Obi-Wan Kenobi's Purge Troopers Are Even More Dangerous Than You Think

Warning: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4!

Obi-Wan Kenobi features the live-action debut of Imperial Purge Troopers, who are among the most dangerous soldiers in the Galactic Empire. When Obi-Wan journeys to the Inquisitorius headquarters on Nur in "Part IV" of the series, he encounters disturbing sights and unique Imperial units, some of which made their respective debuts in the Star Wars Rebels animated series, the Star Wars: Darth Vader comics, and the Jedi: Fallen Order video game. Purge Troopers were a natural addition to the episode, as they’re non-Force sensitive members of the Inquisitorius Program. The troopers also feature a connection to the Galactic Republic’s Clone Troopers, with the earliest Purge Troopers being the Republic’s final batches of Jango Fett clones.

Despite their reputation as bumbling minions with subpar marksmanship, Imperial Stormtroopers are one of the Galactic Empire’s elite units, serving as a specialized division within the Imperial Army (a change from the Legends continuity, which made the Stormtrooper Corps an entirely separate military branch from the Army). Still, in perhaps a means of combatting the meta-narrative of Stormtrooper incompetence, the post-2014 canon continuity includes several examples of elite Stormtrooper units. The most notorious is that of the Death Troopers, cybernetically-enhanced soldiers who famously fought in the Battle of Scarif. Given their history and function within the Empire, Purge Troopers may be even deadlier than Death Troopers, however.

In Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4, Obi-Wan and Tala infiltrate Fortress Inquisitorius to rescue Princess Leia. The heavily fortified base is, unsurprisingly, populated by scores of Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers, yet Obi-Wan, Leia, and Tala also encounter several black-armored Imperial Purge Troopers as they escape. Obi-Wan, who is regaining his battle prowess, doesn’t directly fight any of the Purge Troopers, but their past as the last Clone Troopers and their specialized training for fighting Jedi would make them far more formidable than their Stormtrooper colleagues. Obi-Wan drowns one Purge Trooper by flooding an underwater corridor but escapes with his companions as more Purge Troopers and the Third Sister pursue them.

Purge Troopers In Star Wars Canon: Origins & History Explained

Purge Troopers and Clones from Attack of the Clones

Purge Troopers debuted in 2017’s Darth Vader comics, where they were unnamed at first, only referred to as the death squads of the Inquisitorius Program. These early appearances also revealed, tragically, that the troopers include the final batches of Jango Fett clones, who reached maturity after Palpatine’s coup and were immediately brainwashed into Imperial service, not getting a chance to fight alongside the Jedi before their free will was taken from them. Purge Troopers finally received their name in the lead-up to 2019’s Jedi: Fallen Order, but by the events of the video game, the clones who served as the first Purge Troopers were long gone, having been replaced by recruits.

As shown in Jedi: Fallen Order, Purge Troopers, even upon the clones’ replacement, are extremely deadly, having been trained with a variety of weapons and using some of the Empire’s best military gear. Not many materials can block a lightsaber blade, but Purge Trooper armor can resist one to a limited degree. In addition to using Clone Wars-era blasters, many Purge Troopers were highly proficient with various melee weapons, such as the electrostaffs famously used by Separatist MagnaGuards during the Clone Wars.

How Powerful Kenobi's Purge Troopers Really Are

Reva, the Third Sister, backed by stormtroopers and Purge Troopers in Obi-Wan Kenobi

Purge Troopers are among the most dangerous units in the Imperial military. While specialized Stormtroopers are capable of quelling local resistance and contending with the Rebellion’s best soldiers, Purge Troopers are meant to fight Jedi. Death Troopers nearly wiped out the Rebellion’s ground forces on Scarif, but skilled Rebels, such as Baze Malbus and Cassian Andor, managed to defeat them, using armor-piercing blasters to fell the cyborg troopers. Purge Troopers, in a dark twist on the iconic Jedi-Clone Trooper dynamic from the Clone Wars, fight alongside Imperial Inquisitors in their pogrom of Jedi survivors. By necessity, Purge Troopers have superlative training and equipment, allowing them to pose a threat to Jedi and keep up with the dark side-trained Inquisitors.

Simply by being the final batches of Jango Fett clones, the Empire’s earliest Purge Trooper divisions are their deadliest. In addition to using equipment meant to counter Jedi, these early Purge Troopers also trained their entire lives for combat, making them more dangerous than the later generations. The Purge Troopers who appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi are likely recruits, but even if they were the Empire’s cloned Purge Troopers, they likely would be no match for Kenobi, who is one of the prequel-era Jedi Order’s finest warriors.

Next: Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4's Final Shot Of The Droid Explained

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