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In one of our earliest encounters with Stormtroopers in A New Hope we see a Stormtrooper lean down to attend to a fallen comrade after the brief battle on Tantive IV. Whilst this is quite an iconic moment in the movie it is overshadowed by the very first appearance of Darth Vader. As such it is easy to miss this moment of compassion in which the reputation of the merciless Stormtrooper is subtly subverted. Moreover, this is not the only time that this happens in the Star Wars movie canon.

The first time we see the Clone Troopers in action in Episode II The Attack of the Clones we also catch a glimpse of Clone Trooper compassion. When Padmé falls off the Republic Gunship on Geonosis whilst in pursuit of Count Dooku the Clone Trooper who falls with her comes to her aid, bending over her and asking 'are you alright?'

Then in The Force Awakens, again after the first time we see the new generation of Stormtroopers in battle, we see the Stormtrooper FN-2187 (Finn) go to his dying comrade. In this instance the act of compassion is literally inscribed upon Finn's uniform as his comrade reaches out to him leaving a blood stained hand print on his helmet.

This is of course reminiscent of the scene on Tantive IV in A New Hope when a Stormtrooper does the same for another fallen Stormtrooper. In A New Hope though the Stormtrooper lets go of his comrade and stands up when Vader enters. The upshot is that Finn isn't the only Stormtrooper to show compassion, but he is the only one who allows his compassion to override his training and his obedience to his commanders.

What is significant about all these scenes is that it subverts our expectations of the Stormtroopers and Clone Troopers during the very first battle we see them fight. All three generations of Stormtroopers in all three trilogies are capable of compassion. What's more, they all show compassion on our first introduction to them and this undermines somewhat their fearsome reputation and does so more so than the comic moments which also serve to undermine this reputation (see for example my article on Helmets and Masks in Star Wars Episodes IV and VII).

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All Star Wars action figures, vehicles, collectibles and Star Wars toys shown on this website are the 3.75 inch scale and from my own private Star Wars collection unless otherwise stated. Where possible original vintage accessories have been used but in some instances I have placed Kenner Star Wars figures with either reproduction weapons and accessories or for Hasbro figures close approximations have been used. This is mostly the case for modern Star Wars lightsabers where the correct item can be very difficult to identify on some ocassions. Vintage Star Wars action figures are shown with their original weapon or accessory when I have them. When a vintage Kenner action figure is shown with an accessory which is not original I have tried to point this out where possible.

All of the Star Wars action figures shown were purchased second hand, usually incomplete, and in bulk. They have been reunited with their original weapons and accessories where we could get hold of them.

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