Summary
If there’s one thing that stands out aboutStar Wars, it’s that the franchise has always provided complex villainous forces. From the traceable and evident fall of Anakin Skywalker and the disguised power-seeking Emperor Palpatine to the implacable, tortured Maul andthe abandoned Asajj Ventress, there is a plethora of antagonists that wish to bring down the Jedi. These figures make for exciting battles to watch on screen, but the glory of video games brings the fight to the player. GivenAhsoka’s introduction to some very unique enemies, there could be a new kind of foe that would make for a greatStar Warsvideo game adversary; the kind that simply won’t give up.
Ahsokahas been adamant in providing several kinds of opponents for Ahsoka and Sabine to face, ranging from mysterious Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll to a resurgence of Dathomirian magic from the hands of the Nightsisters. All of these enemies have distinct goals and different tactics, battling with lightsabers or staffs or merely commanding legions. But no one quite expected to see the beloved heroes going face to face with regenerating zombie stormtroopers.
There are manyStar Warsvideo games that utilize villainsto both expand upon the lore and act as a compelling force of opposition. The infamous Boba Fett starred in an impressive boss battle inStar Wars: Shadows of the Empire, whileStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderfeatured several Inquisitors and made for great lightsaber gameplay. And, naturally, there are endless opportunities to battle mindless droid armies or unnamed stormtrooper squadrons, but the inclusion ofAhsoka’s demonic stormtroopers within a future game holds the possibility to fight an enemy not yet encountered in anyStar Warsvideo game.
As seen inAhsoka, it takes skill and a specific target to permanently put an end to these regenerating souls. As per the typical rules for the undead, a powerful blow to the head seems to do the job of keeping the zombies down, most visible when Sabine breaks free from a possessed trooper by igniting her lightsaber into his helmet. It would be very hard to kill them due to their regenerative properties, similar to the Hunter inDead Space. Additionally, several melee opponents attacking a single player at once would provide for gameplay not typically seen inStar Warsgames. The rules aren’t entirely outlined for this new opponent, either, and the limitations of theNightsisters’Dathomirian magic could further be elaborated upon in a futureStar Warsvideo game.
TheAhsokaseries isn’t the first place Dathomirian magic or zombie stormtroopers have made an appearance inStar Wars. In the third season ofStar Wars: The Clone Wars, the Nightsisters brought their fallen sisters back to life in one last fight againstGeneral Grievous. The General managed to put an end to the attack by killing the Nightsister directly regenerating her sisters, which resulted in the undead Nightsisters returning to their soulless state. On the other hand, zombie stormtroopers were first depicted in Joe Schreiber’s 2009 novelDeath Trooperswhen Darth Vader decides to manipulate a Sith virus to reanimate undead troopers, which chase after Han and Chewbacca in a prison barge. The novel is now non-canonical, but because of the Nightsisters' magic, undead stormtroopers are no longer entirely out of the question.
AStar Warsvideo game titledStar Wars: Outlawsis currently the onlyStar Warsgame in production with a release date set for 2024. Taking place betweenThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, this is a perfect window to utilize an alternate form of stormtroopers. Though it is assumedStar Wars: Outlawsis primarily focused on crime syndicates as the main form of antagonists, the game is open-world. It wouldn’t be entirely foolish to predict the upcoming game includes Dathomirian witches and resurrected stormtroopers in some side quest on a far planet, though overall it is unlikely they will make a grand appearance inStar Wars: Outlaws. Still, with their unique qualities, undead stormtroopers could show up in a differentStar Warsgame down the road.
