Post by Rose on Mar 4, 2007 18:02:35 GMT -5
501st Legion
Basic Information -
Affiliation: Clone Troopers; Stormtroopers; Galactic Empire
Movie Information -
When Anakin Skywalker succumbed to the dark side and swore loyalty to Darth Sidious, the newly arisen Emperor assigned his apprentice the best the galaxy had to offer. For Vader's inaugural mission to raze the Jedi Temple, the Emperor provided him with a legion of elite clone troopers. Their distinctive blue-marked armor set them apart from the other ranks. Their crack marksmanship and coordinated team maneuvers allowed them to outflank the Jedi trapped in the Temple, and mercilessly gun them down. Though these clone troopers emerged from the smoldering Temple with their share of casualties -- some Jedi proved quite difficult to kill -- they were nonetheless successful in their mission.
Expanded Universe -
The 501st began just as any of the other initial clone units that blazed across the rocky deserts of Geonosis in the first historic battle of the Clone Wars. They seemed identical to the other clones that infiltrated the Separatist stronghold and pushed the Confederacy forces off-planet. Nonetheless, the Supreme Chancellor himself took special interest in the success record of the 501st.
Like the red-emblazoned soldiers that made up the ranks of Palpatine's elite shock troopers, the 501st underwent training and conditioning not on distant Kamino, but in a top-secret facility on Coruscant known only to select members of Palpatine's command staff. It was shortly after the Battle of Jabiim, when the threat to Coruscant seemed all the more real, that the 501st were based out of the capital. From this headquarters, some members of the Legion saw transfer to other units, where according to asset management charts they were seemingly absorbed. In other records more secure and more private, they remained carefully tracked as members of the 501st to one day return to Coruscant for special assignment.
In the final days of the Clone Wars, the 501st were constantly on the move, shuttled from battlefront to battlefront. The Legion was split into special mission groups, often to supplement other clone missions. In same cases, they operated independent of the command structure already in place. There were 501st troopers protecting the skies over Coruscant during General Grievous' bold strike against the capital. Others provided support to clone units on worlds such as Felucia, Mygeeto, Utapau and Kashyyyk. Those stationed on Coruscant were put under the command of Darth Vader, Palpatine's new enforcer, and sent on the grim mission to attack the Jedi Temple.
Many of the early missions of the 501st remained classified for decades. Only recently have datapad journals of some of its members come to light, detailing some of their most arduous assignments.
With the rise of the New Order, there were some worlds that objected to the sweeping policy changes enacted by Palpatine. These worlds were soon brought in line. The 501st transitioned from clone trooper ranks to stormtrooper ranks as the Empire consolidated its power.
The 501st were dispatched to Naboo, to eliminate Queen Apailana and her opposition to the Empire's directives. It was the first time the 501st was called upon to "adjust" a planet's government, but it wouldn't be the last. Within months, the 501st gained a well-deserved reputation as "Vader's Fist."
They traveled to Mustafar, to capture Gizor Dellso, a rogue Geonosian droid engineer who had erected his own battle droid factory on the fiery world. Most alarming, the clones of the 501st had to put down a clone uprising on Kamino, as an aberrant batch of mutinous troopers were unleashed by treasonous Kaminoans. For this assignment, they were led by Boba Fett, a mercenary hired by Darth Vader for his intimate knowledge of the cloning environments.
Later, the 501st were assigned with protecting the Death Star as it neared completion. A host of would-be saboteurs and spies were captured by the Empire, and sent to languish in the Death Star's prison facilities. An embarrassing prison break by these Rebels inmates had to be quashed by the 501st.
When the Death Star plans were stolen by Rebel spies, the 501st were dispatched on missions to track down the valuable technical readouts. Such reassignment saved the ranks from destruction when the Death Star's main reactor exploded at the climax of the Battle of Yavin.
The 501st continued to serve Darth Vader throughout the Galactic Civil War, though after the Battle of Endor, their ranks were broken and the unit dissolved as feuding Imperial warlords carved up territory and materiel in their bids to become the next Emperor.
Knowing the value of symbols, it was Grand Admiral Thrawn who resurrected the designation 501st for the stormtrooper units protecting the Empire of the Hand. By this time, any original clones from the 501st's Civil War era were long past fighting age. This later unit was made up of birth-born soldiers, with diverse backgrounds and histories -- including non-human members.