hit from them will put the stormtroopers down, as the A280 rifles are able to easily
penetrate stormtrooper armor.
And the same goes for the rebels, as they didn’t wear any armor so they too would
be brought down by a single direct shot.
Now it all depends on the environment this fight would take place in.
If the fight took place inside of a ship or space station will many corridors, then the
stormtroopers would easily win, as not only did their blasters excel at close quarters,
but their helmets would have allowed them to see through the smoke which would have
been a result from the heavy fighting between the two forces in a tight confined area.
This scenario would look very much like the fight on Tantive 4, just with the rebels being
able to put down a few more stormtroopers due to their blasters being able to one hit
them, unlike the blaster pistols used by the rebels in the movie.
In urban like environments, from dense cities like Coruscant to smaller towns like Mos Eisley,
the stormtroopers would have the advantage once more with the environment being more
confined with firefights happening within buildings and the streets, allowing mostly
for close quarter combat.
But the casualties for the stormtroopers would be much higher than from the previous setting,
as urban environments can result to some mid to long range firefights.
It’s not until we start moving to more wilderness like environments that the rebels start to
have more of an advantage.
When it comes to wide open areas, like mountainscapes and desserts, the rebels have the advantage
of not only having a blaster that excels in long range fights, but also the advantage
of being able to camouflage with the environment.
The stormtroopers on the other hand would stick out like sore thumbs in their white
only armor.
In wide open environments, the rebels would probably win 6 or 7 out of 10 times.
Now if these fights took place in complete darkness, in any of the settings mentioned,
then the stormtroopers would win basically every single time, as their helmets allowed
for them to see through the dark.
The rebels on the other hand would be completely blind, or would expose themselves and their
positions by using flashlights.
In conclusion, the Stormtrooper’s due to their weaponry and helmets would have a greater
chance of winning in settings that forced close quarter combat as well as any time they
fought in darkness.
Rebels would have a greater chance of winning in environments that were wide open and were
suited for camouflage.
Remember this is our opinion based on the information provided, let us know if you agree
with us or not, and tell us why!