New images of a scout trooper fused into his armor provide a nightmarish take on the popular Star Wars characters. The Galactic Empire’s army of stormtroopers is as diverse as the franchise itself, and though some might not pay much attention to the soldiers, there’s plenty to learn from them and their armor.
Since making their first big-screen appearance in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, scout troopers have remained an important part of the Star Wars universe. Used primarily for reconnaissance and more low-key missions, scout troopers wear lighter armor than their stormtrooper counterparts, leaving them able to take on tasks that necessitate speed over brawn and precision over force. Reportedly skilled in melee combat and in the sort of specifics required for battle against lightsabers, scout troopers perform a variety of tasks that are often overlooked in the bigger Star Wars picture. In fact, thanks to The Mandalorian, Star Wars fans learned that kidnapping is also a part of the scout trooper’s duties, after Baby Yoda was not only taken but also rather controversially punched by an unscrupulous trooper.
With all the different characters that popular the Star Wars universe, there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of fear-inducing baddies. That hasn’t stopped artist Kevin Cassidy from offering some seriously creepy transformations of scout troopers at Art Station. Images of the Necro Soldier v2.0 show a scout trooper who appears to have survived fire or some very intense battles to emerge as the sort of unadulterated nightmare fuel that Star Wars rarely offers. According to the artist’s statement on the images, “A lifetime of missions has left the soldier fused to his armor and fully committed to the cause.”
At first glance, the Necro Soldier is reminiscent of the sort of undead soldiers seen in zombie versions of popular video games like Red Dead Redemption or Call of Duty. But upon further consideration, it also offers up the possibility of how genuinely intriguing a Star Wars film that involved the undead could be. It’s highly unlikely that Disney would take things in this direction, whether via an obscure planet in a spin-off or within the actual new upcoming trilogy, but many fans will still find it fun to ponder just what that would be like. One thing is for certain – a planet populated with this sort of undead scout trooper would add an all-new dimension to the Star Wars universe.
With a franchise as big as that of Star Wars, it’s become commonplace for fans to create artwork that plays off of existing characters or situations. In the case of the Necro Soldier, a relatively simple concept – making a branch of the Empire’s security forces take on the characteristics of a zombie – might be too much of a move in the direction of horror for some. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Cassidy’s Necro Soldier shows a lot of creativity and will launch numerous conversations and debates.
Source: Kevin Cassidy